Film, Game, Music and Television Influences on the Series

[randomwab]

This is a topic I've wanted to make for awhile, but honestly never got around to. Something I always find fascinating in games is what influences developers, be it from films, books, music or television. Resident Evil is clearly no exception to this; every game is filled with references and homage to works in other mediums. Some of them are obvious, but others are easily missed.

So, what have you noticed from the series that could be tied to other works. I’ll list a few to get the ball rolling.

-Leon’s RPD uniform is modelled after the SWAT uniform seen early on in Dawn of the Dead.

-Leon’s default handgun in Resident Evil 2 is a Heckler & Koch VP70, the same handgun used by the Colonial Marines in Aliens.

-The lab environments from the latter half of Resident Evil 2 are highly inspired by the processing station from Aliens.

-The self-destruct countdown seen in every Resident Evil title is more than likely inspired by the film Alien and Aliens.

-Albert Wesker character design is based on Iceman from Top Gun. I refuse to believe anything else.

[aris13]

Claire's and Chris' jacket's read "Let Me Live" and "Made In Haven" a direct reference to British rock band Queen.

[Ray]

^ Beat me to it. That's, like, the only one I know as of the moment. Brainfart.

[Mr_Zombie]

Claire's and Chris' jacket's read "Let Me Live" and "Made In Haven" a direct reference to British rock band Queen.

Billy's "Mother Love" tatoo is probably also a reference to Queen's song from "Made In Haven" album.

[BLSR1]

The Meeting room in the West wing of the RPD is a duplicate of a room in RoboCop.

[Karui]

Moonlight Sonata...fairly obvious.

[GuardhouseMusic]

REDRUM (or half of it), with the same typeface as in Kubrick's The Shining is found in the East wing hallway of RE2 (the brown hued one where Mr. X busts through the wall shortly after encountering him in the conference room).

The train at the end of RE2 has the text Galaxie-5000 on it, which as I understand is either a reference to the original 60s Ford Galaxie 500, or the band with the same name.

The Colmillos in RE4 w/ tentacles exposed are dead-ringers for the huskie-doppelganger in John Carpenter's The Thing. I think there's a good chance some inspiration came from there.

[jagger916]

Claire's and Chris' jacket's read "Let Me Live" and "Made In Haven" a direct reference to British rock band Queen.

Man, I love Queen.

[Vixtro]

Billy's "Mother Love" tatoo is probably also a reference to Queen's song from "Made In Haven" album.

That would make perfect sense because the Track listing goes:

2. Made In Heaven
3. Let Me Live
4. Mother Love

Which would be the same order in which each track has been mentioned in an RE game. The reason being because most of the development team were big Queen fans, not unlike myself.

TBH, I never noticed that Billy's tattoo was actually 2 words, I thought it was just a random pattern, but I am delighted to find out it's yet another reference to my favourite band of all time.

Now we need to find the next one, "My Life Has Been Saved", which happens to be one of my favourite tracks on the album.

[jagger916]

What I always wanted for a new Claire costume is a jacket in the style of her old vests, with Killer Queen as the title. Just seems fitting to me.

[Bianca]

Luc Besson's French film, La Femme Nikita, has undoubtedly inspired many traits of Ada throughout the years. I've only ever seen the film, and although I did start watching the Canadian TV series, I never finished it, because I found it very boring. It's hard to "prove" this one without falling back on simple analytical comparisons, but I don't think anyone can argue the promotional art similarities.

Gaby's fansite for Ada offers the more detailed analysis: http://www.aquamarine.nu/ada/nikita.php

Good shit, too. One of the many reasons I hope we see Ada again. :3

[Carnivol]

References to Queen stuff in Japanese games is probably one of those things one can build a hobby or obsession out of. It's probably hidden somewhere within their game design docs (Just like "To sell your bullshit: Shamelessly mix it with stuff you stole from Norse Mythology!")

[ValentineLover]

I only can think of Jill's Sarah Connor outfit anyway do you think that the RE5 AE archivement "Kung Fu Fighting" is named after the song?

[TheSelfishGene]

RE2 borrows so heavily from Aliens it's ridiculous.
G-infant / Chestburster
Sherry / Newt
That awesome thing that they did when Ripley leaves the planet but the Queen was in the landing gear and they fight on the orbiting ship, and then you have the REAL finale / That copied thing that they did when Leon and Claire and Sherry leave the labs and Birkin got on the train and they fight on the train, and then you have the REAL finale.

There was a thread in the Darkside subforum where someone posted an image from a Japanese manga that look 1:1 like a Las Plagas (I think it was BLSR1 that posted it). The manga was called Parasyte.

The Japanese Biohazard 2 Prologue of Terros book also lists tons of influences, even influences right down to single monsters. eg. It lists Gremlins as an influence for Hunters, Jaws for Neptune, and The Blob for William Birkin.

[Det. Beauregard]

If you look closely when Wesker has his shirt off at the end of RE5, a tattoo on his right shoulder reads "Fat Bottomed Girls." I don't get it.