Losing interest in the series

[Pikminister]

I never said they were stupid; I simply said that many casual gamers just want to turn their minds off.

I think that what really is going on here... is that (some) core gamers resent the fact that casuals don't take the plotline of a specific game as seriously as we do. And that's when some of us start branding them as either stupid or mindless S.O.B.'s.

They just don't take games so fucking seriously as some of us do. They think its ridiculous to invest that much thought & emotion into them. And we think they need to turn their minds "on" and get a clue about them.

We make fun of them and they do it too. They sometimes make fun of us when we start blabbing about Master Chief as he was a real person or whatever. Because they cannot relate to that type of dedication to something they consider merely as a silly game.

Its all relative and depends on a point of view. So its not that some are stupid or mindless idiots. They just have different priorities... what they consider worth investing their time with, dictates their mindset/opinion on games.

Also in RESEARCH ON BIOHAZARD 2 final edition, Mikami said that he was as uninvolved with the development process as he could have possibly been when he was a producer. Some rough and very general directions may still come from the producers, mostly as a voice of the management, but the bulk of the Capcom games still comes from the directors and planners.

Yeah but have you noticed that whenever Mikami gets involve in a game, anyone that works in that game looks up to him? Even the director seeks his approval?

In regards to RE2, it was Mikami who introduced the director to the genre. Suggesting material to research and films to watch. He didn't change much when RE4 was being made. He scrapped ideas that the original director had for that game. Eventually, he had to jump in and take over.

Even the director of RE Zero (a game that didn't officially involve Mikami), was looking to get advice from Mikami when making that game. Mikami showed him a beta version of REmake and gave him some tips to use on Zero.

Takeuchi and Kawata have talked in the recent past about having heated discussions with the team thats in charge of the games they "produce". So many examples exist of them getting involve in the creative process.

So I don't think that the typical role of a producer, applies to a typical RE producer.

[Grem]

I think it is difficult to have a right view on the series today and part of the reason is RE4.

In my opinion, this game is both a good and a bad thing. There's a high probability that if RE4 didn't came out the way it is now, the series would have been over.

However, the series is now trapped between two approaches and is still looking for its identity, because RE4 was an awesome action game (appealing to masses of players) and an awful RE game (disappointed RE fans)

I think the direction RE Revelations is taking is the right answer to this problem. They really need to conciliate the old formula with all the gameplay mechanics of RE4 and they should have done this with RE5.

In the end, the whole Las Plagas action RE games lasted only for two games which is not that much considering there are 7 main RE games in total. It is certainly not the definitive face of RE. So we are angry, but we shouldn't. RE4 just made the series continue and we should all see it only that way.

[Guest]

Yeah but have you noticed that whenever Mikami gets involve in a game, anyone that works in that game looks up to him? Even the director seeks his approval?

This is only natural since a producer is superior to a director.

In regards to RE2, it was Mikami who introduced the director to the genre. Suggesting material to research and films to watch. He didn't change much when RE4 was being made. He scrapped ideas that the original director had for that game. Eventually, he had to jump in and take over.

The decision to change RE4 came from the producers, but only indirectly as Mikami was pressured by the management. His original vision for RE4, as the director's, was to make it scarier than all the other entries in the series – he also said that the remake was developed to make the younger staff members understand the atmosphere in the original RE, as sort of a warm-up for RE4.

[Rombie]

Prime - There was hardly any large scale console videogame awards back in the mid to late 90's, which is why you won't find games listed... hell more or less before 2000 on any list. The started to appear in 1998 and 1999, but didn't start like the are now till after 2000. The wiki page you linked to, check the starting dates on them. Stuff like the BAFTA's as well, is UK specfic - so it's usually internal UK dev only, more so in early years anyway.

I can cite old IGN and Gamespot pages from online which will list stuff like RE1, 2 and 3 on top titles of their respective years, but they're not the same type of awards they have these days. Numerous mags had awards lists, like EGM, but people would need to find those copies to see what got awarded what.

The Sony award I can't find the exact page for it anymore, but Capcom used to frequently promote it as one of the games achievments outside of the sales and popularity the game had during the late 90's. The awards still exist, and Resident Evil 5 was nominated the year it came out and when Sony added back in the User Choice award again last year, Gold Edition got a nod for it's release as well, probably because of the added move support.

[Pikminister]

This is only natural since a producer is superior to a director.

Exactly. A RE producer is usually superior to a RE director. I mean, when you have Mikami on board, you got everyone looking for his approval, including the director.

In Hollywood things are different, though. You got someone like Ridley Scott, a famous director who likes to see himself superior to anyone else involved in his projects. Including the producers. He doesn't like producers getting too involved in the creative process. Or when the studio suits try the same thing. Ridley has said that he always gets his way, because as he puts it, "I'm the fucking director".

Mikami wanted the director of RE2 to be THAT kind of director. Yet he couldn't avoid tracing a road map for him to follow.

The decision to change RE4 came from the producers, but only indirectly as Mikami was pressured by the management. His original vision for RE4, as the director's, was to make it scarier than all the other entries in the series – he also said that the remake was developed to make the younger staff members understand the atmosphere in the original RE, as sort of a warm-up for RE4.

Well I was talking about the time before he took over as a director.

Anyway, he was always in charge. At least he wanted to make that point to the big wigs at Capcom. That's why he made that statement about cutting off his head if RE4 got ported to the PS2. Remember that one? It was actually a challenge.

He drew a line on the sand and dared the big wigs at Capcom and their shareholders to cross it. Mikami was basically saying, "I'm in control here". Well, we all know what happened next. They ported RE4. The shareholders where the ones in charge. They demanded that PS2 be ported. And the big C was all ears.

I think Mikami knew the truth all along, though. He probably just wanted Capcom to confirm it and make it official. After that, Mikami started packing his bags and made his way out of the company. Soon after, other big names (Kamiya, Inafune) followed him out the door. Once they realized that sad truth for themselves. The shareholders were in control and they get to decide where the RE franchise goes next.

That's why the RE series is presently targeting twitch gamers.

Who knows, they may even go after WiiFit enthusiasts:

Masachika Kawata: "I think something like Biohazard Fitness would actually broaden the market. Anything to break the market open is a welcome change for me".

[Gideon Quinn]

Everyone says things along the lines of 'music was so much better when i was a kid' but it just turns out that their favourite albums that influenced them the most came out at the time they were the most impressionable. I think the same logic applies to video games, particularly Resident Evil. It's so easy for long time fans of the series to look back at what it once was and hold the older games in higher regard. Nowadays, there are so many entries in the series that its legacy has been tarnished somewhat. Even if you've enjoyed all or most of the games (like me), there's just too many sequels and spinoff games for it to have the same strength and credibility that it once did.

[Det. Beauregard]

That's why [Mikami] made that statement about cutting off his head if RE4 got ported to the PS2.

My question is: why did he care so much if it got ported? It would simply make his game more popular! I simply don't see the logic behind this.

Everyone says things along the lines of 'music was so much better when i was a kid' but it just turns out that their favourite albums that influenced them the most came out at the time they were the most impressionable. I think the same logic applies to video games, particularly Resident Evil. It's so easy for long time fans of the series to look back at what it once was and hold the older games in higher regard. Nowadays, there are so many entries in the series that its legacy has been tarnished somewhat. Even if you've enjoyed all or most of the games (like me), there's just too many sequels and spinoff games for it to have the same strength and credibility that it once did.

Very well stated! For me, I was in my mid-to-late teens when the core of classic Resident Evil games (RE2, RE3, CVX, Remake, 0) came out. I was simply more impressionable; I didn't have the pressures of real life (job, college, bills, etc.) to worry about. This makes you wonder if new gamers today whose first RE game is RE5 will look back on it in a decade with the same fondness that we have for the classic games.

[REmaster]

My question is: why did he care so much if it got ported? It would simply make his game more popular! I simply don't see the logic behind this.

If I remember correctly, Mikami was pretty upset that Code Veronica was ported as well. He said that he wanted to prevent Capcom from putting the "Only for Dreamcast" label on the title when he realized it would be ported but it was too late, so he felt bad for all the people who bought a Dreamcast just for CV. When he promised that RE4 would only be on GameCube and it turned out otherwise, he was probably upset that he once again looked like a liar.

[Pikminister]

My question is: why did he care so much if it got ported? It would simply make his game more popular! I simply don't see the logic behind this.

If you look at it that way alone, it makes zero sense... But by publicly stating that he would cut his head off if RE4 was ported to the PS2, Mikami was actually drawing a line on the sand and daring the big wigs at Capcom and their shareholders to cross it.

When they did just that, Mikami pretty much got the message that he was not actually in control of the franchise he helped create. Immediately after we started reading about Mikami leaving Capcom.

Now, when Inafune parted ways with the big C, we something similar happen. No one from Capcom's top brass even cared about him leaving.

I mean, Kamiya, Mikami and Inafune abandoned Capcom because of that. They got no respect.

They kinda went "fuck this shit! I'm leaving and starting my own damn company". That's what they all did.

[BrionIrons]

its kinda sad but they did the right thing.let capcom suffer.because without Mikami,Kamiya,and Inafune,the RE game will never be as great when they were working on it.I mean right now Capcom don't care,but sooner or later they are gonna wake up and realise that they screwed themselves for letting those 3 depart.Resident Evil is nothing without those 3 guys.

[Guest]

My question is: why did he care so much if it got ported? It would simply make his game more popular! I simply don't see the logic behind this.

At least in the early years, Mikami was not exactly fond of the PlayStation 2.

its kinda sad but they did the right thing.let capcom suffer.because without Mikami,Kamiya,and Inafune,the RE game will never be as great when they were working on it.I mean right now Capcom don't care,but sooner or later they are gonna wake up and realise that they screwed themselves for letting those 3 depart.Resident Evil is nothing without those 3 guys.

Hyperbole much? Again, it's not as if the series was a stellar line-up of masterpieces before. There were some good entries (most of all RE2 and the remake), some rehashes of earlier concepts and a whole bunch of awful spin-offs. Nothing they couldn't develop without those three. And mentioning Inafune is ridiculous since he was not even involved in the creation of pre-RE4 titles.

This may be nostalgia and fanboyism speaking, but not an objective and critical analysis.

[Alexia_Ashford]

I think RE4 is a highly entertaining and enjoyable game which is my third most played game in the series, behind RE2 first and RE3 second. It's provided me with hours of entertainment and it was brilliant for its time. So was REmake. I no longer have any interest in the series after RE5, however, and there isn't really anything anymore which interests me in the plot whatsoever. Wesker is gone. Umbrella is gone. The new 3DS one looks interesting for horror, but I, like the casual RE gaming audience, shall be buying it now for entertainment and a few thrills, not character development, story advancement, etc.

It's all about Mass Effect. I very rarely read the Umbrella Labs forum on this site and only stay here cos I like the community, not cos of the game anymore.

And check this: I don't even really like Alexia Ashford anymore. Bored of her now. There are plenty of other interesting baddies in games nowadays, like Kerrigan, Reapers etc.

[cvxfreak]

I went through a period like this after RE5 came out. It wasn't because I disliked RE5, but because that game seemed genuinely like a final entry. Sure, it turned out not to be, but that was my personal sentiment at the time. I've been supportive of Capcom's shift in gameplay styles for the series. RE4 and RE5 are the top 2 selling entries in the series and are considerably more popular than the games that came before it, especially outside Japan. I can't blame Capcom for doing what's best for their business.

I'm otherwise still very interested and look forward to the upcoming two entries and the next CG movie. I've stopped caring too much about the plot and the little details myself, although I've played the games in Japanese recently and have noticed that the plot details are somewhat different from the English versions, which is very interesting, but only for series fans.

[Darkmoon]

I'd love to see you write up a list of those differences if you ever get time. It's the sort of thing I really like.

[BrionIrons]

At least in the early years, Mikami was not exactly fond of the PlayStation 2.


Hyperbole much? Again, it's not as if the series was a stellar line-up of masterpieces before. There were some good entries (most of all RE2 and the remake), some rehashes of earlier concepts and a whole bunch of awful spin-offs. Nothing they couldn't develop without those three. And mentioning Inafune is ridiculous since he was not even involved in the creation of pre-RE4 titles.

This may be nostalgia and fanboyism speaking, but not an objective and critical analysis.

true im a re fanboy but lets be real.You know it and I know it,RE hasn't been the same since Mikami's departure 6 years ago.even though Inafune hasn't worked on the original titles,I still mentioned Inafune because at E3 last year he looked really interested to bringing back the horror atmosphere in Revelations.But now that he's gone,for god knows what reason,god only knows whats gonna happen to Revelations now.For all I know they are probably editing story that Inafune probably came up with.they are probably gonna shelf the zombie idea like they did with RE5's original story and go with this majini crap (again).