Resident Evil Producer "Survival horror isnt popular enough in America"

[News Bot]

We're talking monsters, creep village people being possessed, cheap scares, dark locales, a cast of expendible characters, a final scene against the game's prime antagonist.

That's horror in pretty much every sense surely?

So Tomb Raider is a horror game?

[Darkmoon]

Could have been, yes. As I mentioned, Bubba Hotep is a battle against a soul destorying monster from beyond the grave. But extra elements, such as JFK being dyed black to hide him and the monster shitting out souls makes it not a horror movie.

In this case, Leon's arrogant, cocky attitude, the heavily action style of gameplay and lack of using those horror elements in any real way ruin any potential horror atmosphere the scarier monsters could have created. Add in Leon's one liners and giant robot midget attacks and it breaks any horror. At least, for me. The only reason I don't let my kids see the game is it's gruesome, but gruesome is not horror.

All my opinion, of course.

[Stu]

So Tomb Raider is a horror game?

If it has those elements, why can't it be?

[Stu]

In this case, Leon's arrogant, cocky attitude, the heavily action style of gameplay and lack of using those horror elements in any real way ruin any potential horror atmosphere the scarier monsters could have created. Add in Leon's one liners and giant robot midget attacks and it breaks any horror. At least, for me. The only reason I don't let my kids see the game is it's gruesome, but gruesome is not horror.

Again though, horror movies have been plagued in the past by people exactly like that.

But yeah like you say, it's all opinions.

[Darkmoon]

Oh yes, there are plenty of movies that try to be horror movies...and fail terribly.

[Det. Beauregard]

If your going to blame the downfall on RE5 then how the hell can you not pass it back to RE4. Because RE4 apparentley had elements of survival horror? I dunno about that but even if we say it did then it still started the chain of events that lead to all this. RE4 had way more stupid over the top nonsense action than RE5 and I'll prove it with one scene. The laser room. The shit Leon pulled off in that room was just stupid no man alive could do all that and if he could he would be in the olympics or something not a Cop/Bodyguard/Whatever he is now.

The laser room was ridiculous, I'll give you that. While RE4 was definitely what I like to call the "beginning of the end" for the series, at its core it was still a great game. It may have lacked the survival elements of past games (as Darkmoon said), but it still had horror elements and great atmosphere. The story of RE4 is actually extremely dark if you can get past the B-movie one-liner icing on the top.

RE5 was what really killed the series, in my opinion. Before RE4 was released, the developers realized that the series had to either adapt or die. Thus, RE4 was less survival horror and more shooter. Because RE4 is generally considered one of the best games of all time, they weren't going to go back to the old style at this point - they had to continue with the RE4 formula. I thought that was fine - RE4 was an amazing game, after all. I only hoped that RE5 would have a story that has more to do with the series mythology than RE4, but everything else I hoped would be just like RE4. It wasn't.

Almost everything was dumbed down for a casual audience. It's as if Capcom took all the things that RE4 did correctly and threw them out the window in favor of annoying their core fan base. So what am I talking about? Here's a list:

- Overly linear level design / lack of exploration
- Forced AI partner in single-player / co-op in single-player
- Lack of RE4's excellent inventory system
- Lack of any horror whatsoever
- Too many cut scenes / overly "epic, bro" Hollywood story
- Lack of a detailed full-screen map
- Dying status (a mechanic forced in due to co-op)
- Lack of herb variety
- Putting a character on the right side of the screen without any way to switch her to the left
- Lack of typewriter save points
- Increase of ridiculous wrestling melee moves tenfold over RE4's
- Lack of puzzles (not that RE4's were real brain-teasers, but at least it had puzzles)
- Game length and pace
- "Zombies" on motorcycles and armed with assault rifles
- Inability to start a new game with default non-upgraded equipment and no money
- Insisting on keeping quick-time events in the series (one of RE4's few weaknesses)
- Out-of-place "epic" set pieces / adventure (not horror) theme
- Terribly out-of-place rail shooter level (they even put two of these in Revelations!)

So yeah, RE5 is what really killed the series.

What I find interesting is that even those who began playing the series with RE4 think that the action vibe is getting out of hand. Read some of the quotes in the IGN article and this will become apparent.

[News Bot]

If it has those elements, why can't it be?

Those elements are characteristic of quite a number of action-adventure games. However, horror needs more than that to be considered horror. Typically relies on atmosphere, enemies which aren't easy to kill/you don't want to run into, among other elements.

Games like Biohazard (sans 5), Demento, Clock Tower, Dino Crisis and Fatal Frame are all horror games because they have these primary elements. BH4 maintained them to an extent, but was sitting on the edge. BH5 removed them altogether and had no characteristics of a horror game, or even the horror genre. A game is never defined as "horror" just because its enemies aren't soldiers and it isn't completely bright.

[CrimsonElder]

All im saying is if RE5 is this carbon copy of 4 then how can 5 be blamed for the downfall.Re5 is only a rip off when it pleases some people. I liked 4 and 5 not anywhere near as much as 1,2 and 3 but yes they are both at fault for the downfall and they may be horror but they not survival horror all I want back is that survival element.

[Det. Beauregard]

All im saying is if RE5 is this carbon copy of 4 then how can 5 be blamed for the downfall.Re5 is only a rip off when it pleases some people. I liked 4 and 5 not anywhere near as much as 1,2 and 3 but yes they are both at fault for the downfall and they may be horror but they not survival horror all I want back is that survival element.

RE5 is not a carbon copy of RE4. The camera angle and mechanics are roughly the same; other than that they have little in common. Did you read my post?

Co-op has killed RE.

[Dracarys]

RE4 and RE5 are different focuses of survival horror, RE4 had more horror elements but the survival ones went out the window. RE5 had much better survival elements but the horror took a backseat.

RE5 is the better game since its survival elements affect gameplay which is what you engage in most, where as RE4 horror focus was mostly to do with setting/visuals and partly story, partly since the other half of story seemed to be a cliche comedy. All my opinion of course.

[Wrathborne]

RE5 had much better survival elements but the horror took a backseat.

More enemies on the screen and more button mashing cut scenes do not equal better survival elements.The stupid ass AI partner however does make surviving harder.

RE5 is the better game since its survival elements affect gameplay which is what you engage in most, where as RE4 horror focus was mostly to do with setting/visuals and partly story, partly since the other half of story seemed to be a cliche comedy.

No, no it isn't....Really? You're going to say the second half of RE4 is a cliche comedy, when 75% of RE5 is a bad bond film where the characters are so dumb the villain is the only one you're rooting for because he seems to have half a brain and even in the end..he's the dumbest one of all?

All my opinion of course.

I disagree with your opinion..and will fight with you until the end of time!

[Wrathborne]

RE5 is not a carbon copy of RE4. The camera angle and mechanics are roughly the same; other than that they have little in common. Did you read my post?

Co-op has killed RE.

..Dude RE5 is a copy and paste job of RE4 with more enemies, adjusted battle mechanics, and less story.

[Guest]

If it has those elements, why can't it be?

Because it isn't scary at all, that's the number 1 reason.

[Dracarys]

RE5 had much better survival elements but the horror took a backseat.

More enemies on the screen and more button mashing cut scenes do not equal better survival elements.The stupid ass AI partner however does make surviving harder.

Much less inventory space in RE5, seriously...



In RE5 if you were to carry those weapons you could not even hold ammo for them all, plus no health items, nades or anything else either.

Items in general drop less often and in smaller amounts than RE4 especially on higher difficulties, then there are things like RE4 having an out of game inventory where you can heal, reload, swap weapon, make room for more items. In RE5 you need do it all on the fly with enemies still coming at you. Even picking up items in RE4 freezes the game world.

[Darkmoon]

..Dude RE5 is a copy and paste job of RE4 with more enemies, adjusted battle mechanics, and less story.

RE5 commits many crimes, but less story is not one. Quality of the story, on the other hand...