Whether you like it or not, remaking old video games is a great way to get new fans into a franchise, all the while appeasing the more long-time fans, and it’s also a quicker way to make the studios some easy money. Whatever side of the fence you are on this, what cannot be denied is that the Resident Evil series has cornered the market in terms of high quality remakes with Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, and the looming Resident Evil 4 on the horizon as of this writing.
Capcom knows how successful these remakes are, and they have a large catalogue of mainline Resident Evil titles in their pockets. Which title should be next in getting the remake treatment?
I argue that Resident Evil: Code Veronica should have gotten the remake treatment before Resident Evil 4. Before you grab your torches and scream “Ahi esta! Muerte!”, hear me out. Resident Evil 4 already has more modernized gameplay mechanics that I argue have stood the test of time. Granted we don’t have our modern creature comforts like a completely independant camera system, or auto aim functionality (or any difficulty settings for that matter), so if one were to fire up Resident Evil 4 right now on your modern consoles, the gameplay mechanics would feel right at home for first-time players, more so than Code Veronica.
Resident Evil: Code Veronica had the outdated “tank controls” upon its release, initially for the Sega Dreamcast. Old school Resident Evil fans know what I’m talking about, with the fixed camera angles and in order to move your character forward you had to push the “up” button on your directional pad (or your analogue stick if you’re a masochist). These mechanics, although familiar to me, do not stand up to the test of time and I feel would frustrate new players more if they were to dive in with this title. Capcom could remake Code Veronica with an all new camera angle, reminiscent to the more recent mechanics we’ve seen in the past remakes. Not only would it appease modern-day players, but it would also provide an all new gameplay experience for old school fans. The story of Code Veronica is also rich in lore and features many familiar franchise characters like Chris Redfield, Albert Wesker, and stars the criminally underrated and underutilized Claire Redfield, Chris’ sister. And there’s Steve.
However, lest we forget the gem that is Resident Evil: Survivor. Ok, I know the game is quite trash, and features some of the worst voice acting in the series, which is saying a lot.
“I’m a murderer? Who did I kill? Answer me!”
Ark Thomson Resident Evil Survivor
Originally supposed to be a light gun game, it was scrapped last minute and became a “first person shooter” because people back in the day people thought plastic guns in American homes were bad. Survivor could be a phenomenal first person shooter in the vain of Resident Evil 7 and Village, all the while getting a great script rewrite and introducing new one off characters, like that murderer Ark Thomson. It could be a quickly developed game, especially since the game’s length wasn’t long to begin with, or Capcom could go all in and expand on its lore and make it longer.
Lastly, one can argue that Resident Evil Outbreak deserves a remake in some form, especially since fans of the Playstation 2 title are still keeping the multiplayer servers up as of this writing. While we got other great multiplayer modes like Mercenaries and…well, that’s it, none have compared to the co-op survival elements of the Outbreak games. Set during the events of Resident Evil 2 and 3, both Outbreak and Outbreak File #2 star new and unknown characters in the midst of the outbreak tearing Raccoon City apart. Join a team of three other co-op players as you try to escape the city and solve its many puzzles and mysteries along the way. It featured its tank-like controls, but also had a moveable camera that followed your characters around, and despite the gameplay being quintessentially Resident Evil, it lacked a stable online connection (it was 2003 when it came out) and featured no voice chat. Imagine a 4-player online co-op Resident Evil experience now!
Last but not least, we should get a remake for Resident Evil Umbrella Corps. Just kidding.
What Resident Evil title do you think should get the remake treatment? I would also throw in Resident Evil Revelations into the mix so we could get another mainline game with Jill Valentine as the lead again. Or, Capcom just could make a new mainline title with Jill as the main protagonist. You listening Capcom? Sound off in the comments, or head over to our Discord using the link here, or scan the QR code at the bottom of the page.
Cover art source: Noisy Pixel
