Resident Evil Doesn't Need Any More Remakes, Who Can't Wait?
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TAME OTONITY – Resident Evil: Veronica is the fifth remake in the series, and perhaps the one that needed a remake the most. While I appreciate that it finally came to fruition after years of rumors, it feels like it’s too late.
There have been three other Resident Evil remakes in recent years, and three original games released during the same timeframe. Seeing how successful those games have been and how Capcom continues to rely on remakes makes me wonder what the future holds for this series.
If the rumors are to be believed, a second remake of the original Resident Evil might be on the horizon. But what’s next? How many remakes are too many, and when will it be enough?
At this point, remaking every remaining Resident Evil game isn’t all that far-fetched. Resident Evil 5 is the best-selling non-remake game in the series; not capitalizing on this opportunity might be unwise. But part of me hopes we never reach that point, and that the remakes end with RE Veronica.
Remakes can come across as cynical. They’re often made to capitalize on nostalgia—a safe bet for generating revenue from popular franchises. But remakes can be compelling when they do one of two things: improve upon the original, or try something completely different. For me, the recent Resident Evil remakes did neither.
The Resident Evil 2 remake was a commendable effort to adapt the 1998 game for a younger audience, and the Resident Evil 3 remake was a heavily compromised version of a game that was originally more experimental. These remakes presented some complications due to the sheer scale of producing such games and the need to bring them up to modern standards. But the Resident Evil 4 remake was the point where Capcom truly lost my interest.
