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Rumor: Capcom Taps SOCOM Devs For New Resident Evil

Quick, what does Resident Evil have to do with SOCOM ? …give up?

Capcom has been big on farming out several major franchises this generation, and that includes Ninja Theory's current Devil May Cry reboot project, GRIN's ill-fated Bionic Commando and Blue Castle Games' popular Dead Rising 2 . Now, it seems the Japanese publisher may have tapped SOCOM developer Slant Six Games to handle the newest Resident Evil iteration. This according to Kotaku , where they have a document that indicates a "team-based RE game is currently in development at Slant Six." The project has the codename, "Resident Evil: Raccoon City" for now, and the team in question appears to be beefing up their Vancouver staff for this new title. On their official website , the studio says they're working on "an amazing new project" and they're working with "a new publishing partner on a world class franchise." Lastly, this past March, Slant Six was looking for a "Japanese translator/interpreter." Well, what more evidence do you need?  This might be a done deal.

Can you imagine a new Resident Evil coming from the SOCOM guys? And how will the fans respond to that whole "team-based," presumably multiplayer-oriented thing? Hmm…

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Snaaaake
Snaaaake
14 years ago

Having your game developed by a 3rd party studio is not necessarily a bad thing but……….if this is true then I'm totally speechless.

Jawknee
Jawknee
14 years ago

LOL! I called it! I knew Capcom would crawl to some western dev to make the next Resident Evil. At least it's a decent developer who has proven they know how to make shooter games. The question is, can they do horror? This must be painful for Shinji Mikami to watch. I wonder what he thinks of this.

Also, with other developers taking up Capcom's games, what the hell is Capcom even doing these days? Seems like they are pawning all their work off on other people. Except their fighting games.

MadPowerBomber
MadPowerBomber
14 years ago

Well… Mikami was no master of horror, either. Despite a few jump scares some badly translated documents and some fun disturbing digital paintings, Resident Evil's never been a straight on horror game as much as an homage to lots of b-grade american horror flicks with a weird Japanese twist.

The guy makes good games, but he's not Koji Suzuki or Takashi Miike or Hideyuki Kikuchi — just some of the brilliant horror authors and filmmakers from Japan.

In terms of horror, he might be a bit of a low-end Sam Raimi knock off from his Evil Dead days.

Jawknee
Jawknee
14 years ago

Yea i just don't agree. Resident Evil games are brilliant regardless of the cheese.

MadPowerBomber
MadPowerBomber
14 years ago

I totally agree with you. The only game in the series I didn't like was Nemesis, but I couldn't even tell you why now.

Jawknee
Jawknee
14 years ago

I know what you mean. Nemesis wasn't my favorite in the series either. Certainly wasn't the worst though. I think RE2 and RE4 are my personal favorites right behind the remake of the first Resident Evil for the Gamecube.

MadPowerBomber
MadPowerBomber
14 years ago

I'm still on the fence about 4, but I couldn't really tell you why. I loved the game, the atmosphere and everything, but for some reason I couldn't buy the early plot with Leon going from a rookie cop to a Presidential bodygaurd of sorts. It was the first RE game that I played multiple times, though! The remake was nothing sort of amazing, I bought a GameCube just for that, and RE2 was full of awesome. I loved the morphing tech they had for the game. It reminded me a lot of John Carpenter's the Thing, which is funny 'cause the game based on that movie was trash. Ha.

booze925
booze925
14 years ago

uh-oh
this can be good, and this could be bad.
why not have vicseral make a new RE game?

Jawknee
Jawknee
14 years ago

That's a good idea. Dead Space was so much better than Resident Evil 5.

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
14 years ago

Because Visceral have their own horror franchise. And there's the problem that they're owned by EA, and well, Capcom is a fellow major publisher and I'm going to stop pointing out the obvious now.
Peace.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

Wow, I didn't think RE could be ruined further but it sounds like Capcom actually found a way. Let left 4 dead be the multiplayer zombie game for crying out loud.

johnld
johnld
14 years ago

They dont believe they ruined it, theyre doing a "reboot."

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

I don't think making it a multiplayer heavy game qualifies as a reboot.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
14 years ago

I really don't care who makes it; if it's a multiplayer-only RE, you can kiss my ass.

Jawknee
Jawknee
14 years ago

I smell another Resident Evil: Outbreak like game. I say no thanks to that.

johnld
johnld
14 years ago

the term team based kinda leads me to believe that it is an online only resident evil. it probably seems their checklist of reasons why americans would play this game is comprised of 2 things:

multiplayer, check
Zombies, check

and thats it. i guess the west is crazy about their multiplayer and their zombies.

main_event05
main_event05
14 years ago

I agree with Ben, Kinda. I always thought RE would work well as a Co-op type game cause its two stories happening at the same time, the same with the 1st. But a RE that with multiplayer as a main focus would be complete bullcrap.

@Jawknee, I thought very highly of the Outbreak series.

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
14 years ago

TRUTH!

Cesar_ser_4
Cesar_ser_4
14 years ago

WOW… tis the first time i see ben type something like that… does that happen often?

Alienange
Alienange
14 years ago

What's the matter Ben, you don't have any online friends? Let's face it, if RE6 came out and ran the way RE1-3 did, the critics would give it such a thrashing that Capcom's head would blow off.

agroves120
agroves120
14 years ago

It seems Japan is in deep trouble with game development right now. I hope it works out for them.

Jawknee
Jawknee
14 years ago

They don't have to be. Kojima Pro and Platinum seem to be doing ok. Last I read Sega was rather happy with how Vanquish is performing. It's just Capcom and Square who seem lost. Coincidentally they are both trying to westernize their games. Capcom screwed themselves from the beginning by getting in the sack with MS at the start of this generation. Making Xbox exclusives for a console that doesn't sell worth a crap in Japan proved almost fatal for them.


Last edited by Jawknee on 11/1/2010 10:42:34 PM

BTNwarrior
BTNwarrior
14 years ago

Well the only good thing about this is that the story will probably be alot less silly. You know like no falling into a volcano, then coming back out bigger, then getting shot back into a volcano, then coming back out angrier and bigger, then get shot back into the volcano with an rpg. You know nothing silly

GuernicaReborn
GuernicaReborn
14 years ago

The only thing I'm sure of is that the trophies will be virtually impossible to obtain.

johnld
johnld
14 years ago

bought socom confrontation for the headset but i did see the trophies. for an online only game, its trophies are a pain.

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
14 years ago

So now we'll be barking out orders to our elite ultra-secret zombies-ops unit, directly from our SOCOM Headsets

Snaaaake
Snaaaake
14 years ago

Wouldn't it better to ask help from Epic Games?
Resident Evil…..Gears of War style.

Jawknee
Jawknee
14 years ago

Yea, I'm gonna say no. Ha! Then the game would be made with Unreal and we can't have that.

MadPowerBomber
MadPowerBomber
14 years ago

No thanks. I like Gears okay, but I've not found it as nearly as likable as people have said it was.

I think instead of handing off the franchise to another development team as Capcom is doing, they should just do what Visceral did with Dead Space. Hire some writers that can provide you a perfect story-telling backdrop for your video game. Early on Visceral tapped comic writer Warren Ellis for the story, then it went to Antony Johnston, both of which know their horror, and probably a lot better than your run-of-the-mill video game writer.

Jawknee
Jawknee
14 years ago

Great idea MadPowerBomber.

main_event05
main_event05
14 years ago

If it's a reboot they could leave it the story just the way it is. Maybe they could reinvent the engine but as far as story goes for a long running franchise RE has one of the best stories next to MGS ( up until RE4).

For the record I thought the Outbreaks were pretty decent. Not essential but still important.

Also, did anyone catch The Walking Dead on AMC?? Pretty good so far.

MadPowerBomber
MadPowerBomber
14 years ago

The Walking Dead is amazing. Been reading it for several years now, and it's hands down the best thing to happen to horror fiction with zombies in them since George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead in 1968.

The television show does the comic an immense justice, and I am quite excited millions are going to enjoy something that normally only a readership of maybe 100,000 people enjoy — in terms of the single monthly issues, at least. Comic sales numbers are hard to find.

The drama of the Walking Dead is going to blow people's brains out!

XD!

bigrailer19
bigrailer19
14 years ago

Wow wow wow hold the phone! The socom guys are not slant six. They may have an understanding of the series but as far as consoles go confrontation as much as I like it, is arguably the worst in the series.

Id like to know why slant six!?!? And I hope it's not strictly mp! I just got into RE and I kinda wanna keep it going!


Last edited by bigrailer19 on 11/1/2010 11:17:22 PM

Jawknee
Jawknee
14 years ago

Have you played RE4 or the remake for the original for Gamecube/Wii?

johnld
johnld
14 years ago

one word…greed

they couldnt tap zipper interactive because its part of sony worldwide studios or something. they wanted to make it multiplatform so they take slant 6 which i assume is a third party studio. if they picked zipper interactive it would have to be a ps3 exclusive, the right way to go. but since its a shooter theres a small chance it can lure people away from call of duty, gears, and halo. you know, the only games 360 users actually play. poor alan wake.

bigrailer19
bigrailer19
14 years ago

Jawknee, 4 is the only one I have never picked up and played! Definitely wanna give it a go on the wii. Everyone says that's the best platform for it.

I played all the RE when I was younger like Psx days and being young they were kind hard to get into. but when they hit the psn I bought them. Then 5 came out and I bought and played it, so really I've just gotten into em not long ago.

Johnld, yea I actually said something stupid an edited my post asking why they didn't get Zipper the real minds behind the great franchise. Then the obvious hit me and your correct I doubt they wanna keep in exclusive. But why settle with slant six? I mean no offense and again I do play and like confrontation but it's obviously not considered as one of the better entries for a reason! Maybe it doesn't have anythin to do with Socom lol. Hopefully slant six can our a great single player together. All I've played of theirs is Socom confrontation and it was. Mp only so I have no idea how they will handle RE?!?!


Last edited by bigrailer19 on 11/2/2010 12:49:34 AM

johnld
johnld
14 years ago

so theyre going after Left 4 Dead huh. isnt that the selling point of left 4 dead, co-op and zombies.

White_Mocha
White_Mocha
14 years ago

hmm. i don't know if i should be happy or sad about this. Capcom WILL have a little bit to do with it right? like while Slant Six is making the game, Capcom would come up with the monsters and stuff right? otherwise we could end up badly

Scarecrow
Scarecrow
14 years ago

DmC
RE

Watch out for these potential failures!
Capcom makes me sad. I keep saying this, the only thing that's working for them is their fighting games. Everything else has been a train wreck.

So sad…the Japanese game industry is trouble. But not because they aren't capable but because they want to cater to "Westerners" so much. It's embarrassing.


Last edited by Scarecrow on 11/2/2010 1:12:25 AM

YashaZz
YashaZz
14 years ago

I'm kinda happy for a reboot. I'm happy to see zombies, Raccoon City… but I'm also hoping for a single player with a decent plot. I'm not that into Multi player like my "Western lovers" friends.))

I'm ready for a DMC reboot too. Dante's dramatic change made me go: "Whoah!" – but I'm still ready to see what Ninja Theory pulls off.

I agree with you on your last point Scarecrow, so much truth. Almost ALL game studios try to appeal to the Western players and they completely forget that before, when they wanted to actually appeal to everybody, they made better games.

TheCrazyMerc
TheCrazyMerc
14 years ago

Sounds like a spin-off of Resident Evil Outbreak O.o?

main_event05
main_event05
14 years ago

Why is Capcom tapping a 1st party studio to make a multiplat game??

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
14 years ago

I'm not sure what to think here. Obviously games like L4D and Dead Rising have had a large level of success, while pure (I hesitate to use that word as most have very heavy action influences) horror games have really been lagging this gen. These titles have online play and zombies, and it appears as though Capcom is trying to cash in on this and bring one of their major franchises in to elicit a few more buys than they would with a new IP. It could be disastrous. The worst thing that they could possibly do here is make it very action-oriented and have overpowered weapons and fast enemies, and all that.

Making it good would require a great deal of thought. Obviously they would have to focus on minimalisation. Keep the firearms small, and relatively weak. Have lots of slower, weaker enemies, backed up by the occasional tank unit, or sub-boss. Make sure the environment has moody lighting, not overly bright, yet not dank and overly claustrophobic. Ensure that working together is absolutely essential for the experience, and not have one numbnut run off and murder a thousand zombies. I think the only way for this to work, and feel unique, is to have it go back to the style of the early Resident Evil games, rather than 4 and 5.

As for Slant Six, I've never played any game that they've developed, so I'll give them the benefit of a doubt. As you can undoubtedly tell, this prospect excites me immensely, and I don't want to see it screwed up. Oh, but it must absolutely have an atmospheric and awesome 8+ hour single player campaign to go along with it, or I'm simply going to be annoyed. That's right, I'm asking for two games in the one bundle, anyone got a problem with that?
Peace.

Lawless SXE
Lawless SXE
14 years ago

Heh, sorry for the long post, I just really like my horror experiences. I'm still yet to be properly scared by much of anything.

___________
___________
14 years ago

WHY CAPCOM? WHY????????????????????????
god dam it, when are they going to learn we dont want new versions of well known series, i want the old classics GOD DAM IT!
if i want a team based tactical shooter, ill buy a team based tactical shooter, not a game thats SUPPOSE to be a survival horror!
god, i wish i could go back in time to the ps2 days, where developers actually released good games!
cant wait till the PoP collection comes out, finally ill get to play a proper game!

Gamer46
Gamer46
14 years ago

Well, I'm now convinced that the higher ups at Capcom are totally clueless.


Last edited by Gamer46 on 11/2/2010 3:43:01 AM

MadPowerBomber
MadPowerBomber
14 years ago

This makes sense. I've been thinking about it a bit, and if you go back to what happened in Raccoon City, it's intended to be an homage to George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead. One of the key factors in NotLD is survival, and Resident Evil is supposed to be survival horror. If you make a game that is multiplayer — it doesn't have to be death matches and the like — but revolves around the narrative of survival, it could make for one complex video game.

It was actually one of the things that appealed to me about the Outbreak games, 'cause there has yet to be a single video game that can capture the proper vibe or atmosphere of the Romero zombie movies, but Outbreak really tried. Having a single player game that revolves around that ideal doesn't work very well, because you're not interacting with different personalities outside of what they're programmed to do.

Most horror-based video games, or the ones that are intended to be scary, are Alien games. They revolve around a central character that emulates the Sigourney Weaver character of Ripley as they trod through a nightmare that often emulates a mixture of Alien and Aliens. Rarely is there a game that requires the co-existence and team work that is necessary to survive something like a zombie apocalypse.

I dunno if it'd work, but I'd be sold on a game that tries.

X_shadowkilla_X
X_shadowkilla_X
14 years ago

zipper is good at making games….just hope they can make it scarier than what the last RE was. RE 5 was my 1st platinum.

Victor321
Victor321
14 years ago

I thought of Zipper Interactive when I read "SOCOM Devs"…..I'm sceptical now….

JackC8
JackC8
14 years ago

A "horror" game built around team-based online gameplay? So no story, no characters, no exploration, no bosses, no levels to progress through…no beginning and no end, just maps.

Gosh I sure hope they include killstreaks and noob tubing.