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Mikami: RE Remake To Blame For Series Going All Action-y

Many survival/horror purists really dislike the direction their beloved Resident Evil franchise has taken.

Like so many other franchises caught up in the "faster is better" trend, the series became more action-oriented, much to the chagrin of true terror fans. But if you're looking to place blame, RE creator Shinji Mikami says to point the finger at the original Resident Evil remake for the GameCube.

In a recent interview, he told IGN that had it not been for the remake's "commercial failure," the franchise would've stayed the course. He also added that working with other developers will inevitably result in a more action-based game:

"If you want to keep a great horror game franchise, you have to work with people who really like horror games. If you bring in developers from other places, you’re going to end up with a more action-oriented game. With Resident Evil 4, I intended to make more of an action game–5 and 6 were outside of my responsibility, of course–but with Resident Evil 2 and 3, that wasn’t necessarily the intention I started with. They just naturally became more like action games."

With RE4, Mikami wanted to shift; instead of trying to scare the player, he wanted to make a fun, more accessible game that would revive the flagging sales of the franchise. And it worked. By the way, there's another series that has followed a similar path:

"I suspect that Dead Space followed the same path. It naturally became more about action. When developers think about their players… I don’t think it’s the case that they were thinking, ‘Okay, if we want to go from two million units to four million units, we need to put in more action.’ It’s a more intuitive process than that."

Mikami's new project, The Evil Within , should be a return to form for the horror master, and a whole lot of fans are banking on exactly that.

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Corvo
Corvo
10 years ago

Mikami should have become the Capcom CEO.

Geobaldi
Geobaldi
10 years ago

I didn't mind the Gamecube remakes that much. Now RE 4,5,and 6 I can do without.

EndZero
EndZero
10 years ago

so if it was on PS2, things might would have been different 🙁

Karosso
Karosso
10 years ago

Exactly! Have the nuclear spill in Japan damaged all of this dev guys brains? Such stupid logic coming out of their mouths lately 🙁
The stupid exclusive contract they did with a third place Nintendo was the cause why some of those titles didn't sale. I bought a GC just because of the remake, and the re-release of the RE series on it. Imagine if that had been on the PS2???
Why doesn't he make this new came a WiiU exclusive and them complain that there isn't a market for horror games anymore??
Really giving up on the Japanese developers at this point, it's like they all have been drinking the same contaminated water 🙁
Very unfair to the remake, RE Remake is to this day the best remake of any game I've ever play…

Mounce
Mounce
10 years ago

Yea, it's the Remakes fault and not their fault….

They made an awesome hardcore game that was essentially everything the fans wanted. THE PROBLEM? It was on a KIDDY SYSTEM! The best and most hardcore of hidden gems on Gamecube NEVER SOLD. Not Eternal Darkness, Not Resident Evil, not anything. It was CAPCOM who made the Exclusivity deal with Nintendo! Did Mikami forget that?! RE4, RE0 and RE Remake were the deal, RE4 though got ported. So why not the others?….

Their negligence is what is at fault. The 'What ifs' that they never did are to blame. If it was on PS2 and it achieved higher sales, this story wouldn't exist, likely.

But naw, it's the fans to blame for not buying it, TOOOOTALLY not an excuse.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
10 years ago

I still think that wanting those CoD level sales is a big contributor to the dumbing down of good franchises. That and the stuff he says here about other developers coming on board with dumb ideas.

Temjin001
Temjin001
10 years ago

My favorite RE was actually RE4. I played the GC version at least twice and the PS2 version once.
My next fav would be between the original GC remake and Code Veronica.

While it seems heavy action wasn't right for series something had to happen about those clunky tank like controls the series held onto for far too long.


Last edited by Temjin001 on 9/26/2013 11:21:11 PM

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
10 years ago

RE4 was my favorite too, sure it has more action but it's actually balanced out with the story and environments and horror.

I didn't have any problem with those controls, obviously they didn't fit when the games went into mega action slam bang pow, zombie zombie zombie, AAAGHHH! mode though.

Jawknee
Jawknee
10 years ago

I played the hell out of the GameCube version. I picked up the PS2 version for the extra modes but the terrible port job made it unplayable for me. But then the Wii version came out which was basically the GC version with all the extras that came with the PS2 versions awhile retaining the GC features. Plus the added motion controls were an added plus.


Last edited by Jawknee on 9/27/2013 12:35:09 AM

Temjin001
Temjin001
10 years ago

yah, the PS2 version of RE4 was pretty weak compared to the GC version, technically.
It was one of those rare times when a game built for the GC was ported to the PS2.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
10 years ago

I never had a gamecube so the PS2 one seemed great to me.

Temjin001
Temjin001
10 years ago

The pS2 version had some nice bonus features and added content and stuff. But the actual graphics, like textures and res, and even control just looked and felt much better for GC.

Jawknee
Jawknee
10 years ago

The RE remake is my favorite RE to date. Such an awesome game. I would love to see an HD remake of it for Wii U or even PS4. That said, RE4 is my second favorite RE game. I didn't care at all that it changed its gameplay mechanics. It was still scary. I remember being on edge once you had to back track through the town after dark. That game had a great atmosphere even though it changed its formula.

Karosso
Karosso
10 years ago

Agreed on both counts! The remake stole the place of the original and RE4 was one of the best re-imagining of a series to date. On the topic of remakes, CD's remake of the original Tomb Raider was also great, it's a very close second to RE Remake in my opinion…

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
10 years ago

Code Veronica on Dreamcast is astonishing, as I recall it put the PS2 one to shame on review scores.

___________
___________
10 years ago

gotta love how he faces blame on the remake and its financial success, but then spends the whole interview blaming it on developers and what there interested in.
if your going to make a point arent you suppose to provide evidence to prove that point, not contradict it?
sometimes i wonder if developers actually believe what spews out of their mouths, or it was put there by a PR guy or something.

Vivi_Gamer
Vivi_Gamer
10 years ago

Didn't the game reach the 'Greatest Hits' collection or whatever the GC equivalent is. I thought it was a huge success and a superb game, that and RE Zero. I prefer them it anything since RE3.

I'm sorry, while RE4 was a success, it is to blame for the downfall of Resident Evil. It was just a grizzly action game. While it had more of spooky atmosphere than RE5. There weren't many scary moments. The only part which I think really nailed it was the Lab. I twas very dark and had many surprised and of course had the re generators. the RE5 equivalent was just a big blob of tentacles… and don't even get me started on the final boss of RE5… It was beyond stupid.


Last edited by Vivi_Gamer on 9/27/2013 5:39:38 AM

DarthNemesis
DarthNemesis
10 years ago

Well putting the remake on the GameCube was not surprising it flopped.

CaptRon
CaptRon
10 years ago

Blame a remake that didn't sell enough on a system that wasn't nearly as popular as its competition. Great logic.

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