Hi all,
I have made this argument before and I wanted to get more people to comment on this considering how many people on this site (or in general) despise RE4 for changing the formula.
A TIMELINE
THE EARLY DAYS
Resident Evil was obviously a smash hit with the first few games. We all know this. It is undisputible. Capcom had a mega hit on their hands. RE1 and RE2 sold super well for PS1 games making between 5-6.1million a piece. RE3 saw a drop off and only sold 3.5 million, but was available on less platforms. The PS1 era was great and the games only added a few new things withe each installment. I was playing the games at this time. They were wonderful and I could play them over and over. However, due to the lack of changes and a drop in interests - the PS2 era games would sell significantly lower.
THE PS2 ERA BEGINS
The two main series titles we have in this category (despite RE4 later being released for PS2) are RECV, RE0, and REmake. We all know these games have remarkable value and are wonderful games in their own right. But if you were alive for this time period - you will remember the constant complaints from fans saying these games were too formulaic. People and critics alike were clamoring the Resident Evil was creating the same game over and over with slight tweaks and new locations. I mean, this was CONSTANT on forums of the early 2000's. As a result of the formulaic experience and the loss of interest - at the time - these games could hardly muster 2 million in sales which was QUITE a drop off from the early days in the 90s. I was playing at this time. And while I enjoyed these games, I do agree that the formulaic experiences didn't add enough to keep most people interested. If you bought every RE game when it came out, it'd be akin to playing every COD game now. You get the same game with slight tweaks each and every year. Luckily, the RE games had a ton of added value with new stories and lore being one of the great features of the franchise. The series was losing customers, money, and the ratings of their games were getting lower and lower. But seriously, Code Veronica and REmake are SO good.
RE4 CHANGES EVERYTHING
After a bunch of well documented restarts on the RE4 cycle - Capcom released the game we now know as RE4. They embraced a more action oriented game, but truly kept the horror alive. People were stunned. Some were polarized going in to it, but most couldn't ignore the shire fun of fighting something a little smarter than a zombie. The most unfortunate thing about RE4 is the lack of a finale for Umbrella and leading in to a new storyline for the next few installments. But they wanted this game to be its own being (like they would later do with RE7 after the backlash from RE6). People ATE it up. Critics loved it making it the highest rated game in the series by most accounts. Some game companies even made it the GOTY and it was well deserved. It was new and fun and DIFFERENT which is what the series needed lest it become too stale. Yes, I missed the old games, but by God, did I love playing RE4. The sales were off the charts. Selling 8.2 million games told Capcom what they needed to know. Keep making THIS kind of game instead. RE5 and RE6 would go on to sell more to different reactions by fans and critics.
When I say people were really hating on Capcom prior to RE4 for making the same game over and over - it is an understatement. Fans were livid. They felt like they were getting SUB-par games just so Capcom could milk the RE cash cow. The movies further divided people.
I am not saying anyone must LOVE RE4 - but seeing it in a historical context might answer some of those nagging questions on WHY it was changed. You could apply a lot of these same things to RE7 after the critical PANNING of RE6, but that is a slightly different story.
Let me know what y'all think!
I have made this argument before and I wanted to get more people to comment on this considering how many people on this site (or in general) despise RE4 for changing the formula.
A TIMELINE
THE EARLY DAYS
Resident Evil was obviously a smash hit with the first few games. We all know this. It is undisputible. Capcom had a mega hit on their hands. RE1 and RE2 sold super well for PS1 games making between 5-6.1million a piece. RE3 saw a drop off and only sold 3.5 million, but was available on less platforms. The PS1 era was great and the games only added a few new things withe each installment. I was playing the games at this time. They were wonderful and I could play them over and over. However, due to the lack of changes and a drop in interests - the PS2 era games would sell significantly lower.
THE PS2 ERA BEGINS
The two main series titles we have in this category (despite RE4 later being released for PS2) are RECV, RE0, and REmake. We all know these games have remarkable value and are wonderful games in their own right. But if you were alive for this time period - you will remember the constant complaints from fans saying these games were too formulaic. People and critics alike were clamoring the Resident Evil was creating the same game over and over with slight tweaks and new locations. I mean, this was CONSTANT on forums of the early 2000's. As a result of the formulaic experience and the loss of interest - at the time - these games could hardly muster 2 million in sales which was QUITE a drop off from the early days in the 90s. I was playing at this time. And while I enjoyed these games, I do agree that the formulaic experiences didn't add enough to keep most people interested. If you bought every RE game when it came out, it'd be akin to playing every COD game now. You get the same game with slight tweaks each and every year. Luckily, the RE games had a ton of added value with new stories and lore being one of the great features of the franchise. The series was losing customers, money, and the ratings of their games were getting lower and lower. But seriously, Code Veronica and REmake are SO good.
RE4 CHANGES EVERYTHING
After a bunch of well documented restarts on the RE4 cycle - Capcom released the game we now know as RE4. They embraced a more action oriented game, but truly kept the horror alive. People were stunned. Some were polarized going in to it, but most couldn't ignore the shire fun of fighting something a little smarter than a zombie. The most unfortunate thing about RE4 is the lack of a finale for Umbrella and leading in to a new storyline for the next few installments. But they wanted this game to be its own being (like they would later do with RE7 after the backlash from RE6). People ATE it up. Critics loved it making it the highest rated game in the series by most accounts. Some game companies even made it the GOTY and it was well deserved. It was new and fun and DIFFERENT which is what the series needed lest it become too stale. Yes, I missed the old games, but by God, did I love playing RE4. The sales were off the charts. Selling 8.2 million games told Capcom what they needed to know. Keep making THIS kind of game instead. RE5 and RE6 would go on to sell more to different reactions by fans and critics.
When I say people were really hating on Capcom prior to RE4 for making the same game over and over - it is an understatement. Fans were livid. They felt like they were getting SUB-par games just so Capcom could milk the RE cash cow. The movies further divided people.
I am not saying anyone must LOVE RE4 - but seeing it in a historical context might answer some of those nagging questions on WHY it was changed. You could apply a lot of these same things to RE7 after the critical PANNING of RE6, but that is a slightly different story.
Let me know what y'all think!
