The good sided part of killing zombies.

[Romero]

The reason I believe that RE zombies are dead is because those who are infected whilst still living lose their higher brain functions, leaving them with only the cerebrum which controls movement, hunger, thirst, smell, etc. Zombies lack the function of the medulla oblongata, and this controls respiration and circulation (note that Marvin turned purple/white before he attacked Leon/Claire, this typically happens when circulation is lost).

"Cerebrum", "medulla oblongata" :huh: ..... Lol you're almost too well educated to take part in this discussion.
Your reasoning sounds credible to me, maybe except the circulation part.

No living being apart from David Blaine can last very long without extracting oxygen and removing carbon dioxide... so even if you were still alive before becoming a zombie, you'd 'die' within a matter of seconds - minutes at most because your medulla oblongata's lack of function disables you from taking in oxygen. There are several instances where RE zombies spend an extrodinary amount of time under water and other compact spaces, which tells us they are not breathing - therefore they cannot be living. Unlike you and I, zombies do not need to breathe to survive.

But this I have to question. A zombie is made of living cells, if the cells are dead then the zombie is stone dead. And cells can't live without oxygen. I don't think any virus can change this fundamental rule of life. Some bacteria can live without oxygen (some are even killed by oxygen), but a virus can't convert the cells of a human into such a life form. It's as impossible as alchemy. Can anyone explain this?

 

[Mr Sunshine]

If RE zombies existed they would be sooo living, in my opinion.

A stone can't move by itself. It needs a certain amount of outside force.

A zombie, on the other hand, can move, eat, see and smell on his own. Noone needs to trigger them.

Animals don't have higher brain functions too but they are here alive.

Zombies maybe can't breathe. I'm not touching this biology stuff because I fear I might get burnt.

What I do know though is that they also don't need to feed to survive. These two basic functions have a purpose. To give energy to a living organism. However like a said above they can act by themselves which means that they already have energy inside their bodies. I don't know how they get it. All I found is that the T-virus "animates dead tissue by replacing mitochondria in infected cells". Maybe we should ask CAPCOM?

If I believed too that soul and life coincide I would say that since they are living they have souls too.

But I don't believe that.

Edited:

And cells can't live without oxygen. I don't think any virus can change this fundamental rule of life

This conversation has its basis on unstable foundings. Imaginery viruses can do more than making cells living without oxygen.

 

[bruno]

We should open a new thread about this....
Actually, the proof that RE zombies are alive is that they are infected with a virus and viruses can only infect living cells (no exceptions).

All I found is that the T-virus "animates dead tissue by replacing mitochondria in infected cells". Maybe we should ask CAPCOM?

Where did you find that? I read this somewhere before and i actually liked the idea first... let me explain, mithocondria is basically the organel (inside a cell) in which the last steps of respiration take place. In the end of the process, energy is produced and an oxygen is needed to complete it. Without oxygen, energy is not produced. If, somehow, the viruses induced mutations so that the last receptor of the chain is another molecule sintethysed by the cell, oxygen would not be needed, the cells would produce energy without oxygen and the zombies wouldn't need to breathe anymore.
Anyway, further thinking lead me to realise how stupid this whole theory sounds. I believe zombies need even more oxygen and blood irrigation than humans. This is because a zombie's metabolism is very high. Thus, cells need much more energy and blood (containing, among other things, oxygen). Some cells don't get enough blood for their needs, so they start dyeing (Thus the rotten skin and some of the malfunctioning organs, like the brain). They consume lots of energy, so they can't waste it by moving a lot, etc. The high metabolism also causes their hunger.

 

[Romero]

Excellent post Bruno! I can't say if you are right or not, but you do sound like someone who knows a few things about biology.

 

[tremor]

Hehehe I'm loving this thread. It is so interesting to me. I don't even have anything else besides this to say about all of this. I'm just enjoying seeing all of these different answers.

 

[La Femme Fatale]

We should open a new thread about this....
Actually, the proof that RE zombies are alive is that they are infected with a virus and viruses can only infect living cells (no exceptions).

What about the graveyard zombies at the beginning of Code Veronica? I'd be incredibly hard-pressed to believe those zombies were alive or have any living tissue...

Apart from that I do agree with you, Bruno.

And Fallen, animals do have higher brain functions. They are just not as strongly developed as ours.

 

[bruno]

What about the graveyard zombies at the beginning of Code Veronica? I'd be incredibly hard-pressed to believe those zombies were alive or have any living tissue...

Well, i think Capcom just copied the graveyard zombies from RE3 and CV from horror movies. I think it's just a mistake, like the instant zombification in Degeneration, for example. We all know that Capcom is not very coherent...

 

[Mr Sunshine]

Where did you find that? I read this somewhere before and i actually liked the idea first...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viruses_in_the_Resident_Evil_series

"The Tyrant virus allegedly operates similarly to most other RNA viruses, but also has the abilities to reanimate dead tissue, to substantially mutate its host, and to infect nearly any tissue in any type of host. It animates dead tissue by replacing mitochondria in infected cells, thereby providing it with a source of energy to fuel viral creation. It then spreads, eventually reanimating tissue responsible for motor and lower brain functions. By specifically animating certain tissues, most of the body's usual processes, such as heart muscle contraction, are made redundant. However, this process has the drawback of severe necrosis in the host, and produces the distinctive rotted appearance of most BOWs. The mutations are produced when the virus incorporates itself into the host's genetic code and considerably alters it. Creatures with genetic structures different than humans generally show less severe mutations, and usually only increase in size"

http://residentevil.wikia.com/Zombie

"Interestingly enough, the t-virus appears to be able to reanimate even tissue that is already dead, as is evidenced by the dead rising from their graves on Rockfort Island following the initial attack by Wesker's forces. It is obvious from the tombstones and the rotted or nonexistent clothing on the zombies rising out of the graveyard that they had been buried some time before the attack, and it is unlikely that they had been buried already infected by the t-virus and animate in their graves. Therefore the t-virus must have somehow leeched through the soil and infected the dead lying in their graves. Embalming fluid may have been used on the corpses, which would have kept the dead tissue from decomposing long enough for reanimation to remain available after several weeks."

I wouldn't have doubts for the graveyard zombies but yet again it's wikipedia..

And Fallen, animals do have higher brain functions. They are just not as strongly developed as ours.

That was a big mistake of mine.

Edited: Finally, I would like to say that this is only a game. One can't explain everthing by using science as his only weapon! The only truth is the one that Capcom promotes. If Capcom says tommorow for example that during RE 3 Jill fell in love with Nemesis or that the T-virus can transform a dog into a dinosaur I would accept it without question. After all it's a fantasy game.

Edited 2: I mean seriously, I've seen in other threads complains like "in RE 2 the locker needs a code while in RE 3 the same locker doesn't need one"! Oh, come on people! Have we considered also that our character during a game gets at least one time bitten? And that he should have turned into a zombie but he doesn't? It is a colossal failure if we see it this way.

My opinion is this: Gameplay over Realism whenever this two factors get in conflict.

 

[bruno]

Ahh right, it was in wikipedia, but not in any official source. The second text is from RE wiki, which is even worse than regular wikipedia...
Anyway, of course Fallen, everyone is free to have their own opinions about the games. I am more of a science person, so i like to think RE is as real as possible.

 

[Sun]

Yesus,they are zombies,bat and hit is good part.
,hit and flee is bad part.

 

[L]

You know? I just thought of something.


God: WHO DA **** LET THESE ZOMBIES IN HERE