From the first Resident Evil, people were hooked on the survival horror story and the zombie abominations that emerged to gnaw on your face. As the series evolved, important elements were replaced with gimmicky effects and a little racism. A poster from Boxden touting the title of Resident Evil 7 was reportedly leaked and potentially points to a showing at E3. This is just a rumor right now, but for some reason I feel like Capcom is going to bring that to fruition.
We’ve seen it in numerous series where companies have a successful first game and turn it into a franchise they beat into the ground. It’s rampant in movies, games, books, etc. “Can’t possibly have too much of a good thing” seems to be their mantra.
Resident Evil started out strong, had an engaging fourth installment, and the others were not too shabby either. I personally did not enjoy RE 5 and I’m on the fence about RE 6. Like with other series, the more you add to it, the less incredible the entire thing becomes, devaluing the series. Of course, this concept does not apply to every franchise out there, but the deterioration in quality tends to be a trend and producers need to understand what has been working and what won’t fly with audiences if they keep stacking on sequels.
Again, Resident Evil 7 is a rumor, but the potential to make a pretty dime is there, and money is usually the driving force for strung-out franchises. Would you play the new Resident Evil or would you prefer them to stop?
Published: May 21, 2013 03:03 pm