It’s been a very Resident Evil day. There hasn’t really been any big news, but today is a big deal. Resident Evil, Capcom’s pseudo cult classic survival horror series, turns 25 today.
We’ve been seeing celebratory content for a while now, with a new, weird multiplayer game on the way and plenty of hype for Resident Evil 8. We got a press release and everything. So while nothing is actually landing today, it’s still a good opportunity to do something over in our content corner of the internet.
So, albeit smaller scale this time, I figured if we can do a day of collabs for Super Mario, we can give some props to Resident Evil too. Especially since we have Morgan, who can’t speak without bringing up some horror thing or another. Or K-Pop. Or both?
Anyway, this is a more general collab, with a list of questions I sent out that’s more about what we think of the series as individuals. Feel free to hit us up on social media and share you own answers if you want!
Lucas
When did you first encounter Resident Evil? Do you remember your reaction?
I was a GameCube kid, and only had like RPGs on my well after the fact PS1. Some friends were talking about it and there was a Nintendo Power issue super focused on the REmake. Eventually got ahold of it and was pretty quickly obsessed.
Are you a fan of the series, or more of a casual observer? Or is Resident Evil not really your thing?
Definitely a fan of the series, sometimes unapologetically so. I have more complicated feelings about it lately but I’ll always pay attention to what’s going on.
Any problems with Resident Evil you’d love to see addressed in a remake or something else?
There’s such an emphasis on all the characters, and so many of them are celebrated. But there really hasn’t been a ton of focus on who the characters are. The opening of Resident Evil 3’s remake was a big step in that direction, but it was super brief.
Have you ever gone into Resident Evil Deep Lore? Comics, CGI movies, books, etc?
Oh hell yeah. I haven’t messed with many of the spinoffs, but I’ve read nearly every one of those novels S.D. Perry wrote. I was trying to pick up the manga, but it seemed to go out of print pretty fast.
Any thoughts on the Millia Jovovich movies?
I think the ones Paul W.S. Anderson actually directed were a lot of fun to watch, and the ones in-between were a lot harder to get into. Overall I’m glad they exist, because the ways the source material was adapted into a totally new story were lots of fun.
Looking forward to Village? Why or why not?
I am! But not as enthusiastically as many other people. I liked Resident Evil 7, but I didn’t love it. The first-person thing just doesn’t work for me, and the ways Capcom has tried connecting to the earlier games have felt real flimsy. Also there’s nothing good to do with this Ethan guy so I don’t know what the goal is there. Resident Evil’s appeal lies in its goofy cast, making the player a proxy person was a mistake, I think.
What’s something you’d like to see in a new game?
A think an actual reboot would be beneficial. The remakes have been great, and frankly a new remake of the first game and moving on to like Code Veronica would be rad. But the new games need to either start over with Umbrella, get rid of Umbrella or just tell an entirely new story. Not everything needs to be the godforsaken MCU.
Favorite character, enemy, sequence or anything?
I love the REmake’s opening cutscene. That really made me an instant fan. Jill is my favorite character, and what happens to her in 5 almost made me hate that game! And the Lickers are my favorite enemy because it’s always amazing to me how Capcom’s teams have managed to make those absolutely ridiculous-looking monsters scary.
Jesse
When did you first encounter Resident Evil? Do you remember your reaction?
Resident Evil was the game my dad would play at work when he had down time. He had a Tyrant action figure on his desk. I never knew what it was from until I was older but I remember him always telling me it was too scary for me.
Are you a fan of the series, or more of a casual observer? Or is Resident Evil not really your thing?
I love watching other people play Resident Evil. It’s way too spooky for me. I’ve watched a bunch of different full-playthroughs on Twitch and Youtube of the series over the years.
Any problems with Resident Evil you’d love to see addressed in a remake or something else?
I think ultimately the series is at its best when it focuses on atmospheric horror and puzzle-solving. My biggest gripe with the 3 Remake was how heavily it emphasized combat and boss fights, which are Resident Evil’s biggest weakness.
Have you ever gone into Resident Evil Deep Lore? Comics, CGI movies, books, etc?
I’ve googled the occasional character bio, but outside of that, I’ve never done a deep dive.
Any thoughts on the Millia Jovovich movies?
I’ve actually never seen them. I do plan to one day sit down and marathon them all with some friends when its safe to do so.
Looking forward to Village? Why or why not?
Yeah I’m excited to watch other people play that game. Sort of just casually observe from the outside and see where this story goes.
What’s something you’d like to see in a new game?
I’d love to see them continue the Remake style of gameplay. I love how great those games look and feel.
Favorite character, enemy, sequence or anything?
The opening village to Resident Evil 4 is iconic. That village gives me chills still to this day.
Morgan
When did you first encounter Resident Evil? Do you remember your reaction?
I feel like it was back when I was in high school and I started getting into horror games a lot more that I stumbled across it. Either that, or I might have seen the movie first which is weird to think about… the early 2000s is all a blur to me now lol.
Are you a fan of the series, or more of a casual observer? Or is Resident Evil not really your thing?
Absolutely 100% a fan and my love of the series only continues to grow with each new release.
Any problems with Resident Evil you’d love to see addressed in a remake or something else?
That’s hard to say, I really liked the changes made with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. The first-person view worked really well, and after playing the remakes, I honestly think Biohazard addressed all the problems I might have had with the series. I’m looking forward to Village and seeing if those changes carry over, and if they continue to work well outside of Biohazard.
Have you ever gone into Resident Evil Deep Lore? Comics, CGI movies, books, etc?
Movies, books, yeah. I find them all entertaining and insightful.
Any thoughts on the Milla Jovovich movies?
I liked the first one, the others less so.
Looking forward to Village? Why or why not?
Yessss, I’m excited for the tall vampire lady and the locale looks really spooky and it feels more reminiscent of Biohazard. I’ll be really sad if the game isn’t as amazing as it feels like it’s going to be.
What’s something you’d like to see in a new game?
Uh… more of… more tall vampire ladies lol. Honestly though I’d like to just see them expand the lore and the world and introduce new characters while they also work through remakes. It’d be the best of both worlds.
Favorite character, enemy, sequence or anything?
The intro to Nemesis, I also think Nemesis is just a cool villain. Also will forever adore Jill Valentine, I think she’s rad.
As you can see, we have a bunch of Resident Evil fans on the Prima staff. You know, even if that fandom doesn’t involve playing the games directly. But hey, either way it’s always wild when a classic series reaches milestones like this. Resident Evil has been doing its thing for 25 years, and that’s with several ups and downs.
Resident Evil really has a unique appeal, a vibe you won’t easily find anywhere else. You can point to all the discourse over the series’ tone as evidence of that. Whether you’ve been a Resident Evil head from day one, or if you’ve just jumped on the train recently, 25 years is worth celebrating.
And that’s why we’re here, with this collab, and my burdgeoning Pixlr skills. Here’s to the next 25? We’ll see what happens.
