Resident Evil (series)

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The Resident Evil logo used for the GameCube remake. The older logo consisted of bold red letters in the Impact font on most windows PCs. Later logos for the Japanese biohazard remake , as well as biohazard 0 and all verison of RE 4 use an all lower-case, "Weathered" set of metallic-gray letters.

Resident Evil, known in Japan as Biohazard (バイオハザード, Baiohazādo^?), is a survival-horror series of video games developed by Capcom and created by Shinji Mikami. The series is credited with establishing the survival horror genre. The franchise has been heavily influenced by George A. Romero's Dead movies, as well as the Alone in the Dark series of PC horror games, early seminal examples of the genre.

The games have sold over 30 million copies as of February 2006.^[1] The success of the series has led to creation of comic books, novelizations, two Hollywood action films (with a third under production), guides, collectibles, publications, and a variety of action figures.

As of 2007, there are six games in the mainstream series (excluding remakes), with seventh and eighth installments currently under production.

[edit] Overview

The PlayStation box art for the first Resident Evil.

Resident Evil takes inspiration from the game Sweet Home,^[2] which inspired a Japanese horror movie of the same name. Sweet Home was released only in Japan in 1989 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Resident Evil borrowed many elements from Sweet Home, including the mansion setting, the puzzles, and even the "door" loading screen. While the initial game in the series was announced in both Asian and Western markets under the title Biohazard, Capcom's U.S. branch changed the title to Resident Evil a few months prior to release. While no official reason for the change has ever been divulged, it is said the reason for the change was due to trademark infringement (probably due to the name Biohazard being registered in the U.S. to the band Biohazard).^{[citation needed]} According to Mikami, the title Resident Evil was chosen by Capcom USA after their playtesters reviewed the contents of the game.^[3]

Most of the games in the series are played from a third-person perspective, viewing the characters from fixed camera angles as they move through pre-rendered environments. Although Resident Evil was one of the first games to use this gameplay style on console systems, the technique was first pioneered on the PC by the Alone in the Dark series which is often cited as the progenitor of the survival horror genre.^{[citation needed]} These static backgrounds have been a bone of contention for many players,^{[citation needed]} although Code: Veronica, and more recently Resident Evil 4, have used environments rendered in real time. Resident Evil 4 in particular had a "full model change" which featured, among other significant differences, a new camera system which follows the player rather than relying on fixed camera angles. Resident Evil 5 is set to use this gameplay model.^{[citation needed]}

Some of the games featured branching storylines in which events unfold differently based on the player's actions. In addition, most of the games features two main characters (a male and female protagonist) that are either selectable characters with their independent scenarios, or part of an overlapping storyline featuring both characters. In addition, some games feature supporting characters that become playable during key portions of the game.

The Dreamcast boxart for Resident Evil Code: Veronica .

The Resident Evil series is controversial for the use of graphic violence, gore and bloodshed which is seen throughout the entire game.^{[citation needed]} Each game is prefaced by a disclaimer, stating: "This game contains scenes of explicit violence and gore". It should be noted that the game's violence, unlike other series, is almost exclusively against zombies and non-human mutants, and only twice has the player killed another human being. However, the player-controlled characters are human and their deaths are often graphic - especially in Resident Evil 4, where the main character can be decapitated or ripped in half. The game over screens also add to this, with the words You Died or You Are Dead in a blood-splattered font. Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis featured game over screens depicting the player being devoured by zombies or other creatures.

Further controversy arose from Capcom's dealings with Nintendo to make the Resident Evil series exclusive for the GameCube,^[4] at least for the core story-based titles, after many years of releasing the games for the PlayStation and porting them to other systems.

[edit] Story

The original Resident Evil revolves around a series of cannibalistic homicides that occur in the Arklay Mountains region, situated north of Raccoon City in 1998. The local police's Special Tactics and Rescue Squad (S.T.A.R.S.) are commissioned to investigate the source of these murders. When Bravo Team, the initial team deployed to the area, fails to report back, Alpha Team goes on a rescue mission to find them; what they find are the mutilated bodies of some of the Bravo team, and a horde of freakish creatures. They are chased to a seemingly abandoned mansion, where the team encounters zombies and other creatures, and where they discover the rest of their comrades. In the end, it is revealed that the mansion is actually a front for a secret laboratory owned by the multinational Umbrella Corporation, and that the creatures are the result of experiments with a genetically modified virus called the T-Virus. Due to an accident there was an outbreak of the T-Virus. The virus from which the T-Virus was developed (known as the Progenitor virus), was discovered by three men; Edward Ashford, James Marcus and Ozwell E. Spencer. Resident Evil 0 explores the cause of the viral outbreak and Bravo Team's ordeal prior to the events of the Mansion incident.

Chris and Jill in the GameCube remake of the original Resident Evil.

The sequel, Resident Evil 2, takes place two months after the events of the original game, in Raccoon City. With S.T.A.R.S. unable to convict Umbrella for their wrongdoings, the company continues their experiments within an underground facility. However, a botched attempt to steal a former scientist's (William Birkin) work results in the T-Virus being leaked into the city's sewers and Birkin being infected by the new G-Virus. The T-Virus is spread by rats and most of the city's population become zombies, leaving only a few survivors trying to find a way to escape the city alive. The third game, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, is set during the same time period as Resident Evil 2, and features a similar premise. Nemesis, a creature created by Umbrella, is sent to Raccoon City to eliminate the remaining members of the S.T.A.R.S. The game concludes its story by depicting the city's ultimate destruction by a nuclear explosion. The Resident Evil: Outbreak games depict the attempts of normal civilians trying to escape the city.

Resident Evil Code: Veronica follows the attempts of the survivors to expose the Umbrella Corporation and sabotage their operations. Code: Veronica reveals the existence of a rival corporation, who employ Albert Wesker, the traitorous leader of the S.T.A.R.S. and a former Umbrella researcher himself, while developing their own bio-organic weapons. Resident Evil: Survivor and Resident Evil: Dead Aim depict similar attempts to overthrow Umbrella.

Set six years after the events of the previous games, Resident Evil 4 begins with the dissolution of the Umbrella Corporation. The focus is on a religious cult known as Los Iluminados that uses a breed of ancient parasites known as Las Plagas to control people, turning them into Los Ganados. The same organization seen in Code: Veronica also plays a role in Resident Evil 4, by having two of their agents attempt to steal a sample of the parasite.

[edit] Lineup

[edit] History

The original Resident Evil made its debut in 1996 for the Sony PlayStation. It was both a critical and commercial success, leading to the production of two immediate sequels, Resident Evil 2 in 1998 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis in 1999, both also for the PlayStation. A port of Resident Evil was released for the Sega Saturn and a port of Resident Evil 2 was released for the Nintendo 64. In addition, ports of all three were released for Windows. The fourth game in the series, Resident Evil Code: Veronica, was developed for the Sega Dreamcast and released in 2000 (followed by ports of 2 and 3). Sony PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube versions were later produced in the form of an updated version entitled Code: Veronica X. It was also released for the Dreamcast, although only in Japan.

Despite earlier announcements that the next game in the series would be released for the PlayStation 2 (which resulted in the creation of an unrelated game titled Devil May Cry), series' creator and producer Shinji Mikami decided to make the series exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube. The next three games in the series: a remake of the original Resident Evil, the prequel Resident Evil Zero (originally planned as a Nintendo 64 game) and Resident Evil 4, were exclusive to the GameCube. In addition, the console received ports of the previous Resident Evil sequels as they originally appeared on the PlayStation and Dreamcast. The remake and Resident Evil Zero were both released in 2002. Despite this exclusivity agreement between Capcom and Nintendo, Capcom released several spinoffs for the PS2 that were not part of the main series. Eventually, Capcom released both the GameCube version of Resident Evil 4 in 2005. A PlayStation 2 version was later announced, which launched later the same year with additional supplemental features. A Windows port was released in April, 2007, while a Wii version with the PS2 port's extra features and motion sensitive controls has also been announced.

[edit] Future releases

[edit] Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles

Main article: Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles

The series is set to make its next-generation debut with the tentatively titled Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles exclusively for Nintendo's Wii.^[5] During the Nintendo World Event in 2006, a little preview of it was shown with 2007 as the release date. Since then, information has been slowly appearing on internet, like it'll have RE4's engine with the elements from the first 5 games, and rumours say that it'll be set between CVX and RE4 to tie the latest game with the rest of the series.^[6]

[edit] Resident Evil 5

Main article: Resident Evil 5

Resident Evil 5 is the new game to be released for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. In contrast to the previous exclusivity agreement between Capcom and Nintendo, executive producer Keiji Inafune commented that Capcom wants the series to grow into a multi-platform franchise, and expects a simultaneous release date for both versions of the game. The release date of the game is yet to be announced.^[7]

[edit] Spinoffs

In addition to the main installments in the series, Capcom has also produced various Resident Evil spinoffs that serve as side stories to the main storyline.

There is a trilogy of GunCon-compatible light gun games known as the Gun Survivor series in Japan. The trilogy is comprised of Resident Evil Survivor (2000, PlayStation/PC), Resident Evil Survivor 2 - Code: Veronica (2001, Arcade/PlayStation 2) and Resident Evil: Dead Aim (2003, PlayStation 2). It is worth noting that Dead Aim is actually the fourth Gun Survivor game in Japan, with Gun Survivor 3 being the Dino Crisis spinoff Dino Stalker. In addition, the North American release of Resident Evil Survivor did not retain the light gun support of its overseas counterpart, while Survivor 2 only saw release in Japan and the PAL region. To date, all of the Gun Survivor games have launched with poor to mediocre reviews^[8] that became increasingly better with each installment.

Resident Evil Outbreak is an online game for the PlayStation 2 released in 2003 depicting a series of episodic storylines in Raccoon City set during the same time period as Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. It was followed by a single sequel, Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2.

Resident Evil Gaiden is an adventure game for the Game Boy Color featuring an RPG-style combat system. It was developed by now-defunct British-based M4 Limited. The game is a non-canonical side-story starring Leon S. Kennedy and Barry Burton, and notable for its cliffhanger ending that was left unexplored in later games. There have also been several downloadable mobile games based on the Resident Evil series in Japan. Some of these mobile games have been released in North America and Europe through Capcom Mobile.

[edit] In other media

In addition to video games, the plot of Resident Evil has also been adapted into officially licensed materials such as films, comic books and novels. Most of this adaptation often took liberty with the source material and because of contradictions between them and the games, they are not considered canon.

[edit] Films

Collector's DVD box set of the first two films of Resident Evil.

There are currently two Resident Evil films, with the third (currently known as Resident Evil: Extinction) now in post production. Like the first two installments, part three will be written by Paul W. S. Anderson. Though acclaimed horror film director George A. Romero was hired to write and direct the films, he was removed from the project in favor of Anderson.^[9] As Romero's script was a close, but not full, adaptation of the game, Capcom believed fans would feel that the movie had been altered too much from the game, and that newcomers would dislike the premise.^[10]

Sony released a revised synopsis that referred to Extinction as "the third and final installment" of the Resident Evil film series.^[11]

The movies were mostly panned by critics^[12] and reaction from fans was mixed. Some praised the movie for bringing the series to a mainstream audience,^[13] while others criticized the fact that it was not a complete adaptation of the Resident Evil games. Many fans also noticed that the movies contain many plot elements that directly contradict those from the games, though the general consensus is that the games and the films take place in separate "universes".

Despite the criticism, the films have been financially successful enough to encourage the approval of a trilogy. Released films and films to be released are as follows:

• Resident Evil (2002)
• Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
• Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)

[edit] Novels

Cover of The Umbrella Conspiracy, a novelization of the first game.

The earliest Resident Evil novel was a novella titled Biohazard: The Beginning by Hiroyuki Ariga. It was published in 1997 as a portion of the book The True Story of Biohazard , which was given away as a pre-order bonus with the Saturn version of Biohazard and was not sold in stores. The story serves as a prelude to the events of the original Resident Evil, in which Chris investigates the disappearance of a missing friend.

Author S.D. Perry has written novelizations of the first five games, as well two original novels taking place between games. The Perry series is comprised of: The Umbrella Conspiracy, a novelization of the first game; Caliban Cove, an original novel set after the first game; City of the Dead, a novelization of Resident Evil 2; Underworld, another original novel set after Resident Evil 2; Nemesis; Code: Veronica; and Zero Hour. The novels often took liberties with the plot of the games, either by giving names to unnamed characters in the game or exploring events occurring outside and beyond the games. This often meant that the games would later contradict the novels by taking the story in a direction. One notable addition from the novels is the character of Trent, who often different served as a mysterious behind-the-scenes string-puller who aided the main characters. Perry's novels were translated and released in Japan with new cover arts by Wolfina[1].

There was also a trilogy of original Biohazard novels in Japan. Hokkai no Yôjû (北海の妖獣, Hokkai no Yôjû^? lit. "The Beast of the Northern Seas") was published in 1998 and was written by Kyu Asakura and the staff of Flagship. Two additional novels were published in 2002, To the Liberty by Suien Kimura and Rose Blank by Tadashi Aizawa. While no official English translation of these novels had been published yet, the last two books were translated into German and published in 2006.

Novelizations of the two films, titled Genesis and Apocalypse, were written by Keith R.A. DeCandido. There was also a Japanese novelization of the first film, unrelated to DeCandido's version, written by Osamu Makino. DeCandido has been commissioned to novelize the upcoming third film, Extinction.

[edit] Comics

In 1998 Wildstorm began publication of a monthly comic book series based on the first two games titled Resident Evil: The Official Comic Magazine, which lasted five issues. Each issue was a compilation of short stories that were both adaptations of events from the games (alluded and depicted), as well as related side-stories. Like the Perry novels, the comics also explored events occurring beyond Resident Evil 2 (the latest game during the series' publication) and thus were contradicted by later games. Wildstorm also published a four-issue mini-series titled Resident Evil: Fire & Ice, which depicted the ordeal of Charlie Team, a third S.T.A.R.S. team appearing only in the comic.

There has also been a few officially licensed Biohazard manga series published in Hong Kong. One of these comics, an adaptation of Code: Veronica by Lee Chung Hing, was translated into English and published by Wildstorm.

[edit] Sourcebooks

Resident Evil Archives (Biohazard Archives) is a reference guide of the Resident Evil series written by staff members of Capcom. It was translated into English and published by BradyGuides. The guide describes and summarizes all of the key events that occur in Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, and Resident Evil Code: Veronica. Along with the main plot analysis, it also contains character relationship charts, artwork, item descriptions and file transcripts for all five games. While one of the few video game-based reference guides that was translated into English, the translation was criticized by fans for inconsistencies with the original Japanese version, as well as inconsistencies in the official translations provided by the games themselves. One part of the guide replaces all instances of the word biohazard with "Resident Evil", even when the situation didn't warrant it (resulting in such goofs such as the UBCS being referred as the "Umbrella Resident Evil Countermeasure Service" at one point), as well as typos and spelling errors throughout.

[edit] Critical response

A puzzle in the RE1 remake that involves arranging puzzle pieces to open a jewelry box.

Despite heavy horror elements and a "mature" rating that limits a wide appeal, most of the games in the main Resident Evil series have been released to positive reviews. Many of the games, notably Resident Evil 4, have been bestowed with multiple Game of the Year honors^[14] and frequently place on lists of the best games ever made.^[15]

A common criticism of the series is its odd, often random, placement of puzzles. When speaking of Code: Veronica, one critic wrote that the game is "still largely a puzzle-driven (as opposed to plot driven) experience."^[16] Capcom has been commended, however, for making an attempt to phase out and better integrate the puzzles into the game, with IGN writing that the puzzles of Resident Evil 4 are "not so obscure that they can't be figured out, and indeed many of them are downright clever."^[17]

[edit] In other games

Due to Resident Evil's popularity, Capcom has incorporated references to the series and even actual crossovers with the characters in some of their other titles. Other companies, such as SNK Playmore and Namco, have also incorporated references to the series.

• Pocket Fighter (1997) - A super deformed fighting game starring Street Fighter and Darkstalkers characters. In one of her combos, Chun Li is dressed as Jill Valentine in her S.T.A.R.S. outfit. Akuma's ending in the game also featured a scene in which he fights zombies dressed like those from the original Resident Evil.

• Breath of Fire III (1998) - There is an enemy in Caer Xhan that is called "Plant 42."

• Trick'N Snowboarder (1999) - A snowboarding sports game for the Sony PlayStation, featuring Leon, Claire, and a zombie cop from Resident Evil 2 as unlockable characters.

• Dino Crisis (1999) - A survival horror (or "survival panic") game directed by Shinji Mikami, often considered to be a cousin to the Resident Evil series. Umbrella logos are visible on certain crates.

• SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash (1999) - A card game-based video game for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. Card Fighters Clash featured various trading cards based on Capcom and SNK games, including characters cards of Jill Valentine, Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield and a generic zombie from the series, as well as an Action Card called "Escape", which pictured Sherry Birkin fleeing from the mutant G. The mansion from the first game is adapted into a theme part attraction within the game, featuring various references to the series (including two characters named "Chris" and "Mikami"). The sequel (Card Fighters 2: Expand Edition) added two new character cards depicting Chris Redfield and the Nemesis. The upcoming Card Fighters DS will feature an Ada Wong card.

• Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (2000) - A popular fighting game that has been ported to several home consoles, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 featured an extensive roster of characters from both Marvel Comics and Capcom. Resident Evil's Jill Valentine was one such character. She is armed with most of the weapons she equips in the original Resident Evil and can summon some of the enemy creatures of the series for special attacks, including the Rocket Launcher and Tyrant respectively.

• Under the Skin (2004) - One level in this sci-fi comedy PlayStation 2 game takes place in a comical parody of Raccoon City, and features several characters from Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, including Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliveira, as well as the Nemesis itself.

• Namco x Capcom (2005) - A strategy RPG for the Sony PlayStation 2. Bruce McGivern and Fong Ling from Resident Evil: Dead Aim are featured, among other Capcom and Namco characters.

• Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble (2005)- A continuation of the Viewtiful Joe series of games on the Nintendo DS contains a level based on the Resident Evil series, featuring background music from the games (most notably the Raccoon Police Station music) , inspired enemies (a miniature Cerberus which bursts through windows) and pictures of "Clownies" (The games cannon-fodder villains) dressed as Jill, Carlos , Claire and Steve in the background.

• Dead Rising (2006)- Another Capcom game involving zombies for the Xbox 360, though it is unrelated to the Resident Evil universe. This game contains several Resident Evil references. The most obvious of these is a sandwich restaurant named Jill's Sandwiches in reference to Barry's infamous line to Jill in the original version of Resident Evil.

[edit] Merchandise

Over the years, various toy companies have acquired the Resident Evil license and each producing their own unique line of Resident Evil action figures or models. These include, but not limited to, Toy Biz, Palisade Toys and Moby Dick (in Japan only). NECA currently holds the license. Originally the company was only producing figures based on Resident Evil 4, but extended the line to include characters from previous installments.

[edit] Trivia

• The character 2D in the animated band Gorillaz wears a T virus t-shirt in the music video "Clint Eastwood".

• The character Tim from the British sit-com Spaced is seen acting out Resident Evil 2 at the start of the third episode in series one. While fantasizing about killing zombies, Tim almost shoots his flatmate Daisy with his shotgun (which is, in reality, his PlayStation controller). Throughout the entire episode, he is seen playing the game. The actors enjoyed filming the scenes where Tim is fantasizing about zombies so much that they made Shaun of the Dead

[edit] See also

• Sweet Home - a game that Resident Evil borrowed many elements from. It was released only in Japan in 1989 for the Famicom (NES)
• Devil May Cry - a game that was originally planned to be Resident Evil 4
• Dead Rising - another Capcom game about zombies, though unrelated to Resident Evil.
• Genetic engineering in fiction

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Resident Evil Website
• Official Biohazard Website
• Resident Evil at Wikia