Resident Evil is probably the most appropriate game right now

[Edmond Dantes]

So I felt like I needed some escapism during this period of virus infections.... so I'm playing a game about a virus.

I make good choices.

So I own Resident Evil 2, 3, and Code Veronica on the Dreamcast, and recently played through an A-B scenario of RE2...

Now, Dreamcast is probably the best version of RE2, next to Gamecube or Nintendo 64, and my favorite feature is how the VMU shows your health and ammo count without you needing to go into the status screen.

There's just one problem:

The D-pad on a standard DC controller kinda sucks.

Particularly, the controller is convex, which creates an issue where its easy to accidentally hit left on the D-pad when you didn't mean to.

I can get around this using an adapter for PS1 controllers, but then I lose the VMU functionality (my adapter has a VMU slot but plugging a memory unit in for some reason also prevents the game from starting... something it does for this but not for Marvel vs Capcom 2 oddly enough. I imagine the "Windows CE" thing has something to do with it).

I wish there was a way to get the best of both worlds--a better D-pad while still being able to look at an LCD screen.

......

So of course, one thing that brought Resident Evil back to mind was the recent remakes, RE2 got a remake last year and RE3's is due out sometime this year (there's already a playable demo of it).

I gotta be honest tho... while I haven't played these, I've watched lets plays and reviews and... a few things about the remakes (and honestly even the Gamecube version of RE1 from back in the day) strike me as off in a few ways.

In particular how they seem to be taking a more "darker and edgier" direction with the franchise. In particular I'm not a fan of Chief Irons' more openly villainous role in RE2, because one, I play Resident Evil to blow zombies heads off (phrasing), not to see corrupt cops abuse women and children. But for another thing... if you're gonna have that, I should then be the one who gets to take him out, not just have him be glomped by a random monster that had no idea who he was or what he did.

It's like... Resident Evil was always kinda silly, and that was always its charm, but now Capcom seems like they're trying hard to say "no no its serious horror!" But... its zombies. You can't have serious horror when your subject matter is zombies. Ghosty-goos or aliens yes, but zombies are just kinda inherently silly, and were even back in 1996.

At least, that's what I think. Thoughts?

[Tron 2.0]

Fitting i guess playing with this current outbreak to play any resident evil but uhh,kind of depressing at the same time.I think the ones that i've replayed the most when i'm in the mood is re remake,re 2 original and re4.While i did buy the RE2 remake last year after it's price dropped i still haven't had the time to play it.Speaking of the resident evil 3 remake that comes out april 3rd given the current pandemic i wonder if it will sell well or not ?

[gbpxl]

I havent played the N64, DC, or GC versions of RE2 but I cant imagine theyre better due to their controllers

[Aussie2B]

Speaking of the resident evil 3 remake that comes out april 3rd given the current pandemic i wonder if it will sell well or not ?

Plague Inc. saw a big boost in sales once coronavirus was making the news, so I'm guessing sales will be good.

I'm kinda curious how this pandemic is affecting game sales in general. I'm sure a lot of people bought new games to fill their time while stuck at home, but with so many people losing work, I wonder if the pendulum will swing the other way and people will cut back on nonessential purchases.

[gbpxl]

if youre out of work most people are getting standard unemployment PLUS $600 a week on top of that so id say theyre gonna be doing alright

[Aussie2B]

A lot of people are struggling to even get their application for unemployment accepted because the phone lines and websites are so swamped. And not everybody qualifies for unemployment for one reason or another. Either way, I think many people who are claiming unemployment would still feel like they're not in a position to use that money on video games at the same rate they would've prior to this pandemic and prior to being unemployed.

[gbpxl]

you underestimate how stupid the average person is

[Edmond Dantes]

you underestimate how stupid the average person is

Just saying, there's not anything "stupid" about deciding you would rather die having fun than live being miserable.

I mean yeah people should not put entertainment ahead of food or such, but at the same time, if you're gonna be essentially trapped in your house for months.... might as well try out that one video game you've been on the fence about.

[Aussie2B]

I wouldn't criticize somebody for buying one game, but it's definitely a good time to be extra frugal. We also live in an age of more free and low-cost entertainment than ever. For less than $10 a month, you can sign up for a streaming service and have access to more TV shows and movies than you could possibly watch. There are so many games out there one could download for free, good ones at that, and sales are still frequent. I can't relate to anyone who feels "bored" during all of this. I never feel bored. There's always an endless list of things I need and want to do.

[Edmond Dantes]

Another thing people could do is watch the backlog of events like Games Done Quick, which is one of the main things I've been doing.

Which leads me to something on-topic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfcF...index=186&t=0s

....There's a Resident Evil 2 Randomizer.

Resident Evil 2... RANDOMIZER.

I'm hoping this isn't just that one extra mode from the N64 version (which wasn't a proper randomizer).

Although the randomizers that combine Zelda A Link to the Past and Super Metroid into one game are probably still the best.

(Incidentaly there's apparently a Dragon Warrior randomizer too... which from the vid I saw looks like it also rearranges the overworld?)

[kupomogli]

I dunno, Corona Virus isn't turning people into zombies. I think Trauma Center would be the better game as a frame of reference to the virus.

[Tron 2.0]

Plague Inc. saw a big boost in sales once coronavirus was making the news, so I'm guessing sales will be good.

I'm kinda curious how this pandemic is affecting game sales in general. I'm sure a lot of people bought new games to fill their time while stuck at home, but with so many people losing work, I wonder if the pendulum will swing the other way and people will cut back on nonessential purchases.

Guess so preorders for the RE3 remake at amazon are sold out but reviews have been mixed.Looks like capcom play it safe and didn't want to try to out do the original.

[kupomogli]

Guess so preorders for the RE3 remake at amazon are sold out but reviews have been mixed.Looks like capcom play it safe and didn't want to try to out do the original.

Reviews have been mixed because it seems that there's a bit of laziness to the game with the many areas being reused from the Resident Evil 2 remake despite never being in RE3 in the first place.

[Edmond Dantes]

Reviews have been mixed because it seems that there's a bit of laziness to the game with the many areas being reused from the Resident Evil 2 remake despite never being in RE3 in the first place.

The irony being that the original Resident Evil 3 also recycled areas from the original RE2 (the police station for example).

To be honest I was thinking the other day that one issue with the RE3 remake is that.... how do I explain this....

Okay, so back in 2000 or whenever, the appeal of Nemesis was he was the first time EVER that you had a monster that followed you room to room and who you had to plan around and such. That's why he's such an iconic figure--before him no other RE monster had done something like that.

But now with the remake.... they gave this trait to Mr. X in RE2. So now Nemesis seems like just a rehash of an existing concept, when he's actually the originator.

Which kinda makes me wonder why Capcom is even doing these remakes instead of, say, doing Resident Evil 8. All remakes really ever accomplish is dividing fans, confusing youngsters who don't know the history, and (on a personal note) making me wonder why I'd even want to play it when I've heard this story before. I mean yeah I can see how the same story is executed differently... or I could hear a new story entirely.

The difference is clear. Clear Eyes.

EDIT:

.... Okay that came off as unreasonably harsh to games I haven't played yet and which honestly might actually be good, but still I'm like... I just don't see much point in retreading old ground when you could just release an HD upscale of the original game or an emulation package similar to Mega Man Legacy Collection.

Altho.... I wonder how that would play on the Switch, if I had so much of a problem with the DC controller (which is more me being a whiner, since I DID beat Leon A Claire B with that D-pad, so maybe I should just shut up and play).

I never played the Gamecube Remake of RE1 either.... mostly because every time I had a chance to purchase it, I also had a chance to buy a horror game I had never played before at all, and well... go back to my "Clear Eyes" joke.

[Aussie2B]

I highly doubt most people are getting these remakes for the story. They're getting them for the gameplay, which is very different from the originals, and for the AAA modern presentation, and there are tons of people who have never played the originals, considering how old they are at this point and with there being tons of gamers in their teens and early twenties (and young gamers generally aren't so inclined to play PS1 games). They're not gonna please everybody, but overall the previous remakes have been very well-received.

[kupomogli]

Which kinda makes me wonder why Capcom is even doing these remakes instead of, say, doing Resident Evil 8. All remakes really ever accomplish is dividing fans, confusing youngsters who don't know the history, and (on a personal note) making me wonder why I'd even want to play it when I've heard this story before. I mean yeah I can see how the same story is executed differently... or I could hear a new story entirely.

Jim Sterling released a Jimquisition that kind of answers this perfectly. https://youtu.be/EZcHLliNjI4?list=PL...kvCvAVQe&t=210

The reason why we buy rereleases of games, HD ports, etc of games that have been rereleased countless times is because it gives us a reason to replay our favorite games again and again.... and well, like Jim states, most mainstream main games now days are pretty bad.

[Edmond Dantes]

I also saw something in there about using remakes to get young'uns to appreciate the classics with a sense of awe.

Which just bothers me, and points to a thing I have against modern culture. I mean, kids in the 50s didn't need a re-write of The Hobbit to make it palatable to them, but for some reason with a video game we do?

I honestly think this is an illusory issue, a thing gaming just THINKS is true--and gaming just DECIDING that things must be true is an issue that Jim Sterling has spoken about before (specifically with regards to horror being a "dead" genre, but then Amnesia was successful, and about classic RPGs being a "dead" genre then Bravely Default was successful). When I think of my own life, I'm like "hold on, if kids won't watch anything old, then how come reruns of Rocky and Bullwinkle were picked up by freaking Nickelodeon in 1998 and I knew a lot of people who watched them?"

With regards to old games, well... just last year I played Streets of Rage, two-player, with my four-year-old nephew and he actually liked the game more than I did! And this was on an actual Sega Genesis, by the way.

This idea that older games need to be shine'd up for the new generation seems like adults projecting their own insecurities and biases onto kids. It's kinda weird, people in the past knew kids would like the same things their parents did, but now apparently they're enamoured with this notion that "no no, they won't like reruns of old Ducktales, they need a NEW one!" Really gives me flashbacks to that one sitcom scene a lot of reviewers use of the old guy who comes dressed in stereotypical "rad" clothing and with a skateboard and saying "How do you do, fellow kids?"

Honestly what I really hate is the disconnect it causes between the generations. Used to be we had a common ground. My parents knew what the Flintstones were, and so did I. But now I have to explain it to my niece and nephew whenever a show makes a reference to it (or whenever they see me playing the NES game). You now have to put effort into making sure you and your kids have common ground, and there's something depressing about that.

......

On a different tack, the idea that remakes get anyone to appreciate the classics is... well, its kinda ludicrous. FF7 Remake isn't the same game as FF7 original, its an entirely new game that just happens to be a retelling of the same story. It's the same deal as a movie based on a book, except this time both are the same storytelling medium.

[Aussie2B]

Remakes come in all forms. Some are very faithful; some are drastically changed. The very faithful ones tend to get a lot more flack because they put off people who were wanting and expected a more modernized update, and this applies even to people who like the originals. I can't count the number of times I've come across people who love the original version of Secret of Mana but complain about the gameplay in the 3D remake, even though it's virtually the same.

Being lukewarm on content before one's time isn't a modern phenomenon nor one limited to gaming. There are countless boomers who love movies and music from the 50s and 60s, but their interest in the same kind of content from, say, the 20s is a lot lower. I know tons of gamers in their late 30s who are perfectly happy to play a game on NES, SNES, Genesis, etc., but they turn their noses up at Atari games. Me, I find practically all movies and shows from the 70s unwatchable. The drab colors make everything look depressing to me. I think a lot of us who watched old cartoons and shows as kids did so because they were on and there were only so many options as to what we could do. It's not like I, as a kid, could change the channel and find countless other cartoons I could watch, let alone get on a computer and stream whatever I want. I watched a ton of Rocky & Bullwinkle, and yet I never particularly liked it. Same with The Flintstones, Jetsons, etc. I virtually always would've preferred a contemporary show. Watched a lot of Nick at Nite too, and there are very few of those shows I would revisit today (basically just I Love Lucy). Yet I'll watch shows that broadcast during my lifetime, like Frasier, Roseanne, The Office, Seinfeld, etc. over and over. I think most people like some things from before their time, but I would guess the percentage of stuff they like from within their lifetime versus stuff they like from before their time for the average person would be like 90% versus 10%, if that. And I think nostalgia plays a huge factor in all the older content the average person likes, whether it's from within their lifetime or not. A lot of people like The Wizard of Oz and It's a Wonderful Life, despite how old they are, but they were probably repeatedly exposed to them as children and they turned into the rare exceptions. Little House on the Prairie is one of the very few 70s shows I really like, but it was something I saw a lot of as a kid. If I were introduced to it as an adult, I probably wouldn't have given it a chance. Young kids generally aren't quite as aware of what's new and what's old, so you can introduce old stuff to them with some degree of success. But then you run into the social factor. Another big reason I think people prefer content from within their lifetime is because it can be a shared experience with their peers. My niece and nephew took some interest in retro games because they'd see me and my husband playing them, and we'd play with them too, and they were briefly very happy to receive a Raspberry Pi loaded up with emulators and ROMs. But they quickly grew tired of it and it became yet another old abandoned toy when their peers would be obsessed with modern games like Minecraft and Fortnite.

[gbpxl]

May 9, 1998

Played poker tonight with Scott and Alias from Security, and Steve from Research. Steve was the big winner, but I think he was cheating. Scumbag.


May 10, 1998

One of the higher-ups assigned me to take care of a new creature. It looks like a skinned gorilla. Feeding instructions were to give it live animals.

When I threw in a pig, the creature seemed to play with it... tearing off the pig's legs and pulling out the guts before it actually started eating.


May 11, 1998

At around 5 A.M., Scott woke me up. Scared the shit out me, too. He was wearing a protective suit. He handed me another one and told me to put it on. Said there'd been an accident in the basement lab.

I just knew something like this would happen. Those bastards in Research never sleep, even on holiday.


May 12, 1998

I've been wearing the damn space suit since yesterday. My skin's getting grimy and feels itchy all over. The goddamn dogs have been looking at me funny, so I decided not to feed them today. Screw 'em.


May 13, 1998

Went to the Infirmary because my back is all swollen and feels itchy. They put a big bandage on it and told me I didn't need to wear the suit anymore. All I wanna do is sleep.


May 14, 1998

Found another big blister on my foot this morning. I ended up dragging my foot all the way to the dog's pen. They were quiet all day, which is weird.

Then I realized some of them had escaped. Maybe this is their way of getting back at me for not feeding them the last three days. If anybody finds out, I'll have my head handed to me.


May 16, 1998

Rumors going around that a researcher who tried to escape the estate last night was shot. My entire body feels hot and itchy and I'm sweating all the time now.

I scratched the swelling on my arm and a piece of rotten flesh just dropped off. What the hell's happening to me?


May 19, 1998

Fever gone but itchy. Today hungry and eat doggie food.


May 21, 1998

Itchy itchy Scott came ugly face so killed him. Tasty.


4 / / Itchy. Tasty.

[ArcadePerfect]

RE3 Remake's opening is amazing! Been a fan of Resident Evil from Day One, always playing one of the series no matter what era it is really. RE2 Remake was game of the year for me last year. The dpad on Dreamcast controllers was actually my go-to favorite for fighting games. Prefer the PS4 DS controller's dpad this current console generation from the 3 systems.