• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

How do you feel about Resident Evil 7's new direction?

SolVanderlyn

Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
resident-evil-7-hands.jpg

It's right around the corner, now. Capcom seems to have taken criticism of Resident Evil 6 to heart and gone back to a focus on horror and exploration. The caveat, however, is that they've essentially rebooted the series' gameplay and presentation. The tonal shift back to horror was expected - they'd been hinting at it for some time - but I don't think anyone expected the first person perspective, more down to earth character designs, or general disconnect from previous entry staples (characters, institutions, enemies). The game no doubt takes influence from the massively well received P.T., perhaps capitalizing on the outrage felt from its cancellation. It also, from what I've gathered, uses VR as a selling point. Penny Arcade's latest comic was on how downright scary the game is in VR (warning: explicit - not their best work, but it gets the point across).

I see a lot of hype for this game. People are excited. It's "the next best thing" after P.T. was cancelled.

I'm not really excited.

For me, Resident Evil was about the B-movie camp, the recurring characters, and the third person gameplay. Revelations 2 is everything I ever wanted from the series. I never cared much about the shift from horror-survival to horror-action, but that title seemed to reach a nice balance between the two. When I heard RE7 was going even further back to survival roots, I thought "hey, cool - it'll be like the first few games again." What we're getting isn't Resident Evil - it's a re-imagining of the series most basic concepts into something entirely different. It's as if they took Resident Evil's - the first game, not the series - design philosophy, boiled it down to its most basic concepts of horror, survival, and exploration, and rebuilt it from the ground up. A lot of people dig that, and that's cool. I feel a bit let down by what we've seen.

Having said that, I'm not angry at all that Capcom has decided to do what they've done. P.T. obviously had its fans, the RE7 demo has its fans, and they did need to take a new direction after the critical reception of RE6. I'm not going to be out there saying Capcom shot themselves in the foot or boycotting their game because it's not what I wanted. I still plan to give it a shot. I am, however, a little disappointed. I'm looking forward to the RE2 remake much more than I am RE7.

What are your thoughts?
 
I like it, i prefer third person to first but I understand why they went this direction. It has a sort of John Carpenter meets Stephen King vibe to it for me. The demo, as brief as it is, sold me on it.
 

killatopak

Gold Member
I feel that it's breath of fresh air.

I understand that people would rather this be a new ip but I like the way there could be recurring characters in the series that may appear in the game. 1st person isn't new to the series anyway so I could dig it.
 

Spinky

Member
I have no idea what to think.

It feels like Resident Evil, but at the same time it totally doesn't. The Bakers don't scare me, or Jack doesn't at least. The atmosphere (or lack of) doesn't do much for me, either.

I also have a hard time looking past the first-person perspective because I've never really been a big fan of it.

The full game has the potential to be quite a bit better, and I'll buy it day one, but right now I just don't know.
 

Jawmuncher

Member
At the moment, the only thing that has me on board is the story. But besides that, I don't think I'd be bothering with the game if it wasn't called Resident Evil. Will go in and see how I feel by the end of it. Very on the fence. If capcom had announced already that RE2make is classic style, and that we have a upcoming action RE game coming. I would probably feel a bit better about the changes.

First person is probably one of the biggest hurdles the game has for a lot of people. I know that we have Survivor, the original RE concept being first person but it's still odd after so many games.
I understand the reasoning. Push VR as the first big title that's playable from beginning to end, and it's easier to set up scares in such an environment. But I dunno, it's still odd for a lot of people.
 

mp1990

Banned
I don't hate that it exists, because I'm sure it'll please many, but I have no interest in it. The worst thing that happened to Resident Evil was the people who complained about the series tooking a more action-y approach, without even playing the games that came after 4.
 

dlauv

Member
I don't know where the misinformation about the design philosophy comes from. Probably Capcom's fault on how it's marketed.

Yesterday, I played a good four hours of Resident Evil 7. I shot things. I solved puzzles. I found obscure-looking keys to open overly-complex doors. It’s some mega Resident Evil stuff, and it’s brilliant.

Capcom has asked us not to spoil many things about our extended time with the game, but there are hints we can give while keeping it vague. At one point I’m traipsing from one side of this house to the other in search of mini metal dog heads that form part of a crest on a door. Without them the door won’t open. In another instance I do some entirely optional backtracking through hidden passageways to complete a series of steps to get my hands on a shotgun.

https://www.vg247.com/2016/12/07/i-finally-got-to-shoot-stuff-in-resident-evil-7-and-i-loved-it/

Many other publications' impressions echo the same things.

While I liked Revelations 2, it felt like a weak, budgeted title overall. Animations, environments, gunplay, dialogue, pacing, etc. all felt rushed. It's not the direction I'd want the franchise to go in, but it was a nice respite after RE6.
 
Great. I haven't played any of the demos because I want to go in dark, but I'm getting the vibe it will be a "poor man's" P.T. I don't mean that as a bad thing, necessarily. I'm really excited for this and hope it turns out terrific.
 

Alienous

Member
I feel better about it than when it was revealed. It does seem like a true Resident Evil game still. That said I'm not sure I'll play it - the anxiety I felt playing the demo was too much.
 
I really dig it overall. I like the art direction, change of scenery, and emphases on environmental puzzles.

The only thing I'm seeing that I'm lukewarm on it the persistent family members chasing you that may make parts of the game a chore. I didn't pick up Alien Isolation because a cool concept was spread out over the course of a 15+ hour game.
 

DJwest

Member
Extremely skeptical, I prefer 3rd person. This is one of my favorites series so of course I won't miss a main entry but I'm not optimistic.
 

SMG

Member
They needed to pullback from the overblown mess of 6. This is a much needed resetting of scale and stakes.
 

Dysun

Member
Taking a wait and see approach. The initial reveal and subsequent demos haven't interested me.

If the word is that it's a return to form, I will pick it up eventually
 

SKINNER!

Banned
I think it's a good move that they went into a different direction after Resident Evil 6's disappointment. It happened before when Resident Evil 4 came out and - I believe - the reason we got the version of Resident Evil 4 that we all know was because the Resident Evil REmake on Gamecube didn't do financially well which resulted in the change of direction.

My main concern with Resident Evil 7 is whether they get the VR right becuase the demo I tried in E3 this year was very very unpolished. It was quite unfinished. Please tell me that you've worked hard on it Capcom! Really wanna play it on VR.
 
Resident Evil 7's direction is the worst the series has ever taken. RE5 was awful, 6 was irredeemably bad but now 7 has taken the series in an unrecoverable state. RE was always known as a survival horror, blending cinematic gameplay with well executed scares and set pieces that revolved around usually over-the-top circumstances, it was the go to series if you wanted the life frightened out of you.

RE7 is the bio-product of trying to act desperate to conform to the mentality of YouTube "react" and fake screamer channels since they are among the top subscribed channels and easily watched more than TV itself, Capcom decided to go down this route and make a once-great horror series appeal to the YT screamers. The first person view was a huge mistake and it goes to show Capcom aren't actually interested in returning to the series' roots, but have worded it that way, but to jump on bandwagons while minimising costs. I mean, what the hell is VR doing in a RE game? RE doesn't need that shit, it was always the atmosphere, the awkward dialogue, blowing heads off and well-executed jump scares that drove the series as well as the dramatic modes like Mercenaries... yeah, where is all this in RE7?

REmake 2 is the last hope RE has to once again become a great horror series but even then I have no faith Capcom even know how to appeal to the fans they claim they appeal to. In my eyes, RE7 is the digital telling of Capcom's failure to make great games as they use to.
 

VDenter

Banned
I personally have good feeling about it.Resident Evil 4 is my favorite game in the series but comparing it to RE6 witch was the worst, yeah I can see why developers want to go away from that direction as far as possible. So whatever happens with the series in this new direction it probably wont be a downward spiral in quality like everything was after RE4.
 

Qiot

Neo Member
Similar to the OP, swapping the campy tone for a hard-edged feel and dropping the third person perspective means I won't be buying it.

No hard feelings though. Not every game will suit my tastes so I hope Capcom does well with it.
 

ironcreed

Banned
I prefer the old third person style, with 4,5,6 and Revelations being my favorites. In addition to the gameplay, the 'character' of the series is gone as well. While 7 looks neat as hell in it's own way, it is just not Resident Evil for me.
 
It looks a little too much like all these indie first person horror games that're all terribly dull

You can compare this to PT but I haven't seen aaaaanything in any of the RE7 footage on the level of the shenannigans that little demo got up to. Instead it looks boring, like Outlast.
 
I like it.

The gameplay I've seen so far looks like a weird mix of trashy horror movies, Silent Hill and Resident Evil.

But I do hope they won't abandon the 3rd person gameplay style if this becomes a success.
 

RedSnake

Member
I'm going to repeat myself but here we go.
This might not be the RE we wanted, but it's the RE we deserve.

I believe this will have the same effect RE4 did when it first came out. Make some fans angry, bring in new people, keeps some of the orignal fans as well.

I have some friends that have enver been interested in any RE and they already preordered this one so I think that's good for the franchise.
 

Floex

Member
I don't hate that it exists, because I'm sure it'll please many, but I have no interest in it. The worst thing that happened to Resident Evil was the people who complained about the series tooking a more action-y approach, without even playing the games that came after 4.

They were awful, awful games though. A few good ideas but so far removed from where the franchise started. Not to say a Resi action game shouldn't exist but I think it should be it's own thing and not mainline.

Resi 7 is a much needed refresh for the series, quite frankly the franchise was in the dirt before this. It actually feels exciting for a new Resident Evil mainline game.
 

Gradly

Member
I'm really disappointed because there is no Resident Evil in this other than the name. Technically, it's a new IP and I would love they keep it at this

I guess converting 3rd person to 1st person is a step backward. I even read that you won't see the protagonist face? I'm not sure how is this a feature or a positive thing. Anyway, I hope they return to 3rd person after experimenting with this
 
I actually like RE6 a lot, so I was down for another third-person, character focused shooter. What I am not down for is a first-person haunted house experience. I just don't like that kind of game. So RE7 isn't for me.
 
For me Resident Evil has always been about great gameplay just as much, if not moreso than the horror. The demo for this game sold me on the scares, but not on the gameplay yet, and I hope the gameplay in the final product is a lot more compelling.

I don't have an opinion on the story direction as I'm keeping myself in the dark on that part as much as possible.
 

Varg

Banned
Pretty shitty to be honest but I'll give it a chance. Ill just think of it like a side project to the series and not a main sequel, like dead aim.
 

Javier23

Banned
I don't hate that it exists, because I'm sure it'll please many, but I have no interest in it. The worst thing that happened to Resident Evil was the people who complained about the series tooking a more action-y approach, without even playing the games that came after 4.
The worst thing that happened to the RE series was taking a more action-y approach with 4.
Come at me, GAF.
I only sorta enjoyed both Rev games. And 6 at least was fun in how bombastic it managed to be. But I'm definitely more of a fan of the classic titles.

I love what they're doing with 7. Hell, I love that I have both RE7 and REmake 2 to look forward to now.
 

Alec

Member
After playing it in VR for like four hours when the most recent demo update hit, I'm 100% sold on it. VR is going to be *the* way to play.
 
I'm incredibly excited, I've been wanted them to go back to survival horror for ages now.
I'm really disappointed because there is no Resident Evil in this other than the name. Technically, it's a new IP and I would love they keep it at this

Except the game design is very much classic Resident Evil...
 

Peroroncino

Member
Feels more like an indie walking horror, which was awesome, the first 3 or so times I played it, now I find it boring, and I'm disappointed with this direction, I'd prefer something that plays more like RE4, but with normal zombies and city falling to ruin around me.
 
Prefer 3rd person.

This, so much. The first person viewpoint in games is not something that appeals to me. I like to see my character's avatar, so that I can react to them. For example, when you are in caution, or in danger, and you're limping... How do you do that in first person?

I strongly believe none of the Resident Evil games that are already out would work in first person. But at the same time...

I feel that it's breath of fresh air.

This. I wasn't active on internet forums when Resident Evil 4 first came out, but I'm sure the change of formula there messed with some people's heads for sure. And it turned out to be the greatest video game of all time. RE7 may not have the impact of RE4, but a change of scenery is needed after 6.

At the moment, the only thing that has me on board is the story. But besides that, I don't think I'd be bothering with the game if it wasn't called Resident Evil. Will go in and see how I feel by the end of it. Very on the fence. If capcom had announced already that RE2make is classic style, and that we have a upcoming action RE game coming. I would probably feel a bit better about the changes.

First person is probably one of the biggest hurdles the game has for a lot of people. I know that we have Survivor, the original RE concept being first person but it's still odd after so many games.
I understand the reasoning. Push VR as the first big title that's playable from beginning to end, and it's easier to set up scares in such an environment. But I dunno, it's still odd for a lot of people.

I hardly ever disagree with Jaw when it comes to matters of Resident Evil, and this is no exception.
 
Haven't paid any attention to it strictly because it's not third person. Bound to change once it releases though and word of mouth spreads.
 

BadWolf

Member
I love both the classic and action REs but I'll be approaching 7 with an open mind and am hoping it's good.
 
RE was always known as a survival horror, blending cinematic gameplay with well executed scares and set pieces that revolved around usually over-the-top circumstances, it was the go to series if you wanted the life frightened out of you.

it was always the atmosphere, the awkward dialogue, blowing heads off and well-executed jump scares that drove the series
How do you know RE7 doesn't do that? Because it's first person, so suddenly it's a Five Nights At Freddie's or something?

Previews make it sounds the game is exactly what you want RE to be
 

Jawmuncher

Member
They were awful, awful games though. A few good ideas but so far removed from where the franchise started. Not to say a Resi action game shouldn't exist but I think it should be it's own thing and not mainline.

Resi 7 is a much needed refresh for the series, quite frankly the franchise was in the dirt before this. It actually feels exciting for a new Resident Evil mainline game.

I never understand this. Resi 6 and 5 are capcom's two highest selling games. I wouldn't necessarily call that being in the dirt. Even with the reception of 6, it's not like it would have been impossible to scale back the formula they have and do a 7 in that style. Other titles have kept their similar formula and fixed it after a poorly received title (which wasn't even that poorly received).

I get some people don't particularly like those games. But it's odd to say that they ruined the series when in reality they more or less probably brought the franchise the most money ever compared to the rest.

Now I do agree with the latter of what you said though. There's still room for Action RE, the sales of the above are proof enough of that. So I hope capcom has something planned on that front and aren't going to just go "that's why we made Umbrella corps".
 

Accoun

Member
I feel better about it than when it was revealed. It does seem like a true Resident Evil game still. That said I'm not sure I'll play it - the anxiety I felt playing the demo was too much.

Kinda this, but less. The initial reveal was pretty disappointing for me, but what Capcom showed later made me think that there's some hope.

I'm more interested in REmake2, anyway.
 

Taker34

Banned
I think it's a great move because the market probably wouldn't support another game like Resident Evil 6. We've seen a bunch of major titles bombing because they offered no real upgrade over their predecessors. A lack of fresh air or innovation if you will.
Some games aren't being made due to fan demand but because a publisher demands it. Franchises can only last for so long before everything has been done what could be done. Not all games NEED a sequel. We all saw what happened this fall.

So reinventing old concepts becomes more important than ever before in gaming. The good thing about Capcom is that they're not abandoning the old fanbase but celebrating the old Resident Evil crowd, by constantly releasing those great HD remasters. If the market is ready they can still do a third person title or spin-off.

I really believe that those who dare this generation will win and if we look at the very positive reception RE7 received so far, we can safely say that Capcom took the right direction with this game.
 
Top Bottom