Highlights

  • Resident Evil has seen its popularity fluctuate throughout its 30-year history, but it is currently experiencing a surge in popularity thanks to successful recent releases.
  • The Resident Evil franchise has found success by following a cycle of remakes and sequels, and it is unlikely that this cycle will stop anytime soon.
  • Capcom should consider remaking some of the more obscure entries in the Resident Evil series, such as Resident Evil Outbreak and the Wii spinoffs, as they have the potential to be well-received and appreciated by fans.

Resident Evil has remained very popular for almost 30 years now, though that's not to say there haven't been some trying times in the franchise's history. After becoming a bit of a sensation upon its debut in 1996, Resident Evil remained incredibly popular all the way through the PS1 generation. Then, thanks to Resident Evil 4 and the very first Resident Evil Remake, the franchise stayed immensely popular for the entire 6th generation of consoles. But with Resident Evil 5 and 6 in the 7th generation of consoles, the series' popularity began to wane.

But in 2023, the Resident Evil franchise has never been more popular. After Resident Evil 7 successfully offered something both familiar and new, Capcom delivered one of the greatest survival horror games of all time with Resident Evil 2 Remake, and now the franchise has kept up this cycle of remake, sequel, remake, and things seem to be going incredibly well. It seems unlikely that Capcom will stop this cycle anytime soon, though it might want to look to games outside of Resident Evil's mainline series for a few future remakes.

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Capcom Should Remake Some More Obscure Resident Evil Games

Resident Evil Outbreak Deserves the Remake Treatment

Released in 2004 in North America, Resident Evil Outbreak is often cited as one of the most underrated entries in the franchise's long history. Using the Resident Evil Remake's gameplay as a starting point, Resident Evil Outbreak saw players embark on various journeys into Raccoon City during the titular T-Virus outbreak, putting it around the same time as Resident Evil 2 and 3's events.

But there was one big thing that set Resident Evil Outbreak apart from the rest of the series, and that was its online functionality. Releasing on the PS2, Resident Evil Outbreak attempted to make use of the console's network play feature, letting players join one another to journey through Raccoon City together. While the experience was never really smooth or consistent, Resident Evil Outbreak had a lot of potential, potential that would pave the way for an excellent remake today.

While Capcom has tried its hand at multiplayer Resident Evil games numerous times over the last two decades, none have really managed to capture the same feeling of a regular single-player survival horror Resident Evil entry, except Resident Evil Outbreak. With modern graphics, gameplay, and online functionality, a Resident Evil Outbreak could be a really big hit for Capcom, and would score it some major brownie points with fans. This would be especially true if Capcom also remade Resident Evil Outbreak File 2, the standalone DLC sequel that added a handful of new scenarios to the original game, some of which take place in an infected Raccoon City Zoo.

Resident Evil's Wii Spinoffs Need the Remake Treatment Too

Normally marketed as a family-friendly console, the Nintendo Wii did have a handful of video games marketed towards older audiences, and the Resident Evil Chronicles sub-series were two of those. The first game in the series, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, was released in 2007 for all regions. An on-rails light gun shooter, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles sees players blast their way through a handful of scenarios, three of which are abridged retellings of previous games in the series, and one of which shows the ultimate fate of the Umbrella Corporation.

A few years later, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles was released on the Nintendo Wii. A direct follow-up, Darkside Chronicles is another on-rails light gun shooter, delivering another handful of scenarios, again featuring some retellings of past games, and one scenario that tells a completely new story. This new scenario, titled "Operation Javier," directly ties in with the events of Resident Evil 4, seeing players take control of Leon Kennedy as he battles through a South American village with Jack Krauser. These Resident Evil Wii spinoffs definitely deserve the remake treatment too, with them having some pretty important moments that affect the series' overarching story quite a bit.