(continued from previous page) ...PS3 remake add?

One only has to gaze with blind, undead eyes at the spectacular Resident Evil remake (or REmake, as it’s been colloquially labelled by gamers as) on GameCube to get an idea of what Sony’s latest piece of hardware could bring to its sequel. And, we’re not just talking on a graphical level; there are many more territories Capcom could explore with the advent of new hardware to make the project far from just an incremental upgrade with a slosh of new paint.

First and foremost, the developers have a whole city to expand up on in terms of locations. While the original incorporated a fine selection of environments, it never quite grasped the scale of the doomed Raccoon City to its greatest potential (though this was elaborated more in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and Outbreak) As such, there’s no reason to suggest why Capcom could not expand more on exterior locations, perhaps even pitting our heroes against a slew of lumbering undead in a playable section of the original games intro.

Furthermore, other locations, such as the network of sewers could also be greatly improved; if there’s one flaw the PS original had, it was its length (speed runs accumulated no more than a poultry 1h and 20mins) This is clearly something Capcom should have no reservations of doing, either, as evidenced by the sheer amount of content implemented in the GameCube remake of RE1; estate rooms, graveyards and secret passages are just some of the many areas included in the goretastic 2002 rebirth.

Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, various plot details could be broached in order to harmonize with latter instalments, as well as expanding roles that were previously left undeveloped in the original version. In fact, a few ideas thrown in from the unreleased ‘Resident Evil 1.5’ wouldn’t go unnoticed by long time followers, similar to how Capcom reinstated the Trevor family subplot found in beta version of Resident Evil in it’s subsequent remake.

Naturally, however, visual quality was always going to be a major selling point of any remake. And quite simply, the prospect of witnessing pre-rendered backgrounds facilitated by the added graphical muscle of the PS3 has us salivating at the lips. In fact, you could expect nothing short of photo-realism, giving the fact the GameCube remake’s pre-rendered backdrops still stand shoulder-to-shoulder with anything found on the Xbox 360 or PS3 – and that’s from a console a full generation behind Sony’s black box.

Make no mistake – these backdrops would be a far cry away from the static, lifeless editions seen in the original PSX original. Expect each meticulously crafted location to be supplemented by an array of FMV for added punch, such as raging fires, rippling water, scattering insects, dancing shadows and much more as you guide your character around the war-torn Raccoon in all its blood-stained glory. Furthermore, and unlike the original, the power of PS3 would afford the developers a chance to inject some much-needed life and emotion into the games cast, eliminating the need for the laughable hand motions and over-the-top body language seen in early instalments.

Of course, a quality visual presentation is no good without its ability to incorporate one element intrinsic to any Resident Evil instalment - the fright factor. All titles have successfully conveyed a prevalent sense of fear throughout (admittedly some fell short as the series progressed, though), but the PS3 would no doubt be able to take this to the next level; new effects could be employed to accentuate all manner of pant-wetting sequences not possible before, similar to how the raging thunderstorm of the Resident Evil remake bought to life the deathly quiet Spencer Mansion of the PSX original. And, while Resident Evil 2 is generally far less claustrophobic than its predecessor, we’ve no doubt that some imaginative use of the series trademark static camera angles could breathe new life into some of the more sterile interior locations that you’d hardly recognise them.

The possibilities, as the saying goes, are endless. However, one things for sure; if such a project did ever see the light of day, it’s fair to say it would be quite simply the greatest survival horror outing of all time – reinvented.

Stay tuned ... (continued on next page)