Summary
- The Resident Evil franchise has made a successful comeback with RE7 and RE2 Remake leading to a new era of survival horror.
- The potential RE5 remake should focus on improving companion AI, reducing QTEs, and showcasing more of antagonist Albert Wesker.
- Including the Lost in Nightmares DLC on day one would enhance the RE5 remake.
The Resident Evil franchise is in potentially the best position it's ever been in. After the release of the now-divisive Resident Evil 6 in 2012, the franchise went on a bit of a hiatus, and that turned out to be the best decision it could have made. Viewed as a much-needed return to form by many, Resident Evil 7's release in 2017 paved the way for a new era of the long-running survival horror franchise, and Resident Evil 2 Remake's release in 2019 ushered in an unexpected second phase of that same era.
For the last few years now, Capcom has found a great deal of success with its new Resident Evil release cycle, dropping a mainline sequel, then a remake or two, and repeating the process. It seems as though the Resident Evil franchise has found its way back on top, and it seems unlikely that Capcom would want to change its release strategy anytime soon, meaning that a Resident Evil 5 remake is practically guaranteed at this point. Having a somewhat mixed critical reception originally, there are a few things the Resident Evil 5 remake really needs to change.
The Case For a Third Resident Evil Pack in Dead by Daylight
Two of Dead by Daylight's best DLCs cross over with Resident Evil, and somehow there's still plenty of room for a potential third crossover DLC.
Features and Changes That Resident Evil 5 Remake Needs
Overhauled Companion AI
By far the biggest complaint of the original Resident Evil 5, and the one that many fans will still point to as its greatest technical flaw, is its incredibly poor companion AI. Even at the time, Resident Evil 5 had an inferior AI system for its NPC companion, and for a game that revolves around co-op teamwork and interactions, that was a major issue. From getting stuck on walls and doorways to simply refusing to join the player in a co-op action to failing to actually do anything useful during the heat of battle, Resident Evil 5's companion AI was frankly awful, and it's something that the remake really needs to get right.
Less Quick-Time Events Would Benefit an RE5 Remake
While they didn't receive nearly as much flak as the companion AI, Resident Evil 5's quick-time events were subject to some heavy criticism on launch. Releasing in 2009, four years after its predecessor, Resident Evil 5 launched long after games had started to pivot away from using quick-time events in every action sequence, and they stuck out like a sore thumb in the original game.
With Resident Evil 4 Remake toning down the number of QTEs significantly from the original, it hopefully means that Resident Evil 5 remake will do the same, though there's one iconic QTE that comes right at the end of the game that should be kept intact.
More Albert Wesker
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, one of the biggest points of praise of the original Resident Evil 5 was its main antagonist, Albert Wesker. A wonderfully camp performance, some incredibly memorable boss fights, some genuinely heinous motivations, and a bombastic supervillain plan made Wesker one of Resident Evil 5's best qualities, and this version of the character has gone on to become quite well-known thanks to appearances in games like Dead by Daylight. With Resident Evil 4 Remake teasing Wesker quite a bit, it seems likely that Capcom will want to give him a bit more screen time in Resident Evil 5 remake, and that'd definitely be for the best.
The Lost in Nightmares DLC Should Be There on Day One
Released almost a year after the base game, Resident Evil 5's Lost in Nightmares DLC sees players control Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine as they explore a mansion eerily similar to the first Resident Evil game. Though it's very short, coming in at just under an hour, Lost in Nightmares is widely considered to be some of the best content Resident Evil 5 has to offer, delivering a more traditional Resident Evil experience that many fans thought was lacking in the base game. It would be great to see this DLC come with Resident Evil 5 remake on launch, though it seems likely that it'd be released as post-launch DLC just like Resident Evil 4 Remake's Separate Ways.
Resident Evil 5
- Released
- March 5, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
The Umbrella Corporation and its crop of lethal viruses have been destroyed and contained. But a new, more dangerous threat has emerged. Years after surviving the events in Raccoon City, Chris Redfield has been fighting the scourge of bio-organic weapons all over the world. Now a member of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA), Chris is sent to Africa to investigate a biological agent that is transforming the populace into aggressive and disturbing creatures. Joined by another local BSAA agent, Sheva Alomar, the two must work together to solve the truth behind the disturbing turn of events.
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Publisher(s)
- Capcom
- Multiplayer
- Local Co-Op, Online Co-Op
- Franchise
- Resident Evil
- Number of Players
- 2
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- How Long To Beat
- 12 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- Premium (PS3 Version)
