A Resident Evil 5 remake has never been out of the question, but it seems unlikely now that Capcom focuses on Code Veronica and RE1/Zero. RE5 is infamous for shifting the franchise away from its survival horror roots and creating controversy.
In particular, Sheva’s characterization could be greatly improved in a modern RE5 remake. This is an opportunity for Capcom to get it right.
Release Date
The Resident Evil remakes have been a huge success for Capcom. They’ve remade the first three games in the mainline series, and this year saw the release of an improved version of Resident Evil 4. That makes it pretty clear that the fifth game in the franchise will get the remake treatment, too. So, when is it likely to come out?
A Resident Evil 5 remake seems on the cards, especially given the incredibly positive reception to the game released last week. The DLC that focuses on Ada Wong’s story in the new remake, Separate Ways, sees the return of arch-villain Albert Wesker, and this has fans hoping that we’re set for a revival of the fifth mainline game.
If Capcom were to remake Resident Evil 5, it would have some difficult choices. The game’s original version was infamous for taking the series to farcical and absurd extremes. It completely ditched its survival horror roots in favor of campy action scenes and quick-time events. It was also the game that introduced Sheva Alomar, the series’ first black female lead and a significant milestone in the history of inclusion in video gaming. The plot of Resident Evil 5 was also heavily criticized for its racial implications, with accusations of poor-taste racial stereotyping causing a significant delay in the game’s release.
So, a remake of the game would have to deal with a lot of baggage, even before it was released in 2009. Even so, given the success of the latest titles in the series, it’s hard to see Capcom calling time on these remakes any time soon.
Another reason a Resident Evil 5 remake is likely to happen is that it’s one of the few games in the series originally developed with co-op in mind. While the remakes of RE1, 2, and 3 were single-player experiences, the original RE5 allowed players to take on the role of Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar in campaign co-op. Reintroducing this feature to a modern game iteration would be a major selling point and a huge boost to its popularity.
Unreal Engine 5 Remake
Unreal Engine is a professional-grade real-time 3D game engine developed by Epic Games. It’s a powerful software platform used to create many popular video games. It can render incredibly complex scenes in real-time and is also used to make high-quality cinematic footage for movies.
Unreal Engine 5 is a recent version of the Engine that offers better performance and visuals than previous generations. It supports ray tracing, HDR, and 4K resolution. It also has a new Lumen lighting system that makes the game look more realistic. It’s a great tool for creating beautiful, immersive video games.
One of the more interesting things about the Engine is its ability to create virtual sets that can be tracked with a camera and lit in real-time. This is useful for filmmaking, as it allows quick changes to the scenery and actors on set. It’s also been used to recreate iconic locations in history.
In addition to the amazing visuals, Unreal Engine 5 has a new feature called “geometry and lighting instancing.” This technology uses real-time physics simulation to calculate how much light reflects off objects and surfaces. It can even create shadows that follow the shape of an object’s geometry. This greatly improved over previous technologies that relied on static sprites to generate clouds.
Recently, a fan created a Skyrim remake using Unreal Engine 5. The video was posted on Reddit and has received tons of praise. The fan recreated the famous Whiterun village and made it look stunning. The best part is that the fan did this in his free time over a month.
Another impressive use of Unreal Engine 5 is the The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake. The video is breathtaking, and seeing what this game can do with the latest technology is amazing.
CD Projekt Red has a lot of projects in the pipeline, including multiple entries in The Witcher series. One of these was codenamed Canis Majoris, and it’s now been confirmed as a full-fledged remake of the first game in the franchise. The Polish developer is working with external studio Fool’s Theory to develop the game in Unreal Engine 5, which should help it stand out from the original.
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Resident Evil 4 is among the longest-running survival horror franchise’s most beloved entries. It set the series up for the modern day with multiple perspectives, a change in storytelling, and an early embrace of science fiction elements. It also introduced many core series principles, including zombies, creatures, and the persistent monster that hounds players throughout an experience.
Despite a few niggles, the game remains a gory, tense, and fun ride. The remake brings the action to a new generation of players while reminding fans of what made the original so special.
The story picks up a few years after the events of Resident Evil 2. Handsome good guy Leon Kennedy has become a bruised, damaged sniper-style federal agent and is sent to a remote village in rural Europe to save the president’s daughter from a bizarre cult. He enters the town via an overgrown woodland path, where ravens peck at carcasses, and strange noises fill the fetid air.
As in the OG release, the game’s campy tone, hammy characters, and ridiculous plots remain intact. The remake has more luxuries, such as improved knife parrying and the ability to run and shoot simultaneously. It also adds a fiendishly compelling meta-game, where players organize herbs, gunpowder, and weapons to use limited inventory space.
It also fleshes out the Ada Wong side story, tying it into the main narrative and establishing her as a key character. It’s a welcome addition and a model for future remake expansions in the franchise. The Resi 4 Remake’s ending teases Separate Ways, and the end of Resi 3 Remake ties Nemesis to the Las Plagas virus, suggesting that Capcom is planning more remakes for its flagship series.
Whether it’s for the first time or the fifth, there’s no doubt that the Resident Evil 5 Remake is a must-play. While the game does suffer from some duff AI and other niggles, it’s a content-packed, action-heavy adventure that works well in co-op.
What Should We Expect?
The Resident Evil remakes have been a massive success for Capcom, and the franchise is well on its way to becoming the next great horror franchise. So, with that in mind, it’s inevitable that Capcom will look to continue this trend with the next entry in the series. There are a few things to keep in mind, though. Resident Evil 5 is a complex game; remaking it would be a major undertaking. It could also create a lot of controversy. There’s a possibility that the remake would resurrect some difficult PR nightmares from the original vision of RE5. That is if Capcom doesn’t carefully manage how this remake is developed.
RE4 was a game that was both beloved and hated by longtime series fans. It flipped the whole survival horror genre on its head and introduced new gameplay mechanics that made it more of an action-adventure than anything else. It’s a game that isn’t easily duplicated, but a remake could be an excellent way to introduce the series to a new audience of players.
It’s also a great way to refine the experience and improve it. We have seen Capcom tweak the original incident with each subsequent remake to make it feel fresh and modern. Whether through reworking the camera, enhancing the graphics, or adding an in-game encyclopedia, each remake has improved upon the original.
If Capcom wants to get the most out of a RE4 remake, it should take advantage of the fact that it’s a co-op game. It could run with the same idea as Code: Veronica and let players play through a full story with a friend.
Another good use for a RE4 remake is to expand on some of the game’s side stories. For instance, there is a chance that Wesker’s final line from the original version of the game could be used to set up his confrontation with Chris Redfield in RE5. While this might require serious rewriting of the game’s story, Capcom has proven that it’s not afraid of remixing and reshaping its games for new audiences.
