Are you ready to re-re-enter the world of survival horror? Capcom is remastering its previous remaster of the classic Playstation title Resident Evil from 1996. While previously speculated to be an entire re-working of the original game from the ground up ala another classic Playstation remastering Oddword: New N’ Tasty, Capcom of Japan producers Tatsuya Kitabayashi and Yoshaiki Hirabyashi have confirmed that it is merely a graphical update to the Gamecube remake of Resident Evil.
This isn’t the first update or remake of Resident Evil. The original version was re-released on the Nintendo DS as Resident Evil: Deadly Silence, and it had a remake on the Gamecube that was later ported to the Nintendo Wii. However, this will be the first iteration of the original Resident Evil to be presented in HD.
Both producers are no strangers to Resident Evil or the Gamecube. Tatsuya Kitabayashi’s first job as a programer was Resident Evil Zero, a prequel to the original Resident Evil released to the Gamecube as part of Capcom’s exclusivity title deal with Nintendo. However, this will be his first Resident Evil game for quite some time, as his later works were all MegaMan titles such as MegaMan: Powered Up and MegaMan: Command Mission. On the other hand, Yoshaiki Hirabyashi has been with the series ever since his first project was the Gamecube remake of the original Resident Evil. Most notably, he wrote the scenario and did the cinematic facial animation for Resident Evil 5 and produced the most recent numerical installment, Resident Evil 6.
Both producers stress that this HD re-release will not try to fix what wasn’t broken. Their priority is to successfully introduce this game to a new audience while catering to fans of the original. They promise to keep the original game’s atmosphere intact. The game will be released on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC in early 2015.
While inaccurate to label Resident Evil as the first survival horror game, it was the first to popularize the genre. And with former Capcom director and Resident Evil creator Shini Mikami working on his return to the genre with the upcoming The Evil Within, it’s fitting to see his first masterpiece return in glorious 1080p.
by Patrick Arellano
