The pattern in Resident Evil Games

Even though it has been officially stated that the next numbered entry in the Resident Evil franchise may in fact be a reboot , one must wonder how capcom will respond to the commercial success Resident Evil 5 is receiving, seeing as it has recently become the best selling title in the franchise to date. Capcom may in fact decide to take the "more of the same=money" approach that seems to be working extremely fine for them. Taking this route then could erase the implications of an imminent reboot in the series though. Whatever the case may be, REboot or not, one cannot ignore the pattern Capcom has been following faithfully since the first Resident Evil game. As much as I would love to play as Barry (the Chuck Norris of Survival Horror) and Hunk (Mr. Death) I don't see those character choices as potential leads in a numbered entry in this series. As previously mentioned, Capcom has followed a certain pattern throughout the series, but this pattern only relates to the main numbered entries sans the various spin-offs. For one to recognize this pattern we must first start at the beginning of the classic franchise known as Resident Evil. 



It all started in a mansion, a mansion that was enshrouded in conspiracy. After seeing the live action intro we were then initiated to the cast of the nightmare we were about to take part in: Chris, with his "bad ass" stance, Jill with her...clown pants? Barry with his dual magnums (because we all know he has one in his beard) Rebecca with an innocent look that screams out " I am a potential victim" And of course Resident Evil's greatest mastermind Albert Wesker, who don's survival horror's greatest head of polygon composed hair. But there is no denying that Chris and Jill took the spotlight from the other secondary characters. Characters aside, it's also worth noting the plot of the game and the creation of the T-Virus.

The title saw Chris(or Jill) going through the mansion looking for the lost members of their S.T.A.R.S. unit all the while being confronted by a consipiracy sprouted about by the doings of a pharmaceutical organization known as Umbrella. The nightmare ahead of you in the halls of the Trevor estate prompted you to face off against the living dead (thanks to the released T-Virus). It all cumilated with the revelation of Wesker's involvement with Umbrella and if you played as Chris it also cumilated in a LMFAO amount...literally. It all led to: Tyrant= eliminated, George Trevor's precious architecture= destroyed, and Albert Wesker= REborn. The conclusion saw the heroes take flight in a chopper leaving the nightmare behind...or so they thought.



Resident Evil 2, what many would call (including me) the pinnacle of the franchise, the best of the Classic Resident Evil of yesteryear...The game brought with it, not only a new viral threat known as the G-Virus, but also new faces.

This game introduced us to Leon "Ladies man, Luis!!!!!!!!!!, Saddler you bastard" Kennedy, and it also initiated us with a sibling of one of the first game's protagonists, Claire Redfield. Among the secondary characters are Ada Wong, Chief Irons, Sherry Berkin, and her parents: Anette and William Birkin. Hunk was also first seen in this title. No characters from the initial Resident Evil made a comeback in this entry (unless you count Brad, who returns as a member of the living dead) save for Wesker who cunducted everything behind the scenes as detailed in his report. After fighting hordes of undead you ultimately face off againt William who injected himself with his own creation,. the G-Virus. And then in another scenario you face Umbrella's last resort to prevent escape from our heroes, known only as Mr. X. After defeating these monstrosities Leon, Claire, and Sherry escape the horror via a means of transportation other than a helicopter: a train. 

Resident Evil 1 and 2 established the foundation of future Resident Evil sequels in regards to the pattern Capcom has been following. We see this in full effect with the next entry in the storied franchise.



Resident Evil 3 Nemesis sees the return of Jill Valentine, back from her first venture into survival horror in Resident Evil 1. This time lacking Chris, Jill takes up partnership with a new face, the merc with the mouth not named Wade Wilson: Carlos Oliveira. Together they fight not only to escape Raccoon city before it goes boom, as issued by the government, but they also fight forces of the undead once again brought about by the lethal T-Virus. Umbrella once again plays main villain in the forefront of the action, and before the annihilation of Raccoon City they try to prevent any former member's of S.T.A.R.S. from escaping, so they unleash Nemesis. In the end, Jill defeats Nemesis after being obsessevely stalked by it. Jill and Carlos then escape in Resident Evil 1 fashion, via a chopper. A lack of Resident Evil 2 character and the spotlight shed on a prominent Resident Evil 1 main character serves to justify the pattern that flows throught the series. And it continues in the next , well received, commercially and critically acclaimed: Resident Evil 4.



Resident Evil 4 is not only one of the best Resident Evil Games, it is also one of the best game of all time. Even if you don't like the fact that Capcom alienated many classic Resident Evil fans, you can'y deny the fact that Capcom crafted a masterpiece in the legendary franchise. While Resident Evil 3 saw the return of a character from the original game,Resident Evil 4 sees the return of characters from the classic Resident Evil 2, further justifying the pattern.

Leon is the main character of this title and with him comes an array of new and familiar faces. Leon is tasked to save the U.S. President's daughter Ashley Graham from an unknown European locale, which serves as the backdrop for RE4. It's moody, rural, and at times downright creepy (think of the rain part in the village). The setting was a big change for the series but it somehow maintained a minimal sense of backtracking that Resident Evil is known for. What went completely out the window were slow moving masses of undead, they were replaces by the quick , responsive, ganados that brought a whole new level of tension to the series. But for the sake of this argument we just need to solely focus on the characters, with minimal consideration for the plot.

Leon, the rookie cop from RE2 returns and so does secret operative Ada Wong. They both cross paths in the game and we are left to assume what Ada's intentions are. Another new face in the game apart from Ashley is Luis, good old' Luis who meets his fate thanks to Saddler's exterior appendage...yeah..that one. And fan favorite Hunk makes a return as well, but only limitied to the extremely addicting mercenaries mode that is unlocked upon initially clearing the game. So there you have it, 3 Resident Evil 2 character make a return in RE4. And once again, Wesker plays his role of master manipulator from behind the scenes. And just how RE2 introduced a new viral threat with the G-Virus, this entry does the same with Las Plagas.

The next game in this series continues this pattern in character useage, and it is a game whose greatness (or lack of for some) is highly debated.



As you can see from the above image, Resident Evil 5 marks the return of, like RE3, Resident Evil 1 characters. Chris plays the role of main character and it seems like he's been injected by some type of virus by the looks of his titan arms. The new faces in this game include: Sheva, Irving, Josh, Excella, and Kirk!. The game also sees the return of Jill Valentine of RE1 and 3 fame, but this time she's being controlled via an iron man like device implanted in her chest. And oh yeah she's blonde...the new look makes her look like Samus Aran but hey Wesker wanted pure evil to be blonde I guess. There's no need to go into the plot of the game seeing as how everyone reading this might have already gone through it several times. It is worth noting that the title brings closure to the T-Virus/ Umbrella chapter of the bigger Resident Evil picture.

Well that concludes this lengthy post, I just wanted to further explore the possibilites for future installments by looking at the trends that run through the veins of the series. As for who I think could lead Resident Evil 6, judging by this pattern I believe we will see a Resident Evil 2 face take center stage. And in my opinion, though it may sound crazy, I believe Ada is gonna have a big role to play with Sherry Birkin taking the role of a female Wesker like being. If this does come to fruition then Resident Evil 6 could take on a femine vibe to it, but then again this is just my opinion. Thank's for reading and sorry for the length! Let me know in the comments who you guys think should be the main character in the sequel.

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