Despite critical acclaim and immense popularity, Resident Evil 4 has long been the subject of great disdain for many of the original few games' most passionate fans. As the later sequels began favoring action over scares, a lot of the earlier fanbase felt abandoned and betrayed. We've all seen the "it's just not Resident Evil!" criticisms again and again.
Naturally, when I saw Rod Lima's experimental RE4-style take on Resident Evil 2, it made me wonder what the "modern" RE detractors would say if the classics were given the same feel as later installments:
Despite being a "for-fun" affair that came about as Lima tinkered with Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles, many of the reactions have taken it far more seriously. For some, it has actually drummed up interest in seeing this sort of "remake" done officially. Few coins are the same on both sides however. As I dug through the comment section of the video, I found an answer to my initial "what would the crowd that hates "new RE" think?" question:
Even with a Raccoon City setting and actual zombies in tact, it looks like some older fans would be turned off if RE2 and RE3 were updated with the freer, action-focused feel of the sequels that followed. I'm not sure a fan-made attempt done for fun warrants any serious dismissal or negative backlash, but at the very least, I respect the passion behind it, and I think I might even understand.
Story and settings are immensely important parts of any game, but the gameplay has to complement them. With survival horror, there has to be even more care taken to balance these elements. If older Resident Evil fans feel the exact same stories and settings would no longer feel right if their style of gameplay was altered, then perhaps that's fair enough.
There's a saying I always return to in these situations: "Nothing is for everyone."
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