The Resident Evil Podcast

Welcome to a somewhat experimental episode of the Resident Evil Podcast where the team looks back specifically at the original PSX trilogy and the influences in horror gaming that our beloved title drew from. This means an examination of some older horror titles that shaped the industry before Biohazard including Sweet Home, Alone in the Dark and Clock Tower with an analysis on what aspects worked to bring the scares in a low polygon era.

We then discuss why Resident Evil was so special and despite perhaps not being the first "survival horror" title (albeit the game that coined the phrased), the OG trilogy in particular became the benchmark in jump scares, tension and cinematic gaming.

The conversation then switches to the games that were influenced by Resident Evil - and boy are there many! From the obvious like Dino Crisis and Silent Hill, but also some obscure titles like Deep Fear and Run Like Hell that have really flown under the radar!

In the news we also share our thoughts on the recent fan film - The Keeper's Diary and theBatman reveals the creation process for his recent REmake mythology! 

Musical credit to WackySB for the incredible remixed save room themes (https://tinyurl.com/ye2acphr)

Enjoy!

After a short break, the team return to tackle head on the soft reboot that is the Mold Saga. Following the bloated bioterrorism era, many welcomed the return of a more personal story with Ethan and family and (another) new virus/parasite/agent taking centre stage - this time in the form of Mutamycete or the Mold.

Whilst the story may start off self contained, we soon see the return of many Resident Evil hallmarks such as a new Umbrella, spies, paramilitary teams and of course Chris "yes, that's him" Redfield ultimately leading to an interesting cliffhanger in Resident Evil Village. 

Like our recent Bioterrorism Era podcast, we take each year in turn, starting in 2016 as the Mold and E-001 gains a strong foothold in Dulvey, Louisiana. How does this Mold work? Is it consistent between it and the Mold seen in Village? And what's the deal with Blue Umbrella and the BSAA? Can we learn more from some obscure airsoft pamplets?

Welcome to the final part of our 20th birthday celebrations for the original Resident Evil Outbreak. This time we focus solely on the final scenario; Decisions, Decisions, and set foot in Raccoon University with just hours to spare before the sterilization operation obliterates Raccoon City for good. As ever we dive deep, investigating all possible routes, puzzles, enemies, and story implications... all before hoping to escape before the missile (or is it missiles?) hit...

This episode is supplemented by a comprehensive review of Resident Evil 4 Remake VR by STARS_TyranT.

Please enjoy. 

Our Resident Evil Outbreak's 20th anniversary birthday celebrations continue with a look at the next two scenarios; The Hive and Below Freezing Point. Join us as we return to Raccoon City General Hospital where strange leeches run amok and the bloody elevator is broken... Just how do you find those pesky elevator codes again? Then it's swiftly onto William Birkin's underground laboratory in a storyline taking place several days before Leon and Claire ever got there and at a time long before NEST was ever a thing. 

Neptune's calamitous quiz returns and in the news we briefly discuss the impending release of Remake 4 Gold Edition and break down the Infinite Darkness: The Beginning prequel. Please enjoy. 

On REP's 12th anniversary, we begin to celebrate 20 years of the Resident Evil Outbreak sub series that was first released in December 2003 in Japan. The game, which started off life advertised as Network Biohazard or Resident Evil Online quickly stoked the imagination of RE fans across the world, especially those that had bet on the franchise remaining on Sony's console post PSX. 

There was a lot of hope and expectation that Resident Evil going online would revolutionise the series. What transpired was not quite what was promised in the early trailers with many lamenting the lack of internet infrastructure for the PS2.

Fast-forward 20 years and both Outbreak File 1 and 2 have a dedicated fandom, with clever minds keeping PC servers alive so these games can be played as they were always intended.

Welcome to our end of year podcast where we see out 2023 with a deep dive into one of the more controversial eras of the series chronology. RE5 went out of its way to end several long-running, major plot points and left something of a blank slate for the storyline moving forward after killing off its main villain. Since then we've had a ton of media, not just new games, but also manga books and CGI movies, to progress the storyline from 2009-2015 in what we are calling the 'bioterrorism era'. We look at the various incidents and plot aspects that occurred during this period, analyzing what works and what doesn't. Just what is the difference between Blue Umbrella and Neo-Umbrella, what are the dangers and advantages of retroactive storytelling, and does Resident Evil now have a villain problem? Umbrella and Wesker are gone and yet the series seemingly struggles to leave them behind. 

In the news, STARS_TyranT offers his early impressions of Remake 4 VR. Please enjoy.

With the undoubted success of all of Capcom's REmakes, especially the recent Resident Evil 4, the time has now come for the team to reflect upon the impact these games have had both for Biohazard and for the wider industry.

In hindsight does REmake 2 stick out with its more re-imagined approach to the lore compared to the other titles, did REmake 3 leave too much on the cutting room floor and is REmake 4 the final straw or are more remakes inevitable?

Helping us breakdown and reflect on these questions are you guys -through a series of polls conducted by STARS TyranT on Twitter/X. The results are....surprising to say the least but offer a fascinating insight into how parts of the community are feeling.

In the latest in what is now a long line of CGI productions, Death Island was perhaps the most anticipated with the return of not only fan favourite Jill Valentine, but the coming together of all four of the series' main protagonists for the very first time.

On paper therefore, Death Island ticks a lot of boxes, but how was this film received by the team - can it break free from the usual constraints of these films to tell an important but also enjoyable tale - and can it be done when so many of the on-screen characters are wearing very thick plot armour?

Join STARS TyranT, Rombie, Neptune and returning special guest CVXFreak as we lift the lid on The Rock, we mean Death Island!