Resident Evil 2 Remake Approved For Development

[Sesha]

The only reason that the RE1 remake was so close to its source material is because the director and series creator directed both games.

As for RE2, the director & producer has left Capcom, while the writer has passed away.
That should be enough indication that the remake of RE2 won't be as "faithful" as RE1 & its remake.

While Yoshiaki Hirabayashi may have been involved in REmake HD, remember that he's also the scenario writer for RE5 and the producer of RE6.
Whether it's 'old' or 'new' style is kinda 50-50.

Furthermore, despite the whole thing being Hirabayashi's fanboy dream, he's only the producer.
The ones that decide the gameplay and scenarios will be the director and writer.
So if the likes of Yasuhiro Anpo (director of RE5 & Revelations 2) or Eiichiro Sasaki (director of Outbreak series & RE6) got a role as the remake's director, say hello to OTS RE2.

I should mention that Yasuhiro Anpo worked as a software system engineer on RE2 and the original RE. And one of the planners for the original RE, Kazunori Katoi, worked as a planner/designer on RE5, RE6 and Revelations 2.

A lot of staff on the classic RE games often only worked on one or two games in the series and then never anything again, and a lot of them were new hires. So there isn't some magic pedigree that they had that allowed them to make the original games how they were. While there were key people involved, like Mikami, there were tons of other people involved. Mikami didn't design RE1 feature complete on his own. His original ideas for RE1 were very different from the game we eventually got, as his initial ideas were closer to Sweet Home, since RE1 was originally a spiritual successor, with RPG mechanics and ghosts being the original monster concept. The same goes for Kamiya, when he worked on RE1.5/2 and RE4/DMC1.
In this case, the RE2make team will be working off an established formula.
It should also be said, as recently stated by Hirabayashi in an interview, that the teams that worked on RE HD and RE0 HD spent a lot of time basically picking the games apart to see how they were designed. So they have built up a lot of understanding of how those games work both from a design and programming perspective. They are probably doing the same with the original RE2. They also have access to archival material from the time of RE2s production, which probably includes the original design documents.

My advice is, try not to build the original games up in your head as some sort of secret magic formula that no one but the original team members can reproduce. There were eight of the classic style games, not including heavily reworked versions like the Director's Cut of RE1, and with only a few people involved with more than one game. And even some that did work on the original games have worked on the later post-RE4 games as well.

 

[Goldsickle]

My advice is, try not to build the original games up in your head as some sort of secret magic formula that no one but the original team members can reproduce.

Nowhere did I mention anything like that.
I just said that REmake is most likely very similar with the original game it's a remake of because both games have the same director.

My advice is not to assume that they're going to make a "faithful" remake of RE2.

 

[Sesha]

Nowhere did I mention anything like that.
I just said that REmake is most likely very similar with the original game it's a remake of because both games have the same director.

My advice is not to assume that they're going to make a "faithful" remake of RE2.

You made it sound as if only Kamiya and Mikami could make a proper remake.

To compare with the FF7 remake, Kitase, Nomura and Nojima were the key people behind the original, with only Sakaguchi missing from the remake project. Despite being made by many of the original creators, including the director and the main writer, the new FF7 will be very different. Intent matters just as much as the people involved.

The word "faithful" is relative. In this context it is loaded. Even REmake is very different from the original, both in atmosphere and design. The original RE1 is more linear that the remake, and the tone and atmosphere of the remake skews towards gothic horror, more 30s Hammer horror than the originals 80s B-movie aesthetic. Was that faithful because it followed the intent of the origin, or because it was made by the original team?

As for RE2make. Not making it according to the style of the original game defeats the purpose of doing a remake at all, which is because RE HD sold like hotcakes.

 

[Goldsickle]

You made it sound as if only Kamiya and Mikami could make a proper remake.

You misread it that way.
Since I need to repeat myself again, I said that REmake closely resembles its original game due to both titles having the same director.

Even REmake is very different from the original, both in atmosphere and design.

Depends on the argument and who I'm arguing with.
Some people would shift between describing it as "the same thing" or "significantly different" whenever it's convenient for them.
I have not talked with you that often, so I am not sure if your "very different" description is something you made up for the current argument or your actual belief.

No need to try and convince me anything.
You're entitled to your opinions.
Just don't let me catch you suddenly saying "they're the same thing" later.

RE HD sold like hotcakes.

To begin, the sales of REmake HD aren't at all impressive.
It only hit that 1 million mark because it was the combined total of 5 different platforms (PS3, PS4, X360, XOne & PC).
Had it been released only on the PS3 & 360 like any other remasters, it would have never exceeded 1 million copies.
Not even RE5 & RE6 has the luxury of having its sales totaled together with the PC versions, due to how totals are calculated, according to the company's investor relations policies.

People go on about "fulfilling the purpose" this, "defeating the purpose" that but everyone seems to forget that even back then, Mikami and Kamiya talked about how RE2 was targeted at the mass market, casuals, newbies and oldies in order to fulfill its 2 million sales goal.

When Invader Games reported that the RE2 remake will appeal to old and new fans, I thought: "just like back then".

 

[Innsmouth]

After they "listened" to fans feedback after RE6, they made REV2 which was slightly average crap with obvious ripoffs from Veronica X and Evil Within. Now I can imagine that RE2 remake if made by same people gonna end up either shallow parody or mediocre shooter title.

 

[Goldsickle]

After they "listened" to fans feedback after RE6, they made REV2 which was slightly average crap with obvious ripoffs from Veronica X and Evil Within.

I don't know about "feedback from RE6" but Anpo said that he took feedback from RE5 to direct Revelations 2.

 

[Goldsickle]

"Looking back on it now, I see things I wish I'd done better. It's been over 15 years, after all, so there are things you want to fix."

I know someone might tell me that the line itself is a part of a "skit" but I feel that the skit is after that line.

If Anpo wasn't kidding about things he wished he'd "done better" or things he "wants to fix", then maybe we'll be getting Lisa Trevor-levels of shoehorning into the remake or more new rooms and puzzles?

However, the video shows that Anpo won't be directing, so if he's going to be involved in the project, maybe as a scenario writer or reprise his role as a programmer.

The project's director will be revealed later.