Impending Resident Evil RE-Releases

Yesterday I commented in my Top 10 article about how Capcom had gone dark as of late when it comes to the Resident Evil franchise. Well, it seems I spoke too soon.

Reports are coming in that Capcom is readying a compilation, entitled Resident Evil: Revival Selection. This collection is so far rumored (but unconfirmed) to include both Resident Evil: CODE: Veronica and Resident Evil 4. RE: RS is also rumored to be appearing on both the Xbox 360 and PS3 home consoles. No word on if there will be bonus features added to the games, or Move support for RE4 on the PS3 similar to recent Wii to PS3 conversion Dead Space: Extraction.

Resident Evil: CODE: Veronica was originally released on the Sega Dreamcast in 2000, only to be ported to both the PS2 and GameCube with added content under the name Resident Evil: CODE: Veronica X. Resident Evil 4 needs little introduction, as it was a major turning point in the series and garnered many a Game of the Year nominations in 2005. It was originally released on the Nintendo GameCube, but eventually made its way to the PS2, PC and Wii with added motion controls.

Until an official confirmation is given by Capcom, this can all be taken as speculation, but given most publishers desire to rerelease last gen games with updated HD visuals, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. The two titles are rather odd to group together in a collection, as other than the fact that they both debuted on other consoles and made there way to Sony platforms, story wise they have little in common. Prior to the release of the RE: Umbrella Chronicles, RE: CODE: Veronica was the last “classic” RE story in the series time line before the focus of the gameplay and story changed in RE4 and 5. Despite being a great game in its own right (easily up there with the likes of chapters 1, 2 and 4 as the best in the series), it does little to lead into 4. Maybe it’s an “out with the old, in with the new” theme.

As a fan of the series, I’m anxious to see what Capcom will add to these titles other than upgraded visuals to incentive long time RE fanatics to pay for this collection. These games have been ported and gathered in collections already, so having them bundled is a little less special. Maybe for CODE: Veronica the Wesker report documentary can be added as a bonus, and for PS3 owners who passed on a Wii, a HD update for RE4 with potential Move support could be enough to warrant a purchase. More as it comes in.