Resident Evil Returns
Capcom kicked off Sony’s State of Play yesterday with several massive game announcements including the first look at gameplay of Street Fighter 6, but it was the way they opened the showcase that had me the most excited. At long last and after much speculation and many-a-rumor, Capcom finally pulled back the curtain on Resident Evil 4. RE4 will be a reimagining of what is considered by many to not only be the best Resident Evil title, but one of the best games of all time. Receiving the same treatment as Resident Evil 2 and 3, RE4 will take the foundations of the classic Gamecube title and present the game to modern audiences in a multitude of ways.
Not only will the game receive a considerable visual upgrade thanks to the RE engine, but Capcom will tighten the gameplay up and provide a modern take on the story as well. In fact the trailer makes an interesting allusion to narrative changes as Leon narrates how hopefully things will be different this time. Certainly both Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes made some pretty significant changes to the stories as well, but there seemed to be an intended spotlight this time around to the idea that this iteration of the game will provide some significant changes and surprises for veteran players.
Resident Evil 4 launches on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles March 24, 2023.
But wait! There’s more Resident Evil bombshells to discuss. In addition to Resident Evil 4 coming to PlayStation 5 next year, Capcom and Sony announced that there is PSVR 2 content currently in development for the game as well. Details around this were not provided which leads me to believe that either this will not be the game fully playable in VR and rather some sort of additional play sequences built specifically for the VR platform. Also the hedging of any real details seems to indicate that this may not be a feature at launch and could instead be a free add-on down the road.
We DID get solid confirmation however that Resident Evil Village is getting PSVR 2 support with a fully playable version of the game much like Resident Evil 7. This is a feature that many were hoping would be included with Village at launch as the RE7 VR is heralded as one of the best horror experiences in VR. Village looked stunning in VR and showed just how powerful this next headset is by showcasing a game that looked very much on par with its standard console sibling.
No date was given for Resident Evil Village VR but I would suspect this will probably release alongside the launch of PSVR 2 (which also has no release date currently)
