Resident Evil 4 Remake Is Great, Capcom, But What About Dino Crisis?

At this point, no one is oblivious to Capcom‘s exceptional ability to design perfect remakes. When the company decided to remake the critically acclaimed Resident Evil series, we indeed held considerable doubts that there was a possibility Capcom might end up ruining the influential games that made our childhoods. You can judge for yourself how that turned out if you look at the recent Resident Evil 4 Remake’s mindblowing presentation.

Now that we’ve got a taste for Capcom’s delicious remakes, we can’t help but crave more. And why just limit it to Resident Evil? With multiple other titles that are bound to shine with the glorious remake treatment, the possibilities are endless. I’m surprised there is no Dino Crisis remake, developers even showed interest. Considering the survival horror genre is back with a bang, Dino Crisis will be a perfect contender.

https://twitter.com/dev1_official/status/946950859413364736?lang=en

Capcom – The Champion Of Remakes

Capcom was there when it all started. With the original Resident Evil, a new chapter named survival horror in the history of gaming was made known to all. Integrating even the technological limitations to further the horror experience like fixed cameras, pre-rendered backgrounds, and tank controls provided an era-appropriate experience and even felt prestigious for their time.

The next turning point was Resident Evil 4, and its impact on the genre and gaming as a whole has been emphasized a lot by now, and for rightful reasons. Capcom’s Dino Crisis provided a new horizon to experiment with the survival horror aspect, and nobody anticipated the RE4 initial concept turned a full-fledged game Devil May Cry would become a symbol for hack-and-slash games down the line.

The point is, the games were extremely influential and one of our best memories. Even though they became quite dated, they still were exceptional experiences. That is precisely why many of us doubted the remake idea that it might ruin the legendary adventures. Capcom had other plans though, as Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes came and destroyed the foolish woes.

With hardware and technology limitations no longer a concern, we saw reimaginings of those gems in full 3D environments and the crisp visuals of today in an immersive third-person experience with a bucket full of nostalgia and the same dread we felt renewed to immediately bridge the big generation gap. Resident Evil 3 Remake might have had some problems, but there’s no denying Capcom’s remake game was strong.

And it went from strong to near flawless with the latest remake. Resident Evil 4 was a different case though. Unlike its predecessors, the game was ingenious and legendary, and even in modern times it held pretty well. Therefore many argued that the game doesn’t even need a remake, and I was with them until I got a taste of it. This is a real showcase of talent when you work to improve something widely considered a masterpiece.

And Capcom did the impossible. When gamers were busy arguing the need for it, Capcom showed everyone how a remake is done, forever raising the bar. The classic is reimagined in a way that replaces worn-out limitations with fresh ones, retains everything from its total feeling down to small little details like quirky dialogues, and even adds new additions that vastly improve the experience.

Resident Evil Meets Jurassic Park In Dino Crisis

Since Resident Evil quickly popularized the genre, Capcom decided to do something new. Jurassic Park demonstrated the terror of dinosaurs quite well, and it was time to implement that in the video game medium. Dino Crisis was created as an action shooter with crazy but clever dinosaurs as your horror adversaries, and their craftiness actually made you panic a lot more. A RE Engine reimagining would be epic.

Retaining the fixed camera scenario, the game provided real-time rendered environments in contrast to Resident Evil’s pre-rendered backgrounds. The visuals were quite stunning for their time, with environments reinforcing the horror feel. And who can forget the ferocious dinosaurs, their dreadfully accurate howls, and a design made specifically to make the players themselves scream out in terror?

The game presents an interesting premise, as your character Regina is sent with a team to investigate the secret project on an island that an agent reported to be in progress. The game quickly establishes the sheer dread of the situation as one member gets separated and is torn apart by a dinosaur. As you continue on to the island and discover mauled corpses, the intensity, and fear continue to pile.

With all escape routes cut off by the horrific dinosaurs and the pending mission of capturing the mastermind, you embark on an epic quest for survival as you slowly accomplish your objectives and discover the truth of the island. The story is relatively short, but it keeps you hooked and is the perfect incentive to progress through the dinosaur-infested island.

Dino Crisis didn’t have a good variety of dinosaurs, but their panic-inducing scariness was still intact. The game also brings ingenious mechanics, like the presence of two different injuries, and the accompanying animations. Standard injuries change the walking animation and require med paks to heal. Bleeding however causes a blood trail to appear, along with steady health loss. It requires special items Hemostats.

Although the game had its own identity, it was still in the shadow of Resident Evil due to the high genre similarities. Dino Crisis 2 changed that, as the game broke free of the conventions and placed full focus on it being an action shooter while retaining its signature panic horror look. The shooter gameplay saw more depth and both the mechanics and the environments were a solid improvement.

The game also expands upon the story introduced in the first game, with a time-bending threat now sending various regions to a different time. With an added protagonist Dylan alongside the returning Regina, the adventure with two different characters set in another time, and impressive recreations of the jungle environments and action focus set it apart from the series’ initial inspirations.

Dino Crisis 3 is where it all started going downhill. The only connection the game left to the series was that it was a shooter with dinosaurs. And they weren’t even real dinosaurs! To top it all off, various areas had different camera arrangements and there was no clear distinction between areas. As you move quickly with jetpacks, the camera just starts going haywire, providing nothing but frustration. The game was indeed a failed opportunity. 

The third game brought the series to a halt, an unfortunate end to a brilliant series. However, another opportunity has risen with Capcom’s remake project and its undeniable mastery of it. RE Engine works wonders in giving the games a phenomenal glow-up, and Dino Crisis holds the potential to contest even Resident Evil if it gets the chance to be remade. The fan-made Unreal Engine 5 demonstration of Dino Crysis is stark proof.

Capcom’s Classic Gems

Since Capcom has decided to remake the classic Resident Evil games, it should also give a chance to more of its classics, that will really shine in modern times. Take Dino Crisis for example. With the survival horror genre enjoying a complete revival, this is a perfect opportunity for a unique survival horror game to resurface, the cleverly ferocious dinosaurs rendered in full modern glory.

And that’s not all, Capcom has more options lying around, just waiting for their turn. Since we received a port and remaster of Onimusha: Warlords back in 2018, it’s about time for the classic series to resurface once again. Samurai setting with a twist of supernatural abilities and a game that’s all about engaging combat with enough story to keep you hooked. A remake in RE Engine with slick combat is what we desire, more than an anime.

Speaking of Devil May Cry, the now legendary series started by a coincidental turn of fate, as the developers working on a specific sequence for Resident Evil 4 decided to break it off and develop a full-fledged new IP, totally different in genres and presentation. Considering Resident Evil 4 just got a remake, it would be a perfect homage to this historical event if the original Devil May Cry also ends up being remade.

Do You Think Capcom Will Accidentally Remake Devil May Cry 1 as They Are Remaking Resident Evil 4?
by u/JVJV_5 in DevilMayCry

Don’t get me wrong the original Devil May Cry still holds up pretty well, but so did Resident Evil 4 and we all know how much better it got. We’ve already gotten a taste of how awesome the series can be in RE Engine with the latest entry, and reliving Dante’s first adventure (not chronologically) that started many of the series conventions fully reimagined would be a sight to behold.

Devil May Cry 2 might actually benefit a lot considering it was quite lackluster in general. Devil May Cry 3 I believe is already a near-perfect game in both mechanics and visuals. All in all, classics like Dino Crisis, Onimusha, and hopefully, the original Devil May Cry really deserve the glorified remake treatment at this point Capcom is well-known for. And I’m positive the games will also perform superbly if Capcom moves on from Resident Evil.