Resident Evil 5 isn’t out until next month, but publisher Capcom is naturally looking to the future, and the sixth installment of the franchise. Suggesting that RE6 will be a “reboot” for the series, Capcom has stated that RE5 could represent the last Resident Evil game of its kind.
Game producer Jun Takeuchi has told 1UP that the upcoming fifth game will more than likely be the last of its kind. Some members of the gaming press and those who tried the demo have complained about the game’s similarities to Resident Evil 4 (while managing to still claim that there’s a mystical “new” control scheme) and it seems that Capcom is willing to address this.
Series creator and ex-Capcom employer Shinji Mikami is among those who agree that Resident Evil 6 needs to shake things up, stating: “I think Resident Evil 5 doesn’t need to change the series, but Resident Evil 6 will have to reinvent the series with another full model change or else it won’t be able to keep on going.”
Personally, I don’t see the problem. Resident Evil 4 is still one of the best action games of all time, and more of that is fine by me. Not every title needs to reinvent the wheel in order to be good. That said, a return to more horror-inspired roots would never be turned away.