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Resident Evil, is a video game series and media franchise consisting of comic books, novelizations, films, and a variety of collectibles, including action figures, strategy guides and publications.^[1] Developed by Capcom and created by Shinji Mikami, the series has sold almost 40 million games as of May 2009.^[2] The series is known in Japan as Biohazard (バイオハザード^?).

Game history

Resident Evil made its 1996 debut on the Sony PlayStation and later on the Sega Saturn. It was a critical and commercial success,^[3] leading to the production of two sequels, Resident Evil 2 in 1998 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis in 1999, both for the PlayStation. A port of Resident Evil 2 was released for the Nintendo 64. In addition, ports of all three were released for Windows. The fourth game in the series, Resident Evil Code: Veronica, was developed for the Sega Dreamcast and released in 2000, followed by ports of 2 and 3. Resident Evil Code: Veronica was later re-released for Dreamcast in updated form as Code: Veronica Complete, which included slight changes, many of which revolved around the story cutscenes. Code: Veronica was later ported to PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube under the title Code: Veronica X.

Despite earlier announcements that the next game in the series would be released for the PlayStation 2, which resulted in the creation of an unrelated game titled Devil May Cry, series' creator and producer Shinji Mikami decided to make the series exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube.^[4] The next three games in the series: a remake of the original Resident Evil and the prequel Resident Evil Zero both released in 2002 as well as the GameCube exclusive Resident Evil 4, which later released for Windows, PS2 and Wii. In addition, the GameCube received ports of the previous Resident Evil sequels. Despite this exclusivity agreement between Capcom and Nintendo, Capcom released several Resident Evil titles for the PS2 that were not considered direct sequels.

A trilogy of GunCon-compatible light gun games known as the Gun Survivor series featured first person gameplay. The first, Resident Evil: Survivor, was released in 2000 for the PlayStation and PC, but received mediocre reviews.^[5] The subsequent games, Resident Evil: Survivor 2 Code: Veronica and Resident Evil: Dead Aim, fared somewhat better.^[6] Dead Aim is actually the fourth Gun Survivor game in Japan, with Gun Survivor 3 being the Dino Crisis spin-off Dino Stalker. In a similar vein, the Chronicles series features first person gameplay, albeit on an on-rails path. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles was released in 2007 for the Wii, with a follow up, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles released in 2009.

Resident Evil: Outbreak is an online game for the PS2, released in 2003, depicting a series of episodic storylines in Raccoon City set during the same time period as Resident Evil 2 and 3. It was followed by a sequel, Resident Evil: Outbreak: File 2.

Resident Evil Gaiden is an action-adventure game for the Game Boy Color featuring an RPG-style combat system. Also, a Resident Evil-themed pinball game was released on Game Boy Color. It featured boards with characters, settings, and monsters from the game. There have also been several downloadable mobile games based on the Resident Evil series in Japan. Some of these mobile games have been released in North America and Europe through T-Mobile. It has also been announced at the Sony press conference during E3 2009 that a Resident Evil title will be heading to the PlayStation Portable, entitled Resident Evil Portable.^[7]

Main series

Future

Resident Evil 5 producer Jun Takeuchi said in an interview with 1UP.com that Resident Evil 6 could be a complete reboot.^[9][10] Capcom has not decided whether they will make a sixth game yet, but has stated if they do, it could take anywhere between four to eight years to make.^[11] Capcom has also announced they are working on an original Resident Evil title for the PSP, title "Resident Evil Portable" and adding more Resident Evil titles to the Wii.

Survivor series

Chronicles series

Outbreak series

Portable games

Related media

In addition to video games, the plot of Resident Evil has also been adapted into officially licensed materials such as films, comic books, and novels.

Novels

The earliest Resident Evil novel was a novella titled Biohazard: The Beginning by Hiroyuki Ariga. It was published in 1997 as a portion of the book The True Story of Biohazard, which was given away as a pre-order bonus with the Saturn version of Biohazard. The story serves as a prelude to the events of the original Resident Evil, in which Chris investigates the disappearance of his missing friend, Billy Rabbitson.

S. D. Perry has written novelizations of the first five games, as well as two original novels taking place between games. Her seven titles are:

• The Umbrella Conspiracy, a novelization of the first game.
• Caliban Cove, an original novel set after the first game.
• City of the Dead, a novelization of Resident Evil 2.
• Underworld, another original novel set after Resident Evil 2
• Nemesis, a novelization of the third installment of the franchise.
• Code: Veronica, a novelization of the homonymous game.
• Zero Hour, a novelization of the prequel game.

The novels often took liberties with the plot of the games by exploring events occurring outside and beyond the games. This often meant that the games would later contradict the novels by taking the story to a different direction.^[12] One notable addition from the novels is the original character Trent, who often served as a mysterious behind-the-scenes string-puller who aided the main characters. Perry's novels were translated and released in Japan with new cover arts by Wolfina.^[13] Perry's novels, particularly The Umbrella Conspiracy, also alluded to events in Biohazard: The Beginning, such as the disappearance of Billy Rabbitson and Brian Irons' bid to run for Mayor.

There was also a trilogy of original Biohazard novels in Japan. Hokkai no Yōjū (北海の妖獣^?, lit. "The Beast of the Northern Seas") was published in 1998 and was written by Kyū Asakura and the staff of Flagship. Two additional novels were published in 2002, To the Liberty by Suien Kimura and Rose Blank by Tadashi Aizawa. While no official English translation of these novels has been published yet, the last two books were translated into German and published in 2006.

Novelizations of the three films, titled Genesis, Apocalypse, and Extinction were written by Keith R.A. DeCandido. Extinction, the novel, was released in late July 2007, several months before the film's release. There was also a Japanese novelization of the first film, unrelated to DeCandido's version, written by Osamu Makino.

Comics

In April 1996, Marvel comics released Resident Evil #1, a free comic, through a Capcom giveaway when the first game was released. It was based on Capcom's game, with art from Bill Sienkiewicz on the cover.

In 1998, Wildstorm began producing a monthly comic book series based on the first two games titled Resident Evil: The Official Comic Magazine, which lasted five issues. The first four issues were published by Image, while the fifth and final issue was published by Wildstorm themselves. Each issue was a compilation of short stories that were both adaptations of events from the games, as well as related side-stories. Like the Perry novels, the comics also explored events occurring beyond Resident Evil 2 (the latest game during the series' publication) and thus were contradicted by later games.

Wildstorm also published a four-issue miniseries titled Resident Evil: Fire & Ice, which depicted the ordeal of Charlie Team, a third STARS team created specifically for the comic. In 2009, Wildstorm reprinted Fire & Ice in a graphic novel collection.^[14]

In Hong Kong, there has been officially licensed Biohazard manhua adaptations of Biohazard 3 and Code: Veronica by Lee Chung Hing. The latter was translated into English and published by Wildstorm as a series of four graphic novel collections.

In 2009, Wildstorm began publishing a comic book prequel to Resident Evil 5, simply titled Resident Evil, which centers around two original members of the BSAA named Mina Gere and Holiday Sugarman. Written by Ricardo Sanchez and illustrated by Kevin Sharpe and Jim Clark, the first issue was published on March 11, 2009. On November 11, 2009, the third issue was released with the fourth scheduled for March 24, 2010.^[15]

Merchandise

Over the years, various toy companies have acquired the Resident Evil license and each producing their own unique line of Resident Evil action figures or models. These include, but not limited to, Toy Biz, Palisade Toys and Moby Dick (in Japan only). NECA and Hot Toys currently holds a license. Originally the company was only producing figures based on Resident Evil 4, but extended the line to include characters from previous installments. Tokyo Marui also produced replicas of the guns used in the Resident Evil series in the form of gas blow-back airsoft guns. Some models included the STARS Beretta featured in Resident Evil 3, and the Desert Eagle in a limited edition that came with other memorabilia in a wooden case, along with the Gold Lugers from Code: Veronica and the "Samurai Edge" pistol from the Resident Evil remake. Other merchandise includes an energy drink called "T-Virus Antidote". The most recently released merchandise is a set of three action figures: Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar, and the Executioner Manjini, a mini-boss in Resident Evil 5.

Sourcebooks

Resident Evil Archives is a reference guide of the Resident Evil series written by staff members of Capcom. It was translated into English and published by BradyGuides. The guide describes and summarizes all of the key events that occur in Resident Evil Zero, Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, and Code: Veronica. Along with the main plot analysis, it also contains character relationship charts, artwork, item descriptions and file transcripts for all five games. While one of the few video game-based reference guides that was translated into English, the translation was criticized by fans for inconsistencies with the original Japanese version^{[citation needed]}, as well as inconsistencies in the official translations provided by the games themselves^{[citation needed]}.

Reception

Using horror elements, puzzle solving, and a lot of action, most of the games in the main Resident Evil series have been released to positive reviews. Many of the games, most notably Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4, have been bestowed with multiple Game of the Year honors^[16] and frequently placed on lists of the best games ever made.^[17] A common criticism of the series is its odd placement of puzzles. When speaking of Code: Veronica, one critic wrote that the game is "still largely a puzzle-driven (as opposed to plot driven) experience."^[18] Capcom has been commended, however, for making an attempt to phase out and better integrate the puzzles, with IGN writing that the puzzles of Resident Evil 4 are "not so obscure that they can't be figured out, and indeed many of them are downright clever."^[19]

The success of the Resident Evil series has resulted in Guinness World Records awarding the series eight world records in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008. These records include Most Live-Action Movie Sequels, Action-Adventure Game with the Most Novelizations, and the dubious honor of Worst Game Dialogue Ever for the line "Here's a lockpick. It might be handy if you, the master of unlocking, take it with you". The 2009 Gamer's Edition noted the series alongside other long running franchises for its impact and legacy. The Resident Evil series also rank #7 on Gametrailers' Top 10 Best Video Game Franchise.^[20]

Sales

Sales per single title as of March 31, 2009.^[82]

Total title sales as of July, 2009.^[82]

In other games

Due to Resident Evil's popularity, Capcom has incorporated references to the series and even actual crossovers with the characters in some of their other titles. Other companies, such as SNK Playmore and Namco, have also incorporated references to the series.

• Pocket Fighter (1997) - A super deformed fighting game starring Street Fighter and Darkstalkers characters. In one of her combos, Chun-Li is dressed as Jill Valentine in her STARS outfit. Akuma's ending in the game also featured a scene in which he fights zombies dressed like those from the original Resident Evil.
• Breath of Fire III (1998) - There is an enemy in Caer Xhan that is called "Plant 42".
• Trick'N Snowboarder (1999) - A snowboarding sports game for the Sony PlayStation, featuring Leon, Claire, and a zombie cop from Resident Evil 2 as unlockable characters.
• SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash (1999) - A card game-based video game for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. Card Fighters Clash featured various trading cards based on Capcom and SNK games, including characters cards of Jill Valentine, Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield, and a zombie from the series, as well as an Action Card called "Escape", which pictures Sherry Birkin fleeing from the mutant G. The mansion from the first game is adapted into a theme park attraction within the game, featuring various references to the series (including two characters named "Chris" and "Mikami"). The sequel (Card Fighters 2: Expand Edition) added two new character cards depicting Chris Redfield and Nemesis. The recent Card Fighters DS featured cards based on Ada Wong and Albert Wesker.
• Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (2000) - A popular fighting game that has been ported to several home consoles, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 featured an extensive roster of characters from both Marvel Comics and Capcom. Resident Evil's Jill Valentine was one such character. She is armed with most of the weapons she equips in the original Resident Evil and can summon some of the enemy creatures of the series for special attacks, including the rocket launcher and Tyrant respectively. She also uses the game's herbs as a healing assist.
• Mega Man Legends 2 (2000) - Depending on one's progress in the game; the general store will have a "Game Cartridge" item for sale. The game's title is "Resident Evil 43".
• Under the Skin (2004) - One level in this sci-fi comedy PlayStation 2 game takes place in a parody of Raccoon City, and features several characters from Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, including Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliveira, as well as the Nemesis itself.
• Namco x Capcom (2005) - A strategy RPG for the PlayStation 2. Bruce McGivern and Fong Ling from Resident Evil: Dead Aim are playable characters. In the game, Bruce teams up with Regina from the Dino Crisis game series & Fong Ling pairs with Hsien-Ko from the Darkstalkers game series.
• Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble! (2005) - Contains a level based on the Resident Evil series, featuring music and enemies from the games, and pictures of villains dressed as Jill, Carlos, Claire and Steve in the background.
• Dead Rising (2006) - A Capcom game involving zombies. This game contains several Resident Evil references. The most obvious of these is a sandwich restaurant named Jill's Sandwiches in reference to Barry's line in the original Resident Evil.
• "Bayonetta" (2009) - The weapons dealer, Rodin, references the Merchant from Resident Evil 4 by saying "Whadya Buyin'?" and goes on to say that he had heard it in a game. Also the character Luka references both Resident Evil and Devil May Cry by mentioning the names Claire and Trish.

See also

• Sweet Home – a game which was released only in Japan in 1989 for the Famicom, but was unofficially translated into English.
• Alone in the Dark
• Devil May Cry – a game that was originally planned to be Resident Evil 4.
• Dino Crisis - a similar series, from the same development team.
• Onimusha - a series of Capcom games from the same development team.
• List of video games featuring zombies
• Genetic engineering in fiction

References

External links

• Official Resident Evil website
• Official Biohazard website
• Resident Evil, an external wiki