Would Chris Have Died in Resident Evil? See Little-Known Facts About the Series

One of the most anticipated games on the way is undoubtedly the remake of Resident Evil 2, planned for release on January 25, 2019.

Given the tremendous response, Capcom has already confirmed that, depending on sales, other titles may receive remakes in the future, making retrogamers happy about what might be coming.

Getting into that spirit, we at Epic Play decided to select a few interesting facts about one of gaming's most traditional series.

Resident Evil 0 (2002)

Originally for Nintendo 64

Initially, Resident Evil Zero was being developed for Nintendo 64, apparently using the same engine as Resident Evil 2.

At the time, the developers considered creating different endings depending on which character was alive, indicating that both Rebecca and Billy could die during the adventure. For unknown reasons, the idea was removed.

Rebecca appears to use a “Beretta” pistol similar to Jill Valentine's in Resident Evil 1, while Billy's face and clothing are slightly different compared with the final version.

Another connection to the first Resident Evil is that Bravo Team member Edward Dewey is missing his right hand after being attacked by the Cerberuses. This idea was intended to connect with the hand Joseph finds in the live-action scene from the first Resident Evil. When the project moved to GameCube, the team discarded it, probably because Resident Evil REmake does not have the scene in which Joseph picks up a hand.

References

Reproduction

Each of Rebecca and Billy's extra outfits in the HD rerelease is a reference. From left to right:

1. Traditional outfit;
2. Rebecca wearing her alternate outfit from Deadly Silence;
3. Resident Evil 2 Easter egg featuring the character's secret photo;
4. Alternate look from Resident Evil REmake;
5. The nurse comes from an extra in Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D;
6. Outfit from the Nintendo 64 version of Resident Evil 0;
7. Cody Travers's outfit from Final Fight;
8. Japanese cover artwork for the game “Mercs.”

Resident Evil 1 (1996)

Sega Saturn Exclusives

• The Sega Saturn version has a second Tyrant during the final battle;
• A zombie version of Albert Wesker appears in the “Battle Game” minigame. He is much more difficult than the other enemies;
• There is a new Hunter called the “Tick,” which is somewhat tougher.

Censorship

The opening and ending of the first Resident Evil were made with real people who had no acting experience. Combined with the low budget, this resulted in scenes considered “B-movie” material. Their “trash” quality eventually won over audiences, making them unintentionally funny. There are three versions of this introduction:

1. The Japanese version in color (video above), with the violence uncensored and Chris smoking.
2. The same scene as number one, but without color. European release.
3. A censored version in which much of the violence and blood (ketchup?) do not appear, and Chris Redfield is not shown smoking.

Another censored part is the first zombie in the game biting Kenneth, since the Japanese version has an extra scene showing the character's head falling off (video above).

Chris's bad ending was also censored, since he is once again shown smoking.

On Game Boy

Capcom was being quite “ambitious” in developing the Resident Evil games for Nintendo consoles, impressing everyone with the Nintendo 64 conversion of Resident Evil 2, which included video sequences compressed onto a cartridge. In addition, there were plans to release the first Resident Evil for Game Boy Color.

The announcement came in 1999, but the game was eventually delayed until 2000 before being canceled and giving way to the development of Resident Evil Gaiden, a side story.

The title was probably canceled because, despite its excellent visuals for the handheld, its gameplay might not have been enjoyable.

Resident Evil 2 (1998)

The Police Department Entrance from Resident Evil 3

It is possible to see the police department's entrance gate from the same angle as Jill Valentine sees it in Resident Evil 3. To do so, the player must kill every zombie in the area and then head toward the hidden door.

Who Is He?

Every S.T.A.R.S. member in this photo can be recognized except for the person at the far left. Many speculate that he is Kevin Dooley, an RPD pilot planned during the development of Resident Evil 2 but eventually discarded.

Resident Evil 1.5 Versus Resident Evil 2

Now known by this title, the Resident Evil 2 prototype was canceled in 1997 after reaching 70%–80% completion.

Even at such an advanced stage, the team, especially series producer Shinji Mikami, was dissatisfied with the result and decided to cancel the project and begin Resident Evil 2 “from scratch.”

According to Mikami, the individual ideas were good, but together they were not harmonious, especially the script, which was “too conclusive” and could have prevented future sequels. In addition, the visuals did not convey the desired horror atmosphere and, according to him, it was far from being a “true survival horror game.”

Since the individual ideas were good, most of the elements were reused. In other words, most of “what” had been done was retained; it was “how” it had been done that changed.

Among the known differences, Leon would have escaped into the sewers with Ada and Marvin. The latter would have had a much larger role than in the final game, where he appears only as a character on the verge of death. Ada would have been practically the same, except that she would have been a scientist.

Claire Redfield would not have been Chris's sister and would have been called Elza Walker. During the adventure, she would have joined Sherry Birkin and John, who became Robert Kendo, the gun-shop character with a very small role in the final version. An exclusive character named Roy would also have been part of the story; he would have become infected by a virus and been killed by John.

Annette Birkin would have played nearly the same role as in the final version, except that she too would have been infected and transformed into a monster. Brian Irons, the chief of the Raccoon City Police Department, would have been “good” and helped in Leon's story. Finally, villain William Birkin would have kept shouting “Sherry.”

The police department would have had a more modern appearance, unlike the final version's “classic” style and works of art. Finally, a considerably larger number of weapons would also have been present.

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999)

Shinji Mikami Easter Egg

In the epilogue menu, under the “Exit” button tab, there is a nearly illegible message that reads: “I love you, Shinji Mikami, return to Menu.”

Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins Were Cut

An image from the introduction can be found within the Japanese version's demonstration video. It references actors Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins in the 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption. The image does not appear in the final version, probably because of copyright issues.

Very Different Original Ideas

Originally, Resident Evil 3 would have starred Hunk, the secret character from Resident Evil 2, who would have had to look for a sample of the G-Virus. During development, the team decided to change the story and brought in Jill Valentine from the first Resident Evil.

The PlayStation title would have been a spin-off, while Code: Veronica for Dreamcast would have been Resident Evil 3. However, because of contractual issues with Sony, Capcom was required to add the “3” designation to what had originally been a spin-off, and the Dreamcast game received the alternate name.

There would also have been a mode in which players controlled Brad Vickers as a zombie, while Jill would have encountered Leon, Ada and William Birkin during the adventure. This was probably cut to prevent continuity errors.

Resident Evil 4 (2005)

Reference to Nikita

Ada Wong's “Separate Ways” campaign is inspired by the poster for the film La Femme Nikita.

Resident Evil 3.5

Resident Evil 4 came to reinvent the series, and it had several beta versions during the process.

Biohazard 4, which became Devil May Cry: This version would have told the story of protagonist Tony Redgrave and his twin brother, Vergil, sons of Earl Spencer who became superhuman thanks to the use of the G-Virus.

It would have taken place on Mallet Island, where there was an Umbrella factory. At the very beginning of production, the idea was for the game to resemble the classic Resident Evil titles, but Kamiya eventually chose a dynamic camera system to make the game more “exciting” and also wanted the characters to have more abilities.

As it began heading in a direction too “distant” from what Resident Evil was meant to be, the team decided to abandon the title in favor of a new series, which eventually became Devil May Cry.

“Castle” prototype:  Now featuring Leon as the protagonist, it would have been a direct continuation of Code: Veronica. He would infiltrate a European castle belonging to Oswell E. Spencer and become infected by a virus released by Albert Wesker.

“Hallucination” prototype: An offshoot of Castle, little is known about this version's story, but it already featured ideas that would reach the final version, such as the over-the-shoulder camera, a button for throwing a grenade and the health indicator.  It was discarded because the GameCube could not load two rooms at the same time to create Leon's “hallucination” effect.

“Zombie” prototype:  Very little is known about this one. There are no concept artworks, videos or anything else. What is known is that it would have returned to the franchise's roots, something that bothered Mikami because he believed it would become repetitive. After several internal problems, Mikami fired director Hiroshi Shibata, and the project for the Resident Evil 4 we know began to “take shape.”

Resident Evil 5 (2009)

Shinji Mikami Took a Long Time to Play It

Mikami said in an interview that he did not play Resident Evil 5 until 2011. That was because he hated the idea that a team had made the game without his involvement.

Barry Would Have Been the Co-Protagonist

Initially, the game would not have offered a cooperative experience, but Chris would still have had a partner for the trip to Africa: Barry Burton from Resident Evil 1. Sheva would also have existed in the game, but as part of a local militia fighting Bio-Organic Weapons.

Anti-Drug Warning

The drug intended to keep Albert Wesker's virus under control has an inscription that reads: “Caution: Do not give this product to children under two years old without consulting a doctor.”

Resident Evil 6 (2012)

Ada's Clones

The original idea for the character Carla Radames was for her to be a clone of Ada Wong, but the developers were not allowed to incorporate cloning into the story. It is assumed they believed the plot would become too “far-fetched” if they included this element. Over the course of the story, it would have been revealed that we had encountered several of her clones throughout the series.

Chris Redfield Would Have Died

Originally, Chris would have died during the story, but the developers eventually changed their minds because they believed it would be a “cheap shock” and that doing so was unnecessary. In this context, they decided to kill another character.

Resident Evil 7 VII: Biohazard (2017)

The First Not Written in Japan

Until then, the scripts for every game had been written in Japan, but Resident Evil VII was written by Richard Pearsey, who had previously worked on Spec Ops: The Line and F.E.A.R.

Bringing West and East Together

This is the first game in the series to incorporate both titles on both “this side” and “the other side of the world.” Here, it became known as Resident Evil VII: Biohazard, while there it became known as Biohazard 7: Resident Evil.