• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

What Made Resident Evil 7 One Hell of A Game?

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman


Resident Evil 7 was important for the series and the survival horror genre for so many reasons. Its ability to take ideas from what worked about Resident Evil for so long while filtering out what didn’t, its willingness to learn from what other modern horror games were getting right, and of course the addition of some fresh ideas with the Bakers and a new, more vulnerable main character who lacks the military experience of the S.T.A.R.S. team was a recipe for massive success.

Many regard this game as one of - if not the - best horror game of all time and there’s certainly an argument to be made for that. I wouldn’t personally say it overtakes the true pillars of the genre like Silent Hill 2 or Clock Tower, but it certainly comes within striking distance in an era where so many great games are coming out all the time. Regardless of where you personally stand on that, it’s hard to deny that Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is one hell of a game.
 

M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
hqdefault.jpg
 

Mr Hyde

Member
RE 7 was a great game overall, and a terrific comeback from RE6. It felt fresh and took the series in a new direction that I wasn't prepared for, given what RE represented at the time with all the action.

But the real star of the show for me was The Baker family. They were great villains. The Dimitrescus seems to follow in the same footsteps, the tall lady looks to be another one for the history books. Wesker is sorely missed but Capcom still has the chops for creating compelling villains. Very excited to see where they are taking Chris this time around.
 

Alebrije

Member
Because is very different from the RE style. Instead of a bunch of Zombies trying to catch you had to deal with 2 or 3 nightmare level enemies . Also you learned about them, their background and they were monsters even before become super monsters..
 

Kuranghi

Member
I genuinely was too scared to play it on my own, got over it but then I had to stop because person I was playing with wasn't here for a while and I ended up watching Easy Allies full playthrough, I still want to play it but now I'm waiting for this supposed PS5 remaster.

There are things about it I don't like, like some of the bosses aren't the best (Even if the environmental/story framing of those moments is great, ie the boss of the Lucas part and the bit near the end) and the baddies are too similar for imo, but thats because they wanted it to make sense in the context of the situation and it would be weird to have radically different types of enemies. For the most part its awesome though, although I suspect without the prior knowledge from watching a full playthough not knowing what I am doing in the stealth sections might annoy me a bit. Oh I also wish there were more/cooler guns but its just them wanting to keep context again which I respect.

I think RE8 will solve all of these problems for me and add in stuff from 4 that I love. Surely giant castles would be filled with awesome treasures, right?!?

We'll see soon hopefully.
 

Spukc

always chasing the next thrill
i honestly didn't like it that much.
not a big fan of invincible enemies
fucking up my puzzles

i got to finish it some day!
 

EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
Timing, not a 60 hour RPG so because the game is so short you look forward to every inch. gotta give Capcom credit, you’re promised a scare every scene.
 

McGILLAZ

Member
I think that it went back to the series roots - it's slow and methodical, and is in every aspect Survival Horror. Throwing the series into 1st person (arguable if this was just to utilize VR) is interesting too - everything is right in your face. While I was not a fan of the lack of creatures during my initial play through and I felt like the puzzles were too simple..the game brings the series back to its roots while doing something new - I think it's legitimately scary.
 

OneBigPuss

Member
Because is very different from the RE style. Instead of a bunch of Zombies trying to catch you had to deal with 2 or 3 nightmare level enemies . Also you learned about them, their background and they were monsters even before become super monsters..
Only one person in this family was a monster...
 

MeteorVII

Member
The first-person perspective was the best decision they’ve ever made.

That, and the decision to make the game actually fucking scary.
 

Camreezie

Member
It was a massive improvement on 6 in pretty much every aspect. It did trail off towards the end but it was the best RE since 4 imo
 
S

Sidney Prescott

Unconfirmed Member
The immersion factor for me.

The new RE Engine impressed me, very creepy and unsettling. A lot more gross.
 

mcjmetroid

Member
I really didn't like it all that much.
It started off great but then had some of the most bullshit puzzles ive ever seen.

But... Step in the right direction.
I still love Resident Evil
 

MiguelItUp

Member
Clearly some people didn't like that, and that's fine. I definitely think it felt more like a return to the survival horror genre that went a bit missing in 5 and 6. Hell, even 4, though 4 is amazing.

Throughout my time with it I felt myself rationing my ammo and health. I hadn't felt myself do that in an RE game in YEAAAAARS. All while the experience was tense and high strung.

I loved the first half a LOT more than the second half. The second half didn't feel bad, per se. It just felt like the first half got a LOT more love and attention than the second half.

In the end it did a LOT better than I EVER would've thought a FPS RE would've done.

Here's to hoping RE8 can improve the formula and overall experience through and through.
 

perkelson

Member
The design.

You don't need 500 monsters to kill to make good game. Just 10 of them placed in right places could be better than those 500.
 

HE1NZ

Banned
The opening hours are scary as fuck, but also confusing. I kinda forced myself playing because it's scary and you're not sure what to do. At some point you get a grip of the mechanics, game becomes less spooky, but more addicting. DLC were fun too. Overall an excellent entry in the series.
 
Just finished it for the first time and I can't believe I fucking did it!
Fucking scary game but so great.

I think it's second half is also pretty good and I was doing the macho nonsense where I was talking to the tv like: "Come on, you fucking want some, huh?? Then I'll fucking give you some you fucking ugly mother fucker!!"

*Shotgun blast and a big fucking mess*

(Sorry for my language, but I got carried away..)
 
Last edited:
I still remember when the game launched I sat down and tried playing it middle of the night with headphones, alone in the house and couldn't play it made it one of the best horror game.
I'm 35 years old been gaming since I was a child and legit couldn't play it alone
 

Zambatoh

Member
As a long time fan, I couldn't help but be disappointed. It was sold to me as a return to form for the series, but when I actually played it, I found that it was severely lacking in many areas. Almost everything it did, the early titles did better. The level design, enemy variety, atmosphere, "puzzles", combat mechanics, and the emphasis on grounded realism were just such a huge let down.

The only redeeming value it really had were the Baker family members and the DLC chapters which I found to be better then the main campaign itself. I'm glad I waited for the Gold Edition tbh.
 
Last edited:

TMLT

Member
It was exactly what the series needed at the time, a massive shake up that drastically changed the formula. I honestly thought the best Resi could offer at that point was a solid but not especially scary horror/action hybrid like Revelations 2 (admittedly a pretty good game but not on par with the classics). I never expected that they would climb back to pre Resi 5 highs. 7 was the beginning of the resurgence and things have been pretty great since. Even RE3make which is probably the weakest of the last three is still better than most if not all of the stuff that came out post Resi 4.

Really excited for Village. Its exactly what I wanted, the first person view and mechanics of 7 but with more ambition in terms of setting, enemies etc.
 

Kev Kev

Member
I dunno but it was great

going back to a mansion/house scenario was one of my favorite parts. Almost felt like a reboot tbh.
 

RaZoR No1

Member
Best part of RE7 is, that you dont have to know about the other games.
New game, new monsters new gameplay amd new characters
Only in the end you saw an old RE friend and that's it (+DLCs)
Best way to experience it is by VR, but that's scary af.. still after I finished the game in non VR.
And they finally switched from action games to a survival horror (RE4-6)
 
Last edited:

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
It let you experience life outside the Raccoon City Police Force. Instead you are impacted on a personal level. This isn’t Chris and Claire’s type of personal level. You play as someone who had no real choice because he loved Mia. The whole idea behind it felt local, something I could relate to. Of course finding a lab somewhere is exciting too. This made the whole experience feel larger than if you were armed to the brim with explosives, grenades, and so forth.

First person shooters can definitely make you feel like you’re living in the moment. It felt like you were at the same table as the family in Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The DLC made you feel like characters from the previous games existed in this world. One of the many reasons I have enjoyed RE over the years is because the characters have grown. It’s nice to look back upon the first couple games. By the time they got to 5 and 6, everyone felt like they were on different paths.

I wasn’t scared by those popular streamer FPS view games, but RE7 came out and it had me hooked. I never felt like that inside a house in a video game. Capcom did a great job. I wonder why other games haven’t nailed that whole horror family itch. It took RE7 to do it. I just wonder how many Easter eggs we will see in Village. It makes Village sound a lot better. You get to visit Europe and there are new characters to get to know.
 
Top Bottom