Of the many franchises Capcom has created over the decades, Resident Evil is by far their most popular, and likely most prolific too. With eight mainline entries, countless spin-offs, and many remakes and remasters, Resident Evil 4 still manages to stand out from the crowd for how much it revolutionized games.

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Games like that don't just come out of nowhere though. Resident Evil 4 was a work in progress for a long time, trying to live up to the legacy of a series that was losing its footing after the poor performance of the previous entry, and there are lots of little tidbits lying around about how RE4 became what it is today, and maybe an idea for what the remake could be.

7 Devil May Cry Was Originally Resident Evil 4

Leon aiming holding his pistol against the background of the Village, and Shin Megami Tensei Dante aiming his pistol at the screen, left to right

Though it may not be anywhere near the heights of Monster Hunter or Resident Evil, Devil May Cry is a beloved entry in Capcom's history. Birthing the character-action genre, Devil May Cry is something entirely its own now, though it was actually one of the first versions of Resident Evil 4 and ended up being directed by Hideki Kamiya, director of Resident Evil 2.

It seems far-fetched at first, but there are plenty of pieces to connect it. The fixed camera angles that Resident Evil was so famed for, the creepy aesthetic of Mallet Island, the roots of a more action-based game that 4 eventually became. And of course, there's the actual gothic castle of Mallet, a clear parallel to Salazar Castle.

6 Lots Of Prototypes

Leon aiming at the ethereal Hook Man

All games go through lots of prototypes before they're anything akin to what the public actually sees in a finished product, but you usually don't hear about them, let alone see them. In fact, Resident Evil 4 even has an E3 demo lovingly called "Resident Evil 3.5" for just how different it was from the final product.

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The most famed of these is the E3 "Hookman" version. It featured a mix between locked-camera angles and the over-the-shoulder angle that 4 became known for, but also supernatural elements. Then there's the "Fog" version, which had Leon in a more vulnerable state exploring a gothic castle, and eventually gaining powers in his hand from the virus. Finally, there's the "Hallucination" version which again featured the castle and a story with BOWs and the Spencer estate, which eventually was retooled into a DLC for Resident Evil 5.

5 It Was Part Of The Capcom Five

The 5 originally planned titles for the Capcom 5, Viewtiful Joe, P.N.03, Resident Evil 4, Dead Phoenix, and Killer 7

The Capcom Five was an interesting point in the early 2000s, as it also signaled a major part of Nintendo's flagging third-party support. The Capcom Five was a series of games all to be developed exclusively for the GameCube to help its poor sales, and the initiative was led by Shinji Mikami, director of Resident Evil 4.

The funny thing is though, only one of those games actually remained GameCube exclusive, and Resident Evil 4 was the only one that actually achieved success immediately following its launch. Though even that was undercut when only a year later Capcom released a new version of RE4 for the PS2.

4 The PS2 Version Added New Ada Campaign

Resident Evil 4 ada kicking ganado

Despite the original promise of Resident Evil 4 being exclusive to the GameCube, Capcom decided that actually no, it didn't fall under their exclusivity deal and quickly released a new version for the PS2 that fared significantly better in sales. It also came with additional content for Ada, past the limited playable content she had in the original.

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The Separate Ways campaign, though significantly shorter than the original game, gives Ada a chance to shine by herself and gives her a crossbow too, in case guns and bullets just aren't your style. Humorously though, the PS2 version is otherwise viewed as inferior, being graphically less impressive and supposedly having less density of enemies.

3 The Camera Angle Used To Be Fixed

Resident-evil-4-vr-sniper-combo-2

Seen as the game that popularised survival horror, Resident Evil has plenty of aspects to it that make it as beloved and impactful as it is. Making every bullet count, incredible level design, and perhaps most critically, the locked camera angles. You could never precisely tell exactly where an enemy was and had to rely on sound and memory to make sure you didn't round a corner right to your death.

Resident Evil 4 goes against this, instead vying for an over-the-shoulder perspective that's famed now, though as early demos proved it was using a similar locked angle too, or a mix of the two. This was a major point though, as the final over-the-shoulder camera was actually the catalyst for removing Umbrella and zombies from the story entirely, and the reworked combat system.

2 The Many, Many Ports

Resident Evil 4 Remake

Nowadays, it's pretty common to joke about remasters, ports, and general re-releases, Skyrim and GTA5 being the prime candidates for such ridicule. It's fair, mind you, but they didn't start it. In fact, Resident Evil 4 is commonly viewed as the originator of it and has plenty more ports than the prior two can boast.

Though originally promised to be a GameCube exclusive, Resident Evil 4 was quickly followed up with a PS2 version. Then a PC version. Then the Wii. And mobile. Then HD remasters, and frankly way too many more, almost all of which change something, be it major or minor. And with a remake on the horizon, it's hardly likely they'll stop releasing it either. The original is still easily accessible, at least.

1 Was More Horror Than Tense Once

A dog bursts through a window in Resident Evil 1

Resident Evil 4 marked a dramatic departure in the story. The threats were much more direct and in your face. It was no longer a case of simply surviving any given scenario, but doing it efficiently and with just a bit of bravado. This is in stark contrast to the more deep-seated horror vibes of the original where you felt almost entirely helpless.

Though an atmosphere more reminiscent of earlier games of intense horror over more tense combat was considered, even featuring zombies, enemies that could teleport to your side with heavy, lethal attacks, and that iconic fixed camera. Though like much of Resident Evil 4, it too was scrapped in favor of something new to break the mold of familiarity.

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