Earlier last year we were treated with a brand new Resident Evil game which took a completely different turn in comparison to the rest of the games in the series (and it seems like the games to come are only going to get scarier after this one). Biohazard is the first Resident Evil game in a first-person perspective, something Capcom have wanted to do since the beginning, and with that, they also created a very scary, realistic world for us to experience on the VR.
Resident Evil initiated the horror genre in video games, keeping players on the edge of their seats whilst still having a very enjoyable experience. Since the early games, the series has developed numerous multimedia's, including box-office movies, comic-books, novels, and much more.
Looking back at all of the many games, there is a lot of things that even super fans still don't know about the franchise. From hidden secretes within the games to hidden secrets surrounding the development of them, and we aren't ignoring the fact there is probably still a lot more than what has already been discovered. Check out 30 hidden things about the franchise you probably don't know about - hopefully, they'll encourage you to go back and play some of the great games in the series.
29 Did You Ever Wonder What Happened To Leon's Famous Jacket?
In Resident Evil 4, our favorite Leon was taken and lost his jacket. If you're a serious RE fan like we are, then you will know that Leon would not be himself without his jacket and haircut. After his capture, he wakes up and his jacket has disappeared.
In 'Separate Ways' (where you get to take the role of Ada), you can find out what really happened to it. During the cutscene where you see Leon and Luis being carried out the building unconscious, as Ada you will have to run back to the village. On your journey you will see Ganado, wearing Leon's lost jacket. Thief!
28 How Does Tofu Associate With Survival Horror?
The Tofu character was created by Capcom to test the games collision detection. The character was given its own mini game 'The Tofu Survivor' in RE2, acting as a parody to HUNK's mini game 'The Fourth Survivor'. He also appears in a secret mode in RE: The Dark Chronicles. A little strange playing as a piece of Tofu, but if you fancy it you must first have completed The Fourth Survivor, and cleared the storyline of Leon and Claire, three times, with an A ranking.
27 As If Wesker As A Human Wasn't Bad Enough
Wesker is known for being an absolute nuisance in the games and movies, so what could be more annoying than the guy himself? A zombie version. If he's really grinded your gears and you fancy another chance at shooting him dead, then head over to the Exclusive Mode in the Saturn version of the original game. One of the characters you will come across is a zombified Wesker, who is a lot stronger than most normal zombies, making it a lot more fun to shoot the crap out of him!
26 Fire A Few Rounds At The Camera
Fancy seeing some kick ass shots of your weapon damage on the screen? In the second game, simply equip a shotgun in Leon's A game, and at one point you will be able to fire at the screen from the right. This also is possible in the B scenario where Ada... let's not spoil it for those who haven't played, but it will come naturally through playing the game. The Easter egg doesn't reward you with anything, but it sure has a cool effect!
25 RE7 Is The First To Use A New Engine Since Resident Evil 4
Capcom decided to build a new engine alongside the development of the newest game (7), instead of iterating on their MT Framework engine.
Capcom's Lead Programmer said - "Conventional engine specs were insufficient for bringing the realistic world pursued by creators in Resident Evil 7 to life."
The main feature of the engine is to dramatically reduce the time required for various development processes, as well as supporting high-resolution graphics required to be compatible with VR to ensure the game feels like reality.
24 Did The Baker Family Visit The Place Where It All Began?
In Resident Evil 7, there is a hidden Easter egg that references to where it all began in the home of the Baker residence. A beautiful landscape photograph sits on their walls in the main hall.
What were they hiding amongst these green hills and tall trees?
The mountains is the home of Arklay Laboratory, here under the secluded Spencer Mansion, lies an Umbrella Corporation research facility. We wouldn't want to be walking round these woods at night...
23 What Power Does This Plant Hold?
The purpose of the pink herb is still very much hidden. It was in development for Resident Evil 0, however, it was removed during the early stages.
Some players on GameCube claim to have actual found it, but all you can do is pick it up.
Players are all familiar with the green, yellow and red herbs - green provides a small health boost on its own, but once combined with the other two it provides maximum health. So we can't help but wonder what the pink herb would of been for?
22 There Was Nearly A Game Boy Remake
The original game was going to be converted into a Game Boy game, which many of us would've absolutely loved! It was in fact over 90% complete before Capcom decided to scrap it.
Why would they do such a thing?
Supposedly they were "not confident that the product would have made both consumers and Capcom happy".
If you're a Resi fan that would like to give it a go, it is said that an enthusiast managed to get hold of the unfinished game, and released it as a ROM online.
21 Glitch The Game And Get Greatly Rewarded
For the GameCube remake of Resident Evil 1, players discovered a glitch that will ensure there would be enough ammo for the grenade launcher for the entirety of the game. Make sure you have the grenade launcher in your inventory, and to then access the unlimited ammo you must go to any item box, and follow these steps:
Empty your entire inventory into any item box. Equip the grenade launcher (in slot 1) and secondary ammo (in slot 2 ) - DO NOT exit the screen or the glitch will not work. Highlight over the ammo slot and press A, a box will appear, click A again, and you're fully loaded!
20 George A. Romero Worked For Capcom
The godfather of zombies had great involvement with the Resident Evil series, which is a no-brainer considering they're both all about dead people.
Unexpectedly, Romero was fired from working for Capcom.
He was originally chosen to write an ad campaign for Resident Evil 2, this finished successfully, so he was then hired to write a movie script. His script featured a storyline with characters Chris and Jill (based on the original game story) - this was disliked by Capcom, so they went with the script by Mortal Kombat movie director, Paul W.S - gutted!
19 The Resident Evil Mansion Is Based On Real Life Locations
In 1996, Senior Manager of Product Planning for Resident Evil, Tatsuya Minami, told Maximum News that the team wanted to create a real essence of horror by basing the mansion off of real European style houses - the type of houses you'd expect there to be a bunch of pee'd off ghosts lurking around.
"Personally speaking, I've been to America and England many times, where I visited stately homes in the country, and actually felt quite frightened!"
He claimed they also took cues from European ghost stories to make Resident Evil even creepier (if that's possible).
18 Resident Evil Received 'Worst Game Dialogue Ever' In The Guinness World Records
Hailed as one of the greatest video games of all time, defining the genre of horror in gaming, spawning a multimedia franchise across games, movies, comics, novels and other merchandise. But yet, Resident Evil received Guinness World Record in the 2008 Gamer's Edition, for the worst game dialogue EVER.
We can't say we're surprised, to be honest...
With lines like - "Jill, here’s a lock pick. It might be handy if you, the master of unlocking, take it with you", are you surprised either?
17 This Weapon Has Split Personalities
Killer7 is an action-adventure video game that was released on GameCube and PlayStation 2 in 2005. Published by Capcom, so it doesn't come as a surprise that they were going to put in a reference somewhere in the Resident Evil franchise. In the fourth game, you can get the Killer7 magnum from the merchant. Its default firepower is 25.0, which already gives it a lot of power (meaning fewer upgrades). Its buying price is 77,700PTS, and isn't available until Chapter 5, which gives you just enough time to save up some points.
16 Invisible Mode And A Secret Message From The Creator
To access this, you need to be a real expert in Resident Evil. If you picked up the remastered version, and haven't played it for a number of years you will remember how damn hard it really is, and it only gets worse. Director Shinji Mikami, has left a message to thank players for their commitment to the game.
“Thank you for taking the time to play all the way through ‘biohazard’ (Resident Evil). If you’re reading this letter, I salute you! You are truly a remarkable player! I imagine you must have had some pretty memorable experiences along the way!"
The way to recieve this message is by completing the game on normal and hard difficulty, with both Chris and Jill. Then, you will unlock 'Invisible Mode', where you must complete the game in five hours.
15 Take On Extra Enemies If You Haven't Had Enough Yet
The first story-based downloadable content of Resident Evil 5 (Lost In Nightmares), takes place three years prior, unfolding the events of the flashbacks seen in the main game. During this DLC, players are given the chance to spawn extra enemies. During the part of the game where Ashley is being held, there is a bell tower. Ringing this will send in waves of enemies, and it does not stop. Only for hardcore RE fans who just can't get enough!
14 Why Not Get This Zombie-Slaying Star To Help Out?
For those of you who have played Dead Rising, will know that Frank West is the leading protagonist. Frank West gets around, and makes appearances in a lot of different games. Resident Evil 4 is one of them, with a mode allowing players to play as him and defeat a bunch of zombies. He also makes an appearance in Resident Evil 6 when you play as Chris, - a popular lad isn't he?
13 Wesker's Been Hiding Something Very Secret
Whoever discovered this secret was a true committee, as this is something no average player would be able to figure out, or even bother trying. In many of the games in the series, players can pick up collectibles in desks. However, in the remake of the original, you can find a particular secret in Wesker's Desk, which only appears after searching it 50 TIMES!
The first 49 searches will tell players there is nothing there...
Although it is a small reward, it has relevance. After fifty searches a photograph of Rebecca in a baseball outfit will appear. Why is he keeping it there so secretly?
12 Only True Capcom Fans Would've Noticed This
Capcom have referenced to many of their games in the RE franchise. Street Fighter is a legendary fighting video game, and its reference appears at the beginning of the second game. Many players have probably missed this one considering the reference is the name of one of the flower shops in the street - 'Akuras'. When the letters are put into order, this spells Sakura - the name of a character in the SF series.
11 There Would Be No Resident Evil If It Wasn't For This Horror Film
Without the Japanese horror movie Sweet Home, there would be no Resident Evil. This movie, along with its video game, made the franchise - the story follows a film crew who enter an old mansion with a creepy history. The house belonged to a tortured artist, and follows the usual conventions of any horror movie (as you'd expect, things aren't going to go smoothly in a haunted mansion).
Unfortunately, the movie was only ever available in Japan.
The game for the movie was released by Capcom, and after switching directors (and a sneaky re-title), RE was born!
10 R.I.P Capcom?
In the remake of the original, there is a tombstone that has made players wonder what on earth it means...
In the mansion's graveyard, one of the tombstones reads 'Capcom'. Is this a hidden secret that entails the end of Capcom itself? We sure hope not! Unfortunately, it hasn't been discovered exactly what it means yet, but it seems a little odd that they would put this there.