Doors... in Resident Evil

Doors... in Resident Evil, are the main reason I couldn't get into Capcom's 2002 Gamecube Remake, and I suppose, all the other pre-RE4 titles by relation. There's lots of things I appreciated about Remake. The atmosphere's intense, resources are tight, and the iconic Mansion is even more of a character than the game's cast. I could even endure the Tank Controls, as disorientating as it was when the Camera angles switched angles too rapidly. Thing is, the word rapid suggests immediacy, and the doors in Resident Evil Remake are immediately infuriating.

Just in-case someone hasn't seen the video this post is connected to, I'm not someone who grew up with Resident Evil. The loading screens of a door opening don't carry with it any nostalgia or novelty for me. When the game fades to black for a broom closet, I don't see a door against a black background, I envision text on the bottom left reading "Loading..."

And it's not just me who questioned their existence.

https://youtu.be/oylf1T7mQ_M?t=320

When Capcom took it upon themselves to Remaster their 2002 Remake over a decade later, the developers very much considered abolishing them all together. Arguing heavily about their inclusion. The Gamecube obviously had them because games back then couldn't handle that level of detail while streaming, but those contraints no longer exist.

But Capcom originally made the game with those loading-screens in mind. Using them both to breathe from and heighten the tension, depending on what scenario the player found themselves in. Admittedly, even as a big detractor, I must admit running through Resident Evil's Mansion without loading-screens, would've made the landmark feel small. Blitzing through door to door as Jill or Chris wouldn't give any time to breathe from the chaos that ensued. Speedrunners can already complete the game in under an hour, and they'd have a field day without those doors pausing the game.

So rather than create a seamless environment by tweaking settings in game never intended for such things, they saved the idea for Resident Evil 2 Remake, where Capcom built the world from scratch to be seamless, without a loading screen in-sight from start to finish, (with the exception of deaths).

I'm glad they did.

Resident Evil Remake is one of the company's most beloved games, and I'm glad they didn't change it in a manner that'd degrade it, to appeal to someone like me who never grew up with it to begin with, and wouldn't fully understand that my wish would've been a mistake. The idea also would've no longer been fresh when Resident Evil 2 Remake released.

So I guess I'm saying, thank you Capcom for being smarter than me.