The Resident Evil 1.9 development team was stunned when the Capcom boss suddenly announced that their game would now be Resident Evil 3.
Resident Evil 1.9 + 2.1
The development process of Resident Evil 1.9 did not encounter many problems that followed the first two games in the series because the project’s direction of the game was Kazuhiro Aoyama’s project was both unique and “orthodox” in many ways. Besides, RE2’s familiarity with graphics and gameplay helps smooth game development, and the game does not risk being “ripped off” or altogether canceled. However, near the summer of 1999 – when Capcom wanted the game to be completed – a significant change happened to the game development team.
As you know, in Part 2 of the series, Mr. Yasuhisa Kawamura – the author of the game’s script – wrote a story set in front of RE2. Still, this script was modified to accommodate the acting events that come before RE2 in the beginning. There are just events after RE2 at the end. So Resident Evil 1.9 now becomes … Resident Evil 1.9 + 2.1. This name started to appear and was used in the second half of the game development process.
Of course, Resident Evil 1.9 + 2.1 is an unacceptable name. Imagine how gamers react when they see this name appear on game ads; let alone read that name. So in early 1999, the Resident Evil 1.9 + 2.1 development team chose “Biohazard: Last Escape” as the official name for the Asian version and “Resident Evil: Nemesis”. As the official name for the international version because they feel these names accurately reflect the game’s content and is associated with gameplay: Nemesis is a monster stalking gamers, and Last Escape implies that after escaping Raccoon, Jill will never return to the city. The reason they gave two different names to the game is that in Japan. Nemesis was a name that was rarely used in Japanese-language titles (this was true until 2012 when Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City launches), and Last Escape sounds unnatural in English.
Origins of the game: Resident Evil 3 – From spin-off to the full sequel – P.1 Join the game in the past to find out the birth of Resident Evil 3, one of the classic versions of the Resident Evil series 3.
Resident Evil 3
Shortly after the game’s name was set, Kazuhiro had a series of meetings with the bosses of Resident Evil and Capcom – Yoshiki Okamoto and Shinji Mikami. After … three days of discussion, the result was that Mr. Yoshiki Okamoto decided to add the number 3 to the game’s name. The game will be known as Biohazard 3 Last Escape in Japan, and Western gamers will Call it Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. With this decision, the game’s size will expand, and it will no longer be a spin-off game.
Mr. Kazuhiro recounted that he was completely surprised by the decisions of the bosses. “The game will be a spinoff, so I pursued that framework during development. I never expected it to become Resident Evil 3. ” Meanwhile, Mr. Shinji Mikami said that after supervising the project as a producer, I felt that Kazuhiro’s game could become a mainstream game but aimed at “hardcore” fans who didn’t mind. Strange or wacky game story compared to previous versions.
According to Kazuhiro, the reason Capcom suddenly changed Resident Evil 1.9 + 2.1 into Resident Evil 3 is that Capcom’s listing date has come very close. “Capcom needs a successful game to win the trust of investors. They think a new numbered Resident Evil game will make it easier to achieve this goal. ” Yasuhisa thought that there was another cause: the “real” Resident Evil 3 game that Hideki Kamiya developing for PS2 was delayed due to significant changes in the game’s orientation, forcing Hideki’s development team to have to go back to the conception stage. This means that Resident Evil fans on PS2 will have to wait a few more years to play the next Resident Evil title, and Capcom doesn’t want that. “A game designed by Hideki couldn’t be less than perfect, and we couldn’t imagine developing such a rush on a completely new system like PS2.”
After Resident Evil 1.9 + 2.1 became Resident Evil 3, Hideki’s game was renamed Resident Evil 4, and Code: Veronica was not affected. But this is not the Resident Evil 4 title, you know: its last official name is Devil May Cry. Hideki’s major changes made to the game made it no longer suitable for the Resident Evil brand. Thus it has become a new silver brand for Capcom since its release on PS2 in August 2001, but this is the story of another series of articles. Resident Evil 4 that you know doesn’t exist at this time.
This Resident Evil 4 game doesn’t exist yet.
Rushed into content
Turning Resident Evil 1.9 + 2.1 into Resident Evil 3 presents a new challenge for Kazuhiro and Yasuhisa because their titles are currently too short and too different from previous Resident Evil titles. If Capcom is not careful, the game’s content and duration will probably make gamers angry because of the feeling of being cheated compared to the first two versions, especially when Resident Evil 2 is a great success. It makes gamers put a lot of expectations on Resident Evil 3.
By this time, it’s too late to reboot the game and redo gameplay according to Resident Evil 2 – the development team only has … 2 months to add more content to the game and extend its duration as required by Mr. Yoshiki Okamoto. The current version of the game lasts about 2-3 hours and ends when gamers meet Nemesis at the clock tower, but for pro players, that time may be significantly shortened, especially in replays.
So Kazuhiro’s team created new places like Raccoon City Park and the factory, while the old sites were extended by adding new rooms. These contents do not change the game’s plot, but it drags the game a bit longer: Mr. Kazuhiro estimates that it has been extended about 30 minutes. That’s all they can do within their limited time frame, and Capcom doesn’t want to postpone the game because two other Resident Evil titles will be released in late 1999 and early 2000. The release of the three games is too close. Each other will significantly affect the revenue of all three, which Capcom is unacceptable.
(Continue)
