The Resident Evil Podcast

Episode 12 - Resident Evil: Damnation

Released just prior to Resident Evil 6 back in September 2012, this CG canon sequel to 2008's Degeneration sees the return of Leon S. Kennedy; this time dispatched to a small country known as the Eastern Slav Republic to combat the latest bioterrorism threat. We join him on that journey and discuss what the film adds to the overall mythology. There are many interesting things to debate such as the inclusion of Las Plagas and the welcome return of both the Licker and the Tyrant. We also get the first chronological appearance of Ada Wong since the events of Resident Evil 4. Also included in this season 1 finale of our pokey little podcast is the climactic ending to Neptune's biohazard quiz.

Episode 11 - Resident Evil 5

Resident Evil 5 came with huge expectations but was seen as a great disappointment by many, but here STARS_Tyrant and TheBatman lead the RE5 defence force, praising the gameplay and the story. George Trevor talks up Lost in Nightmares but finds little else to enjoy and Neptune has never been happy about the linear aspects of the game and how Chris and Sheva quickly move through each area with no opportunities to backtrack and explore.  Every aspect of the game is covered as well as a small section covering the unused beta concepts of the game. In the news we also review the second public demo of Resident Evil 6 before the game's final release. 

Episode 10 - Resident Evil: Code Veronica X

Originally recorded just prior to the release of Resident Evil 6, our panel sits down to discuss Resident Evil Code: Veronica - perhaps one side of the same coin alongside Resident Evil Zero in terms of love and hate. Neptune and George Trevor are big fans of the game but TheBatman not so much. We discuss the switch to full 3D as well as the plot, characters, setting, enemies and all other elements making up the game. Was bringing back Wesker the right move? Were the Ashford's any good, and was D.I.J a top-secret experiment in league with Derek Simmons? All this and more is discussed within.

Joining us for this episode is special guest Thomas Wilde; author of the legendary Resident Evil Plot Analysis from gamefaqs and a document every Resident Evil fan worth their salt should be fully aware of. As well as joining us for the Code: Veronica chat, Thomas gives a lengthy interview explaining the origins of the plot analysis, his motivations for writing it and his progress with updates whilst working professionally on other projects. Finally the episode concludes with another well-researched quiz as always!

Episode 9 - Resident Evil Remake

Another classic episode from the archives as we take a look at the critically acclaimed Resident Evil Remake on the Nintendo Game Cube. Each panel member recalls their origins with the game and the impact it had on them personally. We also discuss the improvements such as the photo-realistic graphics, the added story sections and of course the Crimson Heads. Stepping into the guest's chair this week is Rombie from residentevilfan - A New Blood. Rob goes into his own history with the franchise and reminds us all of how he was one of the original and most successful fansite webmasters. News discussion includes more build up towards the release of Resident Evil 6 and George Trevor tries and largely fails to explain the progress of the Marhawa Desire manga now that the first volume is complete. 

Episode 8 - Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles

In this episode we look back at this direct sequel to Umbrella Chronicles which released back in November 2009. Joining us for this one is one of our very own staff members in Sindra who has much to say about Claire Redfield and the impact of strong, independent female characters in modern gaming. Unfortunately it just had to be this episode with our first female guest that Mr. Spencer had one too many glasses of wine... But amidst the awkward flirting we have an in-depth discussion on Darkside Chronicles with a particular focus on Operation: Javier. We assess Javier Hidalgo, his daughter Manuela and the return of the t-Veronica virus and Jack Krauser. We also touch upon the retellings of Resident Evil 2 and Code Veronica with Memories of a Lost City and Game of Oblivion respectively. There is also a debate on the new camera, the new mechanics and the bonus content before deciding whether it is an improvement over Umbrella Chronicles or not. Originally recorded in August 2012.

Episode 7: Resident Evil 6 Preview

With Resident Evil 7 almost upon us, it's time for another episode from the archives now as we travel back all the way back to summer 2012 when Capcom released the first playable demo of Resident Evil 6 to users who purchased Dragon's Dogma. This demo featured short segments from each campaign along with some horrendous screen-tearing. It's interesting now after all this time to look back on our hopes and impressions several months before the final polarising product was unleashed upon the world. Also released during this time was the reveal trailer for Resident Evil: Damnation featuring Ada Wong and a man everyone believed at the time was Derek Simmons conrolling the Lickers. Good times.

Episode 6 - Resident Evil 2

Slowly but surely we're working our way back to the very beginning and now comes another episode that's almost 5 years old can you believe... This time we look at the absolute masterpiece that is Resident Evil 2, almost a perfect sequel in many ways and one of the biggest games of 1998. In the news discussion we are still getting bogged down in the aftermath of Operation Raccoon City and there is a brief chat on Resident Evil 1.5 before moving onto the main event. Each of us has fond memories of Resident Evil 2 and we talk about the storyline, the atmosphere, the scenario zapping system and the characters. So enjoy this retrospective look back on an old classic before Capcom unleashes Remake 2 and ruins everything. Our guests this week are The Selfish Gene from The Horror is Alive and Welsh. 

Episode 5 - Resident Evil 4

Delving back into the archives once again we have for your listening pleasure our review of the very diversive Resident Evil 4; the game some say saved the franchise and others believe destroyed it. Originally recorded in April 2012 the news is dominated by more post-release reaction to Operation Raccoon City with the introduction of the timed exclusive Nemesis mode DLC for the XBox, prompting Neptune to enquire if we can get his tentacle out... Fittingly our community guest is Smiley; a man who very wisely invested his entire inheritance in bulk buying Operation Raccoon City in the hopes it would be a massive success. Needless to say he is still not a millionaire.

We have a sub-discussion on the many beta builds of Resident Evil 4, discussing black fog, hookmen, Devil May Cry 4 and the influences of games such as Haunting Ground and Clock Tower. Early story builds included Spencer's sons and the origins of the Progenitor Virus which would have been much more agreeable to what we eventually got. 

For the main discussion, we go through the game from top to bottom, talking about the new gameplay style and controls, as well as the obvious switch to action from horror. We go through the characters and enemies, lamenting Umbrella's pre-credits demise and of course explain how the infamous boulder has eclipsed Albert Wesker as the series best recurring villain. Spoiler alert: Mr Spencer's favourite part of Resident Evil 4 is the fact that Jill is not in it.

Episode 4 - Resident Evil: Dead Aim

Time to go back to the archives again as we revisit a criminally overlooked classic with Resident Evil: Dead Aim/Gun Survivor 4: Heroes Never Die. This particular title is a favourite amongst the REP team and we break the game down and see how it has stood up to the test of time. Originally recorded in April 2012 this episode also features a comprehensive breakdown of the Resident Evil 6 Captivate trailer and several Alex Wesker theories years before Revelations 2 was born. We also discuss how Japanese translations have revealed a completely different outlook on the history of the t-Virus, providing yet another example of how much Western audiences are missing out on important plot details. Finally, making his debut as a guest is none other than Sean 'S.T.A.R.S_TyranT' Hall who would later join our team on a permanent basis. Please enjoy.

Episode 3 - Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City

Time for another early episode plucked from the dusty shelves of the archives cupboard. This time we go back to 2012, shortly after the release of the highly controversial Operation Raccoon City. Following hot on the heels of Resident Evil Revelations on the 3DS, this initial review was done before the release of the arguably much better Spec Ops DLC campaign and in the midst of what was a troubling time for the series. This game saw release around the time veteran series producer Masachika Kawata stated Resident Evil was too big for the survival horror market and that the series should increase the action focus of RE4 and 5, something that didn't go down well with fans at that time. Join Neptune, Batman, George Trevor, Mr Spencer and special guest Zombie Fred as they break down this non-canonical entry into the series, trying to be find a few positives amidst a sea of negatives in what is a a valiant but ultimately rushed and buggy product.