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September 2012 brings a fifth installment, Resident Evil: Retribution, one that brings back former characters Rain, One and Carlos, as well as finally including the likes of Barry Burton, Leon S. Kennedy and Ada Wong. There are suggestions that this will be the last one, though Jovovich has hinted that Anderson does have an idea for a sixth part. The number of fans that the films have picked up with each subsequent installment means that it’s highly unlikely to stop. The videogames continue to grow too, with more spin-off titles and a new sequel.

The synergy of a new film and new game released so close to each other does help one promote the other, with Resident Evil 6 released in October, just a few weeks after the film. The release of the latest game will bring the total number of Resident Evil titles to just over 20. If the games continue to evolve and expand the storyline, then the films too will continue to take inspiration from them.

The first Resident Evil game I played was Resident Evil 2 for the Nintendo 64 back in 2001. I was unprepared for what I was letting myself in for. It wasn’t long before I was hooked, eventually purchasing a Nintendo Gamecube the following year to experience the rest of the titles. I was excited about the prospect of a film and so was there opening day to view Anderson’s Resident Evil back in 2002. There was a slight twinge of disappointment, which ultimately comes from just how much you can really translate from an immersive game to a film. I was convinced that it was rather unfortunate fans will never see the mansion incident on film, but from looking back when playing the Resident Evil remake on the Nintendo Gamecube, I don’t see how a film can better this experience.

I do have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the films. Unlike *some* of the games, they fail to connect with me emotionally and end just when things start to get interesting (though the cliffhanger endings are a great way to bring people back for another). Despite being based upon the most popular survival horror series, I don’t find them scary, either. Then again, just like the games themselves, the later films have shifted the emphasis more towards action and less on horror. They do occasionally take some wild plot turns that sometimes don’t bear any resemblance to the story or timeline of the games (though to be fair, the games are also rather convoluted, hence Wesker’s Report). I’ve come to see the films as a scenario B; basically, what if Resident Evil turned out like this? It’s an alternate world that I can still appreciate.

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