One of the things that makes Capcom such an amazing developer, in my opinion, is that it possesses an open-mindedness not often shared by fellow Japanese studios. Capcom seems unafraid to blend Western and Eastern thinking to create games with worldwide appeal, and withResident Evil 5, the company is borrowing from the best — including 2007’s amazing FPSBioShock.
In a recentinterview with CVG,RE5producer Masachika Kawata discussed the team’s Western influences:
Have you or any of your team particularly enjoyed any western games recently? Have any games influenced your ideas forResi 5?
Kawata:Bioshock. It’s a classic game which really utilized the next gen power very well. The world is very strong and very believable, and the whole game was quite inspiring.
Kawata also touched upon the racism “controversy” that once surrounded the game’s African setting, explaining once again that the decision was not rooted in the team’s social or political leanings:
Kawata:We chose Africa because we’re extending the storyline logically. Following the tradition of the Resident Evil franchise, you’ll remember fromCode Veronica– the Progenitor virus comes from Africa so we wanted to go back to the root of where the virus originated. For the people who think it’s racist… well, we can’t please everyone. We’re in the entertainment business – we’re not here to state our political opinion or anything like that. It’s unfortunate that some people felt that way.
Check out the full interview if you’re looking forward toResident Evil 5, as it is sure to have a lot more of interest for you. Personally, I am going to dream ofRE5ending in a massive Andrew Ryan/Albert Wesker showdown.
