Resident Evil 2 dev on tank controls and fixed cameras: ‘the world has moved on’

Resident Evil 2 developer Capcom has said that it flirted with the idea of including fixed camera angles and tank controls in the remake, but decided against it as it felt times had changed as have people's opinions.

Speaking with GI.biz, Capcom Europe COO Stuart Turner said the studio wanted to make something to appeal to everyone, and found that the third-person viewpoint popularised by Resident Evil 4 was the best fit.

'We had discussions on whether we could make a game that was everything for everyone,' said Turner. 'For those guys who want tank controls and want fixed cameras… can we do that?

'But the world has moved on and these players have changed. And if we did [introduce old school mechanics], these fans might play it and actually decide it's not what they wanted after all. But we played around with a few things in development. We did try first-person, we did try fixed camera. But the way the game has been designed, we decided that a third-person view works better.'

Nonetheless, Capcom's EMEA Marketing Director Antoine Molant acknowledged that some Resi fans would prefer the old-school camera angles, although thankfully the reaction to the game at E3 was positive regardless.

'We knew there were expectations around the game, and we knew it looked great and would be a good game. But around the point of the tank controls and fixed cameras, we were worried that the fanbase would be divided. But, although there might have been some initial dissenting voices, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.'

Resident Evil 2 is out for PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One on January 25, 2019. The camera perspective isn't the only thing that has changed too: Capcom is dropping the A/B scenarios of the original, and has assured players it's more than just a prettier version of 1998's Resi 2.

Still, gamers can rest easy knowing that Hunk and Tofu are coming back, and there's a lovely Collector's Edition up for grabs too.