Resident Evil 2 And 3 Remakes Are Adding A VR Mod
Just when you think you've seen Raccoon City in every iteration you can (we're still waiting to play Resident Evil 4 inside Minecraft), one Resident Evil fan is doing what Capcom hasn't been able to yet - adding VR to the early games.
Once upon a time, Capcom's back catalogue of zombie shooters lay rotting in the basement of a ruined Spencer Mansion. However, after the disappointingly cinematic Resident Evil 6 and return to form with Resident Evil 7, the developer went back to the start to milk this cash cow corpse for all it's worth.
We've seen more success with the 2019 remake of 1998's Resident Evil 2 and 2020's reimagining of 1999's Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, however, Capcom is yet to really cash in on the potential of VR horror. Considering RE7 is held by some as the scariest VR experience of all time, players are rightly asking what RE2 and Nemesis would look like.
What are the Resident Evil 2 and 3 VR remakes?
The dream of Leon, Claire, Jill, and Carlos getting up close and personal with the Tyrant and Nemesis is nearly a reality. The project is the work of modder praydog (shared on YouTube by Brian Tate). In a short video, we see Claire heading through the confines of a zombie-riddled Racoon City Police Department.
The description for the mod reads, "This is still an early WIP build of the mod. You might notice some things like the arms stretching because VRIK hasn't been implemented yet. Already, the mod is in an incredible state though and praydog is making extremely fast work of the port. Can't wait to see what's coming!!"
An update confirms full VRIK has been introduced, which means Claire no longer suffers from some Silent Hill-inspired noodle arms. A final aside says that praydog made a similar mod for RE7 and Resident Evil Village in the same engine, meaning the two newest games could also get the same VR treatment from the modder.
Will we get more Resident Evil games in VR?
Yes, we know a lot of VR headsets got broken when we explored the decaying Baker Ranch with RE7 in VR, but that doesn't mean Capcom should completely abandon the idea. Just imagine being slowly stalked through the echoing halls of Castle Dimitrescu while Lady D hunts you down. Losing your hand in VR is just better, isn't it?
Sadly, there's no current confirmation that Resident Evil Village is coming to PSVR. We know at least one Village DLC is on the way, so at least Capcom isn't leaving Ethan's latest chapter behind yet. Even as we hold out hope Village will get a VR revamp, Resident Evil 4 is officially being ported to the Oculus Quest 2. It's not quite the next-gen RE4 remake we're STILL waiting for, but we can't have everything.
For now, we're left waiting to see how praydog's VR remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3 shape up. Much like in 1999, there were criticisms that last year's RE3 was a little on the short side. However, the prospect of bundling it with the 2019 game gives hope that these two integral chapters of the shuffling saga get the VR justice they deserve.