The essential merit of a series like Resident Evil lies in those haunted, breath-baited moments; standing in the blood-washed streets of Raccoon City, sneaking through a raw, infested laboratory, or sifting through the secrets of some neglected mansion. You might be the only living, sane human being in the entire place. You've got to piece together the evidence if you're going to get out alive. Your survival depends only on yourself. And you're entirely alone.
That's the beauty part. That's why it's scary, and it wouldn't be RE with a bunch of loudmouth fanboys and griefers running around. It'd just be another boring zombie-killing franchise. RE has been a huge commercial success, but I worry a little about how all the opportunities for technological innovation might actually get the industry focused on gimmicks and gadgets rather than the essence of a game, surrendering storylines and ignoring background flavor just so we can play with the Wiimote, or putting everything and its mother online to become moderated free-for-alls. We love to be thrilled by our games, and we love to hype 'em and share 'em, but I really think the reason that we play is something a little more nebulous than all that.
Besides, when Wesker shows up I want to be the only girl in the room.
