Capcom has brought the Resident Evil series back into the spotlight with Resident Evil 7 and the remake of Resident Evil 2, which were both well-received by survival horror fans. Meanwhile, Fatal Frame saw its last release in 2014 and Silent Hill… well, that remains to be seen. But what about some of the older series that once stood alongside these survival horror giants?
Let’s take a look at a few dead survival horror series that really deserve to be resurrected.
Dino Crisis
Hey Capcom, isn’t there another survival horror series you once had? Maybe something involving… dinosaurs?
When Dino Crisis came out in 1999, it was largely Resident Evil with dinosaurs instead of zombies. It stands out as a great example of classic survival horror. Its sequels, however, switched to being more action-adventure games, and the series has been dormant ever since the poorly-received Dino Crisis 3 in 2003. Since then, the closest the series has gotten to a comeback is when Capcom said a new Dino Crisis game might be possible “if a lot of people wish,” so with Resident Evil on the rise again, maybe it’s not too late for Dino Crisis to return.
Siren
In 2003, a division of SCE Japan Studio known as Project Siren released a survival horror game called Siren. It featured stealth, multiple stages, and a gameplay mechanic called “sightjacking” that let you see from the perspective of nearby enemies. Its sequel was never released in North America, but 2008’s reimagining of the first game, Siren: Blood Curse, was and saw a favorable reception. Unfortunately, that’s where the series ended.
So, what is Project Siren doing these days? They’re actually still around and active in the industry–making the Gravity Rush games under the name Team Gravity. Despite occasional rumors of a new Siren game, nothing has ever surfaced aside from the original being brought to the PlayStation 4 in 2016. All we can do is wait and hope that Siren will one day be resurrected.
Parasite Eve
Square trying its hand at the survival horror genre in 1998 led to the release of Parasite Eve. This new game brilliantly combined survival horror gameplay with a hybrid turn-based/action RPG combat system, resulting in a pretty unique experience.
Parasite Eve II dropped the ATB elements to feel even more like a survival horror game, and then the series went quiet until 2010 with the release of The 3rd Birthday… a shooter spin-off that just might have killed the series.
However, just because that didn’t work out doesn’t mean they can’t try again. If not a sequel, maybe a spiritual successor is in order. Square Enix filed a trademark for Parasite Eve earlier this year, so there’s still at least some small hope of this one returning.
In Conclusion
I left out one-off games like Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem (my personal favorite I’d like to see return), but there are still many other classic survival horror series out there. Which ones would you like to see make a comeback?
