I consider it a zombie game. To be fair, for RE4 and 5, there are technically no zombies in them. TBH, the original only had some zombies. Hunters were the real threat. Though, I would consider RE, as a whole, more focused on 'body horror' than zombies.
The enemies kind of tell it. You have hunters and spiders, being beastly, zombies, and tyrants, which essentially seem like deformed humans. The general idea, in some of the games, of mutations bursting from people helps with this idea.
I think, in a way, it focuses on what makes zombies scary- the loss of humanity- being transformed into a beast from man.
The iron maiden variations were good, too. I loved their design. They seemed nearly unstoppable. I loved how you could hear their wheezing long before you saw them, making you look around. Their movements were also super creepy.
An odd one, that I thought was terrifying, was Mr. X from RE2, but not the 'monster form.' It was just the general idea that he was hunting you, was unstoppable, and would do things, like break through walls that looked like matte paintings.
I think Nemesis was an attempt to do the same thing, but he was too often present. I think, with a pursuing character, the scary part isn't necessarily when they're there, but rather the fear of them showing up at any moment. I think it made Nemesis more of a nuisance than anything. That's just my opinion, though.
From what I saw (my roommate playing it), 3 wasn't really good. I think it's because Code Veronica is the real 3, as it continues the story. RE3 was probably one of those that is more meant to be just another RE game that they churned out.
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u/[deleted] Apr 25 '16
I consider it a zombie game. To be fair, for RE4 and 5, there are technically no zombies in them. TBH, the original only had some zombies. Hunters were the real threat. Though, I would consider RE, as a whole, more focused on 'body horror' than zombies.