Capcom really needs to learn to divide its series up between different characters instead of pigeonholing the series to just Chris and Jill. Claire Redfield hasn't been seen in a primary game since Code Veronica, Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen have all but fallen off the face of the Earth; the characters of Outbreak have yet to be seen in another game and the list goes on. Sheva (and Josh Stone) is just another in a long line of "new characters" to join the ranks of the unvisited after their initial showing. It's a shame, really, because she was one of the best parts of RE5 outside Excella.
Spleepoppetween wrote:
People bitched about that pretty much because there's Black Africans in Africa that were being shot which is the dumbest thing I've heard, I doubt they're avoiding making a certain race of characters over a group of dumb people who made a dumb accusation.Except that it wasn't bitching, a lot of it was pretty justified when you step back from the knee-jerk reaction of Resident Evil being deconstructed from a critical standpoint at all. Especially when the arguments were valid once you start looking at the social implications of a white character (Chris Redfield) and a light-skinned [West] African woman (Sheva Alomar) killing en masse her darker skinned counterparts. Throw in how people in Africa are depicted as downtrodden "savages" in need of rescue from a white counter part and you've got a problematic recipe for disaster that most were right to point out. Infected characters or not, considering the general Xenophobia and unfamiliarity Japan has with other cultures outside of their own I'm not at all surprised they never realized the problem that would arise from their general depiction of Black and African characters in RE5. It may not have been Capcom's intention to come off as racist or prejudiced toward the peoples of Africa, but it would be silly to outright pretend there wasn't some serious and unfortunate implications in the whole ordeal, especially when you take into consideration there wasn't any research put into the locale and setting at all. Sheva's "Tribal" costume and the Sodibaya (Wetland Majini) come straight out of a offensive 1930s stereotypes of Black and African cultures.
Spleepoppetween wrote:
People bitched about that pretty much because there's Black Africans in Africa that were being shot which is the dumbest thing I've heard, I doubt they're avoiding making a certain race of characters over a group of dumb people who made a dumb accusation.Except that it wasn't bitching, a lot of it was pretty justified when you step back from the knee-jerk reaction of Resident Evil being deconstructed from a critical standpoint at all. Especially when the arguments were valid once you start looking at the social implications of a white character (Chris Redfield) and a light-skinned [West] African woman (Sheva Alomar) killing en masse her darker skinned counterparts. Throw in how people in Africa are depicted as downtrodden "savages" in need of rescue from a white counter part and you've got a problematic recipe for disaster that most were right to point out. Infected characters or not, considering the general Xenophobia and unfamiliarity Japan has with other cultures outside of their own I'm not at all surprised they never realized the problem that would arise from their general depiction of Black and African characters in RE5. It may not have been Capcom's intention to come off as racist or prejudiced toward the peoples of Africa, but it would be silly to outright pretend there wasn't some serious and unfortunate implications in the whole ordeal, especially when you take into consideration there wasn't any research put into the locale and setting at all. Sheva's "Tribal" costume and the Sodibaya (Wetland Majini) come straight out of a offensive 1930s stereotypes of Black and African cultures.
TL;DR
Spleepoppetween wrote:
TL;DRNot much I can do about the lack of discourse on your part.
TL;DR version (for the first part)
Thesis:Series needs be divided between more characters than Chris & Jill.
Evidence: A bunch of other characters exist a lot of which appeared only once. i.e. Billy, Outbreak cast, Sheva.
Support: Some of those characters were good.
Commenter doesn't acknowledge Leon/Claire/Ada/Wesker as being a focus of the series and ignored Claire's appearance in Degeneration, so he may not count anything but the "main" games as "important". Also cited the one-time-characters tenancy of the series as a flaw despite it always being like that and being a component people expect and enjoy.
Spleepoppetween wrote:
TL;DRNot much I can do about the lack of discourse on your part, Daughter.
There, I fixed that for you :3
ParallelTraveler wrote:
Commenter doesn't acknowledge Leon/Claire/Ada/Wesker as being a focus of the series and ignored Claire's appearance in DegenerationWas this discussion not focused on games and not the transmedia connected to Resident Evil? Claire has not appeared in a core RE game as a playable character since Code Veronica ("[The] Mercenaries" don't count for diddly in that respect as its mini-game with no affect to the narrative akin to Ada's storyline in RE4 and later RE6), the point made about Claire and other characters still stands.
As for not including Leon, Wesker and Ada? A simple oversight, considering the last three games and their promotion do in fact center primarily on Chris and Jill (Leon and Sherry notwithstanding), Capcom's star quarterbacks of the franchise, and thus were the first characters to jump to mind as far as importance/popularity is concerned.
ParallelTraveler wrote: so he may not count anything but the "main" games as "important". Also cited the one-time-characters tenancy of the series as a flaw despite it always being like that and being a component people expect and enjoy.
It's not that I don't think of the latter as not important, its that "Degeneration" nor "Damnation" aren't games, therefore, they are irrelevant to the discussion at hand. And all characters of this franchise started out as "one-time-characters"; hindsight is dictating the idea that Chris, Jill, Leon and Ada were always going to return for other games, when that was never a clear fact in the least. It's like declaring folk knew Sherry Birkin was going to reappear in in a RE game that wasn't a remake or expansion of her original appearance in RE2 when Capcom was apparently comfortable to leave her where she was until the announcement of RE6. The same could be said of every other character most regard as "mainstays" of the franchise. To label those who've yet to reappear in a game as such as if that somehow justifies why they haven't, is not only silly, but presumptuousness as well.
I wish Capcom would do some more spin-off games, like ORC (but, you know, actually good). I think a solely episodic, mission based game following the BSAA around the world would be cool, since we'd both get to see Sheva and Parker again, as well as getting to travel to new locations and meet some new people. Another game exploring Leon and Jack Krauser's past would be nice too; I refuse to believe they only went on one mission together before Re4. Likewise, I think it'd be interesting to see a HUNK, USS, or ECHO 6 centric game, as well as a game centered around, say, Kevin Ryman or Ark Thompson.
Speaking of Sheva, on the ResidentEvil.net website, you can unlock files for RE6. Sheva sent Piers an email regarding Chris's disappearance. Here it is:
Recipient: Piers Nivans, BSAA North American Branch Sender: Sheva Alomar, BSAA West African Branch
I was very sad to hear of Chris' recent disappearance. He was such a large part of the BSAA, and he was a very important person to me, as well. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help. The BSAA West African Branch is always here for your support.
Godzillafan93 wrote: That's pretty cool. And it's actually in the game?
I think it's unlockable item when you shoot enough emblems in RE6; I can't remember if that's right, however.