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Itchy, Tasty: An Unofficial History of Resident Evil
This is the definitive behind-the-scenes account of Capcom’s horror video game series Resident Evil – one of the most popular, innovative and widely influential franchises of all time. Industry expert Alex Aniel spent two years interviewing key former members of Capcom staff, allowing him to tell the inside story of how Resident Evil was envisioned as early as the late 1980s, how its unexpected and unprecedented success saved the company from financial trouble, how the series struggled at the turn of the century and, eventually, how a new generation of creators was born after the release of Resident Evil 4. Itchy, Tasty narrates the development of each Resident Evil game released between 1996 and 2006, interspersed with fascinating commentary from the game creators themselves, offering unique insight into how the series became the world-conquering franchise it is today.
304 pages, Paperback
Published April 4, 2023
92 people are currently reading
669 people want to read
About the author
Alex Aniel
3 books10 followersAlex Aniel originally hails from San Francisco, but has lived in Tokyo since 2007. He began playing the Resident Evil series aged thirteen, which led him to visit Japan, study the language and eventually move there permanently. He has over a decade of experience in the video game industry, and currently works for game music label Brave Wave Productions and physical game publisher Limited Run Games, specialising in the production of game music albums and business development for both companies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
April 20, 2023
This is a compelling read for Resident Evil fans.
It begins with the prehistory and Capcom's beginnings, and it ends somewhere around 2005/2006 time period.
It's basically a detailed examination of the first ten years of the game series.
It was very interesting, and I learned a lot.
I wouldn't even class myself as a gamer, but I'm a huge fan of this series, and Resident Evil 2 is just a masterpiece, I really enjoyed playing that one in my teen years.
This is a must-read for fans.
It begins with the prehistory and Capcom's beginnings, and it ends somewhere around 2005/2006 time period.
It's basically a detailed examination of the first ten years of the game series.
It was very interesting, and I learned a lot.
I wouldn't even class myself as a gamer, but I'm a huge fan of this series, and Resident Evil 2 is just a masterpiece, I really enjoyed playing that one in my teen years.
This is a must-read for fans.
April 7, 2021
This book is mandatory reading for Resident Evil fans, but sometimes feels like a missed opportunity given the unparalleled access which Aniel has obtained to the senior developers responsible for the series.
Aneil fully discharges his brief of creating a history of the first ten years of Resident Evil, although his definition of the franchise is drawn quite tightly. He documents the production history of the main series titles and also the development of spin—offs such as mobile games and the Survivor light-gun series. Particularly interesting sections concern the various conceptions of Resident Evil 3 and 4, describing both titles’ chequered development in detail. He also notes the main games’ conversions to different formats and the differences involved, although with the curious omission of the PC releases. Aniel’s writing is clear and focused, with enough background on the videogame landscape of the time for the reader to immediately follow the commercial decisions made. His focus is exclusively on the games, however, with no coverage of wider franchise issues like merchandising or ‘additional fiction’ products such as the SD Perry novels, comic books or the tangentially-related films by Paul W S Anderson.
Aniel’s perspective is strictly that of an outsider. Capcom’s key decision of 2001 to make the main series exclusive to Nintendo’s Gamecube is conveyed through an account of the announcement press conference, followed by explanatory remarks from interviews with the senior executives involved. The impression is similar to reading a videogames magazine of the time with the benefit of hindsight, rather than a full insider account of how such decisions were made.
The book’s biggest flaw is the limited understanding you get of the artistic process and creative choices behind the games. The writer gives extremely good accounts of producer-level management of the games’ development; the selection of host platforms, the choice of directors to assign, etc. The book tends, however, to regard the games in their released form as inevitabilities, never exploring the interviewees’ creative choices with them. We’re left no wiser as to, for example, the reasons for setting Resident Evil Zero on a train, or the ant imagery repeatedly incorporated into CODE: Veronica. Aniel’s decision to focus on the games as products rather than matters related to the fiction is understandable, but the brief digression looking at the origins of the character name ‘HUNK’ is fascinating, and more nuggets of this sort would have been extremely welcome.
If you’ve read my thoughts this far, you’re unquestionably going to end up buying the book. It’s hard to think of a better account of how the Resident Evil games were produced, but also difficult not to wish that it had taken a slightly more expansive look at its subject.
Aneil fully discharges his brief of creating a history of the first ten years of Resident Evil, although his definition of the franchise is drawn quite tightly. He documents the production history of the main series titles and also the development of spin—offs such as mobile games and the Survivor light-gun series. Particularly interesting sections concern the various conceptions of Resident Evil 3 and 4, describing both titles’ chequered development in detail. He also notes the main games’ conversions to different formats and the differences involved, although with the curious omission of the PC releases. Aniel’s writing is clear and focused, with enough background on the videogame landscape of the time for the reader to immediately follow the commercial decisions made. His focus is exclusively on the games, however, with no coverage of wider franchise issues like merchandising or ‘additional fiction’ products such as the SD Perry novels, comic books or the tangentially-related films by Paul W S Anderson.
Aniel’s perspective is strictly that of an outsider. Capcom’s key decision of 2001 to make the main series exclusive to Nintendo’s Gamecube is conveyed through an account of the announcement press conference, followed by explanatory remarks from interviews with the senior executives involved. The impression is similar to reading a videogames magazine of the time with the benefit of hindsight, rather than a full insider account of how such decisions were made.
The book’s biggest flaw is the limited understanding you get of the artistic process and creative choices behind the games. The writer gives extremely good accounts of producer-level management of the games’ development; the selection of host platforms, the choice of directors to assign, etc. The book tends, however, to regard the games in their released form as inevitabilities, never exploring the interviewees’ creative choices with them. We’re left no wiser as to, for example, the reasons for setting Resident Evil Zero on a train, or the ant imagery repeatedly incorporated into CODE: Veronica. Aniel’s decision to focus on the games as products rather than matters related to the fiction is understandable, but the brief digression looking at the origins of the character name ‘HUNK’ is fascinating, and more nuggets of this sort would have been extremely welcome.
If you’ve read my thoughts this far, you’re unquestionably going to end up buying the book. It’s hard to think of a better account of how the Resident Evil games were produced, but also difficult not to wish that it had taken a slightly more expansive look at its subject.
August 13, 2021
Very impressed by this book and proud to have it on my shelf. Several games from the Resident Evil franchise have topped my list of all-time favorites and there's probably not another media property that has taken up as much space in my brain. The series is very important to the medium of video games and worthy of documentation. Alex Aniel did a wonderful job summing up the history of the first 10 years of the series and I hope he follows this up with a sequel.
In reading some other reviews (why do I do this?), I've found some negative criticism that I think is wrong and worth addressing. It's true that hardcore fans of the series may not learn a ton from this book. It does cover some information about the games and the industry that readers will likely already know. But it's ridiculous to consider these unavoidable facts as negatives. A book like this needs to be a complete document and it would be absurd if it didn't contain information that some readers view as redundant. If the book had made assumptions and skipped over key parts of the story, it would be doing a massive disservice to its readers and the subject it covers. Regardless of the audience's existing knowledge, it's a worthwhile effort to collect all of the facts and put them in one place. This should be obvious.
I also hope it goes without saying, but it's very important and worthwhile for this kind of information to be enshrined in print. Nothing is forever, but the mass grave of video games websites demonstrate that online media is extremely ephemeral. We can't rely on volatile, corporately-owned media companies to preserve the history of video games. Making books isn't a complete remedy, but it's a great idea that should happen more often. Hats off to Alex Aniel for putting in the work.
With all the defensiveness out of the way, I do have a few criticisms. As another reviewer pointed out, it is unfortunate that the creative decision-making process wasn't as explored as much as the business side of things. I'm sure there's a reason for this — I just wish I knew what it was, exactly. My guess is that the book would have spiraled out of control if its scope included an exploration into something as amorphous as "creativity." That would open up a great many floodgates that could never have fit into a single book. I guess I'm talking myself out of this criticism, but I still would have loved more discussion around how and why these stories came to be. And I think this book would have been a great space to get just a little more into that.
Not to judge a book by its cover, but it did set a high bar and I was mildly disappointed by rest of the book's graphic design. The cover is beautiful and looks better than what I think Capcom would have created themselves, but the inside doesn't carry this aesthetic through. It's fine and this is very much not a big deal at all, but I did have some visual expectations that weren't met.
Throughout the book there are also photos of the people interviewed. The snapshot-feel of these photos is a little charming, but the execution lacks polish. And in some cases, the photos are technically bad. (For example, Shinji Mikami is wearing his usual baseball cap, which covers most of his face in a dark shadow. Because of the grayscale printing, it's difficult to make out his features.) These are very minor gripes, it just would've been very cool if the inside of the book matched the very high bar of quality set by the cover. (I, for one, would have paid more for some full-color, glossy pages.)
My last mild criticism is the writing. For the most part, it's excellent. However, there are a handful of typos and repeated recaps that feel a little sloppy. It's as if some segments were rearranged or stitched together and they forgot to remove a setup that was now made unnecessary. Not a big deal, but things like this added a little bit of friction to an otherwise great read.
All things considered, the book is excellent and I strongly recommend it to fans of the series or of video games in general. Despite my mild criticisms, I think it deserves five stars and I'd love to fill my shelves with other books just like it.
In reading some other reviews (why do I do this?), I've found some negative criticism that I think is wrong and worth addressing. It's true that hardcore fans of the series may not learn a ton from this book. It does cover some information about the games and the industry that readers will likely already know. But it's ridiculous to consider these unavoidable facts as negatives. A book like this needs to be a complete document and it would be absurd if it didn't contain information that some readers view as redundant. If the book had made assumptions and skipped over key parts of the story, it would be doing a massive disservice to its readers and the subject it covers. Regardless of the audience's existing knowledge, it's a worthwhile effort to collect all of the facts and put them in one place. This should be obvious.
I also hope it goes without saying, but it's very important and worthwhile for this kind of information to be enshrined in print. Nothing is forever, but the mass grave of video games websites demonstrate that online media is extremely ephemeral. We can't rely on volatile, corporately-owned media companies to preserve the history of video games. Making books isn't a complete remedy, but it's a great idea that should happen more often. Hats off to Alex Aniel for putting in the work.
With all the defensiveness out of the way, I do have a few criticisms. As another reviewer pointed out, it is unfortunate that the creative decision-making process wasn't as explored as much as the business side of things. I'm sure there's a reason for this — I just wish I knew what it was, exactly. My guess is that the book would have spiraled out of control if its scope included an exploration into something as amorphous as "creativity." That would open up a great many floodgates that could never have fit into a single book. I guess I'm talking myself out of this criticism, but I still would have loved more discussion around how and why these stories came to be. And I think this book would have been a great space to get just a little more into that.
Not to judge a book by its cover, but it did set a high bar and I was mildly disappointed by rest of the book's graphic design. The cover is beautiful and looks better than what I think Capcom would have created themselves, but the inside doesn't carry this aesthetic through. It's fine and this is very much not a big deal at all, but I did have some visual expectations that weren't met.
Throughout the book there are also photos of the people interviewed. The snapshot-feel of these photos is a little charming, but the execution lacks polish. And in some cases, the photos are technically bad. (For example, Shinji Mikami is wearing his usual baseball cap, which covers most of his face in a dark shadow. Because of the grayscale printing, it's difficult to make out his features.) These are very minor gripes, it just would've been very cool if the inside of the book matched the very high bar of quality set by the cover. (I, for one, would have paid more for some full-color, glossy pages.)
My last mild criticism is the writing. For the most part, it's excellent. However, there are a handful of typos and repeated recaps that feel a little sloppy. It's as if some segments were rearranged or stitched together and they forgot to remove a setup that was now made unnecessary. Not a big deal, but things like this added a little bit of friction to an otherwise great read.
All things considered, the book is excellent and I strongly recommend it to fans of the series or of video games in general. Despite my mild criticisms, I think it deserves five stars and I'd love to fill my shelves with other books just like it.
June 16, 2023
I was leaning more towards a 4-star review for this, but I ultimately settled on 3, mostly because the book feels a little misleading. It says it’s “an unofficial history of Resident Evil” and, although the blurbs on the cover and the description on the back do offer some clarification, it’s only the first ten years of the franchise, essentially coinciding with (or limited by?) Shinji Mikami’s tenure with the series and Capcom in general. In other words, it’s not really a history of Resident Evil, it’s half a history of Resident Evil. Or maybe a history of Resident Evil under Mikami’s direction/production? So if you buy this 2021 book expecting to learn more about Resident Evils 5, 6, 7, 8, the remakes of 2 and 3, the Revelations games, the Chronicles games, and any of the others I’ve missed — not to mention any of the films (live action or CG), the comics, the novels, etc. — you’re going to be disappointed.
Other than that, there’s some slightly awkward repeating of information, and the chronology seems to jump around in ways that seemed clunky to me, plus the occasional typo here and there. But putting all that aside, it’s an interesting dive (tho I don’t think I’ll add the modifier “deep”) into the production of some of my favorite games. Oh yeah, that reminds me: one final detail, this is very much about the production of the games, so don’t expect much in the way of plot synopses for each game or anything like that — it’s mostly just a paragraph or two that paints the broad strokes of stories.
Other than that, there’s some slightly awkward repeating of information, and the chronology seems to jump around in ways that seemed clunky to me, plus the occasional typo here and there. But putting all that aside, it’s an interesting dive (tho I don’t think I’ll add the modifier “deep”) into the production of some of my favorite games. Oh yeah, that reminds me: one final detail, this is very much about the production of the games, so don’t expect much in the way of plot synopses for each game or anything like that — it’s mostly just a paragraph or two that paints the broad strokes of stories.
August 20, 2021
Thorough and well documented history of the first decade of Resident Evil games. Reads quick and offers a lot of information on the production and behind the scenes. I kind of wish there was maybe more information on some stuff like story development and it would have been cool if there was like design art or something included but maybe I'm just asking for too much. Overall, really good and I'd say it's a must for fans of the series.
January 27, 2025
I've been a fan of the Resident Evil series for a while now (especially Resident Evil 4, which is one of my favorite games) but never knew much about its development until reading this. I found it very informative, the history of the games is crazy and confusing!! I also appreciated that the more niche titles in the franchise such as Dead Aim and Deadly Silence got as much of a spotlight as the popular ones. I learned that Dante in Devil May Cry was originally Leon!!!!! Wild stuff.
Don't know if I would recommend this to people who haven't played the series before, but it's worth a shot if you are interested in learning about a very influential series in gaming history.
☆the obligatory "where's everyone going, bingo?" quote from leon goes here☆
Don't know if I would recommend this to people who haven't played the series before, but it's worth a shot if you are interested in learning about a very influential series in gaming history.
☆the obligatory "where's everyone going, bingo?" quote from leon goes here☆
September 19, 2021
I don't hate the book. It reads quickly and has some supplementary information about Resident Evil.
But why does this book exist? What does it want to say? It doesn't appear to be anything. Why is this not a youtube video when the writer very clearly has a youtuber's diction and subsequently a youtuber's difficulty properly conveying information?
This does not read *well* it reads quickly. Fans of Resident Evil will enjoy reading information they already know about, or had inklings of, unless they pay no attention to media and just love the games. In which case, great. But they'd be just as well off reading the wikipedia pages and watching some youtube. And for nonfans, they're going to be turned away by the atrocious grammar and flow of writing. This is why you should always hire an editor and then additionally get a second opinion by the way.
The fact that this book has SO MUCH going for it only to be at this level is thus a cruel indictment. It is not worth the time it takes to read it. Why? Because you can get the information from a 30 minute youtube video. Yeah you miss out on these killer interviews... that the author barely even acknowledges. Did he ask questions that were new or interesting? No, or if he did he didn't include them, or if he did, he didn't flesh them out so the reader can ascertain this.
A lot of meandering, a lot of fluff, not a lot of substance. And this is why I don't love nonfiction on principle. A great writer with a great topic can always do wonders, a good writer with a good topic can similarly move mountains. But this is a mediocre to bad writer with a mediocre topic. I am a fan of Resident Evil; the history of Resident Evil is extremely boring. I knew that but still I read because I figured maybe the fact that this book exists proves that there's something I'm missing here.
Nope. Capitalism is why the games exist. They had struggles most devs at some point had at this point of history. Have a nice day. The Metro devs worked under a flooded office, pretty sure Rockstar has a body count at this point, but go off about how making money is cool.
Oh well.
But why does this book exist? What does it want to say? It doesn't appear to be anything. Why is this not a youtube video when the writer very clearly has a youtuber's diction and subsequently a youtuber's difficulty properly conveying information?
This does not read *well* it reads quickly. Fans of Resident Evil will enjoy reading information they already know about, or had inklings of, unless they pay no attention to media and just love the games. In which case, great. But they'd be just as well off reading the wikipedia pages and watching some youtube. And for nonfans, they're going to be turned away by the atrocious grammar and flow of writing. This is why you should always hire an editor and then additionally get a second opinion by the way.
The fact that this book has SO MUCH going for it only to be at this level is thus a cruel indictment. It is not worth the time it takes to read it. Why? Because you can get the information from a 30 minute youtube video. Yeah you miss out on these killer interviews... that the author barely even acknowledges. Did he ask questions that were new or interesting? No, or if he did he didn't include them, or if he did, he didn't flesh them out so the reader can ascertain this.
A lot of meandering, a lot of fluff, not a lot of substance. And this is why I don't love nonfiction on principle. A great writer with a great topic can always do wonders, a good writer with a good topic can similarly move mountains. But this is a mediocre to bad writer with a mediocre topic. I am a fan of Resident Evil; the history of Resident Evil is extremely boring. I knew that but still I read because I figured maybe the fact that this book exists proves that there's something I'm missing here.
Nope. Capitalism is why the games exist. They had struggles most devs at some point had at this point of history. Have a nice day. The Metro devs worked under a flooded office, pretty sure Rockstar has a body count at this point, but go off about how making money is cool.
Oh well.
June 17, 2021
There's not much new in here for anyone who would be the kind of person to buy a book on Resident Evil and it turns out the history is essentially "we wanted more money so we made more games". The author is self-aggrandising (the name dropping and reminders that he speaks Japanese are painful), pads the book with useless explanations that the reader likely knows (pretty sure most readers know what a Dreamcast is, for example) and writes like it's a freshman essay with a word-count.
To be fair, the low rating is mainly because the history of Resident Evil is sadly pretty dull and the interesting stuff (the abandoned prototypes) has been heavily mined already. Beautifully presented book, however.
To be fair, the low rating is mainly because the history of Resident Evil is sadly pretty dull and the interesting stuff (the abandoned prototypes) has been heavily mined already. Beautifully presented book, however.
September 11, 2021
Since this book features some interviews with the creators of the games of this influential series, I was expecting plenty of behind-the-scenes details and insights into the nuances of each game. In actuality, most of this book could be compiled from any number of informational articles that have been previously written on the games. In addition, the structure and writing style make it clear that the author is inexperienced and not a professional writer. It's a decent compilation on the history of Resident Evil, but it doesn't offer much more.
May 14, 2021
I think this book was pretty interesting. I definitely learned somethings about the game. However, it would have done just fine as an article instead of a 250 page book. The content itself wasn't repetitive, but the writing style was. I knew what to expect for each chapter and it made the book drag, even though the pacing was fine. Some things just don't need to be books.
July 9, 2022
A good time for people who like reading about an iconic game franchise. An ok time for everyone else
April 15, 2025
PSA: This unofficial history is about the first 10 years of Resident Evil, so if you’re like me and what to know how the hell RE6 happened you’re gonna have to find another book.
That said, this is a very comprehensive look at those first 10 years, finding time to cover every RE1 rerelease and cover off fun asides (the infamous basement soundtrack in RE: Directors Cut gets context and a surprise scandal, and there’s a whole chapter on the Survivor games). I would have liked to see more directly from the creatives that the author had incredible access to, and some details I found tantalising are skated over too quickly - what was the plot of the abandoned Resident Evil 1.5, for example.
This is also a very RE-focused book, which both works wonders as a love letter but also means other franchises around the same time or potential influences get short shrift. Alone in the Dark’s position as the first 3D horror game is glossed over and Silent Hill only attracts a cursory mention despite being Capcom’s main competition.
With all that said the sheer attention to detail and commitment to covering everything, coupled with the clear love for the franchise, makes this an infectious (lol sorry) read, and made me want to dig out some of the old classics.
That said, this is a very comprehensive look at those first 10 years, finding time to cover every RE1 rerelease and cover off fun asides (the infamous basement soundtrack in RE: Directors Cut gets context and a surprise scandal, and there’s a whole chapter on the Survivor games). I would have liked to see more directly from the creatives that the author had incredible access to, and some details I found tantalising are skated over too quickly - what was the plot of the abandoned Resident Evil 1.5, for example.
This is also a very RE-focused book, which both works wonders as a love letter but also means other franchises around the same time or potential influences get short shrift. Alone in the Dark’s position as the first 3D horror game is glossed over and Silent Hill only attracts a cursory mention despite being Capcom’s main competition.
With all that said the sheer attention to detail and commitment to covering everything, coupled with the clear love for the franchise, makes this an infectious (lol sorry) read, and made me want to dig out some of the old classics.
March 30, 2023
Itchy Tasty can only really be recommended for the mega Resident Evil nerds. I find myself being one of them and so I feel like it's a fair comment to advise people to skip over if they are casual fan.
I'm avoiding trying to sound like a gatekeeper but this is a book written as a passion project and it shows.
It's nice, but the writing can be long winded and although I enjoyed the book it's clearly an amateur writer. I mean that with nice intentions. This is an in-depth look at how the franchise of Resident Evil began and how it got to where it is today. It's well informed and thorough however pretty dry. Even for industry nerds and enthusiasts it can be a tall order wading your way through this title. I enjoyed it. I'm glad it was written, but it's certainly for a niche audience.
I'm avoiding trying to sound like a gatekeeper but this is a book written as a passion project and it shows.
It's nice, but the writing can be long winded and although I enjoyed the book it's clearly an amateur writer. I mean that with nice intentions. This is an in-depth look at how the franchise of Resident Evil began and how it got to where it is today. It's well informed and thorough however pretty dry. Even for industry nerds and enthusiasts it can be a tall order wading your way through this title. I enjoyed it. I'm glad it was written, but it's certainly for a niche audience.
February 8, 2022
A somewhat thorough look at the history of Capcom's iconic franchise, although it does conclude with the Deadly Silence DS port in 2006, despite the author's self-proclaimed love of the seventh installment released in 2017. I wish it was longer but the effort and research that went into this is worthy of the four stars.
March 12, 2025
I hope the can do a second volume featuring everything past RE4.
Great interviews and insights from Capcom staff and developers but could’ve went a little more in depth on these processes but plenty of information in offer and a must read for any Resident Evil fan.
Great interviews and insights from Capcom staff and developers but could’ve went a little more in depth on these processes but plenty of information in offer and a must read for any Resident Evil fan.
April 6, 2021
This is a great book for any fan to read, talks about development issues, decisions behind platforms, exclusivity deals, things developers had to deal with sometimes internally. Just wish thr book was even longer, as I was enjoying reading all this information.
August 4, 2022
This book is exactly what it advertises. I genuinely enjoyed the insight and story but can’t imagine anyone without a love for Resident Evil or 90’s era game development would care.
Read
January 17, 2025RESIDENT EVIL: DEADLY SILENCE MENTION!!!
(It's me, I'm the number one Resident Evil: Deadly Silence fan :)
(It's me, I'm the number one Resident Evil: Deadly Silence fan :)
December 8, 2024
Hard to give a Resident Evil related title a mere 3 stars, but this was basically a fanboy retelling of some selected surface-level Capcom history
While I do respect and appreciate the research that went into this, I feel like everything he pulled from it for this book has already been told and could be found on Wikipedia
Oh well
While I do respect and appreciate the research that went into this, I feel like everything he pulled from it for this book has already been told and could be found on Wikipedia
Oh well
February 3, 2023
Alex Aniel offers a unique history of the development of the first 10 years of Resident Evil games. Having learned fluent Japanese and being in the game industry himself, he was able to interview the original directors and producers of the games and offer insights for fans. One of the most interesting tidbits is that the infamously stilted, awkward dialogue in the first game was purposeful in order to help Japanese players understand the story as the game would not receive a Japanese dub till years later. I'll never hear "STOP! Don't open THAT door!" Or "This place is FULL of MONSTERS" the same way again.
I really enjoyed the first few chapters which focused heavily on the development of the first three mainline games, but found it jarring when the structure changed to focus on a console each chapter vs. a particular game. It also had a lot more information about the console wars than I expected.
Still, this book is definitely a must for hardcore fans or really anyone interested in the late 90s/early 2000s era of the gaming industry.
I really enjoyed the first few chapters which focused heavily on the development of the first three mainline games, but found it jarring when the structure changed to focus on a console each chapter vs. a particular game. It also had a lot more information about the console wars than I expected.
Still, this book is definitely a must for hardcore fans or really anyone interested in the late 90s/early 2000s era of the gaming industry.
July 13, 2025
I wish it focused a bit more on creative decisions within the games themselves rather than the often detached recounting of the series' production and development history. That being said, the decision to cover some of the lesser known titles as well as the early ports of each game make this really interesting.
I do think ending the book at 2006 is an odd choice considering that's only the first ten years of a franchise about to turn thirty. There's a whole other book there on RE6 and whatever they were thinking when cooking that up, as well as a big redemption arc from 2017 on. Big shame.
I do think ending the book at 2006 is an odd choice considering that's only the first ten years of a franchise about to turn thirty. There's a whole other book there on RE6 and whatever they were thinking when cooking that up, as well as a big redemption arc from 2017 on. Big shame.
December 15, 2022
Two and a half to three stars.
Overall, this is an interesting book, and any fan of the Resident Evil series will enjoy it. There are interesting little factoids about the why and the politics of certain decisions that were taken. You get the feeling that the author genuinely admires the creators and the fact that the RE series was responsible for the creation of the survival horror genre of video games ensures its inclusion in the pages of video game history. The author gives extremely detailed info regarding the producer/management aspect of the games development.
However, there are no five stars, and the reasons are simple- it got far too repetitive. How many times does the author need to repeat hat he speaks Japanese in the introduction? How many times, and in how many permutations, can he say that the original Resident Evil was released in 1996 (or, indeed, repeat the release dates of nearly every other games released between 1996 and 2006)? Dull, boring, repetitive and reads like filler.
Another flaw with the book, and to paraphrase another review: you simple don't get an understanding of the artistic process and the creative choices made in any of the games development.
What I am about to go into may seem, um, pedantic and long winded, but I think it highlights my point. The author is dealing in hindsight and as a fan and takes the games as fixed points, their release was inevitable, and it's almost as if he doesn't care about the little details as to why certain decisions were made relating to the artistic side of thing to the point that, at least on one occasion, he misidentifies some details and ignores others. I am referring to RE:4 here mainly. He identifies Dr. Salvador as wearing a backpack over his head, when in reality it was a burlap sack, and the Bella Sisters (who also were burlap sacks and also wield knives) are ignored. Why was the creative decision made to have the town Doctor don a sack and become a rampaging chainsaw killer who could kill the player with one strike? Another example is Resident Evil: Zero. He doesn't examine the creative choice as to why the main villain is a copy of Dr. Marcus which is made up of leeches- just a passing remark that implies it was lampooned by critics. Another (prime) example of this choice is the name of the book itself- Itchy, Tasty. Taken from the first game and a file found within it that demonstrates how the T-Virus degraded a persons mental faculties before they turned into a zombie- there is no discussion why this part of the transformation was dropped in later releases, even though, in RE:2, we actually see someone turn into a zombie due to infection.
What I am trying to say is-- the economic and management history of the Resident Evil series between 1996 and 2006 is covered. They are interesting in and of themselves. But the creative history is almost none existent. 2.5/3 stars
Overall, this is an interesting book, and any fan of the Resident Evil series will enjoy it. There are interesting little factoids about the why and the politics of certain decisions that were taken. You get the feeling that the author genuinely admires the creators and the fact that the RE series was responsible for the creation of the survival horror genre of video games ensures its inclusion in the pages of video game history. The author gives extremely detailed info regarding the producer/management aspect of the games development.
However, there are no five stars, and the reasons are simple- it got far too repetitive. How many times does the author need to repeat hat he speaks Japanese in the introduction? How many times, and in how many permutations, can he say that the original Resident Evil was released in 1996 (or, indeed, repeat the release dates of nearly every other games released between 1996 and 2006)? Dull, boring, repetitive and reads like filler.
Another flaw with the book, and to paraphrase another review: you simple don't get an understanding of the artistic process and the creative choices made in any of the games development.
What I am about to go into may seem, um, pedantic and long winded, but I think it highlights my point. The author is dealing in hindsight and as a fan and takes the games as fixed points, their release was inevitable, and it's almost as if he doesn't care about the little details as to why certain decisions were made relating to the artistic side of thing to the point that, at least on one occasion, he misidentifies some details and ignores others. I am referring to RE:4 here mainly. He identifies Dr. Salvador as wearing a backpack over his head, when in reality it was a burlap sack, and the Bella Sisters (who also were burlap sacks and also wield knives) are ignored. Why was the creative decision made to have the town Doctor don a sack and become a rampaging chainsaw killer who could kill the player with one strike? Another example is Resident Evil: Zero. He doesn't examine the creative choice as to why the main villain is a copy of Dr. Marcus which is made up of leeches- just a passing remark that implies it was lampooned by critics. Another (prime) example of this choice is the name of the book itself- Itchy, Tasty. Taken from the first game and a file found within it that demonstrates how the T-Virus degraded a persons mental faculties before they turned into a zombie- there is no discussion why this part of the transformation was dropped in later releases, even though, in RE:2, we actually see someone turn into a zombie due to infection.
What I am trying to say is-- the economic and management history of the Resident Evil series between 1996 and 2006 is covered. They are interesting in and of themselves. But the creative history is almost none existent. 2.5/3 stars
June 8, 2025
ITCHY, TASTY is a collection of essays and interviews about how the Resident Evil games came to be. The book is a bit on the dry side as a lot of it just amounts to, "I had a cool idea to do the game this way and so that's how Claire and Leon ended up with separate intersecting paths." The games carry up until Resident Evil 4 but don't really have much about 5, 6, or anything later. I would have loved more info on, say, Revelations.
May 19, 2021
Got something that might Interest ya!
If like me, you grew up as a fan of horror movies and sought out anything that featured any form of gore and creepy creatures from the video/games rental store then chances are 1996 was a great year for you as it heralded the arrival of CAPCOM’s soon to be behemoth, Resident Evil. Suddenly games could provide a scare factor that no movie could ever touch by connecting the player with the horrors on the screen and making them emit shrieks of terror that made our parents think Prince was rehearsing in the house. Never had I felt so immersed in a game than when I had the lights turned off, sat about ten inches from the screen, controller in clammy hand hoping I could make it to the next safe area with two bullets in my gun and not knowing if that squelchy sound was a zombie lurking just off-screen or an indication that I needed to change my underwear.
As the years have rolled on my passion for the Resident Evil franchise has remained, even during the strange light gun phase and the one with the fellatio giraffe, if you know, then you know! Let's face it, how can you not enjoy a series that features villains that look like a Medieval Bilbo Baggins in one game and Steve Buscemi with tentacles in the next! After recently strutting my stuff through the Romanian setting of the latest entry I decided to update some of the “extended” universe collection of novels when low and behold I discovered a new gem, an unofficial history of the Resident Evil franchise. Now as a fan and an avid gamer I had a pretty good bit of trivia backed up on my noodle regarding the series that I’d accumulated over the years but a proper chronicle of the development cycle for each title (up to a point) was a must-have. After a couple of well-spent evenings digesting the contents and realizing some of my more Resi centric friends were as unaware as I was that this book existed, it was only right that I whipped out my typewriter, constructed a Jill sandwich and put together my thoughts in the hope that other fans might enjoy this offering.
You have once again entered the world of…Survival Horror!
Released on April 15th 2021 (Just in time for Resident Evil Village) Itchy, Tasty chronicles a twelve-year development history of Resident Evil from the original entry up to Resident Evil 4 with all the spin off’s in-between. The author, Alex Aniel @cvxfreak, has gone to great lengths to gain insight into the entire process behind each title featured within the book. Along the way are exerts of interviews he had with the original creator and prominent members from CAPCOM who spent time in the chair for various titles in the franchise over the years. The whole book is riddled with fantastic backstories from the early days of inspiration to trial-and-error processes of keeping the franchise fresh in an industry that was becoming more competitive and diverse. For anyone who is a fan of behind-the-scenes knowledge and yes, I am one of those who likes to watch the extra features on Blu Rays, you will feel right at home here. Itchy, Tasty delivers some truly interesting and surprising revelations about the franchise and its often rocky and uncertain development cycles. Though I was privy to certain stories regarding issues the series faced I never knew quite how rough the road to success was and how rough it continued to be after catching lightning in a bottle.
Judging by the name of the book I was of course expecting plenty of info on the Resident Evil franchise, which I got in spades, and to be perfectly honest, that would have been enough to keep me happy with my new addition to the Resi shelf but much like Umbrella’s laboratory’s, it goes much deeper than that. To really understand the thought process and business decisions behind the franchise and the directions that were taken, you must of course understand the industry itself, particularly the industry as it was throughout the various console generations. Once again plenty of context and industry history was on hand here to support the development stories for each title from well-laid plans to poorly conceived business decisions, for fans of specific consoles there are some interesting and somewhat eye-opening stats around console sales and architecture that made Itchy, Tasty feel all that more comprehensive by touching on industry history, something I’m sure all gamers worth their retro collections will appreciate.
Easily Digestible
Of course, all the interesting information and intriguing insight would be about as useful as a president’s daughter during a tense gunfight if there was no structure. Fortunately, Itchy, Tasty is as well laid out as an elaborate mansion tucked away in the woods, each entry in the series is given its own chapter which in turn is broken down into segments to highlight key points of interest for its development with some good insight being provided about each entry's critical and commercial receptions. For fans of the wider CAPCOM universe that carries the RE DNA, some additional insights are given to the origins and influences of favourites such as Devil May Cry, Onimusha, Dino Crisis and Monster Hunter.
It only took me a couple of evenings comprising of roughly five to six hours to read through Itchy, Tasty and granted, I was stopping to ponder to myself the good memories of experiencing certain titles for the first time while watching my significant other play Mass Effect Legendary Edition. For my taste, Itchy, Tasty was the perfect length and didn’t fill its pages with bloated exposition or unnecessary digression, it remained on point and any deviations from the core subject only resulted in benefitting the bigger picture that Alex was putting together for the reader.
Speaking of Alex, the guy is a fantastic writer, over the years I have had many discussions and debates with fellow Resident Evil fans and non-fans about the series and reading his words coupled with his writing style felt like I was just listening to a fellow gamer friend fill me in on some juicy gossip around a common interest. Alex’s passion for the franchise drips from every page and his enthusiasm comes through with more vigour than a rookie having a challenging first day on the job.
About the Author
Alex Aniel originally hails from San Francisco but has lived in Tokyo since 2007. He began playing the Resident Evil series aged thirteen, which led him to visit Japan, study the language and eventually move there permanently. He has over a decade of experience in the video game industry and currently works for game music label Brave Wave Productions and physical game publisher Limited Run Games, specializing in the production of game music albums and business development for both companies.
Final Words:
I discovered Itchy, Tasty by happy mistake and made no hesitation in making a purchase. The book comes in hardback form with a swanky front cover that oozes nostalgia and for any Resident Evil fan, this is a must-have. Well written, insightful and entertaining in equal measure and left me hoping there might be a continuation to cover the more recent years of Resident Evil. So just remember, the next time someone asks you, what are ya buyin? Itchy, Tasty should be your only answer!
If like me, you grew up as a fan of horror movies and sought out anything that featured any form of gore and creepy creatures from the video/games rental store then chances are 1996 was a great year for you as it heralded the arrival of CAPCOM’s soon to be behemoth, Resident Evil. Suddenly games could provide a scare factor that no movie could ever touch by connecting the player with the horrors on the screen and making them emit shrieks of terror that made our parents think Prince was rehearsing in the house. Never had I felt so immersed in a game than when I had the lights turned off, sat about ten inches from the screen, controller in clammy hand hoping I could make it to the next safe area with two bullets in my gun and not knowing if that squelchy sound was a zombie lurking just off-screen or an indication that I needed to change my underwear.
As the years have rolled on my passion for the Resident Evil franchise has remained, even during the strange light gun phase and the one with the fellatio giraffe, if you know, then you know! Let's face it, how can you not enjoy a series that features villains that look like a Medieval Bilbo Baggins in one game and Steve Buscemi with tentacles in the next! After recently strutting my stuff through the Romanian setting of the latest entry I decided to update some of the “extended” universe collection of novels when low and behold I discovered a new gem, an unofficial history of the Resident Evil franchise. Now as a fan and an avid gamer I had a pretty good bit of trivia backed up on my noodle regarding the series that I’d accumulated over the years but a proper chronicle of the development cycle for each title (up to a point) was a must-have. After a couple of well-spent evenings digesting the contents and realizing some of my more Resi centric friends were as unaware as I was that this book existed, it was only right that I whipped out my typewriter, constructed a Jill sandwich and put together my thoughts in the hope that other fans might enjoy this offering.
You have once again entered the world of…Survival Horror!
Released on April 15th 2021 (Just in time for Resident Evil Village) Itchy, Tasty chronicles a twelve-year development history of Resident Evil from the original entry up to Resident Evil 4 with all the spin off’s in-between. The author, Alex Aniel @cvxfreak, has gone to great lengths to gain insight into the entire process behind each title featured within the book. Along the way are exerts of interviews he had with the original creator and prominent members from CAPCOM who spent time in the chair for various titles in the franchise over the years. The whole book is riddled with fantastic backstories from the early days of inspiration to trial-and-error processes of keeping the franchise fresh in an industry that was becoming more competitive and diverse. For anyone who is a fan of behind-the-scenes knowledge and yes, I am one of those who likes to watch the extra features on Blu Rays, you will feel right at home here. Itchy, Tasty delivers some truly interesting and surprising revelations about the franchise and its often rocky and uncertain development cycles. Though I was privy to certain stories regarding issues the series faced I never knew quite how rough the road to success was and how rough it continued to be after catching lightning in a bottle.
Judging by the name of the book I was of course expecting plenty of info on the Resident Evil franchise, which I got in spades, and to be perfectly honest, that would have been enough to keep me happy with my new addition to the Resi shelf but much like Umbrella’s laboratory’s, it goes much deeper than that. To really understand the thought process and business decisions behind the franchise and the directions that were taken, you must of course understand the industry itself, particularly the industry as it was throughout the various console generations. Once again plenty of context and industry history was on hand here to support the development stories for each title from well-laid plans to poorly conceived business decisions, for fans of specific consoles there are some interesting and somewhat eye-opening stats around console sales and architecture that made Itchy, Tasty feel all that more comprehensive by touching on industry history, something I’m sure all gamers worth their retro collections will appreciate.
Easily Digestible
Of course, all the interesting information and intriguing insight would be about as useful as a president’s daughter during a tense gunfight if there was no structure. Fortunately, Itchy, Tasty is as well laid out as an elaborate mansion tucked away in the woods, each entry in the series is given its own chapter which in turn is broken down into segments to highlight key points of interest for its development with some good insight being provided about each entry's critical and commercial receptions. For fans of the wider CAPCOM universe that carries the RE DNA, some additional insights are given to the origins and influences of favourites such as Devil May Cry, Onimusha, Dino Crisis and Monster Hunter.
It only took me a couple of evenings comprising of roughly five to six hours to read through Itchy, Tasty and granted, I was stopping to ponder to myself the good memories of experiencing certain titles for the first time while watching my significant other play Mass Effect Legendary Edition. For my taste, Itchy, Tasty was the perfect length and didn’t fill its pages with bloated exposition or unnecessary digression, it remained on point and any deviations from the core subject only resulted in benefitting the bigger picture that Alex was putting together for the reader.
Speaking of Alex, the guy is a fantastic writer, over the years I have had many discussions and debates with fellow Resident Evil fans and non-fans about the series and reading his words coupled with his writing style felt like I was just listening to a fellow gamer friend fill me in on some juicy gossip around a common interest. Alex’s passion for the franchise drips from every page and his enthusiasm comes through with more vigour than a rookie having a challenging first day on the job.
About the Author
Alex Aniel originally hails from San Francisco but has lived in Tokyo since 2007. He began playing the Resident Evil series aged thirteen, which led him to visit Japan, study the language and eventually move there permanently. He has over a decade of experience in the video game industry and currently works for game music label Brave Wave Productions and physical game publisher Limited Run Games, specializing in the production of game music albums and business development for both companies.
Final Words:
I discovered Itchy, Tasty by happy mistake and made no hesitation in making a purchase. The book comes in hardback form with a swanky front cover that oozes nostalgia and for any Resident Evil fan, this is a must-have. Well written, insightful and entertaining in equal measure and left me hoping there might be a continuation to cover the more recent years of Resident Evil. So just remember, the next time someone asks you, what are ya buyin? Itchy, Tasty should be your only answer!
January 16, 2025
An absolute must for not just fans of the Resident Evil series, but for anyone with an interest in the history of game development.
The book covers the period of time between the original Resident Evil right up to the release of the PS2 port of Resident Evil 4, though dips its toes where necessary into the past and future of this time frame, whilst also deviating just far enough from the source point where necessary to ensure the book remains tight and focused on the franchise.
The book is somewhat brisk in its run through the history of the series which can be a little overwhelming at times, though does so to ensure that it does not grow drawn out and lumbering in its length, ensuring it remains engaging at all times, as well as incredibly informative, with great attention paid to it's sourcing and accuracy.
A lot of the information within can admittedly be found in articles across the internet and in old magazine coverage, which may leave some readers who are looking for a treasure-trove of new information to feel a little burned, but quite frankly this is the best and most accessible compilation of information from these sources, which I imagine would take time and effort to locate and research that most readers simply won't commit to.
I would have liked to have seen more information squeezed out of the access the author had to these incredible individuals he had the opportunity to speak to regarding the series and it's games, but I appreciate why the book keeps things short.
It would also have been nice to have read beyond just Resident Evil 4, though I appreciate that given the time this book would have been conceived and written, not a lot of exciting things were happening within the Resident Evil franchise until the release of 7, which I believe is when this book was underway - it'd be nice to read about what happened with Resident Evils 5 and 6 and the half-dozen side games between R4 and 7, but it's certainly no loss.
Possibly the best book to cover the videogame industry that I am aware of, definite recommendation.
The book covers the period of time between the original Resident Evil right up to the release of the PS2 port of Resident Evil 4, though dips its toes where necessary into the past and future of this time frame, whilst also deviating just far enough from the source point where necessary to ensure the book remains tight and focused on the franchise.
The book is somewhat brisk in its run through the history of the series which can be a little overwhelming at times, though does so to ensure that it does not grow drawn out and lumbering in its length, ensuring it remains engaging at all times, as well as incredibly informative, with great attention paid to it's sourcing and accuracy.
A lot of the information within can admittedly be found in articles across the internet and in old magazine coverage, which may leave some readers who are looking for a treasure-trove of new information to feel a little burned, but quite frankly this is the best and most accessible compilation of information from these sources, which I imagine would take time and effort to locate and research that most readers simply won't commit to.
I would have liked to have seen more information squeezed out of the access the author had to these incredible individuals he had the opportunity to speak to regarding the series and it's games, but I appreciate why the book keeps things short.
It would also have been nice to have read beyond just Resident Evil 4, though I appreciate that given the time this book would have been conceived and written, not a lot of exciting things were happening within the Resident Evil franchise until the release of 7, which I believe is when this book was underway - it'd be nice to read about what happened with Resident Evils 5 and 6 and the half-dozen side games between R4 and 7, but it's certainly no loss.
Possibly the best book to cover the videogame industry that I am aware of, definite recommendation.
March 24, 2022
Well researched, nicely told and generally fascinating look back over the development of one of my favourite video game series. One of the best metrics for judging whether a non-fiction book is good is if the reader comes away having learned something, and on this front, Itchy, Tasty definitely delivered, and it's also a bonus that the author manages to deliver it in an interesting and easy to follow way.
Mostly due to having read other gaming series retrospectives recently, I must admit that I was expecting more of a nostalgic look back at the games, characters and themes, but this book focuses more on the development history within Capcom and how drastically different some of the games could have been in another universe. There's also some reflection on the individual games' reception and how they influenced the development of the various sequels and spin-offs.
My only complaint is that the book only really covers up to Resident Evil 4's release and reception (or more accurately, Shinji Mikami's involvement in the series), and honestly I could have happily read more. Despite the fact that the book was published in 2021 and that the 2019 Resident Evil 2 remake is mentioned briefly in an early chapter, there's nothing at all covering Resident Evil 5-7, which definitely seems like a glaring omission considering the series drove itself off a cliff and resurrected itself in an even more spectacular way during this period. Rather than getting the rise, fall and rise again of the series, we only get that first rise. While I understand that there must have been time and budget restraints - and from the extensive sources chapter there was clearly a lot of research gone into the book - it's a shame that there's not even an afterword acknowledging the subsequent games and why they weren't included.
That said, if the author does decide to cover this period in the series history in another book, count me in.
Mostly due to having read other gaming series retrospectives recently, I must admit that I was expecting more of a nostalgic look back at the games, characters and themes, but this book focuses more on the development history within Capcom and how drastically different some of the games could have been in another universe. There's also some reflection on the individual games' reception and how they influenced the development of the various sequels and spin-offs.
My only complaint is that the book only really covers up to Resident Evil 4's release and reception (or more accurately, Shinji Mikami's involvement in the series), and honestly I could have happily read more. Despite the fact that the book was published in 2021 and that the 2019 Resident Evil 2 remake is mentioned briefly in an early chapter, there's nothing at all covering Resident Evil 5-7, which definitely seems like a glaring omission considering the series drove itself off a cliff and resurrected itself in an even more spectacular way during this period. Rather than getting the rise, fall and rise again of the series, we only get that first rise. While I understand that there must have been time and budget restraints - and from the extensive sources chapter there was clearly a lot of research gone into the book - it's a shame that there's not even an afterword acknowledging the subsequent games and why they weren't included.
That said, if the author does decide to cover this period in the series history in another book, count me in.
July 14, 2021
I received an ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
I will preface with the fact that I didn't play Resident Evil games growing up. I had an older brother who did and I was firmly relegated to watching him play so I couldn't "mess anything up". That being said, the games still resonate with me and I still remember much of the gameplay just watching my brother and being absolutely terrified but glued to the screen. It's why I requested an ARC and why I recommend it to people who both did and did not play the games.
The history of RE is way more interesting than I thought it would be. Aniel does a good job of doing his research and presenting it early on to grab your attention. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the interviews with the original creators and having access to information that goes beyond just what you can read online. This is Aniel's first foray into writing a book as far as I know, so the writing is a little repetitive at times. The first half of the book is stronger than the second half and does seem to be more deeply researched. However, I would still recommend this book to RE fans and people who are just curious like myself.
I will preface with the fact that I didn't play Resident Evil games growing up. I had an older brother who did and I was firmly relegated to watching him play so I couldn't "mess anything up". That being said, the games still resonate with me and I still remember much of the gameplay just watching my brother and being absolutely terrified but glued to the screen. It's why I requested an ARC and why I recommend it to people who both did and did not play the games.
The history of RE is way more interesting than I thought it would be. Aniel does a good job of doing his research and presenting it early on to grab your attention. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the interviews with the original creators and having access to information that goes beyond just what you can read online. This is Aniel's first foray into writing a book as far as I know, so the writing is a little repetitive at times. The first half of the book is stronger than the second half and does seem to be more deeply researched. However, I would still recommend this book to RE fans and people who are just curious like myself.
June 8, 2024
This was another audio book. Itchy, Tasty is a strange sounding title, but to Resident Evil fans, it'll sound familiar. This unofficial story tells basically the first ten years of the franchise. From the humble origins to the huge heights the franchise would hit.
The book covers a wide variety of topics on the franchise besides the games. There are discussions on scrapped ideas, who lead the development teams, and even the console politics of which system got which games. While a lot of hard-core fans might know some of the facts thrown out, there is still plenty to learn.
The book came out after Resident Evil VII was released but only covered up to Resident Evil 4 in terms of years covered. While there is a valid reason, it still felt a bit lacking to miss out on what even then felt like half the franchise. It doesn't break new ground when discussing the games, either. The ones often considered the best are treated as such, and the ones considered inferior are also treated the same. It is still a good listen for fans of the series or fans just discovering it and wanting to learn about Resident Evil's origins.
The book covers a wide variety of topics on the franchise besides the games. There are discussions on scrapped ideas, who lead the development teams, and even the console politics of which system got which games. While a lot of hard-core fans might know some of the facts thrown out, there is still plenty to learn.
The book came out after Resident Evil VII was released but only covered up to Resident Evil 4 in terms of years covered. While there is a valid reason, it still felt a bit lacking to miss out on what even then felt like half the franchise. It doesn't break new ground when discussing the games, either. The ones often considered the best are treated as such, and the ones considered inferior are also treated the same. It is still a good listen for fans of the series or fans just discovering it and wanting to learn about Resident Evil's origins.
December 31, 2024
A quick read that honestly flies by. It's worth a pickup if you're completely new to the franchise but I feel most long time fans will already know everything this book covers. I read this over my Christmas break at work and did enjoy it however as others have mentioned the title is slightly misleading.
The book is billed as "an unofficial history of resident evil" but stops covering the franchise after 2006. I would've liked to have more about the franchise in the 7th generation of consoles (360/PS3) as that is where the series really started to falter in popularity before having it's comeback with 7/8/the remakes on 8th gen consoles. It also glosses over any of the admittedly not great movies which could've been an interesting read.
Either way this is an entertaining read and won't take you long to get through. I recommend to newer fans of the series and anyone who can find a copy relatively cheap. Unfortunately most of the information here you'll have heard in most YouTube videos.
The book is billed as "an unofficial history of resident evil" but stops covering the franchise after 2006. I would've liked to have more about the franchise in the 7th generation of consoles (360/PS3) as that is where the series really started to falter in popularity before having it's comeback with 7/8/the remakes on 8th gen consoles. It also glosses over any of the admittedly not great movies which could've been an interesting read.
Either way this is an entertaining read and won't take you long to get through. I recommend to newer fans of the series and anyone who can find a copy relatively cheap. Unfortunately most of the information here you'll have heard in most YouTube videos.
October 5, 2021
I helped crowdfund this book on the basis of it containing a ton of behind-the-scenes knowledge of everything that went into the early Resident Evil games. And unfortunately I found the final product lacking. Frankly, it really doesn't have that much new info. Alex Aniel's passion for Resident Evil comes across loud and clear, but he clearly wrote this as a Capcom outsider, and the actual words that he has from developers are piecemeal and outnumbered by the number of quotes from sites like IGN and Gamespot about each game's release. Occasionally there's a cool piece of trivia (ie, the origins behind HUNK's name) but there's not much here that you can't already find by reading the Resident Evil Wiki. I guess I just wanted more of an in-depth look into the minds of guys like Shinji Mikami...and I don't think this was unreasonable of me to expect, considering that this was a book crowdfunded by Resident Evil megafans and marketed to them.
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