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Reader Comments (50)

Posted: Apr 10th 2009 2:05AM ch3burashka said

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Gamesradar FTW.

BTW, listen to the Talkradar podcast. It's like the Joystiqcast, but better.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 2:25AM einhanderkiller said

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cool story bro
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 2:10AM (Unverified) said

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to be fair, "biohazard" is an even cheesier title
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 2:21AM iHavePants said

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At least Biohazard works as a name for sequels. What are they residents of in 5? Africa?
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 2:48AM (Unverified) said

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@Ihavepants

It's not to dissimilar from the continued use of "Final Fantasy". If you know the history behind the name, it makes sense for the first title. After that, it just stuck because of brand recognition and because it sounds good. I'm not too familiar with most of the Final Fantasy games, but from what I gather the story lines aren't related or are very loosely related so for the most part few, if any, of them can truly be called sequels.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 4:21AM Foetoid said

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The only sequals in the FF franchise use the original titles name/nunber, as in FF-X2 and FFVII: Crisis Core. Every game in the series is set in a totally different world in a different time-period.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 5:22AM (Unverified) said

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@Foetoid

Ah okay thanks. So then I'm right about how the continued use of the "Final Fantasy" + # naming convention doesn't make a lot of sense in a traditional manner considering there is no continuity between the differently numbered games.

I think "Resident Evil" sounds cool. It almost sounds like they were trying to make the title a metaphor for "the lurking evil that lives inside us all." I'm not really sure they achieved that even if it is what they were going for, but it does at least sound eerie.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 8:14AM Level 5 said

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@Nick8708

I might be wrong with this, but I believe that Final in Japan has a connotation of being a synonym for Best or Greatest. You're right though, this is confusing to native English speakers, as the titles aren't related.

Still, Biohazard only makes me think of the red "Sharps" containers at the doctores.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 10:08AM Vidikron said

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I really don't see how "Biohazard" is cheesy. It fits the game perfectly. The game does deal with viruses after all.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 9:09PM CJLopez said

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Actually, this are the direct sequels prequels to different final fantasy

Final Fantasy 4
Final Fantasy 4: The After (Years) - Phone/WiiWare

Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core - PSP
Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus - Ps2

Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X-2 - PS2

And really, i preffer Resident Evil than Biohazard, even though the second makes more sense to the current history, but then again, if we appoint to one Residen Evil, it would be Albert Wesker. He is a resident of the Earth and he's evil, :D
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 2:11AM zuburi said

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I was into Biohazard in high school. Don't know if I'd call them punk, though. Maybe metal...ish?? They were great.

(I think Resident Evil is an incredibly stupid name too, btw. I'm all for them changing it to "Biohazard" if they do a series reboot.)
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 2:48AM (Unverified) said

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Juuuuuuudgment Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!

Crap.... I just dated myself didn't I?
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 6:47AM Pure Black World Tendency said

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Welcome to the old grumpy men club. I saw them live back in...could it have been 97?
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 8:42AM baby sea tuna said

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Man, I saw them with House of Pain and a (then) completely unknown band called Korn in...94? Then again with Pantera and Sepultura. I've still got my clear orange State of the World Address record somewhere.

I think the most amusing thing to ever come out of that band is the fact that the singer is now in porn and is married to Tera Patrick. How weird...
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 1:38PM zuburi said

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I *think* I saw Biohazard open for Slayer in 1994 or 1995 at the Aragon in Chicago. I know I went to a concert of theirs, but I just can't remember who the other acts were.

And I am pretty sure I have a Sepultura T-shirt in a pile of rags somewhere! They were, from what I remember, another really great progressive metal band.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 2:19AM Ignatius said

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I never found Resident Evil to be a bad name, dunno why other people do.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 11:26AM Shagittarius said

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Yeah I like it to....and what is this 'pun' in the title the author is refering to...I don't see a 'pun'.

As far as I know resident means that something resides somewhere...so how is it a pun?
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 11:37AM kip said

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Yeah I don't see what the pun is either. For it to be a pun, there would need to be a common phrase like "resident weevil" or "president e. ville" or something, right?
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 2:39AM pika2000 said

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The title Resident Evil kinda fits the first game, but after that, it doesn't sound right anymore. It simply becomes the accepted title for the sequels just because.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 2:51AM (Unverified) said

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final fantasy
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 2:54AM iHavePants said

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Just because something that doesn't make sense is implemented twice doesn't excuse it...
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 11:36AM adv2k169 said

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would you prefere Urban Evil for 2,3 and Arctic Evil for CV and Village Evil for 4 and Hut Evil for 5 ??

biohazard just sounds generic to me.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 2:44AM (Unverified) said

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Occupational Hazard..... FIVE.

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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 9:53AM Courtney said

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Wherein Chris works for OSHA instead of the BSAA.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 2:59AM (Unverified) said

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What is "resident evil" a pun of, exactly?
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 3:04AM (Unverified) said

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resident

mansion

evil resident of mansion

...

RESIDENT EEEEEVILLLLL
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 3:08AM MyAbsolution said

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seriously i know eh!?

how do people not know where resident evil name comes from...
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 7:59AM greyseal said

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You're not crazy, duggie. It's not a pun at all.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 11:14AM (Unverified) said

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If it's a pun, I don't get it.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 6:32AM MaxShrek said

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Surprisingly, the band, BIohazard, was on a reunion tour a few months ago around here. Hard to believe they're still around, what with Evan Seinfeld dropping loads in, on, and around Tera Patrick.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 6:48AM Clinton O said

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lol knowing is half the battle
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 9:33AM nandokun said

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"...the other half is killing. G. I. Joooooooooooe!""
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 7:29AM NaeemTHM said

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The should have renamed each subsequent sequel as well. We would ahve had awesome game titles like Spanish Evil and Africa Evil

>___>

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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 7:54AM (Unverified) said

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"Capcom's Chris Kramer explained"

CHRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSS
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 8:28AM ScottG13 said

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"Super cheesy?" Come on... This series is all about the cheese. It THRIVES on cheese. Revels in it. Great choice on the name.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 9:34AM nandokun said

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I wonder if the Japanese voice acting is considered as cheesy to the Japanese gamers as the English translations are considered to English speakers.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 9:40AM ScottG13 said

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Good question. Any JPNers around today?
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 9:06AM vidguy said

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Haha, I remember reading about this problem way back when RE2 came out. I've always loved the game and I've never had a problem with the name, especially since the games pretty much live on cheesy horror cliches. I'd rather have a name that fits the theme of the games than a straight forward lack-of-creativity name. Like Dino Crisis. Yuck.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 9:39AM Gemini Ace said

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Biohazard isn't a punk band at all. Check them out if you like metal.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 3:06PM (Unverified) said

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Actually Biohazard came from the New York Hardcore scene which has punk ethics. So in way they are a punk band. Their demo and the first full lengths are the only good stuff they put out anyway. The rest is pretty much Nu Metal garbage, which I'm sure you're into.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 3:10PM Gemini Ace said

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I'm sure I am into it. Nice try though.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 9:40AM Gemini Ace said

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And Resident Evil kind of makes sense with the sequels. I mean, you're always coming in to where the virus has turned the residents of a particular area into zombies. So there!
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 11:01AM Vegnagun said

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Well spun!
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 11:17AM Dralthi said

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Cool story. It's a shame they couldn't use the Biohazard name here in the U.S. That title makes more sense since the game deals with biological weapons and super human mutants and such.

I've always felt the Resident Evil name made the game sound like it should be about paranormal activities like ghosts and goblins and such.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 12:21PM Mr Khan said

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Huh, i always just figured it was one of those linguistic things, that BioHazard sounded too much like a bad trip to the doctors or something to American test markets, so they flipped it into something that sounded less medical.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 2:06PM Batzarro The worlds WOrst Detect said

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I could understanf the other game makers suing, but I don't think the NY band really owns the term "biohazard" wich an obvious acknoweledged abbreviation of "Biological Hazard", the descriptor of things like Radioactive waste, hospital waste and the movie "White Chicks". Still, I like Resident Evil better.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 3:38PM jp007 said

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I loved Biohazard frontman Evan Seinfeld in Oz. I the first time I played the original Biohazard/RE on the PS1 was the Japanese version. That creepy voice going "BIOHAZARD" at the beginning of the game has such a better ring to it then the voice going "RESIDENT...EVILLL"


...here, take this lockpick.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 6:02PM (Unverified) said

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Just gotta point out that Kramer was off by a whole year. It was late 1995 when the marketing campaign was ramping up, and I still have some magazines from circa Oct-Dec 1995 that contained the first announcements that it was coming to both Japan and NA. And it was announced as "Biohazard" at the time, for both regions.
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 9:32PM CA said

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How is Resident Evil a pun? I feel like I have a good vocabulary and I can't figure it out. Was calling it a pun a mistake?
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Posted: Apr 10th 2009 11:54PM Snake Robot Podium said

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A lot of other commenters are confused, as well, including me. Was "resident evil" a phrase before the game?
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