24 Years Ago, Capcom Delivered One of the Greatest Video Game Remakes of All Time, Releasing Resident Evil Remake
It's often said in the video game community that there are too many remakes and remasters and not enough original ideas. That, of course, doesn't seem to be the case, given how well a lot of remakes and remasters sell, and the genre-defining game by Capcom that made the industry stop and consider remakes is now 24 years old.
Today, April 30, 2026, is the 24th anniversary of the North American release of Resident Evil (2002) on the Nintendo GameCube, a full built-from-the-ground-up remake of the original 1998 game that defined the survival horror genre for years to come.
The game follows the same basic plot as the original game, with Raccoon City's STARS Alpha Team searching for the missing Bravo Team in the forest area outside of the city. Soon, Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Albert Wesker, and Barry Burton are chased into an isolated mansion by zombified dogs, and the entire series begins.
Similar to the original game, players may choose between Chris and Jill to play as, and both have their own story, cutscenes, and endings. However, there was a lot of new content, areas, puzzles, and gameplay options for the remake, so much so that some RE fans consider the remake canon and not the original game. Lisa Trevor's storyline, in particular, is referenced in future games, and she and her tragic backstory are not present in the original game.
According to Metacritic, the original GameCube release of the game is sitting at an impressive 91 metascore, two points higher than the latest game in the series, Resident Evil Requiem. The game saw particular praise for its graphics, art style, improved mechanics, and added content, with most media outlets considering the remake to be superior to the original game.
The remade game was remastered for modern consoles again back in 2015.
Resident Evil (2002) is often cited as one of the greatest remakes ever made, placing number three on IGN's Best Video Game Remakes of All Time List.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 30, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 9:01 PM.