Sam Machkovech for Ars Technica:

RE8 will launch on May 7 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC. All platforms will eventually receive a free-download version of its playable demo, named "Maiden," but only PlayStation 5 owners have gotten a release date for said demo: Today.

I’m not sure what to think about Resident Evil Village. On one hand, the game looks beautiful, Lady Dimitrescu is a fascinating, strange new villain, and, if my time with the Maiden demo for PS5 was any indication, it’ll be scary as hell. On the other hand, aside from the mansion and another Chris Redfield, it doesn’t look like Resident Evil. None of the hallmarks of the old games are even slightly apparent anymore.

Does that mean it’ll be a bad game? Not at all. I really enjoyed 7 for what it was and the previously mentioned Maiden demo was genuinely creepy. It’s just that, as a fan of the original games who was generally disappointed in the direction of the series after Zero, I’m conflicted.

Assuming I can get my backlog under control by then, I’ll likely give Resident Evil 8 a spin when it’s available in May.

Jenni Lada for Siliconera:

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has issued a “Mature” rating for Resident Evil VII and, in so doing, has put together a rating summary that tells us more about the game’s hero and plot. We will be following a man named Ethan who happens to be looking for his wife. This description notes that his search takes him to a mansion filled with mutant creatures, not zombies, which he’ll have to defeat to survive.

I’m interpreting this as somewhat of a reimagining of the original game, in which the members of a special forces team take refuge inside a mansion to find their friend and partner. The mansion, located somewhere close to the middle of nowhere, was littered with zombies and other horrors, much like this house that Ethan seems to find himself in looking for his wife.

Maybe it’s just me but, after reading the synopsis, I wish even more that they would have simply called this game Resident Evil, dropping the VII from the title, much like Konami was planning on doing with Silent Hills. Firstly, because this sounds nothing like a proper sequel to 6. Secondly, because there’s an eye-roll associated with almost double digit sequels that I’d like to see this series avoid. Not to name names or anything.

Sam Byford for The Verge:

Not to take anything away from Resident Evil 4, which is one of the best and most influential action games of all time, but there’s a case to be made that it set the series on a path to irrelevance. Subsequent entries learned all the wrong lessons, unsuccessfully attempting to go toe-to-toe with action genre heavyweights while forgetting what made the series what it was back in the day: a relentless, foreboding sense of horror.

If a playable teaser released on the PlayStation Network shortly after Sony’s E3 press conference last night is anything to go by, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard represents a major course correction.

This looks great. A change this drastic is a breath of fresh air for a stale franchise. I can’t wait to see more and I hope they don’t change too much for the final release or, you know, cancel it entirely.

Andrew Webster for The Verge:

A trio of Resident Evil games is on its way to modern consoles. Today Capcom announced that Resident Evil 4, 5, and 6, will all be coming to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One later this year. The games appear to be largely straight ports without much in the way of improvements for the newer hardware.

While I can appreciate bringing RE4 to a new generation of gamers, given how much it changed the series and third-person shooters in general, RE5 should never be allowed to see the light of day. It is, in my opinion, the lowest point of the series.

When will we be getting an entirely new instalment? Maybe a complete reboot? An anniversary seems like a pretty great time for an announcement if you ask me.