LogInCapcom wasn't trying to do something innovative in terms of camera angles.
Resident Evil 4 was released in 2005 and is still considered one of the most influential games of all time, with a remake coming next year. The game introduced a new way to look at it (literally) with a new camera placed behind Leon's shoulder as opposed to the fixed angle used before.
In a recent interview, the creators behind Resident Evil Shinji Mikami and Jun Takeuchi talked about the story of the franchise's creation. In particular, Mikami shared that the studio wasn't trying to make something innovative or groundbreaking with the camera in RE4, they just thought the angle was better.
Interestingly, the first person to praise the decision to place it behind the character's shoulder was Masahiro Sakurai, Smash Bros. and Kirby director, who recently launched a game design YouTube channel.
"He came to check out the game in development and asked 'who came up with this camera system?'" When Mikami raised his hand and answered "hey, yeah, that was me," Sakurai said the system was great.
Takeuchi also recalled an experience with Epic Games, which was developing Gears of War, in 2008 during a showcase for Lost Planet at E3. The team asked Takeuchi why Lost Planet's camera system wasn't similar to Resident Evil 4's. Takeuchi replied that they were completely different games. Epic Games then shared that the camera system in Gears of War was influenced by Resident Evil 4.
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