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So what’s changed in this latest Resident Evil release? It’s evident Capcom haven’t lavished the budget on this as they did on Resident Evil 6, for instance. Graphically, it’s not exactly stressing the PS4 (another strange reason for this not coming to the Wii U as a digital download, at the least). There are some small graphical glitches here and there, like Natalia’s hair sticking through her ribbons. There’s also an unfortunate effect the wind has blowing Barry’s coat sleeve on the island. With his back turned, this looks like he’s desperately trying to… (ahem) satisfy himself … unfortunate indeed!
There are further rough edges evident with the spider-like monsters that just do not appear to sit on the landscape properly, looking like awkward paper cut-outs with jankey animations. Sometimes I would look down, see one at my feet not moving and I would find myself asking – is that dead? Then I would move a step and it would trigger the thing to attack. Fortunately they don’t appear that frequently in the game so they don’t get to spoil the illusion too often. Some of the NPCs (non-player characters) can act quite dumb too, watching on as you’re attacked whilst at other times they’re jumping into action.
As for saving, I never thought I’d miss the typewriters and their infernal ribbons for saving in a Resident Evil game…. On loading, the game warns you that when a dot is displayed on the screen, it’s auto-saving. Half the time, the game didn’t return me to this point, if I quit after seeing the saving dot on the screen. Hence, the auto-save for me, at least, seemed hit and miss. None of this, however, detracts from what feels like a return to form for the series. This is the first Resident Evil game in a long time that I’ve felt compelled to return to. The fact that this game hasn’t had a big budget means Capcom have had to concentrate on the gameplay and it shows. There’s none of the awful quick-time events of Resident Evil 6. Instead, there’s a solid game and its all the better for it.
The controls are slick and the buttons well laid out. Drawing your gun with the left trigger, and shooting with the right trigger, then quickly slashing with your knife with your right trigger when your gun’s not drawn feels natural; as does quickly pressing the D-pad in a direction to arm a different gun, rather than reload, when being charged by a number of zombies, or flicking the analogue stick and circle to dodge the same charging zombies. This helps Revelations 2’s gameplay mechanic feel just right. You’re not battling the controls as well as the monsters, and if a zombie manages to chow down on you, it’s because you were sloppy and not the games controls.
The series has moved away from puzzles and more towards action, and this is probably why it’s the most refined version of it so far. There are some very basic puzzles, which don’t interrupt the action. For example, there’s a cog missing, but don’t worry, go searching and killing more zombies and you will see the cog you needed. Now find a way to restore the power whilst killing zombies, so you can get at the cog and kill some more zombies when you place the cog where it needed to be. Thankfully bullets seem to be in plentiful supply. I distinctly remember being turned off from Resident Evil Code Veronica on Dreamcast, due to its stingy sprinkling of ammo.
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 Episode 3 PS4 Longplay 1080p/60fps Walkthrough
– SHN Survival Horror Network
There’s still a creepy atmosphere going on, and the various hisses and moans from an unseen zombie add to the tension, as does the relative darkness of some of the levels, with the torch creating shadows as much as casting light. Capcom have made good use of the built-in speaker on the PS4 pad, using it for the voice of the mysterious Overseer who appears to be running the show on the Island.
Whilst playing as Barry and Natalia, dare I say it there’s almost a hint of The Last of Us, for example, with Natalia sneaking around, having to go it alone as she was small enough to crawl through a gap to open a door for Barry, looking vulnerable and clutching a brick to her chest to use as a last means of defence. It shows the amount of thought that has gone into this release, as there are far worse games than The Last of Us to be reminded of gameplay-wise!
There’s also a “Raid Mode” for single play, local co-op or online co-op. This was an extremely enjoyable addition to the main campaign – levelling up your characters, unlocking skills and weapons was addictive and fun. The levels in “Raid” varied from you wandering tight areas, to others where you took out a certain number of zombies to allow you to progress further. Other levels saw you protecting an area, while you faced down wave after wave of tougher zombies, to a circular platform open to attack from both sides. The levels were lifted from the main campaign with the size adjusted to suit “Raid Mode”. There are daily raid missions to compete, and there are also incentives in the form of medals for not using health sprays and for completing the levels within a time limit or killing 100% of the zombies – all of which entice you to push your luck.
So then if you’re a fan of the Resident Evil series, then go get this, as it’s a worthy entry into the series. The campaign mode has a meaty interesting story, which has the bonus of being able to be played co-operatively on top of that the online raid mode further fleshes out the titles longevity.
If you’re new to the series then this is probably the most accessible entry to date and I highly recommend it. Its certainly re-ignited my passion for the series and even has me eyeing the Resident Evil 4 HD Remaster for PC while I wait for Resident Evil Revelations 3, and I’ve not hankered for a new Resident Evil game in a very long time!
Resident Evil Revelations 2 is out now on the formats atop this page, and click on the packshot for the full-size version.
Videogame footage featured in this review is (C) SHN Survival Horror Network.
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 Episode 4 PS4 Longplay 1080p/60fps Walkthrough
– SHN Survival Horror Network
Important info:
- Publisher: Capcom
- Players: single player campaign, local co-op or online co-op
- HDTV options: up to 1080p
- Dolby Digital 5.1 sound: Yes
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GRAPHICS SOUND GAMEPLAY POTENTIAL |
7 8 9 8 |
| OVERALL | 8 |
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