Platform: Xbox 360
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
# of Players: 1 – 2
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
Score: A- (90%)
Calling Resident Evil Revelations a mere “port” actually does it a tiny bit of a disservice, as Capcom didn’t simply press some magic upscaling button to get this great, formerly Nintendo 3DS exclusive onto PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U. The game’s character visuals have been completely redone in HD, there’s a brand new monster type added to the game, a few new modes and a good deal more (especially for Wii U owners, I hear) that make this one a must by for any non-3DS owner who missed out on this as a portable game experience. If you’re one of those longtime series fans overwhelmed by the crazy kitchen sink that was Resident Evil 6 (I actually liked the game’s chaotically schizo overkill amount of content) or the nonstop MP-centric focus of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (which was fine, provided you played with like-minded friends), RER’s return to greatness will bring a smile to your face at the return to classic form.
Speaking of classic form (and uncomfortably apt segues), the mostly conservatively dressed Jill Valentine gets a super-tight second skin getup that makes for a bit of an initially amusing distraction, but you’ll son find yourself paying much more attention to the icky selection of mutated creatures intent on doing her in. Chris Redfield is also on board this time, but he and Jill are partnered with different agents this time out, which also changes up the gameplay for each pair. Jill gets paired with barrel-chested Parker Luciani, while Chris’s teammate, Jessica Sherewat is a too curvy blonde also poured into her outfit, but unlike no-nonsense Jill and her all business attitude, a running gag has Jessica nearly always making note of how sexy she is to herself.
Fortunately, like any good RE game, the plot tosses in its horror and dramatic twists with plenty of campy elements fans will grin and groan about, but unlike most of the older games, puzzles are on the light side here. Those who’ve played the 3DS game know that it was made for bite-sized chunks of gameplay, and on consoles, this flow is exactly the same. This is actually a really great thing, as maps tend to be smaller exploration and combat affairs complete with tight spots, enemies showing up suddenly and the need to make every shot count. The deliberate pacing of the game combined with the brief to medium length storytelling cinemas do a great job of pushing you along as the plot spools out its ups and downs with a side order of sideways when required.
Controls are solid and gunplay satisfying in a Resident Evil 4 manner, but you’re dead meat on a stick if you rely strictly on unloading clip after clip into everything you see walking, crawling or otherwise ambling your way. Combat can be tense when multiple monsters are on screen and relies on accuracy and evading damage. Ammo is scarce and your fallback weapon (a big, sharp knife) makes for a poor substitute against some larger enemies and bosses. The weapons modification from the 3DS game is here in full effect, and using it is definitely a big plus, as you can beef up your guns to be a lot more fun to use than when the game begins.
Borrowing a tiny bit from Metroid Prime series, there’s Genesis, a device that can be used to scan living or dead monsters with the reward of an extra healing herb for filling the unit’s meter to 100%. It’s not mandatory to scan in every area, but you certainly don’t want to pass up a free herb and yes, scanning gets to be addictive once you get started and see that percentage rising closer to that target. The nice thing about the game is you get into a rhythm of entering an area, poking about until trouble arrives then hopefully taking care of it quickly. Death comes pretty quickly if you’re too slow on the draw or run into rooms with the intent of rushing through them and avoiding trouble.
While the Wii U version adds some cool second screen functions On the 360, PS3 and PC, you lose that second screen, so there are a few more onscreen icons to navigate. Naturally, while you get a nice map function, also having a good sense of direction can save your bacon many times as monsters tend to drop in when you backtrack through some areas or surprise you from a few angles just to shake things up. Speaking of shaking things up, the new Infernal mode adds randomness to the game by adding a ridiculous amount of monsters and moving items and such around to keep things constantly challenging while adding to the replay value significantly.
Chapters play out like episodes of a RER television series (which might do better than those movies, methinks) adding another layer of fun to things that keeps the game rolling along. Of course, it’s good to see the humor intact throughout the game, as Parker and Jessica make for some prime laughs playing sidekicks, as do a few other characters you’ll come across that add some intentional chuckles to the proceedings. Co-op play is here as well and works just fine in the form of Raid mode (which can be played solo offline), which is basically you and a buddy surviving the horror in increasingly difficult missions. This mode amps up the fun for those who want a faster paced experience than the story delivers and again, adds longevity to the game.
Other than some lower resolution ground or wall textures in some areas that will be jarring on larger HD setups, there aren’t really many “negatives” to speak of. Unless, of course you’re so jaded by playing the 3DS version to death that you fail to see the console version as a must-buy RE experience. Fans of the series who don’t own Nintendo’s portable should indeed take the plunge and even those who have should look into the Wii U version just for the added GamePad functionality. I’ll be picking that one up in a few, as amusingly enough, my 360 that I just got fixed recently red-ringed on me right after I completed the game and started the review (boo!). Well, I guess that means I can say that a Resident Evil game killed my Xbox 360… but at least it was a really darn good one that did it in…
– Greg Wilcox
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 