Oh Resident Evil. How far you’ve come. The horror franchise hasn’t been the same since the release of Resident Evil 4. Some would say for the better, while others would say for the worse. But the latest offering, Resident Evil: Revelations, has something for both new followers and loyalists alike.
With Revelations, Capcom has taken on the job of blending the classic style of survival-horror with the latest incarnation of a first-person shooter. Trying to please both parties? No easy task. So just how well did Capcom do? Pretty darn well.
If you like the rapid fire style of the more recent games R.E. 4 and 5, then there is little doubt you’ll enjoy this game. The mechanics aren’t that far off from previous entries. The only exception being the added ability to walk while aiming, shooting, and reloading. Certainly a much needed boost to game play. This comes in handy for the hordes of zombies and the assortment of nasties you’ll encounter.
But for all you fans of old-school Resident Evil, well, Revelations has got you in mind. Remember in Code Veronica or Outbreak when the over-all feel of the game was more like a puzzle? It was very atmospheric with dark, creepy music, and you had to scramble around in a dilapidated city for a yellow herb to mix with a green onfor health. Or maybe you only had 8 bullets for fifteen moaning and groaning zombies? And sometimes, you had to retrace your steps multiple times to unlock doors or safes with newly acquired tools, keys or security cards. Yup, classic Resident Evil games were a real head-scratcher at times. And if that wasn’t enough, you had things popping out at you, bringing with it real scares, something the more recent fare lacks. Revelations revisits that old style of gameplay utilizing some of the old tricks that made the game so popular in the first place.
Being confined to a stranded luxury cruise ship, you get to play as hottie and fan-favorite, Jill Valentine. You trace and retrace your steps all over the ship, searching for clues as to what really happened to the destroyed paradise city of Terragrigia. The story can be a bit complex to follow at times with persistent flashbacks and changes in perspective. Sometimes you’re present-day Jill and other times you play as Parker Luciani when he was still a fresh face at the ‘ol B.S.A.A. headquarters. But, this back and forth does keep the game from getting stale, so that’s a plus.
It’s very tempting to sit and have a good 2 or 3 hour go at the game, but really, after a level or 2, it can be a pain trying to keep up with the mass of details, names and acronyms thrown at you. So, it’s best to take even breaks throughout so not to become too overwhelmed. This, actually, can also be said for the graphics, too. This game is beautiful. Capcom really pushes the boundaries of the 3DS with Revelations. I think it just may be one of the best 3-D games released for the system to date. Not only do the characters move with a smooth fluid motion, but the 3-D aspect is impressive. You even have an in-game setting that allows you to increase the depth, allowing for a more dimensional (3-D-er?) look than the standard 3-D 3DS game. However, like the storyline, after a while, it can become taxing. About an hour into the game, I had a terrible headache, my battery was all but dead, and I found that I could either focus on the plot or the graphics, but not both.
Tags: nintendo 3ds, resident evil, Videogames, Zombies
