[Game Review] Resident Evil: Revelations 2 [Demo]

Foreword

I've always been a big fan of Resident Evil and played through most of the earlier games, while I always found the controls to be extremely hard on the Playstation 1, I never gave up on finishing these games and have always considered the franchise as a central part of my childhood, it was, after all, one of my first horror games along side Silent Hill.

As of late the series has garnered negative reviews from the gaming community since Resident Evil 5 and plummeted even further with Resident Evil 6. I was honestly one of those people that were very disappointed with the last two releases as I've felt that it was more action-survival than horror-survival. To put it simply, the tag team was just not helping the atmosphere of the game. This has since caused me to stir away from Resident Evil: Revelations, thinking it was just another way for Capcom to make money while burying this franchise further into the ground.

Fast forward to three weeks ago, while I was scrolling through the Playstation Network, I noticed that Resident Evil: Revelations 2 had a free demo of the first chapter.

Review

The Gameplay. What I absolutely loved about this game is the way they reinvented the whole combat system. While I absolutely hated Resident Evil 5 and 6 for having a teamwork element, which I find, did not mash well with setting the mood, I believe that Resident Evil: Revelations 2 did an absolutely great job of mending it and weaving a strong and solid gameplay, by not overpowering the player with two characters that can both use guns to deal with enemies. I found that support characters; Natalia and Moira, truly act like support characters and not a "player 2"-type thing where the NPC's aim is to kill enemies instead of support the main character, in this essence the game managed to create a great environment for team combat and survival.

The plot. I can't speak too in depth about the story, as this was demo copy, however, from the parts that I did play, I found the story a little cliché. It's not uncommon for any story to start with the way this one started, especially in the horror genre. Oddly enough, I didn't mind it. This might be because I know the story might take a sudden amazing plot twist somewhere further down the line, and cliché stories are not really something that are particularly bad when it's done properly.

The Design. The enemy design also gets a thumbs up, while the actual physical designs may not be unique, they did have that very distinct terrifying look about them, and the enemy design is tailored for each team. Claire's team having faster enemies due to spontaneous combat capabilities and Barry's being more stealth and accuracy based.

I liked the whole concept of the Revenant, the way they used Natalia's ability to create a unique fight with these creatures was something I found entertaining.

Map creation was not dreadfully large and confusing. They created a simple, yet complex structure in which you can explore without getting lost in the halls. Most areas go around in circle and you don't have to guess which corridor lead where, which is both good and bad, depending on the player.

Puzzles, on the other hand are a minor disappointment, from Claire's to Barry's side, there was little to no puzzle at all, the only thing even close to it being the escape from the horde after obtaining the golden cog.

While there were probably a lot of hardware limitations due to the Playstation 3 being an outdated system and running a newer game, the graphics were well done. They weren't drop dead gorgeous, but they weren't painful to look at either. Faces we're particularly great, although this is something you would expect from a recent release, high profile game.

The sound. The music design was regretfully forgettable. At no instance in the demo did any of the soundtrack catch my attention, in fact, while I only finished playing it a day ago, I don't even remember any of the music that was used in the game. Although I can't say that I'm surprised, I've always thought that the Resident Evil franchise isweak in terms of background music and sound.

Conclusion: While Resident Evil: Revelations 2 isn't perfect, it did bring back a lot of the old elements that were present in the earlier games. There was a genuine feel from the creators to try and bring back the fear in Resident Evil. There are a couple of problems here and there, sometimes the game would stutter, but it's at a forgivable rate. I do commend the team who created this game and gave the franchise another breath of life after it was ruined by the last two games that came out (RE 5 and 6). I hope that Capcom keeps up with the quality of game that they're currently bringing to Resident Evil Revelations 2.

Verdict: 8.3/10, a thumb and a half up!

Would I recommend this game to people? Yes, especially Resident Evil fans.

Would I purchase the full game? Absolutely, can't wait to see how the story unfolds.

And the big question; would I buy it at full price? At the current price of nearly $30, yes, I liked the game, as I've said, it isn't perfect, but I enjoyed it and I think that it's a great addition to the Resident Evil franchise.