Hey! I recorded a podcast with my chum @n7 over here! Because it's not like there's enough podcasts of guys talking about video games out there on the internet!
It's exactly as amateurish as you may expect, but if you're in the mood to listen to someone ramble on (and on and on and on) about Resident Evil for an hour, then give it a listen, provide feedback, and yes just what in the fuck is going on with that echo?
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Furthermore, I livestreamed my playthrough of the first episode of Revelations 2! Unfortunately despite this being a new headset that took me back like £45, the mic is kinda shoddy and there's this annoying buzzing noise overlaying it all... Still, if you're in the mood to hear even more Resident Evil rambling, then give it a watch, provide feedback, and have I always sounded like I'm in the midst of choking on my own tongue?
Also, if anyone has any recommendations for a headset that doesn't a feature a mic that sounds as if there's a mosquito perpetually buzzing around in your ear, I'd appreciate it.
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I also wrote up a stupidly long review thing as well that's basically redundant at this point, but I've been feeling extra-depressed lately so my motivation has been at an all time low! Still, should you happen to have a Resident Evil rambling fetish, then by all means give it a read, provide feedback, and something something something?
Resident Evil as a series exists in a post-Resident Evil 6 world. A world where Resident Evil's latest big outing was the obnoxious, overly scripted, QTE-driven, sloppy bunch of drivel that was 2012's Gears of Evil: Resident of Duty. Alongside that we also had the even worse and outright pathetic Operation Raccoon City -- in the same year. They served as a one-two punch and deflated much of the momentum the series had built up over the years. Fortunately there was Resident Evil: Revelations, a (still rather lukewarm) attempt at going in a slightly different direction and melding the aspects of the old-school survival horror Resident Evil, and the more contemporary shooty-shooty of the modern releases. Though while it wasn't quite a homerun it at least shown promise, and was certainly far and beyond the quality of its fellows of the 2012 Resident Evil Apocalypse. So much so that rather than continuing with Resident Evil 7, Capcom have opted to instead release a Revelations 2.
No doubt as a means to help distance themselves from the weight of releasing the next Big Numbered Resident Evil, it's still a little peculiar as while it has its own uniquities, Revelations isn't that distinctive from the bigger budget mainline games. Nonetheless, Revelations 2 does have a few quirks of its own to help it stand out amongst the ever growing crowd of Resident Evil shooters.
For starters, Revelations 2 is to be released episodically with an episode per week spanning four weeks in total. There will be a physical release after the fact, though its episodic format, alongside its budget pricing, may hint towards a future where the sub-brand Revelations will continue to exist to provide smaller scale Resident Evils alongside the big budget numbered entries. And fortunately despite the ails of Resident Evils past, the first episode makes for a decent start to this episodic quadrilogy.
Revelations 2 features four protagonists, split into twos. There's first Claire Redfield, sister to Chris Redfield from the most recent of the series releases, who hasn't canonically starred within a game since all the way back in Code: Veronica. Paired with her is newcomer Moira Burton, daughter to legendary sandwich enthusiast Barry Burton. Elsewhere we have Barry himself making his belated return, who hasn't been seen since Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, and even then only in a cameo role at the end. Barry is joined by another newcomer, a mysterious little girl called Natalia Korda. The story first starts you off with Claire and Moira, having been kidnapped by unknown forces and taken to a remote prison island. Then at a certain point, the perspective will shift to Barry and Natalia as they retread Claire and Moira's steps.
Amongst other similarities--such as the setting in particular--the story structure brings Code: Veronica to mind, with how you'd have to explore environments first as Claire, then later on as her brother Chris where he must make his way through everything that has occurred before hand, most notably an explosion that altered the architecture of the island. The differences aren't quite as drastic in Revelations 2, but there's some bits of handiwork you'll perform as Claire & Moira that will prove an obstacle for Barry and Natalia during their segments.
Surprisingly enough the story itself isn't all too bad, given the circumstances of this being a Resident Evil game. Though while there's obviously not that much story going on as of yet beyond ''escape crazy island/save daughter from crazy island'', there's enough intrigue implanted to leave me curious to learn more in the coming episodes. The voice acting and writing is also handled with the right degree of ham & cheese without going too overboard. Though the menagerie of colourful cursing that spills out of Moira's mouth (''moist barrel of fucks''/''shit on a stick'') feels rather forced. Barry himself provides many of the character highlights, with a likeable voice performance complimenting the equally dependable and goofy qualities Barry's known for. That Capcom have somehow managed to recreate and modernise Barry in 2015 into something believable yet familiar is pretty impressive. A not-so-subtle nod to his infamous 'master of unlocking' line in particular made for a cute little reference.
The gameplay of Revelations 2 is also rather familiar while feeling different all the same. Whereas the original Revelations felt much like Resident Evil 4 only with the inclusion of allowing you to move & shoot, resulting in some rather awkward animations in the midst of any diagonal movement, Revelations 2 has seemingly been rebuilt from the ground up. That is with a few inclusions from prior games, such as Resident Evil 6's sprint -- and not to mention much of its animation set. Nonetheless, It manages to feel quite unlike any other modern day Resident Evil shooter despite its obvious similarities. The movement for example feels weirdly slow, in traditional Resident Evil fashion, despite the more accessible maneuverability and animations to account for that; in fact it kind of brings to mind the sort of pacing from the Lost Planet series. It admittedly took some getting used to due to my preconceived expectations, but I grew accustomed to it surprisingly quick.
The core shooting is a vast improvement from the first Revelations, and the enemies react well to bullets with a welcome degree of sploshy and painful looking feedback. The primary adversary of the game, being ''The Afflicted'', function similarly to the Ganado and Majini of games past, however they're significantly more aggressive. The Afflicted will routinely rush right at you, swiping wildly with whatever weapon they have if not their own bloodied mitts. They will also sometimes start munching on you, requiring you to wiggle the stick to escape their grasp. Similar to such games as The Evil Within in particular, The Afflicted function as an effective means of keeping the tension at a steady level with their constant rush tactics. They're also surprisingly agile and will often attempt to leap through the air to grab you, sometimes hilariously leading to them inadvertently jumping over the railing to a lower level.
The Afflicted are only faced in Claire's portion of the game; Barry instead will primarily come into conflict with ''The Rotten'', which are essentially just zombies and are much slower and easier to handle. However to balance things out a little Barry will also contend against 'Revenants', which make for the game's most creative enemy type. Despite primarily looking like a sentient bundle of roughly stitched together limbs, the Revenant is surprisingly resistant to bullets. That is unless you can locate its weak point, which'll reveal the all too familiar pulsating orange bulb of critical hitdom. How you locate its weak point then leads into what is Revelation's most damning, or enjoyable dynamic, aspect -- depending on the segment.
Cooperative gameplay returns once more to the series, after the original Revelations' story left you on your lonesome as Jill Valentine. And by 'lonesome' I mean playing on your own with an invincible AI compatriot continually existing behind you, following you where you go throughout like 90% of the game like a lost little puppy. While the series is no stranger to cooperative gameplay, Revelations 2 makes for a detour and attempts something a little different. Both Claire & Barry each play like a traditional modern day Resident Evil protagonist, however their respective compatriots Moira and Natalia fill in as support roles rather than simply as another gun -- in fact neither of which can use any gun at all. The idea is certainly a fresh one for the series, however the execution is somewhat off the mark. Natalia for example works well in conjunction with Barry, as her own equivalent to the 'see all enemies within the vicinity' vision aids in the game's light attempt at stealth, allowing you to better note the enemy patterns to then take advantage and nail a vicious melee kill from behind. Her vision furthermore allows her to spot the weak points of the aforementioned Revenants, and can spot nearby traps and ammunition, making her a pretty vital asset to the core gameplay. Despite her young age, she still has her own means of attack by way of bricks she can pick up and potentially throw, if not use to violently smash in a downed enemy's cranium.
...Then we have Moira. Moira unfortunately functions as nothing more than a hindrance, a curse-happy liability that only ever seems to get in the way. Her unique abilities include her torch, which can theoretically be shone to stun enemies, allowing Claire the opportunity to rush in and perform a melee attack. However the length of time by which it takes to stun an enemy is surprisingly long, and it often feels that you're better off simply stunning an enemy with a well placed shot to the head. She can at least use her torch to locate items Claire couldn't otherwise collect, similar to the 'Genesis' item in the original Revelations, however the overall span of your torch is significantly smaller and thusly much more tedious to try and locate any hidden goodies. Her other ability lies with her crowbar, which she can use to execute a downed enemy. She can swing it about normally, though its rather slow and the damage it inflicts just doesn't seem worth the danger of getting up close.
What adds to the aggravation is while there's cooperative gameplay, it's local only. As such, I played it on my own and Moira seemingly never actually makes use of her abilities. She would instead simply hang around like some confused bystander, if not sometimes run ahead and/or stay still in the midst of danger. Moira isn't invincible either, and while her getting downed won't result in a game over, her crowbar may sometimes be required to continue onward by way of pulling off a board of wood off a door. Playing it cooperatively would likely help to mitigate some of the cooperative mechanic's failings, however that it's restricted to local only naturally limits the possibility to play as such rather greatly. You can at least switch between each character instantaneously, but such accessibility still can't compare to having each character operate independently by a player.
The structure of the episode is pretty linear and you're not given quite as much leeway to explore on your own as seen in the original Revelations. That said, the environments are much more open than the claustrophobic corridors of RE6. Besides a rather frustrating segment involving an onslaught of infinitely-respawning enemies and a deceptively ineffective flamethrower, the overall design of this first episode feels... safe, yet enjoyable all the same. Revelations 2 isn't going to great strides to reinvent the series, but what it instead delivers is a halfstep return to its glory days. Glory days amongst the Resident Evil shooter generation that is. Despite Capcom's continued insistence that Revelations is to function as a more horror-oriented series to exist alongside the bigger numbered entries, Revelations 2 is still very much a third-person shooter. Puzzles are barely nonexistent and many combat encounters are mandatory, dispelling two of the primary components of the survival horror entries of the series.
That said, Revelations 2 does make some minor adjustments to the formula to help distinguish itself from the likes of Resident Evil 5 and 6. For starters, melee combat continues to be much less of a focus as it has become in the numbered series. You can of course still perform a melee attack against a stunned enemy, but that's primarily it. No more freeforming melee attacks or anything of the sort. In fact virtually all of the new mechanics introduced in RE6 seem to have been shelved, that is again besides the sprint. Enemies won't drop any sort of supplies either, which can at least force your own supplies to begin to dwindle at least. Well, as Claire perhaps, though as Barry ammunition was always in plentiful supply. Certain attacks may also temporarily handicap your character by way of bleeding, which will limit your character's movement speed while also blotting the screen with drops of blood. This can make way for a layer of tension to take a hold as you frantically try to make sense of the situation while your screen's heavily obscured, though it can also simply prove to be a nuisance. And while you won't be diving all over the place like a terribly confused and potentially drunk breakdancer, you do have a four-way dodge maneuver to give you a little defence in conjunction with all of that offence.
Still, despite such minutia, Revelations 2 is ultimately just another Resident Evil shooter. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as before Capcom can go about reinventing the over-the-shoulder wheel, it's fair for them to at least attempt to prove that after Resident Evil 6 there's still some folks at Resident Evil HQ who know how to make something that isn't liable to leave you vomiting from every pore and orifice on your body.
Not like we should really be surprised anymore, but Revelations 2 of course isn't particularly scary, nor even unsettling. It has some creepy atmosphere to it during Barry's temporary exploration of a foggy forest, but considering the recent re-release of the 2002 remake, I feel like the standards of what to expect from a Resident Evil game's atmosphere has been kicked up a notch. The Revenant enemy type certainly gave me the occasional shiver at least.
Once the roughly 2-hour long episode 1 campaign has been dusted, you're then given access to Raid mode, returning from the original Revelations. While the famed score-focussed arena-combat Mercenaries mode has long been situated as the series main post-story minigame of choice, Raid mode offers something just as thought out and surprisingly addictive. Built up as something resembling an action-RPG of sorts, Raid mode has you levelling up characters, upgrading skills, acquiring loot (weapons and weapon mods) and fighting your way increasingly tougher gauntlets. It's relatively simple overall and isn't quite as chaotic as Mercenaries, but it's got all the hooks of what makes such video game concepts appealing, complete with numbers bouncing off of enemies with every shot. It's also seen many an improvement from the original iteration of Raid mode, now including a lot more customisation for your characters with a multitude of skills, many more 'elite' elemental enemies, and what currently appears to be much less of a grind. Whereas the original's often required you to constantly keep returning to earlier missions to grind out levels and currency (sometimes simply to just refill your ammo), Revelations 2 seems to be a little more lenient in letting you clean through the competition -- so long as you're the recommended level at least. Unfortunately much like the campaign cooperative gameplay is restricted to local only, although online coop will eventually be implemented... just only whence the retail version is out. As such, I've been tempering my Raid mode excursions so as to wait until I can start shooting some not-zombies in the head with a friend.
While this isn't necessarily a complaint, but there appears to be an awful lot of asset recycling going on in Revelations 2. Many of RE6's animations seem to have carried over for starters, and many of the 'Gestures' in Raid mode are taken from the Lost Planet series. The HUNK character model is clearly the RE4 model, Wesker's from RE5, Jill Valentine's from Revelations, and many of the Raid mode stage environments also originate from RE6 (right, all of your favourite locals from everybody's favourite Resident Evil game!..), as do many of the enemies. It starts to make Raid mode in particular look like some sort of 'Greatest Hits' compilation, and while it's actually kind of neat to see so many familiar 'faces', it also portrays a slight air of desperation, as if Capcom simply couldn't afford to completely cater to this mode with the game's own assets. Nonetheless, Raid mode alone currently feels like the highlight of the package, and if you happen to buy the first episode on its own then there's a pretty hefty portion of content awaiting you.
Overall I'm excited to get to play more of Revelations 2 as the weeks go on. While it's all thus far feeling pretty safe in the grand spectrum of Resident Evil games, it's certainly a marked improvement over Resident Evil 6, and even the original Revelations in some regards, which is currently all I can ask for. It unfortunately doesn't quite carry the same 'survival horror shooter' qualities as such games as The Evil Within or The Last of Us, but it's enough to give me hope that Resident Evil may just be able to pick itself up and get back on the rotten, decomposing, maggot-infested horse...
But seriously Moira you're bloody useless.
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