Resident Evil Revelations 2

Resident Evil games of last gen have been reasonably successful and they are also the subject of many criticisms. The prevailing theme is the addition of partner, which may boost the action but leaves the horror aspect unpolished. Revelations 2 isn't as big budget as a couple of previous titles, but this is probably the closest Capcom has ever been in mixing horror and action together.

Story follows two perspectives; Clarie's and Barry's, both with their respective partners. The campaign spans across four episodes, shifting between Claire and Barry repeatedly. This is a great direction since the narrative is pretty complex, but not to the point of overwhelming as Resident Evil 6 four campaigns. Clarie and Moira, Barry's daughter, are kidnapped and taken to an island. They are unwilling participants for a bizarre experiment. Meanwhile, Barry is going to said island later in the future to investigate the incident. There he meets with a strange orphan Natalia.

The two stories work dynamically as they complement each other. Things happened in Claire's perspective might have impact on Barry's and there are certain events that are revealed after completing the counterpart. The transition is smooth, and this is quite a feat since the areas for each episode are shared between the two. Characters are likable, I find myself caring about their ordeals, which is rare when playing Resident Evil games.

Dialogues are decent, it still has the campy feel of B-movie, but with more emphasis on humor this time around. Dubbers perform the voices to suit the characters, especially Moira who throws profanity at a whim. Plot may not be as bombastic as the fall of a city, although this smaller scale actually works to the game's benefit. It gives more focus and lets the players invest on the characters.

Unfortunately, graphic suffers a slight frame rate. For most of the time the game runs smoothly, but as it changes area or tries to perform intricate scenes the visual will screech almost to a halt for a few seconds. This will hamper the game more than a couple of times. Design for the setting is good, the island has all the bits of previous titles. Claire and Barry will go through prison, village, city and odd facilities. It's definitely leaning towards horror effect, its gritty corridors and abandoned outback are memorably fitting without being too flashy.

Gameplay is interchangeable between two characters, or you can get a friend to play the support character. Each main character has the ability to fight, while the support mainly dabble in finding items and are not too proficient in combat. The AI isn't shabby, but playing with another person is definitely better since AI still encounters some issues. For those who are familiar with third person shooter, Revelations 2 won't pose much trouble.

It has standard basic mechanic while offering simple upgrades with skills and parts. Previous titles are more like a corridor based shooter, players clear a segment with gun blazing and move on to next one. Revelations changes that with predominant horror thriller aspect, some simple puzzles as well as a bit of exploration. It's not large by any means, however this type of gameplay fits Resident Evil atmosphere very well in just the moderate amount so it won't plod the pace. Add quaint graphic and eerie sound effects, the game is a legitimate addition to Resident Evil lore.

Revelations 2 story has average playtime. It can be finished in about 10 hours. After player is done with Campaign, there are two separate extra episodes, each clocking at about one hour. There's also Raid Mode which is a gauntlet with different objective. This resembles Mercenary Mode from previous titles, where players can go through multitude of stages and unlocks different upgrades from main story. If one is interested, there are plenty of medals and records to achieve, but I don't think this will buff the playthrough more than once or twice.

For episodic title Revelations 2 has a lot of content, certainly the best bang for your buck. With likable returning as well as new characters and pleasantly good story, Revelations 2 is a great addition to the franchise and genre.

===================================

Graph : Good design on characters and setting, but the technical aspect is flawed. 6.5/10

Sound : Interesting voice works and scores. Script has corny Resident Evil vibe and it's actually funny this time. 8/10

Gameplay : Presentable third person shooter with partner gimmick. The throwback to horror element is a nice touch. 7.5/10

Presentation : Improvement on story and hefty content will definitely entertain the genre fans and action enthusiast. 8/10

Overall 7.5/10

Resident Evil: Revelations 2 was one of the very first Playstation 4 games I bought back in 2015 and it took me a whopping three years to complete this game. There are a lot of positive and negative elements about the game even though I would overall consider it an above average to good game.

On the positive side, the twisted story is quite interesting. It takes place in two different timelines which is an interesting concept. There are also multiple different characters to control with different objectives which adds some change and pace to the franchise. The story revolves around the events on an isolated island where an experiment has gone terribly wrong and has had grisly short- and long-term consequences. The different chapters are very challenging, detailed and long. The opponents are at times tough to fight, especially the bosses. The most recent editions even include two bonus episodes among other elements. If you purchase this game, you will have numerous hours of game play as Resident Evil: Revelations 2 truly offers value for money.

On the negative side, I think the game is a little bit too long overall. The fight sequences are quite repetitive and fighting the bosses for hours and hours can become quite frustrating. I often played the game for a week or two, took a break of several months and then resumed playing. That's why it took me nearly three years to make it through this epic game.

If you like the Resident Evil franchise or intense horror games in general, you simply can't get around this game because it offers high-quality long-term entertainment. On the other side, you need to bring some patience to accept the challenge to make it until the very end.

I love Resident evil games in general, but as of late they've shifted the focus more on action rather than horror aspects. The Revelations series serves to remind us that Capcom is still fully capable of delivering chills and creating horrifying creatures. The final boss is truly a beautifully grotesque work of art that disturbs as much as fascinates. The game is also filled with eerie moments and intense encounters all the while providing limited ammunition, so every shot counts. However, as interesting as the main campaign is, Riot mode is where the real meat lies, taking up hours and hours of your time in an addictive mini-role playing action game that will give you a unique experience with every character you build up from scratch. All in all, a must have for fans of survival horror and action alike.

I'm a fan of the Resident Evil franchise it's one of my favorite games of all time, though unfortunately like with most video game franchises as time goes on the pace slows down as fast as a zombie walk. The first Revelations game I felt really made the franchise pick up the pace again but I did like the first revelations game but truth be told didn't totally love it because the story wasn't that memorable, but that's just how I feel.

The second outing I personally like a lot more because of the story as well as the new kind of format they utilize. I really like the fact that they went for the episodic/cliffhanger approach which of course is utilized for the Teletale games; I think this format fits the game perfectly which made it all the more suspenseful because after beating one episode I couldn't wait to play the next one because I wanted to know what else will happen, what going on, and what more there is to uncover. But also in the utilization of the split story format which as usual in the franchise is great because it kind makes the story a bit of a puzzle as were seeing thing in different perspectives and finding out how both connect.

The story I think is great as it's pretty much focused on both Berry and Clare whom we haven't seen in a while. That's one of the things I love about this franchise whenever they bring characters were familiar with their even more interesting because you can see both physically and personally how much they've changed and how much the war against Umbrella and the Undead have affected them. I even like how the story adds one or two things new to the mythos of the franchise.

The graphics are very good, from the character animation from the protagonists to the monsters that are delightfully nasty as usual. But I really like the use of darkness and the grittiness and wear of the enviorment making it feel like a world that is against you completely unfriendly and just falling apart.

Gameplay is great it's the familiar format like with RE4 and the first Revelations and I personally wouldn't want it any other way. There is plenty of action but it's not in overabundance it hits at all the right times, and I like that you actually have a bit of strategy because in some battles you can't always fight you way out because of not just the odds but how fast certain situations can drain your ammo. So you kinda have to weigh in on fight or flight, it's up to you depending on what the situation dictates so choose carefully your life depends on it.

But of course what really powers the game is in the suspense and scares and this game thankfully has plenty of them which was I'll admit seemed to be sorely missing in the franchise. There were some situation and moment that literally made me tense, like in one sequence when a horde of zombies and monsters is coming out for an ambush, I thought oh crap I better put the petal to the metal to do what I have to do to get the hell out of there. Or even just simply venturing into those dark buildings was intense as your not sure what the hell to expect whether there could be a booby trap or even a zombie in the next turn or room. And of course that music in the game is great, I really like it whenever there is this really tense/scary toon that starts up which acts as an alarm that danger is coming and it's time to get ready for battle or retreat.

Hopefully they'll be a third and possibly final game for this, the ending did give a little hint of the possibility after all. But if that happens they'll have to change the game play up again may'be utilize the same one from the upcoming seventh volume in the franchise. But if a third game doesn't happen then I'm fine with that also, sometimes it's best to quit while your ahead.

The Revleations for this sequel are good.

Rating: 3 and a half stars

Not the best Resident Evil game but it's was good, I like the return of the horror in the game, and the characters in the game were good especially Claire and Moira, I recommend you to play this game.