| System: PS4*, PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One |  |
| Dev: Capcom | |
| Pub: Capcom | |
| Release: February 24, 2015 | |
| Players: 1-2 | |
| Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p | Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language |
Enemy design is similarly uninspired. You have your standard slow zombie, fast zombie, hulking zombie, and all the other zombie stereotypes that you’ve seen from zombie games past. You never get to a point where you encounter an enemy and go “oh crap,” as if you have finally met your match. The low difficulty of the game also plays into this, as enemies feel more like an inconvenience than a threat.
One of the small pleasures of Resident Evil: Revelations 2 is its writing. Specifically, the game doesn’t take itself too seriously. You aren’t rescuing the president or trying to protect China from biological warfare. The story is kept small and personal, and it benefits from that. In addition, the story makes a lot of references to Resident Evil blunders of the past. From promotional videos showing the “obviously not evil” pharmaceutical corporation helping out people in Africa and Spain, to Claire commenting about how she almost became a “Claire sandwich,” Resident Evil: Revelations 2 likes to take the piss out of itself, which lightens the mood and goes a long way toward bolstering suspension of disbelief.
Co-op play is a bit of a mixed bag. While it’s nice to be able to bring a friend along for a ride, they are basically relegated to playing the secondary character. Humans are better than A.I. in these roles, but that doesn’t make them any more fun. You’ll frequently find yourself fighting with your friend about who gets to carry the gun.
Luckily, you can always just go into Raid mode if you both want to have some shooting fun. Like before, these are basically just shooting galleries where you hold out against waves of enemies. It’s fun, and you can spend ages getting new skills and unlocking new bonuses, but in the end the only thing really rewarding in Raid mode is playing it. There’s no real end and bonuses don’t carry over to the main game, so it’s a diversion at most.
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 Episode 1 – Penal Colony has a lot of ups and downs. Combat isn’t great, and the environments are boring, but the story is fun, and playing the game in co-op, while certainly weighted toward the combat character, makes the experience a lot better. It’s not quite the Resident Evil we all wanted, but it’s a lot better than Resident Evil 6 was, and I was one of those weirdos that liked Resident Evil 6. If Capcom keeps making Resident Evil games closer to this formula, then maybe one day it will take its place on the throne as king of survival horror once more. We just aren’t quite there yet.
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By Angelo M. D’Argenio Contributing Writer Date: February 25, 2015 |
Game Features:
