Resident Evil Revelations 2 is Capcom's new title in the beloved horror franchise. Unlike the previous revelations game, this one was designed from the ground up to be played on consoles. The controls feel tighter, the player is given more freedom and there is the option to play through this new nightmare with a friend. How does the overall package hold up? Pretty well with some snags along the way.
Story
Story wise the game takes places between Resident Evil 5 and 6. The game focuses on two sets of characters. The first set has longtime survivor Claire Redfield, who fans will remember from Resident Evil 2 and Code Veronica, and Moira Burton, the daughter of Barry Burton. The second set of characters is Barry Burton, the beloved S.T.A.R.S. member from the first game, and Natalia, a girl with "psychic powers" not even joking amigo. The story is separated over a span of 6 months. You will be switching back and forth between both sets of characters. Team Claire takes place in the past while Team Barry takes place 6 months afterward. The story is done in a non linear fashion which leaves plenty to be discovered.
Previously, on Revelations 2...
The changing perspectives keeps things from getting boring while leaving the player wanting to find out what happens next. If there's one thing I'll give Capcom credit for, they knew how to end each episode leaving the player wanting more. Each time an episode ended I was immediately hooked and wanted to play the next section. The overseer is also a very interesting villain who fans will be delighted to learn her true identity. This Resident Evil also takes the extra steps to flesh out the characters in a bit less of a goofy fashion this time around. Don't get me wrong the game is littered with cheesy one liners and foul language, looking at you Moira, but the coop is used to really get the characters to play off each other rather than just having them be there for the sake of backup. I truly enjoyed the story in this game and I'm hoping that Capcom will improve the formula with Resident Evil 7 rather than take steps backwards like the usually do.
Pacing
Capcom decided to experiment this time around and rather than release a full game, they decided to do it in piece meal similar to The Walking Dead or any of the other Telltale games. I wonder why they chose to do it in this fashion. With Telltale it made sense, they wrote the series as they went along with a few overarching plot points, that's why each episode takes so long to be released. However Capcom released a new episode each week which means the game was finished, they simply chose to break it up into episodes. The game doesn't necessarily suffer for it, especially since all the episodes are now available, however it simply sounds like an odd design choice.
Oh Resi puzzles, you never change. And I'm ok with that.
There are plenty of stopping points in the game and many collectibles. Players will earn BP to spend on abilities and attack upgrades as they progress through the campaign. Guns can also be acquired and upgraded using custom parts and an upgrade bench. Little things like this add to the game's replay value since some skills can take awhile to unlock and there are many secret outfits and weapons that can be used in the campaign once certain modes are beaten. It's also worth mentioning that 2 side stories can be unlocked once the game is beaten that adds some challenge and stealth to the mix if you haven't had your fill.
Coop
Unlike the recent Resident Evils that featured coop, the second character isn't another gun toting bad ass that eats up the ammunition. Instead the game takes an asymmetrical coop approach by mixing action with survival horror. While Barry and Claire stick to running and gunning, Moira and Natalia have to use other means to support their partners in combat. Moira is able to blind enemies with her flashlight and deal heavy damage with her crowbar attacks, Gordon would be proud, while Natalia is able to spot enemies through walls and toss bricks to stagger foes. This makes the game more interesting since each character has their roles to play and their own responsibilities. This also solves the problem of Resident Evil coop in terms of having to share ammo.
Sure, one partner gets the guns, but the other gets those ammo efficient take-downs.
This game was built from the bottom up to be a coop game. I would not recommend playing this game by yourself. Unfortunately the game doesn't support online coop aside from Raid mode, which ill get into next, however the game does feature local coop. If you aren't playing with a partner then you must switch between each character with the push of a button. While this isn't the worst mechanic I've ever seen, the A.I. would often do some really dumb things. From not shooting enemies, to running up to them only to get smacked away or blown up. If you must play this game alone, try to avoid switching to Moira or Natalia as their health regenerates. Claire's and Barry's doesn't so the A.I. has some wiggle room if it uses Moira or Natalia.
No child left behind
Raid Mode
Raid Mode returns from Revelations 1. This will probably be the bulk of most people's game experience once the main game is beaten. Raid mode involves mini missions filled with enemies that must be defeated under certain conditions. Either there is a time limit or perhaps a marker must be protected from waves of enemies. This mode is highly addicting due to the character progression, unlockable characters, weapon pickups and mods for weapons. Each character has their own progression and set of skills that can be unlocked and upgraded as you progress through raid mode. If you are a huge fan of action RPGs or you want Mercenaries with a bit more grind and progression than you will love raid mode.
Character customization plays a big part this time for Raid mode
Final Thoughts
Overall whether you agree with the episodic format or not, Resident Evil Revelations 2 is a lot of game for a very reasonable price. There is so much content here to keep you coming back for more and with some interesting gun play, coop and secrets to be found you will be blasting the crazies for months to come. Since this game is so heavily coop focused Ill give this game two scores. If you play by yourself exclusively Id rate this about an 8, with a partner I'd say a 9. Regardless it's a great game for a great price with some of the best game play and story that Resident Evil has to offer.
As a successor to the original Revelations, or even held up against some of the numbered entries in the series, Revelations 2 manages to stand as an unexpected and welcome surprise for RE fans and horror aficionados alike. Capcom seems to have managed to learn from their weaknesses in the past 2 entries, 6 and Revelations, take the good, cut out the bad, and add some interesting new wrinkles to the mix.
Big guy with a fire cannon? Ok, I guess I'll just head the other way...
Case in point to start with is the episodic format and nature of the game. Previously, I lambasted the first Revelations console release for seemingly unnecessary preview and recap sections for every chapter. With Capcom's decision to actually release a new episode each week, these recaps make much more sense for players that would boot up the game every week to see how the latest events unfold, not unlike a TV mini-series. Even for players picking up the whole package with a season pass, there's something comfortable about playing through a few hours and letting what just happened gestate for a bit. The pacing here is about as perfect as it's ever been. A character section of Claire and Moria or Barry and Natalia lasts longer than Rev 1's typical chapter, but shorter than a chapter from RE6, cutting the difference sublimely.
A few light stealth segments can go a long way to saving resources.
A lot of fan service is being put out there for long-time Biohazard fans, obviously with the return of some series classic characters, but with mentions of past plot points, villains, locations, even dialog. If you've been following the series closely, there are going to be a few moments that make you smile. Characters range from being ho-hum and acceptable to actually stand-out and pretty good, especially for an RE game. Claire's performance is pushed to the background for some Moria's absurd dialog and constant dropping of f-bombs. Michael McConnohie's take on Barry Burton is quite enjoyable, and even Pastore's Natalia is surprisingly well done. Mary Elizabeth McGlynn rounds out the mysterious overseer, dropping some menace into the role of the opposition.
Pretty sure we're breaking a few OSHA regulations just by standing here.
Visuals are kind of all over the place for this title. We're once again in-between 6 and Revelations in terms of fidelity. I imagine a large part of this is due to making this game available on modern consoles, past-gen, vita and PC. Character models generally look pretty good, but environments tend to be pretty bland for the most part. The game has smoothed over in terms of playability since launch for PC players, and consoles seem to have been solid out of the gate.
Wesker takes on some B.O.W.S., followed by a celebratory dance.
Gameplay has a lot of little improvements from the first Revelations worth noting, thanks in no small part to the game being designed for modern controllers. Dodging is now completely in the control of the player, as opposed to being context sensitive. Much of the aiming mechanics are also lifted from the predecessor, with the knockdown, ground kill mechanics being essential for those who want to save ammo. The partner AI system for those who are playing solo is reminiscent from Resident Evil:0, and manages to play out decently. Partner characters are generally pretty tough and will regenerate health if given a moment to rest. Some combos, such as using Claire for a melee knockdown, and then swapping to Moria for a ground crowbar takedown, take a bit of getting used to. I'll to defer to DJ for how well the co-op works (c'mon Capcom, give us some online story mode), but it's serviceable even solo.
Deviously placed emblems make a return for a nightmarish scavenger hunt.
Tons of collectibles, alternate play modes, extra chapters, and the returning raid mode round out the Revelations 2 package, giving you lots of replay value, especially if you end up buying all 4 chapters. Raid mode in particular stands out as being probably the best it's ever been, with hundreds of map variants to play on, daily missions, and some negligible microtransactions. It's fun on it's own, and a later patch claims to be adding multiplayer support to the ordeal. At $25, this is pretty much a steal, more-so if your a fan of the series. Don't miss this one.
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