Resident Evil – Revelations 2 Review (Xbox One)
I have to admit to not being a fan of episodic releases, no real reason, other than hating the fact of having to stop playing because the developer says so. Thankfully all the episodes for Resident Evil Revelations 2 were released in a timely manner and are available as a full download and complete pack on disk as well.
The make up of Resident Evil Revelations 2 is four regular episodes and two special episodes, all of which can be finished of in around two hours each. The first episode does include Raid Mode, a timed challenge style game, which has some great replayability to thankfully increase the gaming you will get out of the package as a whole.
As a gamer I have played most Resident Evil games and enjoyed the vast majority but have to admit to not knowing much of the back stories and canon that is Resident Evil. In saying that the characters in Revelations 2 are like old friends and the setting for the game slides in well with what I remember of previous games. And with different characters stories running parallel to each other it is a good use of the same environments but using the different abilities and approach to suit each character. Along with a sidekick with a separate set of skills you will find yourself coming across areas that you can’t access but know other characters can in another episode.
Visually Revelations 2 is very much in the Resident Evil style with a few new monsters to mix it up, along with the help to deal to them. I have to say I did have the odd occasion where I was caught out because the of the context style of the controls. And also getting hung up on bits of the scenery caused some grief too. The audio plays its part well with plenty of creepy sounds and the ominous tell tale of approaching trouble. Unfortunately I only had one decent scare during the whole game, and it was a good one. Shame there wasn’t more. The menu and inventory system is old school Resident Evil and I still hate it. Why can’t can’t they make it more user friendly already!
Frustratingly as you move forward through each episode you will find yourself unable to backtrack thanks to a slamming gate or drop you are unable to climb back up. This causes headaches when you know you have missed or left pickups behind or even missed entire areas because you went left instead of right. None of this stops you from moving forward but is annoying none the less. Especially so when ammunition is as scarce as it should be in a Resident Evil game. As for the hidden medallions you have to find and destroy, well lets just say, very well hidden. I only managed a hand full through the entire game.
Closing Comments.
Resident Evil Revelations 2. Really short, but with Raid Mode there is at least something to return to after the final credits. And it is a good solid Resident Evil title that fans and newcomers can enjoy. Although fans will get more out of it thanks to knowing the main characters and history of them. At around $35 for the digital version it is a pretty fair price, although I have seen the retail version as high as $90! Will undoubtedly be on sale at some point but if you feel the need for some Resident Evil action, $35 isn’t too bad. Good fun.
