Regular readers know that I LOVE me some RE (yes, even Resident Evil 6), so it should come as little surprise that I've recently made my way through Capcom's latest zombie shooting gallery, Resident Evil Revelations 2. Now, I was somewhat harsh on this game's predecessor when I reviewed it back in 2012. While I applauded that game's relatively large scale and scope, I also called it out for gimping the combat and for having some of the blandest enemy designs in the entire series. Now, some three years later, I'm happy to report that Revelations 2 has greatly improved upon the shortcomings of the original Revelations, and it makes a strong argument for the continuation of this spinoff series.
Revelations 2 follows the exploits of series stalwarts Barry Burton and Claire Redfield, while also introducing newcomers Natalia Korda (an orphan child) and Moira Burton (Barry's adult daughter). In my review of the original Revelations I made a quip that no one plays Resident Evil games for the plot, but in the years since I've come to rethink that somewhat. No rational person would ever hold the storytelling in this series up as an example of video gaming's finest work, but it does have a handful of memorable characters as well as a satisfyingly cuckoo-bananas B-movie meets Michael Bay sort of vibe. Case in point: this game. I thought it was a great choice to have Barry "What IS this?!" Burton do a turn in the starring role, and the story about a madwoman conducting bio-mutation experiments on a secluded island is effective, if at times a little boilerplate.
Still, the main reason I play RE games is the combat, so let's dig into that. In general terms I think that, with a few exceptions, the gunplay and the weapon upgrading in this game will remind people most of RE 4. Unlike RE 4, you can easily move your character while aiming and shooting, and you also have full control over the camera using the right stick, but apart from that there's not much to differentiate the gameplay and strategy of RE 4 and Revelations 2. Stuff like the diving, crawling, and counter attacking maneuvers of RE 6 have been stripped away in favor of streamlined melee, dodging, and healing systems as well as the welcome return of upgradeable weapons. I could quibble a bit about the somewhat irrelevant crafting and stealth systems or the variety of "status effects" that can greatly limit your view of the action, but none of these things did a whole lot to dampen my enjoyment of the gameplay overall. Simply put, Revelations 2 has a solid combat system with enough variety to keep things interesting, but not so much that you get bogged down by clunky controls, submenus, and quick-timed events.
The presentation is probably the one aspect of this game that will prove to be the most divisive. The original Revelations seemed to strike a good balance between the exploration and asset management of the first few games in the series and the more action oriented direction of the series that started with RE 4, but I have to say that with Revelations 2, Capcom is once again steering the ship into combat heavy waters. This works for me, as I tend to enjoy these kinds of solidly built, "shooting gallery" style games, but I fear that any goodwill the developers may have gained by appealing to fans of the earliest games in the series with the half action/half puzzle solving exploration gameplay of the original Revelations might be lost again with this follow up title. If it's any consolation, the enemy designs in Revelations 2 are far more interesting and detailed than anything I can recall from the original Revelations, and the excellent Raid Mode mini-game returns with more playable characters, more missions, greater weapon options, and even some nostalgic battlefields from previous games...so there's that!
In the end, I really can't think of a reason not to recommend this game to fans of the series post-RE 4. Those who want puzzles, jump scares, and tight corridors will likely be disappointed (even if they enjoyed the original Revelations), but if action is your bag then this is worth a look. Revelations 2 does little to push the series forward in any truly meaningful ways, but it's solidly built, and at $25 for the season pass, it's a good value as well. I'm on board with Revelations as a spinoff series. I see it as a means for Capcom to further flesh out RE's lore and characters and tinker with the gameplay formula as they develop the next numbered entry in the franchise. If you're over RE there's nothing here to bring you back into the fold, but die-hard fans like myself should find Revelations 2 rather enjoyable.
Grade: B
Bastion - PS4
Supergiant Games' stunning sophomore effort Transistor was my game of the year in 2014, so I became genuinely excited when I learned that their first game, Bastion, would be headed to Playstation 4 after an extended run as an Xbox exclusive. You know that feeling you get when you first discover a band deep into their career but upon listening to their earlier work you find you don't like it as much as their current stuff? That's kind of how I felt when I started playing this game. I think that, for me, the similarities between Bastion and Transistor were hard to ignore, so early on I may have done a bit more direct comparison of the two than I maybe should have. Both games are action oriented RPGs with an isometric view; both feature a large array of weapons and encourage experimentation in combat; both games have a silent protagonist with plot exposition coming from a narrator.... I could go on, but you can see why it might be tough for someone in my position to go back and play what almost feels like slightly less polished version of one of my favorite new games. Why bother, right? Only problem with that is, I was wrong!
Bastion is a wonderful game in its own right, and after a few hours with it that became very clear. Charming, challenging, and mechanically solid, it's the plucky, fresh faced tomboy to Transistor's elegant belle of the ball. And really, I'm kind of just talking about preferences here. Some folks prefer the tomboyish type. Where Transistor was more strategy oriented, Bastion brings the action. Where Transistor rocks a sic-fi vibe, Bastion goes high fantasy. To be clear, I'm not trying to say that these games are radically different from one another. They're not. They're more like flip sides of the same coin. I may prefer Transistor just a bit more, but Bastion holds its own as an immersive and highly playable action RPG.
Grade: B+
New 'N' Tasty! Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee - PS4
This is an HD remake of a PSone sleeper that really gets it right. The vastly improved visuals and smoothed out control mechanics do well to breathe life into this somewhat underrated action platformer from the 90's. Time has done little to curb the notoriously steep challenge of this game, but the addition of a "save anywhere" feature greatly cuts down on the frustration I felt while playing it back in the day. If you loved the PSone version, don't hesitate to check this out. For the rest of you, check the video below, as the gameplay may feel just a bit too old school for some players.
Grade: B
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