Back in 2005 Capcom released what is considered one of the best 3rd person action games ever released to home consoles. We were given the masterpiece that was Resident Evil 4. It was a huge departure from the series previous 3 entries, doing away with slow tank like controls, claustrophobic environments and for the most part slow mindless zombies.
What we got was a intense game with plenty of scary moments, terrific violence and gore, quick time events, terrifying enemies (Iron Maiden I'm looking at you) and the action knob turned up to 11. Capcom decided to bring the same again in Resident Evil 5 which frankly wasn't scary in any way, had boulder punching, annoying main characters but was fun in the end. I agree with many including one particular friend of mine who shall not be named in saying that the Resident Evil just hasn't been the same. With Resident Evil 6 looking to be even more like Gears of War and Operation Racoon City being a multiplayer game is the tried true slow and terrifying Resident Evil formula of old days gone forever? The answer is a resounding no.
Resident Evil Revelations is the 2nd title being released for Nintendo's 3DS that is really starting to hit its stride now thanks to solid first party and third party releases. Capcom once again does magic with its MT Framework engine because Revelations is a stunning game on the 3DS.The demo begins with Jill waking up in a bed in what looks to be a victorian era room almost eerily reminiscent of Resident Evil 1's rooms. It's immediately apparent that Capcom wanted to go back to what scared the pants off of gamers started with RE1 in 1996. Jill moves slowly and has to explore the room she's locked in. Once the player finds the hidden key in the bathroom you hear some odd noises and are quickly greeted with the main enemy of the demo. With ammo being scarce you can shoot it to death or stab it. The 3DS has many different control methods available my favorite being type A where you can go into 1st person and finally be able to move and strafe around your targets. Once the vile creature is downed you are treated to your first puzzle that involves using the 3DS touch screen to re-align circuitry to open the main door. Where is Jill exactly is she back in RE1 mansion or somewhere else even more alone and desolate? Right there I know this was going to be the experience that we've been missing for quite some time. Slow methodical action, clever puzzles that will utilize the 3DS features in a non gimmicky manner and has lots of ugly things to kill.
In the 45 minutes that it roughly takes to beat this demo(which is limited to 30 uses) I was treated to several scares (yes I jumped) some straightforward puzzles and probably what the past Resident Evil games missed sorely. Dread. I didn't know what was around the corner, I didn't know where the enemies would come from(elevators aren't your friend in this title) the environment had me anxious just like the first three titles and there were many instances where I stop moving whip out my shotgun just in case something was ready to pounce. That's what Resident Evil: Revelations is about and it's coming to Nintendo's 3DS next month.
Now none of this would really matter if the game didn't keep up on the technical side. Resident Evil: Revelations is flat out gorgeous, the rooms, hallways, dining areas are exquisitely detailed. You get some neat fog and lighting effects too. During some of the more hairy movements of the demo the framerate got a little choppy. The 3D in particular works quite well, it's the type of game that you don't really notice that its there. But there's clear depth to environments and items are hidden around objects so get ready to do some searching and scanning a la Metroid Prime. It's very impressive going into 1st person and watch a vile creature slowly lumber towards with arms ready to cut you in half and now you can accurately determine the spacing between you and certain death. Nonetheless this evidence that Capcom can make some truly gorgeous games thanks to their MT Framework engine. It's not all visual bliss as there are some muddy textures on enemies but this is a handheld after all.
There are many variations to the controls schemes and the touch panels allows you to quickly switch to optimal weapon on choice based on the current dire situation. I wouldn't bother with the gyro control as it kind of defeats the purpose of 3D which is easily lost when moving the unit around. What I'm looking forward to most is playing Resident Evil: Revelations with the 3DS circle pad pro add-on which for 20 bucks gives the 3DS it's 2nd circle pad/stick and some additional shoulder buttons. Now it should have had this day 1. But who am I kidding I'll be buying the inevitable 3DS lite whenever that comes out and rest assured that device will have 2nd circle pad to compete directly with the PS Vita(lookout for the GamerNerdz review in February)
I was very happy that Nintendo is finally catching up and starting to utilize digital distribution on the 3DS, movies, trailers and now really meaty game demos. I was skeptical that this title would be able to bring that uneasiness on a small screen with regular stereo headphones. The demo gives a great taste what to come and even offers an extreme difficulty for those looking for a challenge when playing the demo again. From the look of things Resident Evil: Revelations delivers. I'm looking for a solid title to play on my 3DS and Voyce* is ready to scream like a little girl again. Welcome back Resident Evil