'Resident Evil Revelations Collection’ review: Fear the past
It’s been a great year for Nintendo (NTDOY) Switch owners. Just nine months after the console’s launch, there’s already a wide selection of games to play ranging from more family-friendly fare — “Super Mario Odyssey,” “Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle” — to mature titles like “Doom.” And come Tuesday, they can add one more title to their quickly growing pile with “Resident Evil Revelations Collection.”
This latest addition to the popular “Resident Evil” franchise isn’t a new game, but an anthology that packages up two older games for $39.99. (Developer Capcom is also releasing both titles separately for $19.99 each.)
“Resident Evil: Revelations” originally debuted on Nintendo’s 3DS handheld console in 2012 before it was also brought over to a whole slew of older and current-generation consoles, including the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One earlier this year. The same goes for “Resident Evil: Revelations 2,” which was released three years later on multiple consoles, as well as Sony’s under-appreciated portable, the PlayStation Vita.
But this two-for-one deal is hurt by “Revelations 1’s” outdated gameplay.
Standing the test of time? Not so much.
Some games stand the test of time, but many others? Not so much. In this case, time hasn’t been so kind to “Revelations 1,” whose roots as a 3DS title are obvious with nearly every twist and turn. Playing as either of two longtime franchise fan favorites — Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield — most of your time is spent trapped aboard a derelict ship infested with zombie-like monsters ready to pounce on you.
It’s a really familiar concept, and while the plot is fairly compelling stuff, the game is hobbled by simple, muddy graphics. Much of the time, you’re lurking around dark, tight corridors and box-shaped rooms, which gets visually monotonous. Valentine and Redfield look good enough by say, PlayStation 3 standards, but walk up to a wall or item, and the visuals really show their age.
Another pet-peeve? Characters move too slowly. “Running” is really more of a quick saunter — meaning that getting from Point A to Point B takes way longer than it should. That was fine when the first “Resident Evil” hit the scene all the way back in 1996, but on the Switch, where you’re more likely to play “Revelations 1” in shorter 20-minute bursts on the go, it just feels tedious, creaky and unnecessary.
I also took issue with some of the awkward dialogue in “Revelations 1.” “Resident Evil” dialogue has always had a distinct B-level horror movie feel, which yielded some real corny gems over the years. (Remember when Jill was referred to as the “master of unlocking” years ago?) But in “Revelations 1,” it borders on sexist. Redfield’s partner, a caucasian woman sporting purple tights who cavorts around, spewing lines like, “Let me get my fine a** down there,” comes across like a two-dimensional objectified prop more than anything else.