Recent reviews by Taco

It's everything that you've wanted from a Harry Potter game and more. Great combat, engaging story, great graphics!

*SPOILERS*

I took my time completing Village, stopping to admire the vast set pieces and graphics that the RE Engine has to offer. In that regard, Resident Evil Village is certainly something to admire. The game plays well too. The first person combat is engaging on a level that first person shooters tend to struggle with in modern times. All of the fights are engaging and will keep you on your toes.

Where Village struggles the most is in it's name: Resident Evil. This is not a new argument. People have been asking "how is 'x' a Resident Evil game?" Of course, "x" is any number of Resident Evil titles from 4 - 8. Resident Evil 4 showcases an arsenal of weapons and ammo unlike it's predecessors, Resident Evil 5 leans into the action, Resident Evil 6 becomes an ensamble action movie wannabe, and Resident Evil 7 takes things a back to the roots - but only with regards to the limited resources while changing perspective to first person.

The biggest hurdle is in Village's story. I admit that I was scratching my head in the beginning when Chris is made to look like the bad guy, but we later find out that he was acting in Ethan and the world's best interest by shooting Mia. After Ethan's "death", Chris says that he just didn't have time to explain to Ethan what was really going on. Really Chris? You couldn't utter the words "That's not Mia, it's a clone - I'll explain later, but you have to trust me?" Anything along those lines really would have sufficed? And while that doesn't have the biggest impact on the outcome, it's these nuanced story moments that confuse the hell out of me. The Cadou makes them into lycans if the host is rejected. What a convenient way to work vampires and warewolves into a Resident Evil game. Then we're introduced to Heisenberg, a super-being with powers reminiscent to Magneto from X-Men. Without going into tons of detail, I would just ask fans of the series if you're really okay with Resident Evil turning into a Wizard show.

There aren't many big connections to previous games, aside from 7, and that's okay really. I view 7 and 8 as their own entry into the franchise that should be an open and closed chapter into the franchise. I get a bit more confused why they are proper numbered entries into the series and not called something else. Even Code Veronica is not a proper numbered title into the franchise.

The story does have some nods to previous games, like Spencer getting his inspiration from this village and Ethan actually having been dead / turned into a mold monster. The payout on the Ethan story line is satisfying, while the nods to Umbrella are simply met with my reaction of "that's neat, now moving on..." What I am intrigued by is the BSAA using bio-weapons. I don't trust Capcom to follow-through in a very meaningful way with this, but I want to be proven wrong on this point. Their insistence to add all kinds of Gothic lore tangled with super-powers and more final form monsters perplexes me.

Why I would not recommend this game to other players: Assuming you're a fan of the franchise, you're already on board to buy this game and play for yourself to make up your own mind. Many with disagree with me, and I would assume that those who disagree regard Resident Evil 4 as the best game of the series (it is not). To me, Resident Evil Village further drives a very confusing and convoluted narrative apart from it's roots of survival horror. While it does prove that some well timed action sequences can serve a purpose (playing as Chris), it also proves that more isn't always more. Having more guns and ammo never gives me the sense of losing, and on that same token you're never truly scared. When resources are limited, saves are few and far between, and you never know what's lurking around the next new corner is what keeps Resident Evil fresh.

I'm hopeful, given the resurgence of a spotted zombie, that Resident Evil is working it's way back to what made the franchise a household name in the first place. I would absolutely love to see an open world Raccoon City style game. The T-Virus mixed with some of these other bio-weapons getting let loose on an urban setting would be a new and exciting direction.

Graphics: 9 (Graphically among the best with Ray Tracing - And RE's Menu does a great job exampling)
Replay: 6 (The story will not change, there are no additional story lines - Mercanaries & Infinite Ammo)
Audio: 10 (Quite possibly the best I have heard)
Story: 2 (Tries to do too much and stretches to make lore work)

In what ends up being a more action packed follow-up to it's predecessor, Resident Evil 3 hit's a vast majority of the marks it needs to in order to be a formidable game in the franchise. From the gut wrenching encounters with Nemesis down to the fine details of Raccoon City, I found my time with Resident Evil 3 to be mostly enjoyable albeit short.

What's sure to please fans are the nods and liberties taken from the 1999 version of the game. Plot points and connections between Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 are more fleshed out and cohesive. We see events unfold that explain the story in great detail, and Capcom is to be commended for not being afraid to alter the universe they created over 20 years ago. I found the reworking of the third act worked very well, and found myself thinking how much more sense it all made.

That's not to say that Resident Evil 3 isn't without issue. It's the shortest game in the entire franchise that I can remember, and while I want to equate that to me not wanting to put it down, I have to admit I was desperate for more... a lot more. Simply put, Resident Evil 3 forgoes a lot of the charm the other games carry in that it eliminates a vast majority of puzzles. Rather than wondering around the city dodging zombies while looking for clues and solving riddles, Resident Evil 3 puts a pistol in your hands and says "have at it". Don't get me wrong, I love putting a bullet in a zombie's temple, but I found that I wasn't being challenged to uncover any mystery along the way. By the time I reached the third act, I wasn't even asking questions to myself anymore and just assumed that as I progressed things would be made clear to me.

Resident Evil 3 is worth your time. For those who say the replay value doesn't exist are only saying so because Resident Evil 2 offered multiple campaigns and a full ending upon beating the game with a 2nd play though. I'd argue that speed runners will find far more variants in Resident Evil 3 than they will with Resident Evil 2. The dodge mechanic in particular adds a level of time save that isn't seen in their other titles, making it all the more exciting to see what you can make for yourself. There's also a shop that allows you to spend currency for your next play through in order to give yourself additional advantages. To date, I've seen the game beaten in under an hour (it's common among the speedrunning community in a Resident Evil game to be sub-hour).

Resident Evil 3 will offer you challenges and a great story that ultimately will leave you wanting more, but in a good way.

Who knows, maybe the success of this game will tilt Capcom into remaking 3 additional titles: Outbreak, Code Veronica, and Resident Evil 4. If you're a Resident Evil 4 fanboy who wants that game to remain untouched because you think it's gaming perfection, let me remind you that Ramon Salazar is still a thing, and the introduction of quick time events in video games is the true plague that came out of that game.

We're all begging and calling for Capcom to take a step back and head in this direction. Resident Evil / Biohazard HD REMASTER is amazing to the core. Having played the remake for the Gamecube, it was nice to go back and play it with some shiny graphics. It really does beg the question: Where the hell is our Resident Evil 2 HD REMASTER?!?!

I digress - If you're new to the franchise and can stomach going from this to Playstation 1 graphics, I highly recommend starting here. You'll get the story from the start in the best way you possibly can. Also if you're new to the franchise, picking this one up at it's current price of $20 is a steal.

My only gripe with this REMAKE is that none of the cutscenes were polished with HD graphics. The cutscenes used in the game a grainy and out of place. Clearly taken directly from the Gamecube version. Upsetting, and quite frankly lazy.

Remake Resident Evil 2 with what you did here, and you easily have the hearts of fans back once again.