Resident Evil 7

[Great Deceiver]

Well I mean, he isn't wrong about the cinematic aspect of the game. I'm about halfway through and it's been very linear with predictable jump scares and kind of lame enemies, to be honest. I think the game has more in common with recent shit like Outlast than Resident Evil.

I'm liking the atmosphere and the attention to detail in the graphics, but there's really not much else here. I'm a fan of the style of earlier RE games (non-linearity, huge maps and tension through limited resources) and although you do get some sense of the latter in RE7, the game is so scripted that it ends up feeling very restrictive. I feel like they could have done so much more with the first person perspective in terms of interactivity. So far the boss battles have been disappointing too...

In the end, I think that despite everyone jizzing their pants over this game like it's the second coming, in 5 years it will probably be ranked way low in the series (it's certainly not nearly in the same vicinity of the very best like REmake or RE4 if you like the newer style of RE).

I have a sneaking suspicion that VR was a more fundamental design tenet than PR would have you know. It's just not a very engaging game after you figure out half of the tricks (takes a couple of hours), so what's left is a pretty but shallow walking simulator with some jump scares that work a lot better in VR.

Or, the second half of the game could be a lot better and I'll eat my words, but I doubt it.

 

[Sykar]

Another cinematic shit show. Doesn't look anything like a RE game.

Looks more like an RE game than the last two entries at least.

 

[bonescraper]

How's this game more linear than any of the other RE games sharing the same core principles - exploration, item management, combat and puzzles? (RE0, REmake, RE2, RE3, RE4 and Revelations 2). All those games are fucking linear, it's in their DNA. Like i once said already, when you deconstruct your typical RE game it's basically just a point and click adventure game without interactive dialogues but with combat. And there's nothing more linear than classic adventure games. You need certain items in certain order to advance. You always go through locations in the exact same order fighting scripted boss encounters in the same fucking order. Also, RE4 and Revelations 2 take linearity to even higher level. RE4 forces you to advance in a certain general direction (in the outdoor areas at least) and Revelations 2 episodical structure removes the necessity to backtrack entirely. Once you go through an area, you'll never go back to it.

RE7 could be eaisly re-made as a classic 2.5D RE title with fixed prespective and tank controls. Of course all the scripted shit and area transitions would be turned into cinematics, both pre-rendered and done in engine. That's exactly how the old games did it. The only modern first person horror game i could sort of compare this game to would be Alien Isolation, because Amnesia or Outlast are just devoid of gameplay. But Alien Isolation doesn't come close either, it's all about stealth, exploration and has a (very) few moments where you fight androids. The pacing is shit, the AI is equally as bad as it is unpredictable, combat is terrible yet the Codex loved it.

 

[Edward The Mediocre]

Also I think a lot of people are forgetting that the Classic games are smaller than you think, it's those fucking door screens that make it seem bigger. I remember purposely getting a hunter to break down a door in the REmake so I could cut down on time.

 

[Machocruz]

When you were new to RE1, you criss-crossed the mansion quite a bit, which is what people mean by non-linear. That kind of design was not done to that degree in the series again, not that I remember. Maybe the police station, but I'm skeptical of that. The mansion was a grid basically. Compare to later games like 6 which are laid out like a line that you sometimes come back the opposite way from.

Gotta remember the series caught the imagination of the console crowd back in the mid 90s. Adventure games did feel "non-linear" compared to most console games. As an exclusively console player in the NES days, the Maniac Mansion port blew my mind with this.

 

[Dawkinsfan69]

From what limited gameplay I've seen this looks like the best RE game ever made. Reminds me of Amnesia which is one of my favorite games. I just wish the weapons weren't as effective because that always seems to compromise the horror for me but I hear you can avoid combat in a lot of situations so whatever.

No way I'm paying $60 for this though I'll maybe grab when it's $10 in a few years.

 

[Great Deceiver]

As has been mentioned before, when I say non-linear I mean a large map that is approachable by multiple directions at first. In REmake, you have a number of different locations to explore right off the bat, and even though you are funneled through a single doorway or whatver later, you are free to go about it in a number of different ways. This adds a lot to the exploration element and is a far cry from the strictly railroaded RE7. I can't possibly fathom why you would think it's the same thing.

I agree that RE4 and so on are extremely linear, but RE4's gameplay was a lot more refined than RE7 and you can derive your fun from the shooting mechanics and the stages of the game.

 

[Drakron]

I think its a balance issue, RE was when the series "rediscovered itself" and moved to became a action game until 6, then everyone agreed it was bad and now we have the opposite.

I am not playing it, reason is when I watched a stream it reminded me of The Evil Within, its doing the same as RE4 but instead of going into a Action series it gone in the opposite direction, the balanced that existed from RE to Code Veronica doesnt seem to be in 7, it seems more like Outlast and other FPS Horror games that just shows how Capcom doesnt have a clue about how to make a RE game, sad because the RE Chapters seem close, they are simply following the herd in 7 and nothing stands out as being a RE game, certainly not in tone.

 

[Dawkinsfan69]

Some nostalgia for all you fanboys of the original RE style:



Better than playing the game TBH

 

[Dawkinsfan69]

WILL YOU

TAKE

THE

GREEN

HERB?

->YES / NO

But "muh map design" and "muh loading screens"

 

[Jarmaro]

then everyone agreed it was bad and now we have the opposite.

Interesting, RE7 looks like they wanted to make game scarry (making animation just for reloading without hand? Seems like it was first design which would make game more disturbing), but after few hours all that remains is 7/10 boss fights and shooting.

 

[TheHeroOfTime]

I've finished the game a couple of times now. One in normal difficulty and other in hard.

Spoiler

Pics are in spanish. I take more time to finish it on hard due some situations. There's some encounters against normal enemies that are harder than main bosses. Fat couple at the end of the game and some Lickers-like enemies were challenging (Those motherfuckers can insta-kill you, no matter how amount of steroids you put on Ethan), But overall, it wasn't very hard at all.

Overall I think this is the most solid game of the franchise since RE4. It tries to be an old school RE and, for it most part, it achieves it. Recommended purchase, but with a low price. There's not much replay value in terms of unlockables and secondary modes (I really wanted a mercenaries mode).

Spoiler

Really loved how the game baited all the people with that paranormal atmosphere since the presentation of the game the last summer and how the game puts all the story on the roots of biological weapons and B style science fiction. Altough Eveline is a kind of cliche and a mix of Alessa gillespie from SH and Carrie it works, and adds that "humanization" touch to the monsters that the series never explored in a deep way (Like the story of Lisa trevor in REmake).

 

[bonescraper]

I take more time to finish it on hard due some situations. There's some encounters against normal enemies that are harder than main bosses. Fat couple at the end of the game and some Lickers-like enemies were challenging (Those motherfuckers can insta-kill you, no matter how amount of steroids you put on Ethan), But overall, it wasn't very hard at all.

Yeah, madhouse has a few "oh shit" moments. Every time those 4 legged fuckers spawn i was saying my prayers. They won't one shot you if you're at full health after 2/3 steroids dosages, but still, they're definitely the worst. Another crazy part was on the ship when 2 fatties spawned and i had no weapons at all. Had to play hide and seek with them every time i entered that floor, sometimes just lured them inside a room and locked them off for a while. Also, that whole flashback sequence on the tanker was waaay harder this time, i had to use my knife to get through most of it.

There's not much replay value in terms of unlockables and secondary modes (I really wanted a mercenaries mode).

There's plenty of unlockables, actually. The OP handgun, circular saw, chainsaw, running boots, x-ray glasses, unlimited ammo and defence buffing item are the ones i know of. And i think they're adding an action-survival mode in the DLC... though it's you know, payware

 

[Edward The Mediocre]

I beat it on Madhouse on the first playthrough. I still had still had ammo and health kits to spare. I had a shit load of the latter once I found out this game does have danger mode regen health. When your codex is in the red you can still take another hit unless it's a fatty's vomit, you just gotta see if the blood splatters is flash or not. However there are times where you can't just wait it out, like the crawlers or fatties but it is useful for the final jack battle since he doesn't hit you often if you know what the fuck you're doing.

 

[bonescraper]

I beat it on Madhouse on the first playthrough. I still had still had ammo and health kits to spare. I had a shit load of the latter once I found out this game does have danger mode regen health. When your codex is in the red you can still take another hit unless it's a fatty's vomit, you just gotta see if the blood splatters is flash or not. However there are times where you can't just wait it out, like the crawlers or fatties but it is useful for the final jack battle since he doesn't hit you often if you know what the fuck you're doing.

Well, i had a shitton of ammo and health to spare too at the end (as i always do in all RE games), because i played it very cautiously. I had about 7 medium and 3 large healing tonics, over 30 shotgun shells, over 40 upgraded 9mm, around 30 normal 9mm bullets, about 5 grenades of both types and a bit more than a full mag for the magnum. The flamer and SMG are crap, but i had plenty of fuel/ammo left for them too. I healed only with steroids (4), though i used medicine in 2 boss battles. But there are moments when you just don't have a lot of ammo (tanker flashback) or even weapons (tanker, until you reach the near-end of that location). Also, the final fight against Marguerite leaves you with most of your ammo gone, she's a tough bitch.

And crawlers will kill you with one hit if your codex is in the red. Maybe you can sruvive 1 hit from a regular molded, but it's too risky IMO. I rarely got hit anyway, i always tried to keep distance and go for headshots. Then again, i had the powerful gun you get after beating the game on normal.

 

[Cyberarmy]

Already cracked and packed

 

[Gerrard]

The boss fights in this game look pretty lame from the footage I've seen.

They look like in every other RE game, that is completely ridiculous. I mean the whole game is not any less ridiculous than any previous one, except maybe 6 as I haven't seen a guy turn into a dinosaur.

 

[Maggot]

The boss fights in this game look pretty lame from the footage I've seen.

They look like in every other RE game, that is completely ridiculous. I mean the whole game is not any less ridiculous than any previous one, except maybe 6 as I haven't seen a guy turn into a dinosaur.

Nemesis was better than this
Even though RE4 was a full on action game at least it had the decency to make chainsaw attacks one hit kills. I'm not talking about the designs but the actual fights themselves.

 

[Dawkinsfan69]

The boss fights in this game look pretty lame from the footage I've seen.

They look like in every other RE game, that is completely ridiculous. I mean the whole game is not any less ridiculous than any previous one, except maybe 6 as I haven't seen a guy turn into a dinosaur.

Nemesis was better than this
Even though RE4 was a full on action game at least it had the decency to make chainsaw attacks one hit kills. I'm not talking about the designs but the actual fights themselves.

Why does this guy have brightness on max?

 

[Ivan]

cuz he's a fag

 

[Durandal]

this looks more like Condemned: Criminal Origins with some resource management, is this true?

 

[Ivan]

good comparison!

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

this looks more like Condemned: Criminal Origins with some resource management, is this true?

Doesn't feel like it though, and neither does it feel like Alien Isolation for that matter. But I can understand why people whould make such comparisons.

 

[PEACH]

From what limited gameplay I've seen this looks like the best RE game ever made. Reminds me of Amnesia which is one of my favorite games.

Amnesia's a game? Sure fooled me.

I can see the appeal but the systems rely on the player going out of their way not to exploit them in order to be effective. Personally, knowing I can turn off the lantern and walk around carefree with little to no risk involved makes the game a resounding failure as a horror game and breaks immersion completely. The insanity is a mostly trivial gimmick, the resource management is rudimentary (see: dumbed down) and the horror elements are hinged on a contract with the player. In juxtaposition with this, classic RE (1-3, CVX) doesn't give you such a liberty; it may or may not be frightening but it doesn't buckle the second you realize how its mechanics work and it continually presents you with puzzles and other challenges and design choices where you're faced with actual decisions to make and danger that isn't completely superficial.

Not to mention removing combat entirely is a far less sophisticated way of doing things than say making the combat generally ineffective. I guess that's open to contention, but there's a lifelessness to hide and seek horror that many classic horror games managed to avoid, choosing instead to allow you to have all the tools you'd have in any other game, but simply making those tools far less potent, thus discouraging combat through sensible design choices.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

So I heard Denuvo for this game has already been cracked after 5 days.

Oy vey.