Having started Revelations 2 today, I thought I'd quickly give my impressions of the first.
Revelations is a frustrating experience for how close it comes to greatness. The game is mostly split into two styles, survival-horror/action-horror + exploration with Jill Valentine and linear action with Chris and others. Jill's sections are solid, with good level design and a strong atmosphere (achieved both visually and auditorily), and with a decent mechanical framework that plays a bit like a stripped down version of the Resident Evil 2 remake. However, they could have been far better without the mission structure undermining the potential for non-linearity, and the constant interruptions between chapters.
The linear action chapters are terribly bland, and increase the scale of the plot by such ludicrous degrees that they serve to suck all the tension from Jill's chapters. This is not helped by the oh-so-serious tone, which renders the dreadful writing completely without charm.
Unlike some, I do not consider the Revelations games to be main series. They are almost definitionally spin-offs, side-stories with lower budgets and atypical release methods (i.e. handheld and episodic, respectfully). That this so-so middle-ground was being held up as a return to survival horror is telling of the disappointment fans were feeling toward the main series at the time. I'm glad we've since moved past this era.
Revelations is a frustrating experience for how close it comes to greatness. The game is mostly split into two styles, survival-horror/action-horror + exploration with Jill Valentine and linear action with Chris and others. Jill's sections are solid, with good level design and a strong atmosphere (achieved both visually and auditorily), and with a decent mechanical framework that plays a bit like a stripped down version of the Resident Evil 2 remake. However, they could have been far better without the mission structure undermining the potential for non-linearity, and the constant interruptions between chapters.
The linear action chapters are terribly bland, and increase the scale of the plot by such ludicrous degrees that they serve to suck all the tension from Jill's chapters. This is not helped by the oh-so-serious tone, which renders the dreadful writing completely without charm.
Unlike some, I do not consider the Revelations games to be main series. They are almost definitionally spin-offs, side-stories with lower budgets and atypical release methods (i.e. handheld and episodic, respectfully). That this so-so middle-ground was being held up as a return to survival horror is telling of the disappointment fans were feeling toward the main series at the time. I'm glad we've since moved past this era.