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Review: Resident Evil VII: biohazard [PlayStation 4]

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Rated: M for Mature
Released: 24 January 2017
Completed: 31 January 2017





Resident Evil is constantly reinventing itself.  With every third game in the storied and iconic franchise, it seems to shift – introducing new mechanics and gameplay methodology.  The original three games were survival-horror adventures, filled with puzzles and light on resources.  The next three games focused more on action and combat, shifting to an over-the-shoulder perspective.  There were still puzzles, but they were seldom the obtuse brainteasers of the earlier games.  Instead there were some amazing setpiece scenarios against massive enemies, but by the time the series reached the sixth installment, fans and critics alike started to feel like the franchise had strayed too far from its survival-horror roots, stripping it of what made it memorable.

So Capcom went back to the drawing board once more, and Resident Evil VII: biohazard is the result.  By once again placing the focus on the horror and making the player feel helpless, RE7 is a fantastic return to form, albeit from a new first-person perspective.  Taking place largely in a decrepit and foreboding old plantation house, one can’t help but be reminded of the original’s Spencer Mansion, except instead of being infested with zombies, you’re being stalked by the insane members of the Baker family – mother Marguerite, son Lucas, and papa Jack.  They may look like hillbillies, but they’re formidable enemies who reinforce the need to run, hide, and think before you engage them and waste your precious resources.  Each family member requires different tactics.  Jack is a brute, but he’s simply too powerful to take down with conventional weapons, forcing you to run and think of other ways to injure him.  Marguerite slowly stalks the player, requiring stealth to skirt past unseen.  Last but not least, Lucas likes to lay elaborate traps for the player, reminiscent of the Saw films, that require you to use your wits more than anything.  It keeps each encounter fresh and engaging.  Oh, and there’s also Granny Baker, who just randomly shows up and stares at you from her wheelchair, which never failed to scare the piss out of me.

The first-person perspective isn’t all that’s new, however.  Resident Evil VII is fully playable using PlayStation VR, complete with a bevy of options to combat the motion sickness that has plagued many users.  This is how I played the entirety of the game, and it’s an experience I won’t soon – if ever – forget.

In its standard mode, Resident Evil VII looks amazing, but it’s all contained in the rectangular frame of your television, several feet away from where you’re probably sitting.  The resolution may drop in VR, but it’s absolutely worth it for the enhanced immersion of the format.  There is a world of difference between seeing a giant monster on a screen and looking up to see it literally towering over you.  The disconnect between watching something happen to you on TV makes it more abstract and less frightening than when a crazed woman saws off your hand in VR.  It feels like they’re there, in your personal space, but there’s nowhere to run.  Even the passive moments where you’re exploring crawlspaces that feel claustrophobic or squeezing through a narrow wall when dozens of centipedes start crawling all over the woodwork feel so much more realistic, terrifying, and disgusting.

Resident Evil VII is part sequel, part reboot.  There are unmistakable nods to past games, but it never feels beholden to the continuity of them.  It is very much its own thing – a new corner you just haven’t explored yet but in a familiar universe.  It carries the DNA of the series and tries to do something new without losing sight of what made it so great in the first place, and it succeeds pretty effortlessly.  It borrows ideas from other modern horror games such as Outlast and the canceled Silent Hills, but I was pleased to see that the final product feels more like its own game than the demos, which I had jokingly dubbed “Outlast Hills.”  There are plenty of classic RE tropes, right down to the fodder enemies that vaguely resemble the archetypes from past iterations (oh look, it’s a creepy, crawly monster that’s faster than the others…).  There are still magic item boxes that allow you to store and access items anywhere, which is a necessity due to the limited inventory space.  You can still combine herbs to make more powerful healing agents, though you can also now craft your own bullets too.  It’s a classic case of the old being made new again by a simple twist.

The majority of the game is exploration, and in VR the house itself feels alive.  Unexplained bangs and creaks will occur all around you, giving you the unshakable feeling that one of the Bakers may be right behind you at any moment.  The level of detail in the house is stunning.  Debris and refuse litter every room, and while some of it is reused (how many copies of those same books do they need?), it lends credibility to the world.  As terrible a place as it is, I found myself wanting to explore every nook and cranny of the Baker household.  In fact, one of my only real disappointments was the lack of interactivity with most of the objects in the world.  Only certain drawers can be opened, and there’s no physics in place for a lot of the junk lying around so it just serves as a thinly veiled barrier to keep you from going where you’re not supposed to.  You can backtrack to any part of the house, but the game is generally quite linear.  That linearity also means most puzzles are little more than the “find the key for this type of door” variety.  Even the shadow door puzzles are hardly puzzles at all.  It felt a bit like a missed opportunity, but I guess the days of impractical locks that require several items and solving a riddle to open are a thing of the past.

The grounds themselves are large and interesting enough, including an outdoor area, an older, even more decaying house, and a greenhouse wherein my nightmares were fully realized in what is unquestionably the most terrifying boss battle I’ve ever encountered in a video game.  Every combat scenario is harrowing in VR, but that one in particular left my heart racing to the point where I actually had to take a break for a bit to catch my breath.  The last two sections of the game aren’t as memorable as everything on the plantation, but it feels like typical Resident Evil.  These games have always veered off course in the final act.  I didn’t dislike the ending, save maybe the laughably easy final boss, but it’s definitely not as strong as the earlier half of the game.

As I said, don’t expect stunning visuals in VR.  If you choose to play without, the game looks phenomenal – if a gross old place crawling with roaches, and rotting wood or corpses everywhere can look phenomenal – but I have to say you’re really missing out.  RE7 VR is, to me, the definitive experience.  The visuals still look decent, particularly the character models (though the lip-synching is really off no matter what mode you play in), and the fully 3D positional sound the PSVR box pumps out is stunning.  The voice acting is kind of hammy at times, but it always works at the very least – and the entire Baker clan are voiced very well.

What really impressed me was the myriad options Capcom thoughtfully included for player comfort.  Motion sickness is VR’s biggest hurdle, and early on even I felt it creeping in, but turning on the field of view limiter and camera acceleration helped tremendously.  After about an hour, I got so engrossed into the experience I never noticed it again, leading me to wonder if what I had felt before was purely psychosomatic.  I opted for full range of movement, but you can also set the camera to turn in 30 degree increments, and several other options are available as well.  It all goes a long way to convincing the player that they should be playing in VR if at all possible.

Another benefit of VR mode comes when fighting enemies.  In VR, you aim simply by turning your head.  It’s much faster and more accurate than using an analog stick to move a reticule, though some will argue it also makes the game considerably easier.  What I’m trying to impress upon you is that the benefits of VR far outweigh the prettier visuals of the non-VR experience.

Whether you play in VR or not, Reisdent Evil VII: biohazard does for the series what RE4 did in 2005.  It reinvigorates the franchise, resets your expectations, and stands on its own as a great entry and a great jumping off point for the future.  It’s intense and absolutely terrifying, especially in VR, and more importantly just loads of fun.  Truth be told, it might be my favorite RE to date because even with it handful of missteps, it’s one of the most unforgettable gaming experiences I’ve ever had.  I suspect I wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much as I did if I’d played it in standard TV mode, but as a PSVR owner, this is now the killer app that justifies the purchase.

Resident Evil VII: biohazard was completed on a PlayStation 4 in VR mode with no cheats.

Review: Batman: Arkham VR [PlayStation 4]

Developer: Rocksteady
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Rated: M for Mature
Released: 11 October 2016
Completed: 12 November 2016

 

 

When it was unveiled at E3 2016, Rocksteady’s Arkham VR almost single-handedly sold me on virtual reality.  The possibilities seemed limitless.  I imagined zipping around buildings, gliding through the air, zooming the Batmobile through the tight, crowded corridors of Gotham City, and using Batman’s vast array of gadgetry to thwart criminals big and small.

Now that VR is out, the reality is…not as awesome.  Arkham VR simultaneously highlights the best and worst of VR experiences.  It feels like a tech demo, albeit an extremely cool one where you’re Batman.  It’s an interesting compliment to the Arkham games, featuring their typically high production values and excellent writing, but it’s more of an experiment than a game.  It’s not as passive as some of the PlayStation VR Worlds experiences, but don’t expect this to be a traditional Arkham game.

First, the good stuff.  The experience opens with a brief conversation with your trusty butler and surrogate father, Alfred, before you descend into the Batcave.  This is where things immediately get awesome as you don the iconic cowl and strap on Batarangs, the grapnel gun, and your forensic tool that is the focal point of the game.  I’ll tell you: standing there in my basement (you can play the game sitting, though it’s not recommended), imagining the VR headset as Batman’s mask, I felt like a total badass.  There’s so little separation between the player and the world in VR that you will almost instantly lose yourself in the experience – at least until you reach up to fire your grapnel gun and bang your Move controller into your ceiling.

Arkham VR ditches most of the facets that made the traditional Arkham games so enthralling and focuses on Batman’s status as the World’s Greatest Detective.  The free-flowing combat and open-world traversal of Gotham are gone.  It’s disappointing at first, but motion sickness is a common problem with VR (though, thankfully, I’ve yet to experience it at all) so it’s kind of understandable.  Perhaps in the future, they’ll figure out a way to effectively combat the issue to allow for a more meaty Batman game.  In the meantime, we’re stuck examining crime scenes and making Batman do silly dances in front of mirrors.

To spoil Arkham VR’s story would be a great disservice to anyone reading, since the story, though short, is the selling point of the game.  It clearly takes place after Arkham Knight, and you will encounter some familiar foes, but how and why is something I’ll leave for you to discover.  Suffice it to say, I was fully engaged and I only wished the experience was longer.

Arkham VR’s other greatest strength is how totally immersive it is.  Standing on the edge of one of Gotham’s many tall buildings and looking down, you’ll feel like one more step will send you plummeting to the streets below.  No matter where you turn your head, you’re in the world.  The resolution in VR may be a far cry from that of a traditional PS4 game, but when you look around and see Gotham all around you, you’re not thinking, “This isn’t 1080p!”  The game recommends you play standing up for the best experience, and I’ll echo that recommendation.

The bulk of the game is spent in several small locations, searching for clues to the identity of the game’s perpetrator.  It’s debatable whether it’s really gameplay, or more like an interactive ride you’d take at a theme park such as Universal Studios, but it speaks highly of virtual reality that even the most mundane tasks feel a hundred times cooler when you think you’re Batman.

Therein lies the rub, however.  Arkham VR is possibly the best VR experience I’ve had to date because it’s awesome to don the cowl, but it still feels more like a tech demo than a game.  You move around the environment in limited capacity, obviously an effort to combat the motion sickness that plagues many VR users, but stripping Batman of his mobility is a bummer.  I’d love to see more of Gotham through Batman’s eyes, but the game offers no options to explore.

Batman is also robbed of his legendary combat prowess.  Once again, it’s understandable to a degree.  If players lose their lunch just moving from place to place in VR, flipping over enemies and delivering vicious blows to a thug’s jaw would be a recipe for disaster.  Still, it would have been nice to find some way to incorporate more elements of the character – even if combat is handled via quicktime events.  Hell, even the dreaded tank battles of Arkham Knight would have been made infinitely cooler if I felt like I was behind the wheel of Bats’ ride.

At only $20, I still felt like I got my money’s worth out of the Arkham VR experience, but I’m also more understanding than many gamers.  For me, just the opening sequence where you physically grab the cowl and put it on your virtual head was worth it.  I’ve never felt so cool (especially when standing in my pajamas) as that moment when I felt like I was Batman.  The game is super short – only about an hour – but the story is actually quite good.  Hopefully this is a test run for a future Arkham VR experience, because I’d love a chance to be the Batman again – hopefully with a little more to do and see. 

Batman: Arkham VR was completed on a PlayStation 4 with no cheats.