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Resident Evil VII needs more love - Spoilers inside!

Sadist

Member
Let me start of with that 2017 so far has been pretty spectacular in regards to new releases. So many great games appeared already and we still have over four months left with some exciting games on the horizon. Still, as a Resident Evil-fan, I almost forgot that VII was released this year. I guess that's because of the early January release, because I didn't buy it till two months ago. And I've been playing it this weekend (and almost at the end) and honestly, the only thing I can say is "Welcome back". I missed you old friend.

Just some random observations about the game;

- First up, I really dig the atmosphere. As much as I like the crazyness of action Resident Evil (like 4, to a certain extent 5 and the Revelations games), the more spooky vibe gave me flashbacks of the Mansion back in the original game. The setting is excellent as well. It's actually a house with puzzles, weird stuff going on and little notes explaining the madness. I've always appreciated the puzzles in the original/Remake, but finding these special locked doors made me smile. Great throwback to earlier titles. Well, except the Baker residence is less gaudy I suppose.

- Also, secret doorways. Secret rooms. George Trevor would be proud.

- Did someone mention the Bakers? Because yay, these are the type of Resident Evil enemies I love to see. Sure, the series is called Biohazard for a reason and we went from viruses to parasytes who could create weird creatures, but the Bakers gave me another flashback, the Tyrant type enemy I always loved in RE games. The original RE introduced it, in RE 2 we got Mr. X and in RE 3 you were chased by Nemesis; these enemies had something really special and in every RE thread most will be very positive of those classic enemies. The Bakers remind me so much of those enemies in many ways. Take Jack for example: essentially he's a Tyrant with intelligence. While roaming about in the residence every time Jack would pop up I'd get those Tyrant flashbacks and run the fudge away, because seriously, Jack is crazy. Same goes for his wife and her... second form. Yikes.

- Regarding the more recurring enemies, the Molded, that's another miss for Capcom. They kind of remind me of the bland Ooze in the original Revelations and that's not a good thing. They're just blobs, just like the Ooze.

- Fighting of enemies, finally, it's old school again; hoarding items, ammo not widely available. Sure, if you played earlier RE games you know what to do. Keep all the good stuff untill a big enemy appears. Still, it made me think about how to move around the house and avoid contact with the Bakers. Its what I did back in the Spencer Mansion as well. Carefully choosing my route, even if it was a slight detour to avoid enemy encounters.

- While I appreciate the change of characters, Ethan isn't very interesting. He doesn't get anything good to work with in the script department, but I hope the original cast returns for eigth installment of the series. I know, one screams reboot, others would think it is wise to let them retire, but I really hope Chris, Jill, Leon, Claire and the others return in the next game.

- I like the first person view. I think I still prefer a behind the shoulder look, but the change in perspective is refreshing for the series. It did some great things in regards to suspense and enemy encounters.

- Even with all the changes, at its core its Resident Evil. Nasty situations, some cheesy dialogue, creepy residence, item management, Tyrant like enemies... yeah, as a Resident Evil fan, I'm happy. If the game keeps this up, it will defintely be one of my favourite installments in the series.
 
It has my love. Lots of it. It's a shame it didn't sell as well as they wanted. I'd really love for this to be the new direction of the series.
 

Jawmuncher

Member
It gets a fair amount. It did come out early and this has been a very packed year for GOTY contenders. So I don't see it getting much outside enthusiast sites like Rely on Horror

Aside from that though the gameplay (though I still dislike first person) and the bakers are great. However the story and our main characters (Mia and Ethan) I think fall flat. By far my biggest complaints about the game and big enough ones that I can't rank it as highly as other RE titles personally. I am curious how things will look if they try this style again though and fix said issues.

Like if they made RE8 the same way but had a more typical RE story in place and had actual likeable and not faceless main characters (along with better enemy designs and variety) id be all in.
 

Arkanius

Member
latest

An image for ants?
 

Zukkoyaki

Member
Bought it on a whim for no particular reason and was stunned by how much I liked it! Such a fantastic game that made for a great weekend.
 

Grisby

Member
It's a crowded year and we still have a lot to go. I think it'll get some more love in the goty thread (I know it'll be on my list).

The few problems I have with it is the fact that the second half doesn't match up with the first and as time goes by my positive feelings on the ship section diminishes, The final boss and arguably, the end game, don't hold a candle to the more recent Revelations 2 for instance.

A kind of poor story and lack of battle mode didn't really help. Ethan and his plight aren't as memorable to me as any of the other RE characters. I know, I know, complaining about an RE story but I still think they could have done a better job (the Bakers are a lot of fun though).
 

xviper

Member
underrated masterpiece, it's the best survival horror game in more than a decade

the most Resident evil game since Resident evil Cod Veronica

too bad when people see videos of the game they will think it's like those shitty cheap horror games like outlast and that kind of trash, but if they play it, they will know how amazing RE7 is, it's a true RE game

but since the sales are low, i don't think RE8 will be like RE7, thanks to the fans of RE6, Resident evil will die again after it's revival with RE7
 

Jawmuncher

Member
underrated masterpiece, it's the best survival horror game in more than a decade

the most Resident evil game since Resident evil Cod Veronica

too bad when people see videos of the game they will think it's like those shitty cheap horror games like outlast and that kind of trash, but if they play it, they will know how amazing RE7 is, it's a true RE game

but since the sales are low, i don't think RE8 will be like RE7, thanks to the fans of RE6, Resident evil will die again after it's revival with RE7

Lol. we don't even know what style 8 will be.
 

Roussow

Member
Started playing it again recently, I had such a hard time hitting the Molded this time, early Jack fights seemed fine, but boy -- I was bloody rusty, which feels weird to say, I didn't forget how to aim in first person or anything, I just feels like Molded duck and weave like it's a boxing match. Or maybe I'm just being too conservative with my ammo, regretting missed shots too much.
 
It was amazing, one of the best modern RE game that's for sure.

Shame that the game was too short and has too little to offer, not enough weapons, items, enemies and bonus modes. Resident Evil 4 had at least 10 times more content than RE7, not even joking.

Come on RE7, at least give me some infected dogs or something....why is every enemy a dark humanoid?
 

Dreez

Member
It's a shame about the PSVR exclusivity think it would've made a lot more noise if it was on the other platforms at the same time.

Nothing like peeking around corners and feeling like you're really there in that house lol
 

xviper

Member
Lol. we don't even know what style 8 will be.

isn't it obvious ?? RE 6 sold like hot cakes even though it's shit and had nothing to do with RE

RE7 is the return of the true RE but fuckers want the shitty RE, so RE7 sales were bad in comparison to Gears of war 6

RE8 will be shit like RE6, if not, i couldn't be happier, i just want more RE7, it's perfection
 

Neiteio

Member
I adore REVII. Beat it three times in row, back to back to back.

I also love the other REs, though. The whole series is great!
 

kodecraft

Member
Amazing experience. I want more of it. RE8 may be a total different experience all together which makes me sad. I hate to think of this as a one-off.
 

Acorn

Member
Hope they stick with horror and not action convoluted conspiracy nonsense. Or just spin one of them off into their own thing, everyone wins.
 
If it wasn't for Nier Automata, this would be my game of the year so far. It's still hard to believe I got another survival horror game after the sub genre seemed to be dead. I just hope it doesn't continue to be that way.
 

Jawmuncher

Member
isn't it obvious ?? RE 6 sold like hot cakes even though it's shit and had nothing to do with RE

RE7 is the return of the true RE but fuckers want the shitty RE, so RE7 sales were bad in comparison to Gears of war 6

RE8 will be shit like RE6, if not, i couldn't be happier, i just want more RE7, it's perfection
RE4 didn't sell well at first either and we still got RE5 the way it was. The first person might not be there. But I see them sticking with the horror route on mainline at least awhile longer.
 

dlauv

Member
Latter half was definitely rushed, but it's still great if only for how fresh the first half was. And even that could stand some obvious improvements. I hope 8 moves forward with expanding on the mazes and puzzles and cranks up the difficulty on the survival aspect. Even though I guess it's never been very hard in the past.
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Probably the best VR game I've played, but thats probably because its a proper game, other than that I haven't touch it since I finished it and that was rather disappointing too.
And they need to up the horror more, shit wasn't scary and laughable in someplaces it shouldn't.
 
Honestly felt like the game got progressively worse after the first hours. Not to say it was bad at all, because it was great, but it just lost nearly all of it's horror and tension when you started getting more powerful weapons. None of that really matter when Jack was in the picture since he didn't give a shit about your weapons, but once the game became filled with bugs and slime creatures, I stopped caring a bit. Hopefully the next one keeps it's horror and suspense throughout the entire experience.


Overall good game, and glad I bought it day one.
 

xviper

Member
RE4 didn't sell well at first either and we still got RE5 the way it was. The first person might not be there. But I see them sticking with the horror route on mainline at least awhile longer.

when RE4 came out, it was universally praised, because it was and still the greatest game ever made in my opinion

but i see a lot saying that RE7 is not like RE, mostly because it's in First person view, i know, what the fuck ?? i think those people have never played a real Resident evil game and most of them started with 4, they think classic Resident evil is like RE4, maybe that's why they wanted RE7 to be like RE6, and now they want RE8 to be like RE6

as much as i love RE4, but it really ruined a legendary series

i hope you're right, i hope they stick with the horror route, the true RE route that was in RE7, don't care if they made RE8 in TPS, FPS, or fixed angle camera, i just want it to maintain what RE7 did
 
Great game, just needed a little more meat to it. By the time you're really getting deep into the house and surrounding area and it's really hitting its stride of feeling like the original game, you're already suddenly off to the final location to wrap things up.
 

ItIsOkBro

Member
great game for the first 2/3, goes downhill super fast right after killing mutated jack baker. uninspired level design (the ship and mines are boring and bland), the threat and intrigue of the bakers gone (and replaced with eveline who is less interesting and never a threat), and the astonishing lack of enemy variety (mutated jack baker is even the last real boss) really drag down the game.
 

Enzo88

Member
My third favorite game this gen,behind zelda and the witcher 3, an best re since 4. Thank you capcom, please improve on this formula.
 

Mindman

Member
great game for the first 2/3, goes downhill super fast right after killing mutated jack baker. uninspired level design (the ship and mines are boring and bland), the threat and intrigue of the bakers gone (and replaced with eveline who is less interesting and never a threat), and the astonishing lack of enemy variety (mutated jack baker is even the last real boss) really drag down the game.

Agreed. Loved it but the last third dropped in quality.
 

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
Absolutely loved it because it perfectly recreated the feel of playing the original RE back in the day.

First time around its kinda clunky in spots and mainly holds your interest with atmosphere and not knowing whats coming next, but it all seems to smooth out in successive playthroughs as you get comfortable with the maps and general flow of the game, by the time you start speed-running for unlocks its a joy to play.

That sort of pattern of play may not be to everyone's taste, but its exactly how it was for me back on Playstation in 1996. That Capcom finally managed to recreate that experience was my nicest surprise of the year so far.
 
Very good game, but it absolutely needed to make better use of stalker enemies (seriously underplayed concept within the game), and ironically I think the thing that carried the game most in its back half was its challenging (yet still simpler than RE4) combat - stage design is really simple compared to the classic Resident Evil games.

I think if Capcom takes this formula and improves it, they could have a real masterpiece on their hands. As it is, it's a very strong game despite its flaws.
 
Really enjoyed this game. Finished it earlier this year. my only wish is that there were more enemy types like a giant snake or spider or something like that. Might not have made sense with this particular story but I would've liked it.
 

Wanderer5

Member
I enjoyed it a lot, and after the clusterfuck that was RE6, I am glad that they went down in scale for now, and have a new point to build from.

Also, has there been any news regarding Not a Hero recently?
 

Alienous

Member
I'm just glad it lived up to one of the best game reveals of all time.

I just want more of it. I sort of feel like they should have had the 'Banned Footage' DLC as part of the base game to beef up the experience, especially as it's tied closely to the core game narratively, even if it meant charging for the 'Not a Hero' DLC that should be coming.
 
D

Deleted member 325805

Unconfirmed Member
I enjoyed it way more than I was expecting to as I'm not a fan of the genre at all, I took a gamble and it paid off. It's a shame that it didn't sell better, the devs took a risk, made a great game and gamers basically told them to shove it up their ass.
 

NYR94

Member
great game for the first 2/3, goes downhill super fast right after killing mutated jack baker. uninspired level design (the ship and mines are boring and bland), the threat and intrigue of the bakers gone (and replaced with eveline who is less interesting and never a threat), and the astonishing lack of enemy variety (mutated jack baker is even the last real boss) really drag down the game.

My thoughts as well. I really liked the Baker estate, but the ship and mines were such a let down. I'm usually one who loves variety in environments but in a shorter game like RE7 I would have been okay having the entire game take place at the Bakers' home. Still a really good bounce back after RE5 (never played 6 but I heard enough).
 

Alienous

Member
I enjoyed it way more than I was expecting to as I'm not a fan of the genre at all, I took a gamble and it paid off. It's a shame that it didn't sell better, the devs took a risk, made a great game and gamers basically told them to shove it up their ass.

I think you're going to have a tough time selling any full-price game that's just an 8-10 story mode, regardless of quality. A secondary mode, which has been Mercenaries for Resident Evil games, is a must I think.
 
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