So thanks to a nice unexpected check from Uncle Sam, i got to get my hands on Resident Evil 8 before I got under the knife this week. And i played it. I played a lot of it.
Resident Evil 8 is good, but at the same time it's also fairly lackluster which has left me in a strange spot when it comes to giving my impressions of the game. Because on one hand Resident Evil 8 is good because it's Resident Evil 4 and RE4 was good and therefore that makes RE8 good? But the problem is that RE8 is TOO much like RE4 to the point that it almost hits the same beats. It's got a crazy cast of characters that move around the main character Ethan all of which have some sort of quirk about them that make them one-note, but it's an interesting note to be fair.
And because RE8 is a direct sequel to 7 it's story plays out in a strange way because the chaos has to ramp up very very quickly in order to make it feel like a new thing to Ethan. Because if it was a slow build up again, Ethan (and the player) would already be accustomed to the shit going on and theoretically be able to handle it. So in order to up the stakes, Ethan is immediately dumped into a village where he is attacked by a bunch of werewolf-like people. The village locks you in leave you frantically running around trying to kill what you can and somehow escape. Then after a bit of time, you just get caught no matter what you do and then monsters all close in on you, until something causes them to stop and bail on you leaving you there wondering what the fuck.
Sounds like the same exact opening from RE4 doesn't it. The villagers relentlessly attack Leon for X amount of time, then the clocktower rings and they all fuck off.
It does give the player an uneasy feeling, just to have all the monsters run away leaving you in the town wondering if and when they'll come back and how. It's very effective, it's just a shame that it an exact repeat of the RE4 opening.
There are some noticable advancements in the gameplay though. The guns feel tight and good to use, the resistance triggers on PS5 are helpful here because they keep you from firing a gunshot on accident because something in the shadows startled you. You have to fire deliberately and that's nice because in tense moments it adds to the tension as you frantically try to get your shots off before you become lunch. The game throws enemies at you pretty quickly and pretty regularly too. Those quiet explorative moments don't last long before something else is after you. This makes the game far more actiony than the other RE games that people liked and shows you how much they are really stepping into RE4's shoes here.
With the action combat comes loot, and way more ammo than you think you should have. It brought me out of the horror mindset pretty quickly, because while quiet moments have great feelings of dread, they aren't long enough to build the tension properly the way 7 did. So by the time you calm down and get into the environment you are attacked again which makes it hard to get engrossed in the setting. Which is a shame because the areas are beautiful here. The snowscaped village is wonderful to explore (minus the gore and gross shit lying around) making finding loot a lot of fun. Another swing towards the action game setting is that there is loot, either in ammo, crafting materials, sellable items, or raw money. All of which comes together with the "What are you buyin?" Guy from RE4 here replaced by a strangely mobile fat bastard called The Duke.
The Duke will sell you items, gear, and also upgrade your current equipment. And isn't as charming somehow as the shady merchant in RE4, but he serves the same purpose so it's just other check box as to how this game is RE4-again.
Then you have the villains. Who in this game are mostly one-note which is a shame. There isn't a lot of depth to the characters you come across, but the good news is that the note they do hit does hit very well. So while our new 9' foot tall Waifu is not exactly a deep character, she fits her role very well in the game and you genuinely want to deal with her by the time you do. Which is good. I have no real complaints about the characters or villains here because they all fit there spot in the game perfectly and their lack of depth adds to the campy charm of it all.
Except Ethan, the player, holy fuck is Ethan a moron or what? This guys is just an insufferable dumbass that despite having gone through crazy shit like this before, acts like it's all new to him and he doesn't know what to do. He's very irritating because he doesn't seem to be able to realize what's happening around him despite the fact that he is mowing down dozens of monsters constently. You as a player figure shit out in the first hour of the game, but Ethan just keeps going, "What's going on?" in a fucking stupid tone of voice that makes you wonder if those blows to the head haven't caused some serious damage to the guy. It makes him unlikable and sometimes I let him die because I can't stand him.
Having a bad main character is one of the biggest negatives I can put onto a game. When you don't care about the character you are playing that's bad game writing, when you outright HATE the player character, then that's an even worse problem. And I HATE Ethan, I really do, his bumbling bullshit is the sole reason why I haven't beaten RE8 yet. BEcause I'll be exploring or getting into the next section of the game and he'll say something fucking stupid and I have to sit back and stop. It pulls me out of the game every time and i have to force myself back into the mood to play it again.
All in all, RE8 is RE4 and if you liked RE4 then you'll like this and there is nothing else to say about it really. Guess we don't need that RE4 remake.
Resident Evil 8 is good, but at the same time it's also fairly lackluster which has left me in a strange spot when it comes to giving my impressions of the game. Because on one hand Resident Evil 8 is good because it's Resident Evil 4 and RE4 was good and therefore that makes RE8 good? But the problem is that RE8 is TOO much like RE4 to the point that it almost hits the same beats. It's got a crazy cast of characters that move around the main character Ethan all of which have some sort of quirk about them that make them one-note, but it's an interesting note to be fair.
And because RE8 is a direct sequel to 7 it's story plays out in a strange way because the chaos has to ramp up very very quickly in order to make it feel like a new thing to Ethan. Because if it was a slow build up again, Ethan (and the player) would already be accustomed to the shit going on and theoretically be able to handle it. So in order to up the stakes, Ethan is immediately dumped into a village where he is attacked by a bunch of werewolf-like people. The village locks you in leave you frantically running around trying to kill what you can and somehow escape. Then after a bit of time, you just get caught no matter what you do and then monsters all close in on you, until something causes them to stop and bail on you leaving you there wondering what the fuck.
Sounds like the same exact opening from RE4 doesn't it. The villagers relentlessly attack Leon for X amount of time, then the clocktower rings and they all fuck off.
It does give the player an uneasy feeling, just to have all the monsters run away leaving you in the town wondering if and when they'll come back and how. It's very effective, it's just a shame that it an exact repeat of the RE4 opening.
There are some noticable advancements in the gameplay though. The guns feel tight and good to use, the resistance triggers on PS5 are helpful here because they keep you from firing a gunshot on accident because something in the shadows startled you. You have to fire deliberately and that's nice because in tense moments it adds to the tension as you frantically try to get your shots off before you become lunch. The game throws enemies at you pretty quickly and pretty regularly too. Those quiet explorative moments don't last long before something else is after you. This makes the game far more actiony than the other RE games that people liked and shows you how much they are really stepping into RE4's shoes here.
With the action combat comes loot, and way more ammo than you think you should have. It brought me out of the horror mindset pretty quickly, because while quiet moments have great feelings of dread, they aren't long enough to build the tension properly the way 7 did. So by the time you calm down and get into the environment you are attacked again which makes it hard to get engrossed in the setting. Which is a shame because the areas are beautiful here. The snowscaped village is wonderful to explore (minus the gore and gross shit lying around) making finding loot a lot of fun. Another swing towards the action game setting is that there is loot, either in ammo, crafting materials, sellable items, or raw money. All of which comes together with the "What are you buyin?" Guy from RE4 here replaced by a strangely mobile fat bastard called The Duke.
The Duke will sell you items, gear, and also upgrade your current equipment. And isn't as charming somehow as the shady merchant in RE4, but he serves the same purpose so it's just other check box as to how this game is RE4-again.
Then you have the villains. Who in this game are mostly one-note which is a shame. There isn't a lot of depth to the characters you come across, but the good news is that the note they do hit does hit very well. So while our new 9' foot tall Waifu is not exactly a deep character, she fits her role very well in the game and you genuinely want to deal with her by the time you do. Which is good. I have no real complaints about the characters or villains here because they all fit there spot in the game perfectly and their lack of depth adds to the campy charm of it all.
Except Ethan, the player, holy fuck is Ethan a moron or what? This guys is just an insufferable dumbass that despite having gone through crazy shit like this before, acts like it's all new to him and he doesn't know what to do. He's very irritating because he doesn't seem to be able to realize what's happening around him despite the fact that he is mowing down dozens of monsters constently. You as a player figure shit out in the first hour of the game, but Ethan just keeps going, "What's going on?" in a fucking stupid tone of voice that makes you wonder if those blows to the head haven't caused some serious damage to the guy. It makes him unlikable and sometimes I let him die because I can't stand him.
Having a bad main character is one of the biggest negatives I can put onto a game. When you don't care about the character you are playing that's bad game writing, when you outright HATE the player character, then that's an even worse problem. And I HATE Ethan, I really do, his bumbling bullshit is the sole reason why I haven't beaten RE8 yet. BEcause I'll be exploring or getting into the next section of the game and he'll say something fucking stupid and I have to sit back and stop. It pulls me out of the game every time and i have to force myself back into the mood to play it again.
All in all, RE8 is RE4 and if you liked RE4 then you'll like this and there is nothing else to say about it really. Guess we don't need that RE4 remake.
