Much like the series’ mutated menagerie of undead horrors, Resident Evil’s games refuse to die. The celebrated franchise is the grandpappy of survival horror, and that’s quite a legacy right there. Capcom’s series has earned itself the benefit of the doubt when it comes to its shonkier entries.
The sad fact is, though, these missteps seem to have become the norm of late. After the paradigm shift that was Resident Evil 4, the games have become a gun-toting, Arnold Schwarzenegger movie sort of experience, and we’re not talking the good movies. We’re talking the half-assed Christmas flick he was in, where he punched the reindeer in the face.
What are developers increasingly doing these days, when they struggle to recapture the magic of the past with new series entries? They re-release old ones in spangly HD, that’s what. Everyone from Crash Bandicoot to Kratos is at now, and the Resident Evil series is as guilty as any other. In the last few years, the original title, its prequel and Evils 4, 5 and 6 have been made available on PS4 and Xbox One. Series offshoot Resident Evil: Revelations is also on its way to Sony and Microsoft’s systems later this month, as we’ve already seen. Now, though, Capcom have revealed that Nintendo Switch is getting in on the action too.
In quite a surprising move, it seems that North American Switch gamers are getting a package containing a physical copy of Revelations 1 and a code to download its sequel. When this becomes available in ‘late 2017,’ a single copy of either will be available from the Switch store for $19.99 each. Other regions will have no choice but to make do with a download, as the physical and download package will be NA only.
Capcom promises Switch players ‘upgraded’ versions of both games, and dropped a few details as to just what this means. As Destructoid reports, Revelations 1 and 2 for Switch is set to feature an improved framerate, 1920x1080 resolution and reworked AI for the many monsters you’ll encounter. All previously-released DLC for both entries will be available from the get-go, and the notorious Raid Mode Ghost Ship will be rejigged to offer even more of a challenge and more powerful weapons.
The Switch editions of the games are likely to aim for a holiday 2017 release, with the obscure ‘late’ date in mind. For long-time franchise fans, it may be well worth picking up, as an excellent but under-appreciated entry in the series. If you’ve become disillusioned with Resident Evil of late, you might want to consider giving this one a chance; an effective blend of modern- and classic-Evil atmosphere that’s a blast to play.
