25.1.2017

Good Points: Excellent graphics and sound. Intense atmosphere. Amazing location and setting. Great antagonists.Bad Points: Loses steam towards the end. Boss encounters are more annoying than exciting. Some areas can drag on.I will try to keep this as spoiler free as possible but I will be using examples from the first hour of the game to give example.Resident Evil 7 is as far from any previous game in the series as it can get without completely going off the rails (I’m looking at you Resi 6). In fact, I would argue that it is the best Resident Evil game since at least 4 or maybe even 2. It has moved back towards the survival horror aspect of the series rather than the...erm…well; let’s justsay there is no boulders being punched in this one nor annoying sidekicks using up all the ammo.The game starts with our main protagonist, Ethan, whose wife went missing three years ago. Then one day unexpectedly, He receives an e-mail from her telling him to go to a plantation in Louisiana, USA. However, was it really her, or was it someone or something else?Now I will say the motivation to go is that not bad but I cannot help but think the setup is a little too cliché. He only contacts a friend to tell them where he is going but neglects to inform the police. I know it is only a game and they simply needed a way to get the player into the house alone but it just doesn’t quite sit right with me. Oh, and anybody who walks past dead animal bodies in the shape of a creepy shrine that is dripping with fresh blood, which you then have to walk under to get to the house and doesn’t turn back right there and then, you deserve everything that you get!The first thing that will be obvious from the go is the first person camera. I will admit when I first saw this in trailers I thought it was trying to copy the current trend of horror games like Outlast and PT but I personally think it works better then those. The up close and personal approach that only first person can give is used amazingly, as enemies get right into your face, bodies pop up of the water unexpectedly right in front of you for well delivered shock value. Sometimes however it can get a little too over used and I think those moments are intended for the VR version of the game. Much like how 3D movies always point something at the viewer. Maybe in VR it adds another layer of fear to the game but in 2D, it can get a little jarring. It doesn’t happen very often though so it never ruins the game.The game has also brought back some puzzle elements that the series lost along the way. The old true and tested keys are back and it really does feel fresh to see them return. They aren’t as prolific as you might think but it does echo of the series’ first three game. Certainly, what the last two games were missing.One of the more surprising factors of this game is that it is not as frightening as you might think. Certainly the game has many creepy moments and some great set pieces like the Diner Table scene but it is often more intense then terrifying. When playing on easier difficulty, the enemies move a lot slower giving you time to run and think about your next move however on a higher difficulty, they move at a much brisker pace and there is no room for error. This is absolutely the standout parts of the game. You can’t hide in lockers or under beds like you can in Outlast and your only options is to either hide behind boxes, stay as far away from the Baker’s as you can or run non stop. I will admit that the women in the wheelchair who just sits there and stares at you is unnerving every time you see her.As for the monsters in this game, there are no zombies which I did miss. There are however creepy black ink like creatures that are as dumb as can be and can be killed with a few head shots. The real monsters of the game however are the Baker family. Made up of three insane freaks who just want to kill you. Each one has their own unique personality and way they track you down. I really don’t want to spoil it but the wife and mother of the family is without a doubt the best one you will come up against. It also has bugs...I don't like bugs.One of my biggest complaints however is the game does start to drag on a little towards the end. It is hard to explain why without giving away huge spoilers but the game becomes more about guns and shooting then the first part, which is about being completely at the mercy of the Baker Family.I think it could also have benefited from being a little bit shorter in game length. However, don’t think that the game is a mix of half good and half bad, it’s not. It’s more a case of the first half of the game starts of so strong that the game can’t keep up that momentum forever.Now I couldn’t finished this review without talking about the real star of the game, the Baker’s House itself. I’ve heard many people compare it to the first game but that simply does not so it justice. I always felt the mansion in the first game was too clean, were as this one feels like an old, creepy abandoned house should with wallpaper peeling away, cobwebs and dust covering every surface and even down to little details like paint stripping from the roof. The corridors and rooms are also well designed. It forces the player to creep around 90 degree corners and slowly enter rooms with no idea what is waiting.Then there are the parts of the house that feel alive and lived in. They are cluttered with mountains of rubbish and bags of strange looking meat. I really cannot do it justice but once you have played it, you will understand and I think you will agree that it is the best part of the game.So to summarize, I think the game is great but does have its flaws. While it is not the terrifying experience, I thought it would be it is certainly the right direction for the series. If you are a fan of the series, I see no reason why you would not find this enjoyable. Oh, and do not forget to play the Mia Video tape, that really is intense!As for the achievement hunters out there, you should able to get a good amount of the first play through but a couple of them will give you a headache like only using three heath packs in one play through. I think I used that many in the first hour!Game play:-18/20Graphics:-19/20Sound:-19/20Value for Money:-15/20Replay Value:-15/20Overall:- 86/100

15.9.2020

As someone who has played pretty much all the Resident Evil games I held off playing Resident Evil 7 as the first person perspective put me off and I’m usually not a fan of those types of games. When I finally got around to playing it I realised that I was wrong; the first person perspective mostly works well with what they were trying to achieve here. The point of view does add to the atmosphere when exploring the house and interacting with objects you find though I would add that I found it can be harder to find things with the first person perspective. I was worried that this would turn it into a first person shooter but generally the game avoids this by not over running you with enemies so at points running away is the best option.I was impressed with how well things worked with the new perspective but I’m not sure I would want it for every game; I felt it worked well in confined areas where there was a sense of dread turning a corner and didn’t really add anything to more open areas. I found looking for and finding objects a bit hit and miss but the game does have a solution for this by allowing you to take a supplement which highlights where items are.I felt the gameplay was strongest at the start of the game and the survival horror aspect was prominent because you often have to avoid enemies because you don’t have the right equipment or your equipment isn’t strong enough. Towards the end of the game I overloaded with an arsenal of weapons and ammo that could have lasted me for wave after wave of enemies; perhaps I avoided enemies too much or disposed of them too efficiently but I felt it took away from the tense atmosphere they had done so well at crafting at the start of the game (though without spoiling anything there are attempts to recapture this feeling near the end). This game is also seemed quite short and I could have easily played for a couple of more hours. One of the trophy’s is to do the game in under 4 hours and that is very doable. Some of the boss fights are very satisfying and challenging but I found the final boss fight to be a massive let down and it definitely felt a bit anti-climatic to me.The story was also quite good and focusing on one house and family was a refreshing change from having to save a city / zombie apocalypse scenarios of the other games. The characters and in game files add to the story and I liked the additional tapes you find throughout the game that give you a bit of background in regards to what happened to other visitors to the house. All of this was well done and executed so the story and characters didn’t take a back seat here.The gold edition comes with all the DLC except one additional chapter which you can download for free. I’ll summarise those here:Nightmare - You are trapped in one area and have to choose which weapons and skills you craft to survive wave after wave of enemies. This is probably the closest the game gets to being a FPS as all you have to do is set traps and fight off enemies with weapons of your choice. Each run takes about 30 mins or so and you get additional rewards for every run. It’s nothing that hasn’t been done or seen before.Bedroom - Scenario where you have to escape from the bedroom. Great puzzle and tense atmosphere but little re-playability after you’ve done it.21 - Survival horror blackjack. Basically you have to face off against another opponent to survive and get to 21. The game does include trump cards which give various benefits which create an element of strategy. It is an interesting concept which is well executed to begin with but I found it a bit annoying on replays.Daughters - Short scenario which is a bit of prequel focusing on the Baker family. A playthrough takes around 45 minutes to an hour and I felt it could have been a bit longer. In my opinion it doesn’t add an awful lot to the plot but does give you a bit of a different perspective to everything that happened.Ethan Must Die - You have to go through a short part of the main campaign and defeat a boss on ultra hard difficulty. Everything kills you in 1-2 hits and the loot and equipment you find is randomised. The whole purpose seems to be you have to die multiple times to memorise what to do to defeat this mode. The combination of ultra hard difficulty and random loot wasn’t one I enjoyed so stopped playing this after a while.Jack’s 55th Birthday - The premise of this game is that you pick a stage and then go around sections of the house defeating enemies and picking up food items to feed to Jack. When Jack is full you complete the game and the faster you do it the more rewards you get. There are 6 stages in total which are all bits of the house that appear in the main game. It was a fun distraction and I spent a couple of hours getting S rank on each stage.End of Zoe - Without getting into too many spoilers this is kind of an epilogue to the main game and take about an hour or 2 to complete depending on the difficulty. The character you take control of mainly fights with their fists which in my opinion doesn’t work too well with the first person perspective but nevertheless it was a decent addition and probably essential for anyone who wants the ‘full story’.Not a Hero - This is free DLC which I believe wasn’t included on the disc. Like End of Zoe you take control of a different character and is kind of an epilogue / side story. The game play and weapons you use are similar to the main quest but there are a few new enemies to take care of. Again it was a fun addition and essential if you want all the story.Although none of the DLC are essential to enjoy the main game I’d probably recommend getting the Gold Edition if you’re a completionist, are here for the story, or want an added challenge. I definitely felt I got more out of the game by playing the DLC but to be honest I’d have preferred a few extra hours of the main quest as I enjoyed that more than any of the DLC I played.In summary I’d recommend giving RE7 a go. It’s a good entry point for new players as you don’t really need to know anything about the previous games to enjoy it. For long time fans it offers a different way of doing Resident Evil and whilst I wouldn’t want Capcom to go in this direction all the time I was impressed and enjoyed the fact that they managed to make it work.

27.1.2017

It's always hard to review a game because games are subjective; beauty is in the eye of the beholder, however, Resident Evil has been a game series which captures a special spot in gamer's hearts for a number of reasons. The most obvious reason being horror. And Resident Evil 7 offers what I consider to be 'true horror'. It's very much like the horror you feel whilst watching the 1974 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'. The macabre mixed with the feeling of desperation for survival.But before I get into that, let's take a look at what we're dealing with. Resident Evil 7 arrived in a physical box (great artwork on the front), with 3 disks. It has a Steam key, so you must redeem the key using 'Steam'.I assume you're familiar with it so I wont go into detail on that. The disks have most of the game data on, so you will not need to spend ages downloading 18gb's worth of data (or thereabouts). However, once installed, you will need to download an update which I am guessing is around 800mb or so. It took me a good 20 mins to download it (again, this is highly dependant on your internet speed).Minimum spec requirement for the game:OS: WINDOWS 7,8,8.1,10 64-BITProcessor: Intel Core i5-4460, 2.70GHz or AMD FX-6300 or betterMemory: 8 GB RAMGraphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 or AMD Radeon R7 260xDirectX: Version 11Additional Notes: 1080P CPU/GPU at 30FPS Players will have to either lower texture or set streaming textures to OFF in order to optimize performance.Recommended Spec:OS: WINDOWS 7,8,8.1,10 64-BITProcessor: Intel Core i7 3770 3.4GHz or AMD or betterMemory: 8 GB RAMGraphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 or AMD Radeon R9 280X or betterDirectX: Version 11Additional Notes: "1080P CPU/GPU at 60FPSMy personal specs are: Windows 10 Home (64-bit), i5 6400 3.20ghz, 16gb ram, Nvidia 960 4gb version. I can run the game on full settings fairly smoothly. The game works with an original Xbox controller which I plug in via USB, or you can use mouse and keyboard.Now i'll give you a quick overview of the sound/gameplay and overall experience. The sound is, as expected - excellent. The sounds of walking in the forest of Louisiana in the beginning of the game sounds nice, as the leaves crunch as you walk over them. Scares are often delivered with that classic horror music, although it's not done in a cheesy way, it's genuinely terrifying. Voice acting is well done and sounds professional, i've yet to hear something that sounds poor.Gameplay-wise, as you've probably seen, Capcom has decided to go against the grain and go with a first person approach. I was skeptical, being a casual fan of the RE series, having played 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and revelations, but I actually think it's a good decision. There is a whole new dynamic now. Because the game is centred around a house in the middle of nowhere, and you have to inspect things close up e.g photographs, bolt cutters etc You feel as if it's you in the game. When something charges at me, I feel as if they're attacking ME. I've almost fell out of my chair several times. The game is very immersive. Storyline-wise, there actually is a story. It's not just about 'killing zombies cos we're Umbrella, yay!', it starts off with a video from Mia, the wife of Ethan who disappeared 3 years ago. You guessed it - you need to go and rescue her. Will you rescue her? Or will your plan go wrong?All I can say is: buy it. I don't recommend games much because i've been let down by so, so many games over the years. But this one holds up. Capcom didn't oversell it, or hype it up. They just got on with it, released it and I think that approach has been for the best. They released a demo so you can download that and get a feel for the game. If you like the demo, you'll LOVE the game. It's very cleverly done and definitely has that 70's/80's horror feel to it. What are you waiting for?! Go ahead and buy it!Thanks for checking out my review. If you've got any questions i'll be more than happy to answer them. Please let me know what you thought of my review by letting me know if it helped you by clicking 'yes'. I can then adjust my future reviews accordingly.

19.4.2017

Just like the Evil Residents of these games, this is a franchise that just wont go down. As just about every review has already said this is an enormous departure from previous entries in the series; however, for many this will be considered a good thing after the missteps of the last few games, which strayed far too close to shooter territory for the dedicated Resident Evil fan.The biggest and most notable change from the moment the game begins (other than less hammy dialogue) is the change of perspective from the over the shoulder introduced in RE4 to a first person perspective. Now for many this would ring alarm bells and instantly conjure images of this latest entry taking its final illadvised steps towards becoming the COD clone we all feared it would become after the bombastic shooter experience that was RE6, however if you wish to draw comparisons to another franchise I would look closer at the more recent horror titles such as Amnesia, Outlast and the incredible PT demo. The lessons that these games learned from using the first person perspective in a horror game is that the increase in immersion increases the tension and the atmosphere. Another likely perk that Capcom took from the change is the potential for VR (only currently available on PS4).Aside from the perspective the other clear visual change introduced in this entry is the switch to a more realistic style. The other entries were more stylised, with characters coming across more as you would see in an anime than in real life. In this game you really are playing as a typical everyman, with no exaggerated characteristics whatsoever. In fact my only true complaint about this character is he is about as exciting as a plank of wood with a crudely drawn smiley face on it. Barry Burton he aint! This isnt a huge problem in the grander scheme of things though because the true stars of this story are the Baker family themselves. To say anything of their motivations would be to ruin the plot so I wont delve, but I can say that they are a little more interesting than the southern yokel cliche that they may appear to be. The choice to use only a few antagonists has worked in the games favour, as it has allowed for greater focus in making them feel individual and distinct from each other. Each one is a character we love to fear and hate in equal measure and after playing I am sure each of us has a favourite!Going back to the yokel cliche, another common misconception of the general plot of this title to those yet to play it, is that it appears to be like a video game adaptation of something like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre or The Hills Have Eyes. Although there are elements of both of these in here, this game feels far more akin to the Evil Dead, even including that films darkly comic tone, which was a welcome surprise in what I believed would play like a very straight horror title.Fear not though fellow enemies of change, despite the initially jarring change of perspective and the increased level of realism the true spirit of the franchise is stronger than it has been in years. This is a survival horror game through and through, even down to inventory management systems, limited resources and the feeling of vulnerability that every game since RE4 has been unable to reproduce.

20.2.2019

Resident Evil VII: Gold Edition.PS4 Review.Genre: Survival Horror.Includes All DLC.- Banned Footage Vol. 1.- Banned Footage Vol. 2.- End of Zoe.- Not A Hero.Synopsis.Ethan Winters must embark on a search to find his missing wife that leads him to an abandoned house where a mysterious family lives who harvest an evil secret within the house & themselves.Timelord Thoughts.Set within the confines of sinister plantation mansion that takes place directly after the dramatic events of 'Resident Evil 6', you play Ethan Winters who is searching for his missing wife that leads to a unfortunate series of events as Ethan is kidnapped & tortured by the sinister terrifying Baker family.The switch to firstperson works wonders & gives the franchise a fresh perspective & Capcom have dialled down on the action spectacle of the previous couple of games & gone back to the games survival horror roots, the gameplay is easy to grasp & incorporates the standard collecting ammo & combining herbs to restore health as seen in the previous games.The graphics are visually impressive with crisp clear visuals given a grindhouse type makeover enhanced by some truly eerie sound effects & music score, the voice acting is strong & the characters are each given a distinctive personality despite being crazy psychos, the plot is a tense claustrophobic nightmare that mirrors the 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie which this game is clearly based on & I literally was shitting myself throughout many tense moments in this game.The action is used sporadically as you make your way around the mansion & I advise that you conserve ammo (trust me your going to need it) as you encounter genuine moments of terror thanks to some very effective jumps scares as Capcom have ramped up the horror to make Resident Evil VII one of the most frightening but enjoyable horror game I’ve played in ages.The previous pay DLC features Banned Footage Vol. 1 & includes two scenarios, called "Nightmare" & "Bedroom", and a new game mode, titled "Ethan Must Die", Banned Footage Vol. 2 includes two additional scenarios, called "21" & "Daughters" & a new game mode, titled "Jack's 55th Birthday", the two story chapters 'End of Zoe' sees you control bad ass Joe Baker while 'Not a Hero' players finally get to play as Chris Redfield which you can download for free is you have the standard edition of the game.Gripes? Only a few, I'd say the main campaign's a bit short as I completed this in just under 10 hours, the puzzle sections while good aren't used to there full potential & there's a lack of variety to the creatures you fight against with the focus being more on the Baker family & just a handful of other gooey blob creatures.Overall, Resident Evil VII returns this long running gaming franchise back to its survival horror roots & delivers a nerve shredding terrifying game first person shooter that oozes atmosphere, this game isn't for the faint hearted but for horror purists like myself will lap it up & is one that I highly recommend adding to you gaming collection.

14.12.2017

As a person who has grew up with the Resident Evil franchise, I've seen it evolve from its prime stage, to its downfall.Starting off, if you have played the recent previous titles (from Revelations onwards) you'll come to understand that the games seemed to have lost their quality (this is just my strong opinion). Resi 7 however is an entirely new game altogether; A new slate if you will.Resident Evil 7 is set in modern day Dulvey, Louisiana. The story takes place in the backwater estates of Dulvey, specifically at the Baker residence. The protagonist this time around is Ethan Winters. Ethan is a standard person who has no previous record of military or police involvement; so he is just a nobody at the start.Ethan's goal is to search for his missing wife ,

12.2.2017

Despite being an avid gamer in my youth, I've not much played since. One of the standout games I enjoyed was the original Resident Evil on PlayStation. I recently bought a new console and quickly decided that I wanted that challenge again. I bought Resident Evil 7 based on this. Some of the others had apparently become more action based, which I feel would not have been faithful to the true survival horror genre, where your character's life hangs by a thread and resources sanctuaries and even environmental comprehension are scarce. Ethan Winters is an ordinary man, he is ill equipped to deal with anything approaching what he will face, the first person aspect perspective accentuates this,

31.1.2017

After what could only be described as a complete disaster after Resident Evil 5 and 6, it seems Capcom are starting to not only reinvent the Resident Evil franchise to a more modern horror based game, but also at the same time bring back the old school eeriness that the old games had back in the 90's which made the franchise so popular.I was sceptical about the game being in first person and thought that it would just give them an excuse to fill the game with jump scares like Outlast, but this isn't the case at all, in fact I have come across very little jump scares. What the first person mode does instead is rekindle that edginess you had in the originals,

7.1.2018

Having finished my first play through on Easy, I can say that, I really like this game.Being used to the typical Resi game there was a bit of a learning curve but once you work out the kinks it is a lot of fun, albeit on the edge of your seat fun.Getting the only negative thing out the way, is the fact that unlike previous titles in the franchise, there aren't a heck of a lot of enemy types.That being said, what this game does exceptionally well is tone, the sense of dread, of being trapped, is handled brilliantly, the scenery looks the part and the ambient sounds are so great, you'll be walking down a quiet corridor then there is a thump, that will make you poop it, graphics and animations are also great,

30.9.2018

Ok, this game's almost 2 years old now, so im mot going to ramble about the story. More so the value of this package. Id say go for it. The base game is amazing. The DLC's are hit and miss and are mostly a collection of mini games.Nightmare- this is a horde mode where you craft weapons and supplies to survive as long as you can against monsters and Jack Baker. Think 5 nights at freddy's with Resi.Bedroom- is a big puzzle where you must escape a room without alerting the Bakers. Really well thought out actually and puts the puzzles in the main game to shame.21- is a saw style card game run by Lucas Baker where losing cost's you fingers and eventually your life.

10.1.2018

This Gold Edition has both 'Banned Footage Vol 1 & Vol 2' and 'End Of Zoe' on the disc, the other new DLC 'Not A Hero' is a freebie to download, not sure why it wasn't included on the disc because it's only four gigabytes, perhaps it wasn't ready when the gold edition disc went to manufacture. There's also 5 special coins that if carried in your inventory will enhance your abilities like reload speed and stamina boost or will power-up your attack and defenses, but these coins aren't included with this gold edition because they weren't in my item box when I first started playing, so for a small price I downloaded all 5 and there they were.If you don't know,

20.2.2017

I had bought this game from GAME and I loved it!The best Resident Evil game is hotly-contested, though often the same few crop up.The long-overdue return to survival horror is just what the series needed and, though the move to first person may seem a drastic change, Resident Evil 7 still plays like a Resident Evil game. A great one at that.The unexpected twists: How is that person still alive generally terrifies you!The opening hour sets a strong tone for the rest of the game. It’s a low key, slow burn beginning that plays out with a minimal cast and almost in a single location. It’s a gentle creep that turns into a terrifyingly confusing rush of horror with so little warning that you’re all but left spinning.

9.2.2017

I will start off by saying don't let 1 star review's put you off this game. Resident evil fan or not, this is a top game. For me I am a massive RE fan from the start.It may not give everything we wanted but what game dose. What it dose do is what it is meant too and that is scare the crap out of you (if it don't then i need to man up) The graphics and sound are brilliant, most complaints seem to be that the game is too short but the game didn't feel rushed the pacing was very clever. My main fault and did not affect my experience was that the puzzles could of been a bit harder this would of made the game longer if certain items required more to find.

26.1.2017

PC Day One Review (spoiler free).Yes, i hate Steam too, but for once it does not cause a painful install experience.Case contains 3 DvDs on a single spool. First DvD triggers a Steam update (short) then a prompt to enter the disc code. Once DvDs are installed there is an update to download from Steam which was not too large (nowhere near as painful as Doom was) and completed in an hour (on a below average internet connection).The game menus are obviously designed for Consoles and can be a little tricky to navigate.Graphics are excellent, very cinematic, smooth and well detailed, im running at 2560x1440 (Intel i5, MSI NVIDIA Gtx 960 Gaming 2 GB with 16GB Corsair Vengence on Win10).Controls are very well laid out,

11.10.2017

For any horror fans that enjoyed playing the Outlast games - this is definitely one of my favourites. I have never played any previous Resident Evil games but that doesn't matter because this game has its own setting and story with a few Easter eggs to prior titles for long term fans.The graphics and sound design are amazing and honestly blew me away from the opening cutscene shots - character animations look great too.The gameplay is more action orientated than Outlast as you have weapons but there are still puzzle segments and ample exploration of the house to do.The story is fantastic too - if you like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Saw films then you will love it!

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard - Reviews

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