Page 76 - Computer Power User - February 2017

Yeah, we know you have blogs to post, video to encode, reports to write, and code to compile. We do,
too, but you have to take a break once in a while (and maybe blow some stuff up). That’s why each
month we give you the lowdown on what to expect from the latest interesting games.
Game Of The Month

The King Is Back

BY CHRIS TRUMBLE

$59.99 (PC, XOne, PS4) • ESRB: (M)ature • Capcom
residentevil7.com

Longtime fans of survival horror videogames know that although there the old place is crumbling with decay, it is not vacant, and you very quickly
were one or two precursors, Resident Evil was the game that kicked off the encounter the Baker family, several people who are at best stark raving mad;
popularity of SH games in earnest in 1996. Those same fans also probably it’s hard to say what the worst-case scenario is.
know that for many years, alternating releases of Resident Evil games and
Silent Hill titles were the tentpole launches that continued to fuel gamers’ As Ethan, you must run, fight, hide, and solve puzzles to survive and
appetite for scary games, which eventually led to the proliferation of horror- to piece together the story of what has happened here to your wife
themed games that we enjoy today. and to the Baker family, not to mention the many travelers they have
waylaid and who subsequently disappeared. You have access to a
Over the years, however, the Resident Evil and Silent Hill series diverged few weapons, but you will not find the ammo you’d need to go into
considerably in theme and content to the point where they were more like every enemy encounter guns blazing—often, avoiding your foes is the
members of two distinct genres than entries in the same one. This began best policy. RE7 also drops you into a number of boss fights at pivotal
especially with the arrival of Resident Evil 4 in 2005; RE4 was a great game, moments, and in these situations there are often more expedient ways
but it was more of an action shooter with elements of horror mixed in here to win than just shooting a lot, providing you can recognize and execute
and there, and that trend continued with the releases of Resident Evil 5 and them (pun intended).
RE6. Silent Hill, on the other hand, mostly stayed true to its survival-horror
roots, creating atmosphere with oppressive, creeping dread more than with Along the way, you’ll collect keys for specific rooms, find herbs to heal your
automatic weapons and truckloads of ammo. injuries, and enjoy other Resident Evil gameplay staples. The game is built
on Capcom’s new RE Engine, and although there are a few uncanny-valley
Earlier this week, Capcom debuted the latest entry in the Resident Evil saga, issues with the game’s characters, they generally look pretty good, and the
Resident Evil 7, and the game is notable for a couple pretty big reasons: environments are masterfully done. We played the Xbox One version, but
For starters, it is the first major release in the series to shift the player’s it’s also available on PC and PlayStation 4. (The PS4 version is PS4 Pro- and
perspective to full-time first-person, and second, it’s very clearly a return PlayStation VR-compatible.)
to the basic principles of survival horror: creepy environments, terrifying
opponents, and extremely limited resources. This game is not for the faint of heart, as no horrific stone is left unturned
throughout your journey. You’ll hear terrifying sound effects, witness mind-
In RE7, you play the role of Ethan Winters, a regular guy whose wife Mia left bending acts of violence, experience jump scares, find creepy videotape
home three years ago and never came back. The game opens as you drive messages, and wade through buckets of gore. But although the game has
to a dilapidated plantation out in the bayou in Louisiana in response to an some flaws in mechanics and execution here and there, it delivers a superbly
email that arrived out of the blue from your wife, asking you for help. Although scary experience that no survival horror fan should miss. ■

76 February2017 / www.computerpoweruser.com