Resident Evil Revelations

Resident Evil: Revelations, known in Japan as Biohazard Revelations (バイオハザード リベレーションズ Baiohazādo Riberēshonzu), is a survival horror video game for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was developed by Capcom, and was released on January 26, 2012 in Japan; January 27, 2012 in Europe; February 2, 2012 in Australia; and February 7, 2012 in North America. It supports the Circle Pad Pro expansion peripheral.
==Gameplay==
Resident Evil: Revelations returns to the survival horror gameplay of earlier series installments, with returning elements such as a limited supply of ammunition, and more emphasis on exploration and puzzle solving. The game's camera keeps an over-the-shoulder view from behind the playable character. The player may move the protagonist while aiming a weapon, and has the option to switch between a first-person and third-person perspective. A new device, the Genesis, detects items hidden throughout the game's environments.
Extra features include Raid Mode, allowing two players to cooperate in battling waves of enemies. Players are also able to send in-game supplies to friends via the StreetPass feature of the Nintendo 3DS.
==Synopsis==
===Setting===
The game is set in 2005, between Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5. It depicts the events shortly after the establishment of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA), a counter-terrorism group introduced in Resident Evil 5. The story revolves around BSAA co-founders Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield, the protagonists of the first Resident Evil. During the game's events, Jill and Parker Luciani are sent to search for Chris Redfield and Jessica Sherawat on the SS Queen Zenobia, that serves as the game's setting. The game's story includes a flashback, which revolves around the "floating city" of Terragrigia (Italian for "Grey Earth") one year prior to the game's events, when the Federal Bioterrorism Commission (FBC) sent agents – including Parker and Jessica – to keep the situation under control after the bioterrorist organization "Il Veltro" launched an attack on the city using bio-organic weapons (BOW) in opposition to Terragrigia's solar energy development. The other characters of the game include Raymond Vester, one of the top agents working of the Federal Bioterrorism Commission; Clive R. O'Brian, the director of the BSAA during the incident known as the Terragrigia Panic; Morgan Lansdale, the head of the Federal Bioterrorism Commission and was responsible for the destruction of Terragrigia through the use of the Regia Solis; and Jack Norman, the head of Il Veltro who uses BOWs to create terror and attempt to make the Earth realize its corruption.
===Plot===
In 2005, BSAA head Clive R. O'Brian sends out Jill Valentine and her new partner, Parker Luciani, to search for Chris Redfield and hís new partner, Jessica Sherawat. They have reportedly gone missing and lost contact with HQ during their mission to investigate Veltro's possible reappearance. Jill and Parker are sent to search for them at their last known location, the cruise ship SS Queen Zenobia. During their search, they encounter several B.O.W.s on the ship infected with the T-Abyss virus, a marine virus derived from the deadly T-Virus. They finally enter a room where they believe Chris is being held, realising too late that it was all a trap. Chris and Jessica, meanwhile, find a base of operations for Veltro; the Valkoinen Mökki airstrip in the mountains. Being informed by O'Brian that Jill and Parker are missing in the Mediterranean, they are redeployed to investigate their whereabouts. Awakening in separate locked rooms aboard the Zenobia, Jill and Parker manage to escape and regroup. They later encounter FBC agent Raymond Vester, whose life Parker had saved during the Terragrigia Panic. They also witness a video transmission of a masked man claiming to be part of Veltro who threatens to infect approximately one fifth of the Earth's oceans with the T-Abyss, which was created in retaliation to the FBC for their involvement in the destruction of Veltro's forces on Terragrigia.
Chris requests that a team be sent to Valkoinen Mökki to find information on the ship, prompting O'Brian to order BSAA agents Quint Cetcham and Keith Lumley to investigate. Jill and Parker reach the ship's antenna to contact HQ, requesting evacuation, but are cut short by O'Brian receiving a call from the European Security Force, informing him that the Regia Solis has been activated and is targeting the ship. Meanwhile, Quint and Keith discover that O'Brian had orchestrated Veltro's re-emergence along with other crucial information. However, they lose contact with O'Brian when an airstrike decimates Valkoinen Mökki. Chris and Jessica arrive to the Queen Zenobia. At the same time, Jill and Parker are confronted by the Veltro operative, who poses various questions hinting at a larger conspiracy. However, before he can reveal anymore, Jessica shoots him. Parker unmasks him to discover it was Raymond. He seemingly dies after whispering something to him. Afterwards, Chris and Jill make their way to the ship's laboratory to stop the virus from contaminating the sea, while Parker and Jessica search for a way to stop the ship from sinking. During the search, Parker turns his gun on Jessica, suspecting her of being an FBC mole, as told by Vester. At the same time, Raymond reveals himself to be alive, having worn a Kevlar vest, and working with O'Brian. Jessica wounds Parker and initiates the self-destruct sequence, confirming her to be the mole. Having found the laboratory, Chris and Jill are confronted by Lansdale, via video uplink, revealing that he worked with Veltro in the Terragrigia Panic. Despite the Queen Zenobia self-destructing, they manage to neutralize the virus. Pilot Kirk Mathison contacts Chris and Jill informing them that he is there to extract them. They then meet with an injured Parker but despite the pair's attempt at saving him, Parker falls into the fire below a broken catwalk.
O'Brian informs Chris and Jill about the truth behind the mission and the events he orchestrated, and of the results from Keith and Quint's data analysis: the existence of a third sister ship known as the Queen Dido below the ruins of Terragrigia. However, Lansdale then proceeds to arrest O'Brian, cutting off communications. Jill and Chris search for Jack Norman, the leader of Veltro, knowing that he holds incriminating evidence against Lansdale. However, he has gone delusional and injects himself with an overdose of the t-Abyss virus, transforming into a new type of Tyrant known as the "Final Form Abyss". After a long battle, he is finally killed, expressing his relief that he could finally be at peace. Chris and Jill then broadcast the video via Norman's PDA, exposing Lansdale. O'Brian is immediately released and arrests Lansdale. The truth behind Terragrigia went public and the FBC was dissolved. Parker, who was saved by Raymond from the explosion, was found adrift off the shore of Malta and, after a month of recovery, resumed his position as a Special Operations Agent for the BSAA; while O'Brian decides to take responsibility for his actions in orchestrating the entire mission and steps down as director of the BSAA. Quint and Keith are revealed to have survived the air raid. The game then shows Chris and Jill walking up to the Spencer estate from the "Lost In Nightmares" episode of Resident Evil 5. In a post-credits scene, Raymond approaches Jessica at a cafe and gives her a sample of t-Abyss. She asks him why he saved Parker, with him replying that he "had his reasons".
==Development==
Development of Resident Evil: Revelations began before that of Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, an action game that was created by the same staff members at Capcom. The Mercenaries 3D was intended as a test for the capabilities of the Nintendo 3DS, and made the development team familiar with the handheld's technology. Resident Evil: Revelations uses a new revision of the internally developed MT Framework graphics engine. Referred to as MT Framework Mobile, it was designed specifically for the Nintendo 3DS, and is based on an earlier version of the engine utilized in the third-person shooter Lost Planet 2. Depending on the mode Resident Evil: Revelations is run in, some graphical effects will be toggled on and off; for example, the graphics feature anti-aliasing if the 3D mode of the Nintendo 3DS is disabled. Resident Evil: Revelations is being directed by Resident Evil 5 co-designer Koushi Nakanishi, and produced by Masachika Kawata and Takayuki Hama. Tsukasa Takenaka, who provided the story background and in-game files for Resident Evil 5, is joining the team as assistant producer. According to Kawata, there will be a significantly larger amount of script in the game. The game was revealed at the E3 2010 trade show in Los Angeles. A playable demo for Resident Evil: Revelations, referred to as a "pilot version" by Capcom, was released with Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D. Another playable demo of the game was available for download from the Nintendo eShop service on January 19, 2012 in North America and Europe. Resident Evil: Revelations is the first game to support the Circle Pad Pro in Europe and North America. A bundle containing the add-on was released in Europe along with the regular version. Prior to its release, Capcom sent North American copies of Resident Evil: Revelations to reviewers with the game's title misspelled as "Revelaitons". To make up for the error, Capcom offered to replace the cover with a corrected version to users in North America.
===Audio===
English voice cast includes Roger Craig Smith (Chris Redfield), Michelle Ruff (Jill Valentine), Ali Hillis (Jessica Sherawat), David Earnest (Raymond Vester), Kirk Thornton (Parker Luciani), Paul Eiding (Clive R. O'Brien), Mari Ueda (Rachel). Japanese voice cast includes Hiroki Tochi (Chris Redfield), Atsuko Yuya (Jill Valentine), Nana Mizuki (Jessica Sherawat), Yasunori Matsumoto (Raymond Vester), Mitsuru Miyamoto (Parker Luciani), Unsho Ishizuka (Clive R. O'Brien), Saori Seto (Rachel).
==Reception==
Resident Evil: Revelations has received positive reviews, holding aggregated scores of 83.49% at GameRankings, 82 out of 100 at Metacritic, and 9.0 out of 10 at GameStats. IGN's Richard George praised the game's gameplay, but criticized the story. Game Informer noted the game's impressive visuals and brooding atmosphere, while also claiming that the game's story was one of the best in years. They criticized the game's lack of enemy variety in comparison to other games in the series, and stated that BSAA agents Quint and Keith are the worst characters in the series' history. GameSpot praised the game's visuals and entertaining story.
===Sales===
As of February 20, 2012, the game has sold 237,205 copies in Japan.
==Links==
*"Resident Evil: Revelations Review". IGN.
*"Resident Evil: Revelations Review". GameSpot.
*Official website (Japanese)
*Official website (English)
Category:2012 video games
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