Resident Evil is at its best when it’s doing something new. When the series debuted in 1996, it’s slow, exploratory approach to zombies was so influential that it started a whole new genre called survival horror. A decade later, Resident Evil 4 changed direction with an absolutely perfect action experience that is arguably the pinnacle of the long-running series and helped define the look of action games for years to come. The seventh installment in the series, which launches tomorrow, similarly changes the formula in dramatic fashion.
The leisurely pace and focus on exploration are reminiscent of the original Resident Evil, but the new first-person perspective and stunningly detailed graphics make for one of the most vicious and immersive horror experiences ever created. It takes the best parts of the series, a methodical, brutal form of horror combined with a tense and challenging approach to survival, and refines them into something that feels modern and new. In case you are not sticking your tongue out the window right now: Resident Evil 7 is the first must-have game of 2017, a veritable cornucopia of jump scares, gross-out moments, memorable characters, and a perfectly timed story with plenty of twists and turns.
It’s a resounding return to form for a franchise that was on the ropes for years, because aside from the Revelations spin-off series which picked up gameplay-wise where RE4 left off the other two main sequels gave Gears of War fans far too much to chase, resulting in downright bad games with no discernible identity. Fortunately, that’s all behind us now, as over the past five years Capcom has taken the time to analyze the competition and see how survival horror has aged and evolved over the years before presenting a confident vision for the future of the franchise.
System Requirements
CPU: Intel Core i7 3770 3.4GHz or AMD or better
CPU Speed: Info
RAM: 8 GB
OS: WINDOWS 7,8,8.1,10 64-BIT
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 or AMD Radeon R9 280X or better
Pixel Shader: 5.1
Vertex Shader: 5.1
Dedicated Video RAM: 2048 MB
PC Performance
Resident Evil is back. If you missed our review of Resident Evil 7, you should definitely check it out. But this part is all about PC performance. Resident Evil is not only back in a big way, but it also brings with it a new graphics engine. The RE engine is designed to speed up the workload between people working on the same project, but what about performance?
We ran our X99 test system again, using the latest drivers from Radeon (17.1.1) and NVIDIA (378.49). Both drivers are publicly available and recommended for Resident Evil 7. In the fine print, Capcom notes, “The game is still in development, so all PC requirements are subject to change.” Still, this should give potential PC gamers a pretty good idea of what they’ll need to play Capcom’s upcoming first-person horror show.
How to Use it
Resident Evil 7 is both a departure and a return to Capcom’s long-running survival horror franchise. Despite unfolding in a single, long campaign with no named levels, Resident Evil 7 has landmarks that look a lot like levels. We’ve organized our Resident Evil 7 walkthrough based on these geographic locations, which divide the game into sections.
Follow our Resident Evil 7 guide, you will find your way from the first moments to the final boss fight, with required and additional objectives in between. We have also listed Resident Evil 7 collectible file locations, Mr. Everywhere statues, and Ancient Coins everywhere. Finally, we also have a collection of related Resident Evil 7 guides that will walk you through everything from how to get the dirty coin in Resident Evil 7 demo to what you unlock after beating the game.
Fighting Evil
The Baker family, unstoppable bullies with unpleasant personalities, are among the first opponents you encounter, and they are by far the most interesting. The first fight with Jack Baker had me both laughing hysterically and desperately looking for a way to defend myself, a winning combination that made this unpredictable encounter one of Resident Evil 7’s highlights.
Jack’s patrol of the mansion, even breaking through a Mr. X-style wall, actually felt like a real threat, even after we were armed with more than just a knife. In order to survive, we had to either flee or fight him off by pointing our handgun at him a decision that can take revenge.
Final Words
Resident Evil 7 continues the roots of the series’ atmospheric survival horror, but also offers a new level of fright. In the earlier Resident Evil games, the first-person perspective was used in the creepy door-opening scenes to set players up for fear. Resident Evil 7 heightens this tension with an immersive first-person perspective and a photo-realistic graphic style. Capcom is able to achieve a higher level of visual fidelity thanks to the new proprietary, in-house RE Engine, which includes VR-oriented tools.
Thanks to the RE Engine and industry-leading audio and video technologies, you’ll be able to experience every ugly detail up close in Resident Evil 7. When you play the game in PlayStation VR mode, the unsettling sense of presence increases to a level that horror fans have never experienced before. The full gameplay experience is available from start to finish in the included PlayStation VR mode. No Resident Evil you’ve ever survived can prepare you for this.
