If you want proof of 3DS's technical prowess, just have a look at Resident Evil Revelations. This is one gorgeous game. It's definitely a step above all the other playable 3DS games at Nintendo World.
Referred to as "Resident Evil Revelations Pilot Version," the Nintendo World build put players in control of Jill Valentine on a ghost ship somewhere in the Mediterranean (as indicated by some text that floats just slightly in front of screen -- this is probably an effect we'll be seeing frequently on the 3DS). I'm not sure if there was a goal for the demo, so in my two play sessions, I lead Jill through the ship until I died in the exact same spot both times.
All the action is displayed on the top screen -- a good thing, since Jill's tight body wouldn't be in 3D otherwise. The bottom screen shows the controls. There's also a virtual pad on the bottom screen which you can slide your finger over to move the camera around (although I couldn't make the camera show a front view of Jill).
Controls will for the most part be recognizable to Resident Evil fans. You move Jill with the analogue pad, hold B to run, ready your weapon with R and press Y to fire. When you hold R down, you switch into targeting mode, which is shown from the right shoulder perspective of Jill. You can aim freely with the analogue pad before firing.
Capcom previously mentioned something about being able to move while shooting. This is done with the L trigger. L makes your character move in a strafing fashion, and it works regardless of whether you're equipping your gun or not. If your gun is equipped, you'll be able to continue firing as you move. On the downside, you lose the ability to aim your gunfire.
I tried my best, but I couldn't get the camera into this exact position.
My first zombie encounter occurred in a bathroom (I'm referring to the creatures as zombies, but they're actually something else). A zombie suddenly broke out of one of the stalls and slowly came at me. With my added mobility, I was able to back away while firing, but I backed right into a wall, so the zombie still manage to get a brief taste of Jill's neck before I offed it.
My second (and last) zombie encounter was a bit more involved. As I advanced through the ship, I started hearing grunts, as if someone was in trouble. I approached a glassed room and could see that a zombie was holding a person up by the neck -- the person making the grunts. I got closer and the zombie tossed the person at the window, spraying blood all over the glass.
When I found my way into the room, two zombies were feeding on the person they'd just killed. Once they took notice of me, I had to face off against both simultaneously, something that proved too much for me in both of my play sessions.
If you've been playing Resident Evil 5 or Resident Evil 4, the sparse zombie count may seem a bit alarming. This is actually how the RE games were before. Rather than running around and shooting things, the games were about slowly inching your way through corridors, unsure of what will pop out next. The Revelations demo has a similar deliberate slow pace.
The Revelations producers
recently said something about wanting to put the "horror" back in the game's genre, and they seem to have done just that with Revelations. In addition to the zombie popping out of the stall, there were other surprises involving rats and some sort of flying creatures. With the atmospheric background audio, which slowly grows more intense as you advance through the stage, Revelations does seem to have the potential for some frights.
Revelations looks remarkably polished for an early 3DS game. The crisp and detailed visuals that do the MT Framework name proud are displayed nicely in 3D. Jill has a very solid presence thanks to the depth of view. The 3D is also easy on the eye. Some of the games at Nintendo World made we want to turn off the 3D effect, but with Revelations I look forward to playing the whole game in 3D.
There's no telling when we'll get to actually play a final version of Revelations, as the game was recently listed in Famitsu as just 20% complete. The Nintendo World demo indicates that the final product, whenever it does arrive, will be worthy of the franchise's name.
