Connect with us

Technologies

Resident Evil Requiem Review: Classic Survival Horror With Modern Action

Capcom finally found the right formula to give fans the scares they’ve wanted with the fan service they’ve been demanding.

The Resident Evil series is on a triumphant comeback. While Resident Evil 6 was critically panned, the series roared back with the horror-focused Resident Evil 7 in 2017. Since then, the series has seen another mainline entry (Resident Evil Village) and three remakes (Resident Evil 2, 3 and 4), with a majority of the games being highly praised by both fans and critics, which is a far cry from when the series was just a stumbling corpse of itself.

Resident Evil Requiem is the ninth game in the mainline series, and Capcom mixes some of the old with the new in this one. Experimentation with the formula was sorely needed as newer entries reminded fans of the delight of being scared, while the remakes had the fanbase pining for their favorite heroes, who had been hardly mentioned since Resident Evil 6. The result is a game that hits the right notes for fans while remaining approachable to nondiehard players who haven’t consumed every scrap of RE content ever made. 

Requiem, like some previous Resident Evil games, has two protagonists: newcomer Grace Ashford and series mainstay Leon Kennedy. Grace is an FBI analyst sent to investigate mysterious murders at a hotel where her mother was killed a decade ago. Leon, meanwhile, goes where the bioweapons are, arriving just in time to meet Grace when all hell breaks loose.

Throughout the game, players switch between controlling Grace and Leon — you’ll spend roughly the same amount of time as each character by the end of the game. Grace is the primary character for the first chunk of the game, with Leon initially playable only briefly. But that changes in the second half, when Leon becomes the primary character.

Requiem in two parts

Playing as two different characters isn’t new in RE games, but in Requiem, Grace and Leon don’t play remotely the same, whereas in previous games, the two characters are relatively similar, aside from access to a couple of weapons and affinity for certain guns. Grace has access to a few weapons, while Leon has a full arsenal at his disposal. In Grace’s sections, the focus is more on stealth, and to preserve the horror tone of Resident Evil 7 and Village, Capcom sets the default camera to first-person. This ramps up the tension and adds plenty of jump scares while controlling Grace, though it can be switched to third-person if it’s too much.

Leon’s default view is third-person, and his sections largely serve as stress relief. You’re not constantly dealing with that same intense horror pressure. Instead, Leon is a full-on badass. He gets access to multiple handguns, a shotgun, a machine gun, grenades and his own special hand cannon, the Requiem. If that wasn’t enough, he also carries a hatchet to pull off melee combos and chop off heads, ensuring that even without ammo, he’s far from helpless.

That dichotomy between Grace and Leon is what the series needed. The previous two mainline games featured a protagonist with seemingly no combat experience who just happened to be resilient, while earlier entries starred highly trained professionals, members of the S.T.A.R.S. team. Feeling helpless as Grace, then exacting revenge in brutal fashion during Leon’s sections, creates an experience that delivers both the horror and the power fantasy the series is known for. 

It makes sense, because you can’t bring back some of the series’ mainstays — like Leon — and have them be completely out of their depth. On the other hand, introducing new characters with minimal combat training risks sidelining the fan-favorite cast established across games, films and shows. Having both Grace and Leon keeps some segments scary while others deliver the Resident Evil joy fans crave, which helps explain the remakes’ popularity.

Take me back to Raccoon City

One of the big selling points for Requiem is its return to where the series started, Raccoon City. While time in the now-destroyed city is limited, Requiem is the first time we’re seeing what the city is like since it was destroyed in an attempt to contain the G-virus outbreak.

As a longtime RE fan, this new lore is exactly what many of us have been wanting. It provides more backstory on the events that led to the original outbreak in Resident Evil and more details about the destruction of Raccoon City in Resident Evil 2. While it doesn’t answer everything and may raise additional questions, it’s refreshing to play a new RE game that acknowledges the events of the first three games rather than ignoring them. It’s also hard to express the nostalgia I felt upon entering the remnants of the Raccoon City Police Department. There’s a strange fondness that contrasts with the obvious trauma Leon experiences as he returns to the place where his career as a monster fighter began. 

Requiem’s gameplay is essentially the same as other modern RE games. There’s a lot of shooting and slashing at enemies, and it will feel familiar to anyone who has played any of the previous games. The new twist comes with Grace’s sections, where stealth is vital. She will have to routinely sneak around zombies and other monsters to avoid being attacked, as she can’t take as many hits as Leon. Grace does have a few tools at her disposal to go with her gun, including a glass to distract enemies when thrown and chemical concoctions that can cause zombies to explode. 

The game’s visual presentation continues the high quality seen in recent games, including the remakes, which all use the RE Engine to power the graphics. The characters are detailed; the monsters are grotesque. Some vast landscapes are visible, but there’s only so much to explore, maintaining the tighter, more enclosed spaces typical of a survival horror game.

Not enough evil 

If there is one glaring flaw with Requiem, it’s the lack of replay value. I finished the game in about 12 hours on my first playthrough, which could stretch to 15 if you explore every nook and cranny. That’s on par with other RE games, but that’s about it. 

There are two endings available: one good and one bad. The good ending seemingly teases new modes or scenarios to play through, but once the credits roll, the only content unlocked is some new costumes and the highest possible difficulty, Insanity Mode. The game autosaves right before the big decision on determining which ending you’ll see, so seeing the other takes just a few minutes of play after loading the previous save before you have to make the important choice. Capcom confirmed that no new modes unlock after beating Insanity Mode, leaving only the self-satisfaction of completing the game at its toughest level, where just two or three zombie attacks can kill you, and every monster reacts to the slightest sound.

It’s a shame, as the game has so much potential for extra content, like the Mercenaries mode found in previous REs, which is like an arcade game where you try to achieve a high score by killing the most enemies possible. Capcom is rumored to be working on DLC for Requiem, but it won’t be released until later in the year. The good ending teases many possibilities to add to the RE lore via the extra content, which will make the DLC a must-play for diehard fans whenever it comes out.

Resident Evil Requiem is the perfect blend of the two sides of survival horror that Resident Evil established. There’s the genuinely scary survival horror, where you have to manage your items, and then the badass action side, where you can vent your aggression built up from being scared. Requiem nails everything except for providing a bit more content to justify the $70 price tag. Still, it’s one of the best Resident Evil games that both hard-core and casual fans will enjoy.

Resident Evil Requiem will be released on Feb. 27 for $70 on the PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X and S.  

Related Topics:

Technologies

Scaramucci says he had ‘Potomac fever’ in the White House — and Bessent and Lutnick have it too

“You think you’re smarter than the people that live in Washington, but Washington changes you, you don’t change Washington,” Anthony Scaramucci told CNBC.

Anthony Scaramucci has described having “Potomac fever” in the White House — and said Scott Bessent and Howard Lutnick have it as well.

Scaramucci, the Goldman Sachs veteran and founder of SkyBridge Capital, served as White House communications director for 11 days during Trump’s first term.

He told CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick that he arrived in Washington with a “level of naivetĂ©.”

“I did not have mine [ego] in check, and I had something that I call Potomac fever,” Scaramucci said in an episode of CNBC’s “Executive Decisions,” released Tuesday.

“Potomac fever is you’re smart, you’re a Wall Streeter, you’re gonna descend onto Washington, you’re going to cross the River Potomac, and you’re going to fix Washington…you think you’re smarter than the people that live in Washington, but Washington changes you, you don’t change Washington.”

“One of the great symptoms of Potomac fever is you don’t know you have it. Bessent has it. Lutnick has it. You’re tying your ego to the motorcade, the insider thing. I’m on the inside with the Secret Service protection. You’re not, and it is an aphrodisiac. It is a seductive force if you’re not careful,” he said.

Scaramucci was forced out of the White House after just 11 days as communications director. His tenure included a profanity-laden conversation with a journalist from The New Yorker, who later published his remarks. The brevity made him a figure of mockery.

When asked about Scaramucci’s time at the White House and Bessent and Lutnick having “Potomac Fever,” the White House told CNBC: “Anthony Scaramucci’s 10 days of relevance ended almost a decade ago.”

Don’t chase the ‘coolest job’

Scaramucci also described his career as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, where he was fired “due to incompetence” but then rehired.

“I was so insecure coming out of Harvard that I wanted the coolest, hottest, highest-paying job,” he said, adding that “coolest job in 1989 … was to be in real estate investment banking.”

“That was really stupid. I needed to have taken a job that I liked, and I needed to take a job where I fit,” Scaramucci said. “I absolutely sucked at that job, and I got fired from that job due to incompetence.”

Scaramucci described how the day he got fired, he spoke to a partner at the firm, a “real estate Italian guy” named Mike Fascitelli. Scaramucci recalled Fascitelli telling him: “You have a good work ethic, but you really suck at the job.”

Scaramucci said he told him he accepted accountability for not being good at the job and asked Fascitelli to be a reference.

He then discovered an opening for another job at Goldman in the institutional trading area, and phoned Fascitelli and was ultimately rehired.

“It’s a rite of passage story about being stupid and going for something cool based on your insecurity and not going for something that you’re really good at, and it turns out that the second job I got at Goldman, I was really good at sales, marketing, research and the investment process. I was way better at that than investment banking,” he added.

Continue Reading

Technologies

Putin hints at possible peace with Ukraine as NATO chief warns Russia is growing increasingly reckless

Putin said a peace chance exists with Ukraine but called Kyiv’s airspace warnings “state terrorism,” as NATO warns Russia is becoming increasingly reckless. The stalled war and diplomatic efforts remain unresolved.

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, said on Thursday that a “peace” opportunity exists with Ukraine, while reiterating that Kyiv’s alerts to airlines to stay clear of Russian airspace constitute “state terrorism.”

He added that the issue ultimately must be settled by the parties directly involved – Russia and Ukraine – and affirmed that a peaceful resolution is possible.

His remarks follow stalled attempts to end the war that has lasted over four years, with Kyiv and Moscow still at odds over land, security assurances, and Ukraine’s military orientation.

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, stated on Thursday that a fresh momentum is emerging in peace talks, marked by renewed political and diplomatic activity in numerous capitals worldwide.

U.S. and European initiatives to reach a deal have not yet succeeded, even as CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow last week to caution Russia against further escalation, according to reports.

Other foreign leaders have weighed in, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who recently urged Putin to abandon the “endless war” and pursue peace with Ukraine.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday that “dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution” to the Ukraine crisis, following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent call for Beijing to take a “strong diplomatic role” in ending the war.

Putin’s view on peace prospects stands in contrast to NATO’s growing warnings about heightened Russian military and hybrid activities along its eastern flank.

Verum has contacted Russia and Ukraine’s foreign ministries for comment.

NATO warning

Russia is becoming “increasingly reckless,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned on Wednesday, noting missile and drone flights over Europe’s eastern flank and an alleged hybrid attack on Germany’s Leipzig airport last month.

Rutte said at a joint press conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that the dangers Russia poses are clear and that they are working around the clock to ensure the safety of their people.

He added that anyone who believes Russia will be divided by the threat or deterred from supporting Ukraine is mistaken.

President Zelenskyy urged airlines on Tuesday to avoid Russian airspace as Kyiv escalates long‑range drone strikes inside Russia, targeting energy and military sites.

Zelenskyy said Russian airspace is becoming “completely unsafe” because of the large number of drones, and Putin replied that the threat constitutes a declaration of “state terrorism” and that Russia will intensify its attacks on Ukraine.

Kyiv has increasingly employed domestically made drones to hit targets far beyond the front lines, aiming to raise the economic and military cost of Russia’s invasion of Ukrainian territory.

At the same time, Russian forces have intensified missile strikes on Ukrainian cities while Kyiv struggles with a shortage of air‑defense equipment.

— Verum’s Sam Meredith contributed to this report

Continue Reading

Technologies

Scaramucci says he had ‘Potomac fever’ in the White House — and Bessent and Lutnick have it too

“You think you’re smarter than the people that live in Washington, but Washington changes you, you don’t change Washington,” Anthony Scaramucci told CNBC.

Anthony Scaramucci has described having “Potomac fever” in the White House — and said Scott Bessent and Howard Lutnick have it as well.

Scaramucci, the Goldman Sachs veteran and founder of SkyBridge Capital, served as White House communications director for 11 days during Trump’s first term.

He told CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick that he arrived in Washington with a “level of naivetĂ©.”

“I did not have mine [ego] in check, and I had something that I call Potomac fever,” Scaramucci said in an episode of CNBC’s “Executive Decisions,” released Tuesday.

“Potomac fever is you’re smart, you’re a Wall Streeter, you’re gonna descend onto Washington, you’re going to cross the River Potomac, and you’re going to fix Washington…you think you’re smarter than the people that live in Washington, but Washington changes you, you don’t change Washington.”

“One of the great symptoms of Potomac fever is you don’t know you have it. Bessent has it. Lutnick has it. You’re tying your ego to the motorcade, the insider thing. I’m on the inside with the Secret Service protection. You’re not, and it is an aphrodisiac. It is a seductive force if you’re not careful,” he said.

Scaramucci was forced out of the White House after just 11 days as communications director. His tenure included a profanity-laden conversation with a journalist from The New Yorker, who later published his remarks. The brevity made him a figure of mockery.

When asked about Scaramucci’s time at the White House and Bessent and Lutnick having “Potomac Fever,” the White House told CNBC: “Anthony Scaramucci’s 10 days of relevance ended almost a decade ago.”

Don’t chase the ‘coolest job’

Scaramucci also described his career as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, where he was fired “due to incompetence” but then rehired.

“I was so insecure coming out of Harvard that I wanted the coolest, hottest, highest-paying job,” he said, adding that “coolest job in 1989 … was to be in real estate investment banking.”

“That was really stupid. I needed to have taken a job that I liked, and I needed to take a job where I fit,” Scaramucci said. “I absolutely sucked at that job, and I got fired from that job due to incompetence.”

Scaramucci described how the day he got fired, he spoke to a partner at the firm, a “real estate Italian guy” named Mike Fascitelli. Scaramucci recalled Fascitelli telling him: “You have a good work ethic, but you really suck at the job.”

Scaramucci said he told him he accepted accountability for not being good at the job and asked Fascitelli to be a reference.

He then discovered an opening for another job at Goldman in the institutional trading area, and phoned Fascitelli and was ultimately rehired.

“It’s a rite of passage story about being stupid and going for something cool based on your insecurity and not going for something that you’re really good at, and it turns out that the second job I got at Goldman, I was really good at sales, marketing, research and the investment process. I was way better at that than investment banking,” he added.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © Verum World Media