E3 2011: Resident Evil: Revelations First Look - Still Water

With Resident Evil: Revelations, Capcom is taking you back to the good old days of Resident Evil, when ammo was scarce, spaces were confined, and terror was the name of the game. At this year's E3, conveniently located in terrifying Los Angeles, California, we got the chance to check the game out ourselves at Capcom's booth.

Who's Making It: Capcom will once again be taking the reins on this Resident Evil game, which will join Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D as the series' second 3DS entry.

What It Looks Like: From a technical standpoint, Revelations looked every bit as good as The Mercenaries 3D. Its visual style was darker and more muted than, for instance, Resident Evil 5 and its sunny landscapes. The top screen was where the action happened, with the 3D effect lending a sense of depth to the action. Our inventory and map were displayed on the bottom screen. Items in our inventory could be accessed quickly by either tapping on them or using the shortcuts mapped to the direction pad.

What You Do: You play as Jill Valentine in search of her partner, Chris Redfield. His last know whereabouts place him on a mysterious ocean liner that, of course, has been overrun by the undead. While everything we saw took place on a boat, Capcom was quick to point out that there will be a variety of environments, including snowy mountains and underwater escapades. Underwater could be especially problematic since the developers have hinted that water might be the carrier for whatever new strand of T-Virus is loose on the ship.

How It Plays: The control was similar to The Mercenaries 3D's setup, including the ability to move and shoot. However, this feature only encouraged us to instantly waste all of our ammo. Our brief demo took us through a dusty mansion (which has been rebuilt on this ship) reminiscent of the initial Resident Evil games. Among the numerous stacks of books and displays of expensive china were a few gray, bloated monsters. These foes were built to last and ate the entirety of our pistol and shotgun ammo before melting into slime and bones. It looks like running will be a requirement in this game.

What They Say: This game has a robust, fully featured campaign longer than anything available on the 3DS currently.

What We Say: Compared with Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (the other RE title on display at Capcom's booth), Revelations was a much slower and spookier game than its action-packed cousin. However, one thing they do share in common is the promise of an over-the-top, B-movie plotline. While Capcom wasn't ready to spill the details, we did get a peek at Jill's replacement partner, Parker, as well as an unfamiliar villain with a large head and receding hairline. But most of all we're interested to see if Capcom can take us back to that classic RE mind-set when the game is released next year.