Resident Evilis one of the most celebrated and enduring IPs in Capcom’s catalog. Since 1996, the series has received numerous entries and remakes, constantly evolving the graphics of each game. Capcom’s upcomingResident Evil 4remake is another anticipated re-imagining of a fan-favorite title, joining a growing list ofResident Evilremakes that will undoubtedly feature the latest improvements in the RE Engine.
Before fans can get their hands onResident Evil 4, Capcom has brought its remakes ofRE2and3,along withResident Evil 7,to the next generation with the ray-tracing capabilities of modern PC and console hardware. Some fans may wonder how much these games could benefit from these upgrades, asResident Evil 2,3, and7already look quite impressive. However, diving into each game’s next-gen uplift showcases some significant improvements.
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Resident Evil 2: A Cleaner R.C.P.D.
The olderREremake isResident Evil 2,which looked exceptional in 2019 and still looks great today. Taking place mainly within the claustrophobic corridors of the Raccoon City Police Department,RE2’s setting litters each scene with ceramic tile floors, wooden beams, and marble statues that reflect and diffuse light. As impressive as the RE Engine is, it has some graphical shortcomings, like graphical artifacting around Leon and the office chairs at the Racoon City Police Department entrance.
That strange white halo effect is the product of RE Engine’s screen space reflection, which is imperfect and prevalent throughoutResident Evil 2’s settings.RE2’s next-gen update cleans up this effect through real-time ray tracing, which accurately calculates how these surfaces should reflect and diffuse light on each surface. R.C.P.D. is remarkably cleaner, visually speaking, and illuminated better as a result. Players should also note how Leon’s jacket looks true to its polyester texture instead of a glossy leather appearance resulting from inaccurate screen space reflections.
Resident Evil 3: Subtle Yet Effective Changes
UnlikeResident Evil 2,Resident Evil 3features busier scenes throughout the open sections of Raccoon City. Ray-traced lighting inRE3is subtle and doesn’t affect the visual look as much as the other next-gen upgrades. However, as the game is filled with subway cars and rain puddles,RE3becomes a prime candidate to showcase underappreciated benefits of ray-tracing. Reflections inResident Evil 3are much improved and benefit more than inRE2and7.
Theoriginal version ofResident Evil 3lacks Jill’s character model reflected on surfaces like subway cars, which some players may not notice but would be difficult to ignore after switching to the enhanced version. With the next-gen update,RE3’s metallic surfaces now render Jill in real-time thanks to the implementation of ray-traced reflections. Reflections are also displayed prominently across Raccoon City through wet surfaces and rain puddles. Screen space reflections inRE3suffer from the same graphical artifacts asRE2,but these are also removed with next-gen enhancements.
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Resident Evil 7: Ray-Tracing In Full Effect
Any fan that has stepped foot inside the Baker House would know thatResident Evil 7ramps up the scare factorwith dark corridors and moody lighting. However,Resident Evil 7’s lighting techniques seem limited compared to current games, particularly in terms of bounce lighting. Light posts in the Baker House only illuminate in pockets, making more ominous scenes - but also unrealistic ones.
Non-RT versions are shrouded in total darkness. With ray-traced lighting in full effect, the scene composition inResident Evil 7’s darkest corridorschange significantly. Light scatters across the narrow hallway, even illuminating the corridors of a scene thanks to ray-traced global illumination and bounce lighting. The light post behind the player now brightens the gun model, which was almost invisible in the original version. As the oldestResident Eviltitle receiving a next-generation upgrade,RE7manages to look better thanResident 2and3in some instances, and showcases how far the RE Engine has come.
Resident Evil 2, 3,and7are available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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