Capcom has been on quite a roll lately. With the announcement of 
Street Fighter V, 
new releases in the Devil May Cry series coming, and the recent success of its
 HD Remaster for Resident Evil, it seems like the once troubled publisher has found its way back to the hearts of fans. And with the 
reveal of Resident Evil: Revelations 2 late last year, it has plenty more in store for fans of the survival horror series.
 I got the opportunity to play a decent chunk of 
Revelations 2  last year, and I was pretty impressed with how the mystery was being  brought back to the series. Dabbling into episodic gaming, this  installment is set to be released through four episodes; one will  release every week from February 24th to March 18th. It's a pretty  experimental, and unique take on 
Resident Evil, and that might be just what the franchise needs.
 But just before its debut next month, the folks at Capcom invited me  out to get another crack at their experiment. And during my session, I  got reacquainted with an old buddy from the series' past, and even got  to take the new and improved Raid Mode for a test run.
Taking place between 
Resident Evil 5 and 
6, Claire  Redfield and Moira Burton (daughter of S.T.A.R.S veteran Barry Burton)  have been kidnapped and trapped on an abandoned prison island filled  with deadly creatures known as the Afflicted. Using their wits and  teamwork, they fight their way through the facility and manage to send a  distress signal to the mainland. Realizing that his daughter has been  kidnapped, Barry Burton journeys to the island ready for battle. Once he  reaches shore, he meets a young girl named Natalia, who possesses  strange powers and close ties with the mysteries on the island.
 Barry and Natalia's story picks up about halfway through Episode One.  Once Claire and Moira reached a certain point in the plot, the  perspective switches over to the second duo. Though Barry is definitely  up to the challenge, he'll have to combat with nastier variations of the  Afflicted. Similar to 
Resident Evil's crimson heads, these new  creatures are more aggressive and are far more mutated than the ones  Claire and Moira encountered. Some use neat tricks such as invisibility,  and some have pustules that explode after being damaged.
 Like its predecessor, 
Revelations 2 will show different  perspectives to the story. With Claire and Moira leading the charge  while Barry and Natalia witness the aftermath of their ordeal and make  their own unique way through the island, you'll experience multiple  sides of the story as it unfolds. Additionally, decisions and actions  made throughout the story will have an impact on the other team. For  instance, while in a room filled with traps, Claire and Moira used to  them cover their escape from the Afflicted. Unfortunately, as Barry and  Natalia enter the facility in an different way, and they find themselves  on the receiving end of the traps and must deactivate them to proceed.
Much like the dynamic between Claire and Moira, Barry and Natalia use  their own unique skills together to overcome the odds. With one  focusing on all the fighting, the other offers support with finding  items and reaching spots that the first cannot. Things are a bit  different for the second duo. As Barry has come to the island prepared  and ready for battle, he brings with him a lot more firepower than  Claire had. Moreover, Natalia possesses mysterious abilities that allow  her to track nearby enemies, even through walls.
 One moment during Barry's trek outside the facility showed just how  important teamwork was. While moving through a seemingly empty wooden  storage house, the duo senses another creature nearby. Not knowing where  its coming from, Barry pressed on. Once we got to a wooden door that  was jammed, the creature began to get closer. Though I could have  ignored it and continued with the door, I chose to investigate the  surroundings. Eventually, I discovered the creature in the ceiling,  which was a mutated version of the Afflicted known as the Revenant.  Using Barry's arsenal, including his trusty Python, I was able to take  down the creature. It was a pretty tense moment, and if I had chosen to  ignore the creature, then it would've gotten the jump on Barry and  Natalia.
 At this point, my time with the campaign came to a close. It was  incredibly exciting to finally play as Barry Burton in a legitimate  entry in the series. Yes, there's 
Resident Evil Gaiden, but  that's regarded as non-canon, largely ignored on account of it being  unceremoniously released on the Game Boy Color. Barry is such a bro, and  seeing him take charge and kick ass was pretty great. Even though his  side of the story feels largely the same as Claire's, it was still  pretty exciting stuff.
My time with 
Revelations 2 didn't end there. After switching  off the campaign, we moved right over to the new and improved Raid  Mode. As one of the biggest successes with the original 
Revelations, Raid Mode was something of an experiment to see if they could try something new with the standard 
RE  bonus mode. As an alternate take on the popular Mercenaries mode, Raid  Mode tasks players with battling through a gauntlet of enemies while  leveling up, acquiring buffs, and collecting new weapons. Think 
Monster Hunter, but with 
Resident Evil  shooting and waves of enemies to take down. It was easily the most time  I spent with the original game, and Capcom has decided to expand upon  it in a big way.
 Now featuring a light story to offer some context to the chaotic  battles, you play as an A.I. within a battle simulator from the Red  Queen Alpha database. Within the digital HUB area, represented as a  vestibule within a mansion, you're tasked with collecting data from  different characters while running simulated battles against challenging  foes. As you complete tasks, you'll find audio-logs that reveal more  about Red Queen Alpha and its connection to the outside world. As you  conquer challenges, the A.I. gains gold which can be spent on upgrades,  new weapons, and new missions to engage in. Moreover, the A.I. can take  the form of many different characters from 
RE's past and  present (including Wesker and Hunk), and use their unique skills in  digitally recreated areas from the main campaign, and even from previous  
Resident Evil titles.
 Instead of just running through a single gauntlet of missions, there  are several different types to select from. Main Missions are the  central focus in Raid Mode, but cost currency to take part in. In order  to prevent players from repeated loot runs on specific missions, you'll  have to take part in daily missions and event challenges to gain more  cash to re-enter the main missions. Each main mission pack has six  levels to fight through, each with their own medals and rewards to find.
Every playable character can level up (maximum level 100) and has  individual perks to acquire and strengthen. Much like the previous  titles, you can find new weapons and upgrades for existing gear. Just  like the original, Raid Mode spices up the cannon fodder by making the  foes a bit beefier. Some of them possess buffs that increase speed,  strength, size, and even bestow them with force-fields that soak up  damage. The stages I played in were set in Tall Oaks and Edonia from 
Resident Evil 6, and the objective was to clear waves of enemies while making it to the end goal.
 I had a blast playing through the Raid Mode in 
Revelations 2. Not only is it far more comprehensive than Mercenaries mode, but 
RE:R2 ups  the ante with new features and content. It was great fun battling  through Tall Oaks with Barry, and the variety of different enemies I  faced kept things pretty interesting.
 Though I'm a bit worried that repetition could detract after the long  haul, and that Raid Mode will not have online co-op play available  until sometime after the release of the final episode, Capcom seems to  be pretty headstrong with supporting the game. The idea of daily  challenges and updates makes me look forward to what's to come.
 With the release of the first episode of 
Resident Evil: Revelations 2  next month, it's going to be interesting to see how Capcom's experiment  with episodic gaming will turn out. The plot certainly feels as though  it wants to evoke discussion and debate among fans, and coming off the  win the publisher just had with 
Resident Evil Remastered, it's looking like there's a bright future ahead for the once troubled 
Resident Evil franchise.