Resident Evil 2/3/7: We currently prefer not to use the new PC patches

About two weeks ago there was good news for Resident Evil fans: Capcom released free updates for Resident Evil 2 Remake, the successor and the game in which the impressive RE engine was used for the first time: Resident Evil 7. These upgrades brought brought the existing games up to par with Resident Evil Village by introducing ray tracing and 120Hz support. PC patches have also been released for this trio, but it’s safe to say the upgrades leave a little to be desired. And perhaps more importantly, after the quality issues with RE Village on PC, it’s disappointing to see more lackluster PC ports. I took a look at Resident Evil 2 Remake and the new code is significantly inferior to the older versions in many ways. In light of Capcom’s other disappointing PC releases, it’s clear that the technical quality of these games isn’t where it should be. The players deserve better.

In fact, the situation with these PC upgrades proved to be such a problem for so many users that Capcom was quick to make the older versions available for download through a Steam beta branch. While it’s positive that Capcom was so quick to respond to the community outcry, it also shows that the update is so buggy that even Capcom agrees the previous versions had to be restored. The new versions continue to be downloaded by default, although the vast majority of PC users are better off with the older versions. In compiling my review, I’ve focused on the most challenging game in the series – Resident Evil 2 Remake – although many of the points raised apply to the other titles as well.

I don’t have a lot of positives to say, but there’s no doubt: the ray tracing support brings a leap in quality, especially as the RT reflections replace the older version’s awful screen-space reflections. Ray tracing global illumination is also a good plus, as it replaces screen-space ambient occlusion with much more accurate ambient shadows and even offers local bounce lighting on top of the static GI for dynamic elements. However, the RT is of low resolution and quality, with no upward scalability for more powerful hardware. Additionally, the semi-hidden interlacing/checkerboard option used on consoles and now working well on PC is a good way to improve performance with limited downsides (mainly in RT reflection quality and transparent effects). increase.

And that’s it. If you want to try out the RT features, I would recommend this patch. In all other scenarios, however, the “upgrade” is bad and not worth the time or effort, starting with performance. If you turn RT off and compare it to the older version of the game, you’ll notice that the framerate drops a lot while keeping the image quality exactly the same. This seems to be due to sub-optimal use of DirectX 12, while the older versions just ran much faster with the old DX11 API. Tested on a GTX 1060, Resident Evil 2 Remake’s average frame rate appears to be 25 to 30 percent lower, an amazing fact. At 1440p, that makes the difference between a relatively constant 60 fps frame rate and a 40 frame rate in the new version. This is a scathing verdict on Capcom’s DX12 implementation and it affects all GPUs, not just the GTX 1060, even heavyweights like the RX 6800 XT and RTX 3080 are affected.

The older version of the game not only runs worse by default, but also offers a better graphical experience in some scenarios. If you’re playing without RT, the less-than-impressive SSAO is the only option. Bizarrely, Nvidia’s superior HBAO+ has been removed from the older build in the newly patched versions. Likewise, the super sampling slider doesn’t work in the new code. No matter how it is set, the game runs and looks the same. The older version works fine. Screen space reflections – while hardly impressive in the older code – worked correctly in the earlier version, but this is no longer the case in the new version. SSR also disappears completely when aiming the weapon, which wasn’t the case in the older version (and judging by the PS5 build, it also happens on consoles).

Speaking of broken features, Capcom simply needs to fix its temporal anti-aliasing solution. It works fine on consoles but not on PC as it fails to varying degrees depending on the game. For example, in the current Monster Hunter Rise, TAA doesn’t work at all. In Resident Evil Village it seems to have some degree of impact, but it’s a far cry from the quality of effect seen in the console versions. The lack of effectiveness of the anti-aliasing solution is further aggravated by the fact that a sharpening filter has been installed that the user has no control over, which further reduces the quality of the display compared to the generally good console versions.

So if you don’t want to (or can’t) use ray tracing, I advise you to stay away from the new patches. It’s a pity the RT doesn’t offer higher quality, but there is a way to get an improved effect if you have an Nvidia GPU. I used the DLDSR supersampling option to downscale from 5120×2880 to 3840×2160. At the same time, I also used AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution in quality mode. This essentially upscales from just under 4K to 5K, then we use Nvidia’s Super Sampling technique to downscale back to Ultra HD. It seems to improve the RT quality and even the edges seem to be a touch better.

In summary, I’m glad ray tracing has made the leap, especially since RT alone doesn’t entail a huge performance penalty (although the move to DX12 does!), but overall, even the only positive point of the upgrade is a bit of a disappointment. It could have been better, a feeling that extends to this entire endeavor. While Capcom added ray tracing, it did nothing to improve the existing game’s issues, such as the reduced animation rates on the zombies becoming a slideshow on enemies at a greater distance. That was a criticism I had at the time that could easily have been remedied, but it is still present in the patched game. It is puzzling why some features are added while existing issues are not fixed and other features are broken. In addition, there are the big cuts in the frame rate.

After the drama surrounding Resident Evil Village, I honestly think it’s time for Capcom to reconsider the way they approach their PC versions. There’s no doubting the quality of the titles themselves, but a new and improved focus on technical polish is required. With the ongoing controversy, one can’t help but feel that Capcom’s PC products aren’t getting the same care and attention as the console versions. To put it bluntly, PC users don’t deserve to be treated like second-rate players.

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Originally written by Alex Battaglia, Video Producer, Digital Foundry