Schizophrenic, but a pretty good game nevertheless.
Story
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Revelations is set between Resident Evil 4 & 5. In 2005, Chris Redfield disappeared during a mission for the BSAA, a counter terrorism unit that combats bio organic terrorism. His last known whereabouts were said to be on the luxury ship, Queen Xenobia. As Jill investigates the ship however, she uncovers that something isn't as it seems… well besides the monsters, and she eventually begins unveil a conspiracy involving the FBC, a terrorist group called Veltro, and the Terragrigia, a man build city that was destroyed, due to it being infected by the T-Virus.
For some reason, the story is structured like a TV-show. This means that the whole game is split into episodes, complete with a recap, that never makes the players feel lost, if they've been away from the game in long intervals. Even with this though, the story is typical Resident Evil. The story is over the top, and the whole thing is a bit convoluted. That being said though, the story is pretty entertaining. As predictable as it is (again, typical Resident Evil), it does keep you intrigued throughout the entire thing, if only because you're having so much fun. It has a decent pacing, and it doesn't stray away from some exciting moments, that sometimes leave you in excitement, just wanting to see what happens next.
The characters are a mixed bag. Some of the new characters aren't that bad at all, while there are two, who is really annoying. Thankfully, they don't have a lot of screen time anyway. The writing is campy, but again it really helps in making the story entertaining. In short, it's a ridiculous and over the top version of 24, with conspiracies, monsters and a virus, but it's highly entertaining.
8.0
Gameplay
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Revelations primarily plays like Resident Evil 4 & 5, but it also has its moments where it mixes a little bit of the past, which has you finding keys and back tracking to previous locations. The amount of backtracking isn't bad by any means, and there are some nice hidden weapons to discover, for your trouble. The controls are the usual Resident Evil trifle, so your character(s) still controls like tanks. The good news here however is, that you can now move while you aim and shoot at the same time! At last! Only took them around 16 years to do that! This makes the combat a lot easier and more manageable to handle.
Alas, there are a few new mechanics in the game. Your characters come equipped with a Metroid style scanner, that can be used to discover items hidden in the area, such as ammo and herbs, and if you scan enough monsters, the machine even tosses you a free green herb. What a lovely machine right? While you are encouraged to scan the monsters and environments, the scanner does feel a bit useless. It's never used for any puzzles, nor does it tell you anything else. It just feels like a gimmick, and doesn't really add anything to the overall experience. There's also a new dodge mechanic, but it barely works. The idea is to use the analog nub when you're close to an attacking enemy. It certainly helps, but I've only rarely gotten it to work. The final new addition is swimming, which is not only mandatory for some sections, but it actually works surprisingly well. The only downside here is, that you can't fight whatever monster you'll unavoidably encounter, but beyond that, it works surprisingly well, and doesn't feel tagged on. The game also surprisingly has an upgrading system, where you can find several parts which makes your guns stronger.
The game however, does feel a bit weird. When you're exploring the Queen Xenobia, the game plays out similarly to RE1-3. The focus in these sections is horror. Atmosphere is creepy, everything is dark and supplies are limited. It's not 100% scary, but it does have some moments that's really creepy. It lacks puzzles, but other than that it feels like playing the older Resident Evil games, and it even feels a lot more functionable. It's the best sections in the game, as they usually present some tense moments.
But beware, I said "sections", and this is where the game ends up feeling schizophrenic. Whenever you're off the ship, the game plays more like RE5. If you can't remember, RE5 favored action instead of horror. Characters here can hold more ammo than in the ship sections, and they come in higher supply as well. These sections aren't bad, by any means. Nor are they sticking out like a weak spot, they work well. But it feels weird, because both sections are completely different, atmospheric wise.
But as that is being said though, it doesn't affect the game too much. It makes the game feel weird, but it doesn't make it any less fun. As much as the game should focus more on the ship, it does mean the game has a great deal of variation. It never has a dull moment and both sections are made rather well. That's ultimately what makes the game so good. While scanning everything can make the game feel a bit slow, it does give some good rewards, and being able to move while shooting is a huge relief.
The game is also brimming with content. The story is spread over 12 episodes, and takes around 8-10 hours to finish. The game can then be replayed with the new game+ feature. The game also spots an achievement system, which can also drop some nifty rewards.
Finally, there's Raid mode. Basically, the mode has you going through areas from the story, killing enemies and proceeding to the goal. This mode can be played in co-op, and supports both local and, surprisingly, online. The game even has a leveling system, which unlocks more characters and weapons. While it lacks communication with other players, it's actually pretty addicting. Playing online works, though I did encounter a few disconnects. Thankfully, they are few and far between. On the 3DS, this is the best online experience there is.
9.0
Graphics & Sound
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What's funny about Revelations graphics, is that Capcom's able to make the game look prettier than any of the games Nintendo themselves made. The character design (for the most part) is great, and the environments are well made and stunning as well. The cut-scenes looks great as well (yea their CG), and they still have the high production values, seen in RE5. The only downsides are stuttering, frame rate issues, and the lack of any facial animations during the gameplay.
What's also funny about the game is the 3D. The game lets you make the 3D even stronger, more so than the options Nintendo gave you. And while it still doesn't sell the idea of 3D, it does work convincingly and, surprisingly, it never even made me feel weird.
The voice acting is campy, and though one set of characters are given horrible lines and voices, it's actually not as bad as it could be. The music is actually pretty good. The same goes with the atmospheric effects.
9.0
Overall
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Resident Evil Revelations is the best game you can get on the 3DS, and here's why: It's highly entertaining, it's addicting and it's got the best online experience on the system. For a Resident Evil game, it might not rank up there with the best, but it's close. For the 3DS owners, Revelations is the best game that you can get, aside from Ocarina of Time.