Resident Evil players call out ‘criminal’ Switch ports
When you think of the best horror games of all time, we've got to hand it to Capcom's Resident Evil series for turning out some absolute bangers. Even before they got their flashy new-gen revamps, the original Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4 were held as seminal horrors that gore fans had to play.
As Capcom continues to tease more modern remakes alongside Resident Evil 9, Resi fans are hard-placed to try and pick which of the remakes is the best. While 2020's Resident Evil 3: Nemesis was criticised for its short length, the 2019's RE2 remake and 2023's RE4 Remake are not just great horror games but some of the best remakes ever.
Players slam 'criminal' Resident Evil 2 Switch port
Nintendo's family-friendly image means Resident Evil games have never exactly been a priority for the Switch - despite RE4 debuting back on the GameCube. Resident Evil 7 was only released on Switch in Japan, and while it's now available in other territories, it's been a slow process.
The RE2 and RE3 remakes, RE7, and Village are all available on Switch, although all are Cloud versions. Given that the RE2 remake costs $40/£33 for a Cloud port, a legion of angry gamers are accusing Nintendo of being its very own Albert Wesker and are calling out this 'criminal' practice.
Over on the Resident Evil Reddit, one player showed off footage from their playthrough of 2019's Resident Evil 2 remake. It starts off fine before the frame rate drops, and it turns into a stuttering mess. Thankfully, Mr. X doesn't burst into the room because Leon S. Kennedy would be doomed.
The OP says the frame rate never came back from this, suggesting it's a game-breaking issue. Others soon chimed in with their own thoughts, as one wrote, "I think the RE Engine could be optimized to run on switch, I just don’t think Capcom cares."
After someone said, "It's almost criminal they're charging over £30 for this," another added, "I almost bought a Switch instead of the Steam Deck, I'm glad I didn't," and a third concluded, "The framerate is a dangerous as the Mr. x in this version. It does not seem worth buying with these issues."
Capcom warned us about Resident Evil's Switch ports
Click to enlargeOthers aren't as sympathetic, reminding us that Capcom warned us this might happen. While it's not necessarily an excuse, the developer did issue a statement about requiring a "stable internet connection." Added to this, the debate about Cloud games continues because, as we've seen with Ubisoft, they can be pulled at any time.
One critic said, "I don't understand who would buy it in the first place. They made it clear that you don't own it. Once the servers get shut down you will not be able to play it. Plus it depends entirely on your Internet speeds. Capcom went above and beyond saying 'Do NOT buy this. It is trash.'"
Don't get us wrong, we love the Nintendo Switch, it just wouldn't be our first choice for playing the Resiverse. There are similar complaints with Resident Evil Village and the RE4 Remake on the iPhone Pro Max. We know Apple is pushing the ability to play on mobile, but we say buy at your own risk.
