Resident Evil Triple Pack

Genre: Compilation / Third-Person Shooter / Horror

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local Split-Screen), 2-6 Co-Op / Competitive (Local Wireless, Online), Online Leaderboards

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Review:

Resident Evil Triple Pack is a Compilation that includes the three games in the Resident Evil series (Resident Evil 4, 5, and 6) that some have referred to as “the Action trilogy”, as they increasingly take the series away from its Graphic Adventure and Horror origins and bring it further into the realm of over-the-top action. Resident Evil 4 was first released on the GameCube in 2005 before getting ported to other platforms and getting an HD re-release. Resident Evil 5 originally released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox One in 2009 before being ported to other platforms. And Resident Evil 6 originally released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2012 before getting ported to other platforms, with the most recent and feature-complete versions of all of these games getting brought to the Nintendo Switch in 2019, where they can be purchased separately on the Nintendo eShop, or together in this retail compilation.

Here is what I thought of each game in this collection:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Grade
Resident Evil 4	Graphic Adventure / Horror / Third-Person Shooter	1	B
tl;dr Resident Evil 4 is an HD remaster of the GameCube Horror game that does a good job bringing the classic to the Nintendo Switch, albeit without the Wii version’s motion controls. And as it happens, the controls are the worst thing about this otherwise solid game. If you’re looking for one of the highlights of the Resident Evil series, you should definitely give this game a look, but be aware that the controls will make this a love it or hate it experience.
Resident Evil 5	Third-Person Shooter / Horror	1-2 Co-Op (Local Split-Screen, Local Wireless), 2-4 Co-Op / Competitive (Online), Online Leaderboards	B+
tl;dr Resident Evil 5 abandons much of the series’ Graphic Adventure and Horror-fueled roots in favor of something that’s much more Action-heavy, and while series purists may find this disappointing, the result is a pretty fun Third-Person Shooter with some great online multiplayer co-op and competitive gameplay.
Resident Evil 6	Third-Person Shooter / Horror	1-2 Co-Op (Local Split-Screen), 2-6 Co-Op / Competitive (Local Wireless, Online), Online Leaderboards	B+
tl;dr Resident Evil 6, even more than the series’ fifth game, is an over-the-top action-packed Third-Person Shooter that is as far from “Survival Horror” as the series has ever gotten. However, for those who don’t mind the departure from the series’ roots and who are looking for an Action game with some great online co-op, this is a game well worth playing, although be warned that the Nintendo Switch version suffers from poor framerates and underpopulated online lobbies.

I know I’m going to get some angry reactions to giving Resident Evil 5 and 6 the best grades in the series, but I can only speak to my own experience, and that is that while those two games are nowhere near as iconic and memorable as the earlier Resident Evil games, and while they betray much of the spirit of what people consider the Resident Evil series to represent, the result is games that are more enjoyable to play, even if they shift the series to a different genre entirely. Resident Evil 4 is clearly the start of that journey, and is rightfully considered by most to be one of the highlights in the series, but I still felt its awkward controls were holding it back somewhat.

Having said that, the visuals in Resident Evil 4 have aged a bit, and both Resident Evil 5 and 6 suffer from some nasty framerate issues, especially if you want to play those games in local split-screen mode. Aside from the performance issues, Resident Evil 5 and 6 look fantastic, but it’s definitely a clear downgrade from other modern releases of the game.

On the bright side, both Resident Evil 5 and 6 add gyroscopic motion controls (which are strangely absent from Resident Evil 4, even though that game’s Wii release was celebrated for its motion controls), and Resident Evil 5 and 6 offer some really good online co-op gameplay, as well as some fun and interesting online competitive gameplay… at least, if you can find a game to join.

There is one major caveat that needs to be mentioned regarding this collection. Those hoping to avoid the massive downloads required to play these games by getting the physical release instead of downloading the game’s directly from the eShop will be sorely disappointed – only Resident Evil 4 is included on the cartridge, and playing Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6 will require a sum total of about 37GB on your MicroSDXC card

At the very least the price is a bit more reasonable this time around, with the Triple Pack retailing for $60, although after the standard price for Resident Evil 4 reduced to $20, this is roughly the same price as purchasing these games separately on the eShop. So I suppose if you want to get all three of these games, the question you need to ask yourself is whether you want Resident Evil 4 on a cartridge or if you’d rather just have all three games in digital form.

In the end, the Resident Evil Triple Pack is a Compilation of three of the best games in the franchise, and I know that some will see that statement as controversial, but I stand by it. The action-heavy direction these games take the series in may be seen by series fans as an affront to what Resident Evil is supposed to be, but the result is nevertheless one highly-celebrated Horror game with Third-Person Shooter elements that has aged a bit poorly, and two underrated Third-Person Shooters that are better than many series fans give them credit for, with the Nintendo Switch release of the latter two offering some superb online co-op, and adding gyroscopic motion controls, but also suffering framerate issues. Action fans should definitely consider giving these three games a look, although they’ll want to be sure to clear a lot of space on their MicroSDXC card even if they get them in this physical release.

tl;dr – Resident Evil Triple Pack contains Resident Evil 4, 5, 6, and all of their expansion content, although only Resident Evil 4 is on the cartridge, with 5 and 6 requiring a massive 37GB download to play. While these games represent the series’ controversial turn to more action-focused gameplay, that gameplay has aged better than the earlier games in the series, although the Nintendo Switch releases are a mix of good (added gyroscopic controls in 5 and 6, great online co-op in 5 and 6) and bad (no motion controls in 4, terrible framerates in 5 and 6). On the whole, this is still a solid trio of Third-Person Shooters, though it’s debatable whether this Compilation is a better bet than just buying the games individually on the eShop.

Grade: B

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