In fact, the situation with these PC upgrades proved to be such a problem for so many users that Capcom quickly made the older versions available again for download through a Steam beta branch. On one hand, it’s positive that Capcom responded so quickly to the community outcry, but it also shows that the update is so flawed that even Capcom agrees that the earlier versions needed to be restored. The new versions continue to be downloaded by default, even though the vast majority of PC users are better off with the older versions. In putting together 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 much positive to say, but there’s no doubt about it: the raytracing support brings a jump in quality, especially because the RT reflections replace the terrible screen-space reflections of the older version. Raytracing Global Illumination is also a good plus, replacing screen-space ambient occlusion with much more accurate ambient shadows, and even providing local bounce lighting in addition to static GI for dynamic elements. However, the RT is of low resolution and quality, with no upward scalability for more powerful hardware. In addition, the semi-hidden interlacing/checkerboard option used on consoles and now working well on PC is a good way to boost performance with limited drawbacks (mainly in RT reflection quality and transparent effects).

And that’s about it. If you want to try out the RT features, I would recommend this patch. In all other scenarios, however, the “upgrade” is poor and not worth the time or effort, starting with performance. If you turn off RT and compare it to the older version of the game, you’ll notice that the frame rate drops sharply while maintaining the exact same image quality. This seems to be due to suboptimal use of DirectX 12, while the older versions simply ran much faster with the old DX11 API. Tested on a GTX 1060, the average frame rate on Resident Evil 2 Remake seems 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 damning 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+ from the older build has been removed in the newly patched versions. Likewise, the super-sampling slider does not work in the new code. No matter how it is set, the game runs and looks the same. It works fine in the older version. 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 gun, which was not the case in the older version (and judging by the PS5 build, this happens on consoles as well).

Speaking of broken features, Capcom just needs to get a handle on its temporal anti-aliasing. It works fine on consoles, but not on PC, failing to varying degrees depending on the game. In the current Monster Hunter Rise, for example, TAA doesn’t work at all. In Resident Evil Village it seems to achieve some degree of effect, but it’s far from the quality of the effect in the console versions. The lack of effectiveness of the anti-aliasing solution is compounded by the fact that a sharpness filter has been included over which the user has no control, further reducing the quality of the rendering 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 shame that 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. But 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 Super Sampling to downscale back to Ultra HD. It seems to improve the RT quality and even the edges seem a touch better.

In summary, I’m glad ray tracing made the leap, especially since RT alone doesn’t put you at much of a performance disadvantage (even if the switch to DX12 does!), but the bottom line is that 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. Capcom added ray tracing, but did nothing to improve the existing game’s problems, such as the reduced animation rates for the zombies, which become a slideshow when facing enemies at a greater distance. This was a criticism I had at the time and could have easily been fixed, but it’s still present in the patched game. It is puzzling why some features are added while at the same time existing problems are not fixed and other features are buggy. In addition, there are the large cuts in the frame rate.

After the drama surrounding Resident Evil Village, I honestly think it’s time for Capcom to rethink its approach to its PC versions. There’s no doubting the quality of the titles themselves, but a new and improved focus on technical polish is needed. Given the ongoing controversies, one can’t help but feel that Capcom’s PC products are not given the same care and attention as the console versions. To put it bluntly, PC users don’t deserve to be treated like second-class gamers