The Besties – Feb 27, 2026

Episode: “Resident Evil: Requiem is Two Games in One!”

Overview

In this episode, Chris Plante, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, and Russ Frushtick dive deep into Resident Evil: Requiem (effectively Resident Evil 9), dissecting its structure, story, and design. The team covers why the game feels split in half, the nostalgic callbacks, and their personal takes on what works and what misses in the latest Resident Evil. The discussion is filled with trademark banter, detailed analysis, and a focus on what makes the game special (or not) for both new players and longtime fans. They also field listener questions, share game/TV recommendations, and reflect on gaming health.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Leon Kennedy and The Art of the Quip

• Tone Setting: The show opens with a playful critique on Leon Kennedy’s penchant for inappropriate quips. The team riffs on when it is and isn’t appropriate for Leon to drop a one-liner.
  • Quote:

    “If a woman is torn in half in front of him by a big zombie... and the zombie is like a big doctor, and he’s like, I guess she should have eaten more apples a day. It’s like, that’s a. That’s sad. Don’t do that one.”
    – Griffin (00:35)

2. Resident Evil: Requiem – Two Games, One Package

Structure & Feel

• The game’s divided structure: two protagonists, two perspectives, two playstyles.

  • Leon Kennedy: Third-person, action-heavy chapters, old-school arsenal, classic ‘beastmode’ gameplay.
  • Grace Ashcroft: First-person (toggable), an FBI investigator with slower, atmospheric, horror-driven gameplay.

• Quote:

  “You have Leon Kennedy returning. He is older, he is sick... but he also is like driving a sick fucking Porsche.”
  – Griffin (06:09)

• The game feels like a throwback, often echoing the design and pacing of earlier entries (particularly Resident Evil 2 Remake).

  • Russ:

    “It feels like the sequel to Resident Evil 5 or 4... This does not feel like the sequel to Village.” (04:52)

• The first half is largely Grace, focusing on exploration, puzzles, evasion; second half shifts heavily to Leon and combat.

  • Chris:

    “Grace is the main character [for the] core act… huge, huge change in the second half… We will talk about that in another episode.” (08:50)

  • Griffin:

    “Grace is not in the back half of the game very much... I played for maybe about five hours straight as Leon and the gameplay is fundamentally different.” (09:53)

Pacing & Gameplay Imbalance

• First Part: Claustrophobic, puzzle-focused, flavor of RE7/Village, tense horror.
• Second Part: Extended, less variety, more shooting, less excitement from upgrades/exploration.
  • Quote:

    “It did get a little bit, I don’t know, stale. There’s not like a ton of enemy variety... I wish they had stuck with the formula that I felt like was working really, really well with the first part.”
    – Griffin (10:26)

  • Russ:

    “I am pretty over the moon about the first half... the second half, but it doesn’t feel quite as special.” (11:37)

3. Playtime, Structure, and Experimentation

• Average completion times: 10-12 hours overall; first section close to previous RE game lengths on its own.
• The team compares the split structure to Metal Gear Solid 4 and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance—two games mashed together.
  • Chris:

    “It’s literally like, what if you got a complete loyal throwback to the series... And then what if you got the full... absurdity chaos like the Revengeance part... You are buying two games.” (21:24)

4. Nostalgia, Story, and Character Critique

• The story is serviceable, light on deep character development, but heavy on callbacks for longtime fans.
  • Russ:

    “Narratively what I’ve learned... you can basically not give a [crap] about the Resident Evil story and be fine.” (14:31)

  • Griffin:

    “The story’s bad. But... this game dishes out so much... nostalgia plays... I was more curious, what is the next area? What’s the next boss fight? ...That did end up working.” (15:18)

• Grace, the new protagonist, is compared (sometimes unfavorably) to Silence of the Lambs’ Clarice Starling:
  • Chris:

    “The Grace stuff here is really influenced by Silence of the Lambs... it’s definitely playing with that kind of Clarice FBI agent who’s relatively new...” (16:41)

  • Russ:

    “Grace is like maybe the worst FBI agent I’ve ever seen. She’s just like, very not into being there.” (14:31)

5. Is This a Regressive Resident Evil?

• Resident Evil: Requiem feels more like a return to form than a bold leap forward.
  • Justin:

    “It feels to me a little bit like 7 and 8 have both kind of expanded the idea of what a Resident Evil game is... This feels kind. To hear you guys talk about it, it feels a little bit regressive.” (18:09)

  • Russ:

    “It's like it is kind of going back to something that they’ve done before. Whereas Village and 7 felt very, very, very new.” (18:46)

  • Chris:

    “I also think that these games, 7, 8 and 9, are an Evangelion 2.0 style remake project of 1 through 6... this game is very, very inspired by 5 and 6.” (19:12)

  • Griffin:

    “There are certainly sequences in this game that are like fucking bonkers... But I did not find it as kind of, I don’t know, surprising as those two games.” (19:50)

6. Perspectives and Accessibility

• The player can switch Grace’s sections between first and third person for accessibility or comfort.
  • Russ:

    “First person’s very scary... Two, I was having some motion sickness issues... I played it in third person as Grace, it gives me more visibility... didn’t feel like an add-on.” (22:56)

• They discuss jump scares, tension, and the difference between the two perspectives.

7. Absence of Some Classic Features

• Notable absences: Mercenaries mode, shooting range mini-games, fewer collectibles/trinkets (“not a lot of surprises”).
  • Griffin:

    “There’s also like, mercenaries mode’s not in here. There’s not like a... shooting range, mini game thing... There is a... There are trinkets... but those are so... All pretty, like, disappointing.” (25:56, 26:30)

8. Final Takes: Who is This For?

• For “butt rock” Resident Evil fans, the game will deliver.
  • Chris:

    “It’s a heavy metal butt rock album of Resident Evil. For people who like good video games... For people who are looking for pure butt rock, Resident Evil... you’re living the dream.” (27:16)

• For those looking for high ambition, innovation, or the wild swings of 7 and 8, it might be a bit safe, but still solid.
  • Griffin:

    “I think Capcom makes fucking great games in this franchise that are sort of like mechanically very sound, atmospheric... It falls a bit short of some of the last few games... but I do still think it is totally worth playing.” (28:21)

• Summary takeaway: If you liked RE2 Remake, you’ll probably like this; if you crave the wild energy of Village or the newness of 7, temper expectations.
  • Russ:

    “I think RE2 Remake is the template. And if you like that game. You will really enjoy this game, in my opinion.” (29:21)

Notable Quotes & Fun Moments

• On Leon’s one-liners:

  “If he goes out and then he, like, sees a man and his daughter’s a zombie and the zombie daughter eats him and then he says... ‘boy, kids today.’ You know what I mean? Like, that’s sad. Like, don’t do it for a sad... a real sad one that’s happened.”
  – Griffin (01:21)

• On Justin’s gaming injury & advice:

  “I’ve been playing video games my entire life and I have never taken the time to do proper stretches afterward... If I had taken better care of my wrists, I might not be in this exact scenario. So kids, don’t be like me. This sucks. Do your stretches.”
  – Justin (35:04)

• On accessibility:

  “First person’s very scary... I was having some motion sickness issues... I played it in third person as Grace, it gives me more visibility.”
  – Russ (22:56)

• On Capcom’s challenge:

  “Can you imagine having to make a game after Resident Evil 8 where it’s like, oh, we made a game where you fight Dracula, Frankenstein, Pinocchio and the Creature from the Black Lagoon in Eastern Europe and you have to make something out of it.”
  – Chris (28:51)

[TIMESTAMPS] Important Segments

• 00:00 – Banter on Leon’s inappropriate quips
• 03:22 – Official intro and start of Resident Evil: Requiem discussion
• 06:13 – Describing Leon and Grace, third- vs. first-person sections
• 08:44 – Pacing and chapter structure
• 09:47 – Spoiler-free structure and the game’s two halves
• 10:26 – Critique of pacing, action vs. horror
• 14:31 – Character/story discussion: Grace, structure, and influences
• 18:09 – Whether the game feels regressive compared to RE7/8
• 21:24 – Metal Gear comparison & “two games in one”
• 22:56 – Accessibility: 1st vs. 3rd person for Grace
• 25:56 – Missing features & sense of innovation
• 27:16 – “Butt rock” Resident Evil for fans of the pure experience
• 28:21 – Final thoughts: solid for longtime fans, less for thrill-seekers
• 35:04 – Justin’s injury, gamer health, and stretches
• 38:33 – Honorable mentions: Steam Next Fest, Vampire Crawlers, Pokémon, Lil Gator Game
• 45:03 – TV recs: Rental Family, Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
• 51:02 – Super Battle Golf quick pitch
• 52:18 – Thank yous, Patreon/fan mail, and next week’s episode tease (Scott Pilgrim EX)

Recommendations & Off-Topic Highlights

Games Mentioned:

• Vampire Crawlers demo (“feels dangerous for my free time” – Griffin, 38:58)
• Lil Gator Game and its DLC (great for kids, 40:48)
• Eugenics (Griffin, 41:58)
• Super Battle Golf (Chris: “pure trolling, the golf game; $8 and a blast with friends”, 51:02)

TV/Film:

• Rental Family (Brendan Fraser in Tokyo, feel-good, 42:43)
• Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (GoT spinoff, “the Mandalorian” of Thrones, not too expansive, 45:03)

Other:

• Gaming health/practical advice (Justin, recurring, esp. 35:04+)

Original Tone & Chemistry

The Besties keep things loose, irreverent, and candid—in-jokes and playful digs abound, but always with a sense of critical acuity and affection for the medium. There's a real focus on respecting spoilers, delivering personal perspectives, and finding the fun (and the flaws) in big release games. Even when critiquing, the team maintains enthusiasm for gaming as a shared adventure—whether you’re a leap gamer or just along for the nostalgia.

Bottom Line

Resident Evil: Requiem is a solid, if safe, entry that leans heavily on nostalgia, dual structure, and familiar mechanics. For series loyalists, it offers plenty of callbacks and a polished (if uneven) experience. For those hoping for bold innovation or the delightfully weird energy of 7 or 8, the excitement may dip in the second act. No matter which camp you fall into, The Besties’ verdict is that it’s still a fun ride—especially if you know what you’re in for, and can forgive a few stumbles.

Next Week:
Scott Pilgrim EX – not a remake, but a new beat ‘em up grounded in the Scott Pilgrim universe.