It’s not everyday that a Nintendo 3DS game gets ported over to the major home consoles. It’s also not everyday that a quasi-spin-off game set between two games in the main series is better received than the main series entry that tried to be a triple-A megahit.

So here we are with Resident Evil: Revelations. Rather than an action-oriented game, Revelations goes back to the series’ horror roots. That move away from big action seems to have benefited this game in the critics’ eyes.

Game Informer (87.5%): This former 3DS game doesn’t stand toe-to-toe with the best console shooters, but it’s a faithful port. Revelations has a lot to offer fans of the series and players looking for a more evenly paced, thoughtful shooter.

GameTrailers (82%): While the polished-up version of the game doesn’t eliminate every trace of its humble origins, the game benefits from a bigger screen, bigger sound, and a separate controller. This game contains scenes of explicit violence and gore, and its many horrors are rendered with enough fidelity to convey the appropriate feelings of shock and revulsion as you prowl across a doomed luxury cruise ship where bad things have happened… and continue to happen.

IGN (75%): With its welcome return to classic-style horror action, Resident Evil: Revelations is very much worth playing in its HD form for its atmosphere and scares alone. However, if you’ve got the choice between the remake and the original, stick with the one you can carry in your pocket – this one feels a bit uncomfortable in its own skin.

Eurogamer (70%): Judged against the stultifying lows of recent Resident Evils, it’s easy to view Revelations as a success. That was true last year, and it’s still true today. This HD edition builds subtly on the 3DS foundations, but thankfully doesn’t crush them under the needless AAA junk that has dragged the series so far off course.

Joystiq (60%): Resident Evil fans will want to see the story, and will forgive the design flaws and wacky dialogue. For everyone else, the game doesn’t hold the HD spotlight well. This was a quality handheld title, but on a larger screen it falls into the middle of the pack.