Resident Evil 6

Game Info

Is Resident Evil 6 a bad game?  Apparently, that depends on who you ask.  Some professional reviewers out there have decided that yes, indeed, it’s a terrible game.  I’m pretty sure that said website gave X-Blades a better score.  X.  Blades.  Yeah.  But I won’t bother to mention which site or who the reviewer was. Let’s just say that I’ve severely downgraded their credibility.  A lot.  Resident Evil 6 is a sequel worthy of its name, negative reviews be damned.  And I’ll tell you why.

I’m sure I said this before in my reviews and elsewhere, but Capcom’s MT Framework is the best current gen graphics engine, bar none.  There may be a blurry environment texture here and there, but the lighting, animation, steady framerate, and character designs are the best I’ve ever seen.  Shambling zombies will start to decompose with a startling amount of detail after several gunshots to the chest while they are standing up and then continue decomposing after falling to the ground.  Several bosses will morph back and forth from their humanoid to monster form without any clear model swaps.  The entire game is just so easy on the eyes, you’ll often find yourself just stopping to take it all in.  That is, when you aren’t being chased by chainsaw-wielding J’avos, which is just the new word for “ganados” or “majini” as in RE4 and RE5.  And yes, there’s an even newer virus that begins with a different letter.  I think it was a “C”, but at this point it’s hard to keep track.

Resident Evil 6 is packed full of content, and is definitely the largest and longest entry in the series, thanks in no small part to the inclusion of four, count ‘em, four separate campaigns, with each one having a slightly different style of Resident Evil-ness.  Enjoy RE4? Then try out Leon’s campaign.  Enjoy the later gun-toting-zombie-heavy sections of RE5? Try out Chris’.  Enjoy it all? Then play Jake’s.  It’s the fourth and final campaign that’s unlocked after completing the other three that really shakes things up.  Gone is your co-op partner and instead you get to play through some sometimes enjoyably tense stealth sequences, which is definitely a first for the series.  But before you start saying, “Hey, there’s some Metal Gear Solid in my Resident Evil!”- relax.  They hardly overstay their welcome, and before you know it, you’ll be back to blasting zombie guts, which is even easier now, thanks to an honest-to-God cover system.  Any flat surface can be used for cover, as well as crates and overturned tables.  The only thing missing that most standard third person shooters have is blind-fire, but this is Resident Evil- where bullets are a necessity, not a commodity, and should not be wasted.  Also new to the series is a melee attack that can be combo-ed into a finisher that can be quite handy if you find yourself running low on ammo, which you will.

Speaking of co-op, I have to give Capcom kudos for including so many co-op campaigns that can be played in any order.  It’s great because if you have more than one co-op buddy and they each have different schedules, you can find yourself playing Leon’s campaign with Friend A and if Friend A has to work late, but Friend B is ready to go, you can fire up Chris or Jake’s campaign with him or her, which I found myself doing on several occasions during my single playthrough.  Capcom also added an online four-player co-op mode that takes place during the intersecting storylines that always involves a boss fight.  It’s a neat idea, but I never got to see it take place, and always ended up with my online partner and two somewhat competent AIs.  Thankfully, the AIs can take care of themselves in a fight and never go down or run out of ammo.  That’s how it’s done Sheva, you bullet waster.  Another downside with this whole four-player business is that it leads to recycled boss fights.  Sometimes playing as a different pair will change the fight up a little, but mostly it is what it is- a recycled boss fight.

Mercenaries mode is back, and at this point that’s almost a given.  Except now it’s unlocked from the start; although only one stage is initially available, with two more unlocked after completing the Chris and Jake campaigns, and some retailers offered a single stage as a pre-order incentive.  It’s kind of sad to see such a low number of stages, but I’m sure they’ll be more added as DLC, and knowing Capcom, it probably won’t be for free.  But hey, if you don’t like it, don’t buy it.  And how dare they charge us for this stuff.  Next thing you know, they’ll probably charge us for the games themselves…What?!?! You guys actually pay for these things?!?  I always steal them off the back of the delivery trucks.  Another added mode that’s new to the RE universe is Agent Hunt, which is where you invade another players game, ala Demon’s Souls, as a zombie or monster and attempt to kill them for skill points.  It’s a neat addition, but I’ve never been able to get closer than 10 feet from a player before getting a shotgun blast to the face.  You can respawn almost instantly, but I gave up after a couple of tries.

With the four separate campaigns, be prepared to see a few repeated story segments, albeit from a different perspective.  And while there’s never an “Aha!” moment where it all comes together, it’s pretty engrossing throughout.  I must mention that I do really miss the highly choreographed martial arts cutscenes from RE5, with only the beginning of Jake’s campaign offering some sweet roundhouse kicks to the face.  I guess, like Jackie Chan and Jet Li, Leon and Chris are starting to simply get too old for this shi- …er, stuff.  Gun customization has been scrapped and replaced with skill points that are basically used to power up all your guns instead of just one.  Or skip powering up your guns and boost your defense and melee attacks.  It’s definitely more flexible with this new way and I found it to be much more user friendly and more robust.

I know I’ve often read and heard from many people that Resident Evil just isn’t a survival horror game anymore.  For me, it never was.  That title will always be held by Silent Hill.  Resident Evil was all about the cheap thrills- zombie dogs jumping through windows, sharp orchestral notes when a zombie suddenly emerges, stuff like that.  The survival part still holds true, though. Healing items and ammo are scarce, although after dying, you’ll restart at the nearest checkpoint with full health and co-op revivals alleviate some of the difficulty.  And now being downed doesn’t mean instant death if your partner is off getting a beer.  When it happens, you can crawl or and lay on your back to shoot while a meter starts to fill and when it’s full you’re revived with a tiny bit of health, but if you happen to be attacked in the mean time, it’s the “You are dead” game over screen for you.

So for those Resident Evil fans who long for the return of survival horror and cry foul over all the quicktime events and zombies with guns and cover mechanics, go ahead and replay the first three games.  I, for one, am enjoying the direction this series is headed thanks to RE6’s streamlined interface, more fluid controls (move AND shoot?!?! Wow!) blockbuster movie set-piece moments, and lengthy campaign.  If you’re listening Capcom, you’ve really got to up your game even further with RE7.   I want eight different campaigns… with all of them starring Barry Burton.  But if you’re in the mood for some awesome co-op action, or just want to blast zombies for points, go grab this game now.  You won’t be disappointed.