Resident Evil 6 is More Survival than Horror - Preview
by Nick Pantazis , posted on 06 June 2012 / 3,849 Views
It's been a big year for Resident Evil fans. Two new games were released and the next mainline game, Resident Evil 6, was announced. While Operation Raccoon City wasn't the traditional Resident Evil experience, the fan-adored Revelations gave hope for a Resident Evil future with more balance in action and horror. Unfortunately, Resident Evil 6 seems to lean heavily on action, but the action is certainly improved.
Capcom showed us the new drop in co -op system they call crossover. While every one of Resident Evil 6's three campaigns can be completed in two player co-op, the crossover system allows another two players playing a different campaign to intersect with your own at certain parts of the story, switching you into a temporary four player alliance. This new co-op system seems enjoyable, and it adds a fun bit of Journey-style randomness to the game's multiplayer.
Also at Capcom's E3 booth were extensive demos of each character’s campaign. Chris's campaign played much like Resident Evil 5, with a lot of running and gunning and climbing in small sandbox-style areas. Jake was a similar character and featured high-action combat with a specialty in melee. Both of these action-focused segments were greatly enhanced by the ability to move and shoot and dodge roll.
While these segments played well, the one that interested me the most was Leon. Leon's gameplay in this demo was very much like Revelations, which is my favorite Resident Evil game since Resident Evil 4. Leon explores a dark, quiet building in which surprises seem like they may be around every corner. There were some great and genuinely dramatic moments in his demo, and in spite of him maintaining the same abilities to dodge and move while shooting present in the other campaigns, this one felt more like survival horror.
I enjoyed my time with Resident Evil 6, perhaps even more than I expected. Unfortunately, it seems to focus more on action than I want it to, but the improved action controls keep it fun. Luckily Leon seems to retain the sort of segments that made Revelations so special for me, and the new crossover system should add a fun co-op experience with plenty of reason to replay. Resident Evil 6 was estimated by the producers to last somewhere in the area of 30 hours, and you can look forward to playing it yourself when it releases on October 2nd.
