Console: PS3 Reviewer: Reid
Pros
- Has a ton of replay value
- Improved controls over the previous installments
- The story stays fresh with interweaving paths and a vast array of locales
Cons
- Dying is usually due to trial and error, not enemy difficulty
- Boss fights can be inconsistent
- Multiple start-up screens tests your patients when your ready to jump into the action
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxxN7e6d7Vk&w=560&h=315]
Gameplay Captured With The Roxio Game Capture HD PRO
After falling head over heels in love with Resident Evil 4, and then eating a tub of Ice Cream and watching Friends re-runs to make myself feel better after disliking Resident Evil 5 …I really had no idea what to expect with Resident Evil 6. Though I was impressed with the game-play previews, bad reviews and grumblings started flowing in even before I had a chance to pick it up on release day. I’m very glad I decided to go with my gut and give it a try.
Presentation: A+
There are more different varieties of Zombies, J’avo, and bosses than I’ve ever seen in Resident Evil game. Actually there are more enemy varieties than I’ve ever seen in any game period. RE6 has 4 different campaign paths to choose from, and each campaign has so many variety of enemies I can guarantee you wont get the feeling of killing the same old thing. Along with the variety comes the detail, and Capcom really poured it on. There is detail in every nook and cranny of all the different levels. I’m talking even down to power cords plugged into a wall socket behind refrigerators. I’m talking computer consoles and vehicle dashboards that look like you could reach out and literally move a switch or push a lighted button. Amazing detail every where you look.
The animation work in this game is great. There are multiple different animated deaths from your enemies, and which ever main character you choose. You can run, slide, crawl, shoot while lying on your back…it’s a very realistic animation that really brings you into the game. The cut scenes are animated well and have some of the most over the top action I’ve seen, particularly in a Resident Evil game.
The sound in the game is well done, but what I like about the music is that it only comes in here and there to amplify the mood. It comes in mostly during combat, and when you’re searching secret labs, it’s pulled back to provide that eerie sense of being alone against pure evil. I really like the voice over work, and face capture. Chris, Leon, and Piers specifically have some of the best facial capture and expression I’ve ever seen in a game.
Single Player: A
What Capcom has done with Resident Evil 6 is brilliant, in my opinion. They have realized that gaming trends have progressed into wanting more fast paced gaming, with a focus on Hollywood style stunts and a stories with twists and turns like a Christopher Nolan screenplay.
You have three Campaigns to choose from, and once completed a fourth is unlocked. You can choose Leon, Chris, Jake, and then Ada, and they all have a side of the story for you to see. I recommend playing them in order as they are listed for maximum story enjoyment. Every time I’d play a campaign, questions would be raised, then answered by the next campaign, then finished off nicely by completing Ada Wong’s campaign. You get to cross paths and see things from all angles. The story really is great. Instead of slogging through a 30 hour game and slowly coming into a realization broken down for you closer to the end, you get to experience it chopped up and from different points of views, which let’s you feel the same emotions as the character. Usually a “Why did he/she do that? That’s not like he/she at ALL!” type feeling.
Each main character has a different control scheme, play feeling, and Resident Evil nostalgic feeling. What I mean by that is, playing Leon’s campaign was reminiscent of the first two Resident Evil games. Creepy environments like underground labs, crypts, and an abandoned University felt like Raccoon City. Leon’s gun reticle moves around slightly, runs at an average speed, and has a few puzzles. (Not many though, and they aren’t really difficult).
Chris’s campaign felt more like Resident Evil 5. It is more action packed, runs slightly faster, and weapons feel slightly more accurate. He is a BSAA agent after all. His control scheme is different from Leon’s, and his melee skills are very powerful. I mean, like punch straight through a J’avo powerful. Chris’s melee combat is very satisfying.
Jake’s campaign feels more like Resident Evil 3. It has a good mix of action, and you are CONSTANTLY being chased by the Ustanak. Jake’s scheme is also different from Chris’s and Leon’s, and his combat skills are more acrobatic
Ada’s campaign might actually be my favorite. She is a very strong character and her crossbow as surprisingly fun to use. Her campaign answers all the questions I had and wrapped up the story nicely. Hers is also the most difficult, and has the most puzzles.
The controls feel great. You can finally move while shooting, which is something I felt was SORELY lacking in Resident Evil 5. You can run, slide across tables or the ground, lay on your back and shoot, crawl, punch, stab, you pretty much name it, they included it. There are many different ways to take out bad guys, and it’s very satisfying.
Skill points return, mostly in the form of chess pieces that can be picked up when dropped from a dead enemy. These can be cashed in between chapters or at the title screen. There are quite a few options, though I feel like the unlock amounts were slightly too high. I found myself not even worrying about them half way through the game, because everything I wanted would take another 20,000 points. They aren’t really necessary for helping in the game, except maybe upgrading your weapon, melee, and resurrection time. Other than that they are just slightly fun to mess with. Of course, it is possible to buy the unlimited ammo for most of the weapons, so that is some incentive to go back through.
Your not going to find many puzzle’s in the game. Not like the past Resident Evil games. It didn’t bother me too much, as the action and story took the front seat and never let up. If puzzle’s are your thing this may upset you.
The difficulty isn’t too bad. I found most of the times I died it was because of a trial and error situation. As in I would die, then realize “oh THAT’S what I’m supposed to do”. Never the less, I did play this on ‘Normal’, and for you bad asses out there you can always ratchet up the difficulty. Good luck.
I am not trying to spoil too much in this review, so I will not cover the boss fights. They are very interesting to say the least, and my advice would mostly be to stay patient…you’ll figure it out.
On normal mode, finishing all 5 chapters in 4 campaigns took me 25 hours and 45 minutes. It’s a decent length, though not nearly as long as Resident Evil 4, which we all know has set the world record for the longest game I have ever played. Seriously, It’s the longest game ever. (okay maybe not but it is for me).
Multiplayer: C
Since all the campaigns have a partner, (Ada’s to be added later with DLC), you can let people join in with you and play either online, or in split-screen mode. I don’t care much for the online part, but some will and it serves it’s purpose. The split-screen mode is more appealing to me, but it’s all about taste.
The ‘Mercenaries’ mode is decent. You know the drill…SURVIVE! I find that the clock is distracting right at the top middle of my screen, and the enemies come in uneven waves instead of a constant flow. Mercenaries mode is a love or hate mode, and if you love it than you will have a blast. If you hate it you will never play it again.
The ‘Agent Hunt’ mode, in my opinion is terrible. I couldn’t even stand to play more than one match. You play as creature attacking one of the main characters. I don’t like the stiffness or slowness of being a creature, (though they might not all be like that), and I really don’t like dying, melting into the ground, selecting my spawn point, taking my slow ass right up to someone with a gun, getting my head blown off, then repeat. But again, just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean others wont, and there were plenty of people playing it last time I jumped on. Again it’s a love or hate mode.
Residentevil.net:
To be honest, this site is pretty impressive. Not just because the stats are all online, and you can compare them, but you can purchase costumes and dioramas, check on DLC, and share everything through social media sites. It’s definitely worth checking out, and like most things, the more you dig into it, the more you’ll get out of it.
Replay Value: B+
Resident Evil 6 has a pretty high replay value. You can technically choose to play as 9 different characters, (10 when Ada’s unnamed partner is added), and they all feel slightly different, and have different melee. You can join in other people’s games, let them join yours, or do split screen. You can go back and replay on different difficulty levels, unlock and use different skills like unlimited ammo, and also play the Agent Hunt and Mercenaries modes. Quite a lot to choose from, and DLC is on its way. And of course there are emblems to find and shoot to unlock things like files, which really provided great gap fillers to smooth out the story.
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Resident Evil has come a long way from its original incarnation. Picking it up hoping for another Resident Evil: Director’s Cut is the wrong way to approach this game. If you want that action it’s been ported to several systems, and I suggest you just keep playing that over and over until your ready to move on.
Capcom has decided to give you a little dose of all the Resident Evil games and mix it in with a large amount of action and an even larger amount of story. If you give it a fair shot, you’ll see that they spent a huge amount of time crafting it to the smallest detail to make it appealing not just to RE veterans, but new comers as well. It’s not a perfect game, but it is a fair entertainment experience for your money. I recommend playing this game for the story alone. It’s pretty fun.
