Necessary Evil? Will Capcom’s latest survival horror entry survive?

Chad Hunter

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows

Release date: October 2, 2012

Intro

Nearly twenty years ago, Capcom took us by the hand, led us into a scary mansion and never let us go.  Since then, the Resident Evil franchise has spawned games, movies, books and more.  But since its inception, horror fans have felt that the series has lost its terror (and zombies.)  With a new game and new directions, is Resident Evil 6 worth the buy or has the undead series finally died?

Story

RE6 picks up where the series left off – Umbrella is gone (sort of) and our heroes have moved on into high ranking positions to protect the world from viral monsters (e.g. zombies.)  Leon Kennedy from RE2 and RE4 fame, is a government agent set to expose Umbrella to the world at the behest of his friend, the President.  However, a virus breaks out and the dead rise.  The next mission features Chris Redfield, down and out but serving as a soldier in a foreign country.  Redfield leads a battalion in battle with mutated mercenaries.  Finally, Jake Mueller is also abroad dealing with a combination of the two previous missions’ enemies.  Mueller himself must contend with the bioweapons while being something more than human himself.  

Graphics

Visually, RE6 is a good looking game.  Specifically focusing on Kennedy’s mission (the most zombie filled and horror-like), the city falls apart in flame and clawing, rotted flesh.  The zombie models are very distinct and unique allowing for realistic feel.  Cars swerve out of nowhere, blood spatters and rain looks like your very screen is wet.

Sounds

Any Resident Evil fan is used to B-movie dialogue.  RE6 is not as bad in the wording department as its predecessors.  The other aspect of sound is well done.  Moaning of the shuffling undead echo in the background.  Footsteps resound against cement and the hoarse hiss of corpses sounds right in your ear.  The true survival horror level, the first one, moves fast but when you can catch a breath – you feel the fear and you hear it.

Controls

Leon, Chris and Jake all move well.  The stilted controls of previous games have been replaced by the more fluid motions from RE4 and 5.  You will find yourself running into walls and stumbling around.  The controls are not perfect by any means.  But they are not terrible enough to detract from the game.  

There are three gripes about Resident Evil 6 – One: The whole game should be survival horror against the monsters and undead rather than just one of its episodes.  Two: The lack of a true pause screen is a pain in the ass and finally – Three: the save points are annoyingly far from where you could potentially die, causing you to restart much farther than you had hoped.

Zombie Factor / Conclusion

Your standard zombies are everywhere, especially during Leon’s campaign.  Redfield and Jake will see their own variation on the shambling creatures but Kennedy’s is the best and most effective feel of walking dead.  The first episode feels like a true zombie horror film complete with doomed survivors, apocalyptic decisions and hell on earth with carnivorous cadavers abound.  Resident Evil 6 is ambitious and while it may slip up here and there, it is worth the trip.  Let the undead rain, we have an Umbrella.

Resident Evil 6 Demo Coming Septermber 18th

David Brown



We reported earlier this week that the new movie, Resident Evil: Retribution is slated to come out this week.  While fans of the series are no doubt satisfied with that fact alone, an announcement from Capcom just gave us all a bit more to be excited about.  According to Capcom, a demo for Resident Evil 6 will be releasing on Playstation Network and for Xbox Live Gold Members on September 18th.  

This is a first chance for many to get their chance to experience Resident Evil 6 before its release date on October 2, 2012.  If you haven't had the chance to find out much about the game or the story that it is following here is a little preview from the official Resident Evil 6 website:

It has been over ten years since the Raccoon City incident and the President of the United States has decided to reveal the truth behind what took place in the belief that it will curb the current resurgence in bioterrorist activity. Due to be by the President's side is his personal friend and Raccoon City survivor, Leon S. Kennedy, but when the venue suffers a bioterrorist attack, Leon is forced to face a President transformed beyond recognition and make his hardest ever decision. At the same time, Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance member Chris Redfield arrives in China, itself under threat of a bioterrorist attack. With no country safe from these attacks and the ensuing outbreaks, the entire world's population is united by a common fear that there is no hope left.

In a first for the franchise, Resident Evil 6 sees series favorites Leon and Chris come together to face this unprecedented threat. They will be joined by new characters, each with their own unique perspective and involvement, in this relentless dramatic horror experience enacted on a global scale.  



This is a big step forward for the series as we are truly seeing a matchup that we have all been dreaming about for a while now.  

Come back next week as we will be sharing a review of the demo as well as any more information that we can find on the game itself.  We will also been sharing our review of the game itself around its launch date.  Keep it tuned to Zombies & Toys for all of your zombie news and reviews.