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GAME REVIEW: ‘Resident Evil 6’ Disappoints Across the Board

Sam McConkie

Capcom’s “Resident Evil” series sure has changed over the years. It originally launched on the Playstation in 1996 to outstanding critical acclaim and large sales figures, and the creepy atmosphere and tense action pieces ensured it would become a fan favorite for years. Several sequels later, “Resident Evil: Code Veronica,” the last traditional game in the series, debuted on the Dreamcast in 2000. Reviews and sales remained quite strong, especially with a belated PS2 port, though many desired a new experience. The series later ditched the fixed-camera perspective and puzzle solving qualities for a sharper focus on the survival-horror qualities and a new third-person perspective with “Resident Evil 4” on the GameCube.
After the enormous success of that entry into the series, many fans felt Capcom was losing its edge and the series its luster with the release of “Resident Evil 5” back in 2009. Though it lacked the raw and terrifying atmosphere of the previous game, it maintained the slick control-scheme and addictive game-play and rounded out the package with a larger emphasis on action as opposed to horror. I personally love “Resident Evil 5” and was anxiously anticipating the latest entry in the series. After such a solid track record with great sequels, how could Capcom botch this attempt, right?
Wrong. Unfortunately, Capcom opted to go back to the drawing board on several key mechanics from previous games in order to try and create a more streamlined experience. No longer can the player flip out a knife when low on ammunition. Smashing crates with that knife? Forget about it. Just kick ’em. The intuitive and traditional D-pad inventory with weapons and items? Long gone. Sparse quick-time commands during a gunfight for an extra chance to do damage? Severely dumbed down. At best, the results are clunky. At worst, Capcom might has well have given the enormous fan base the bird. I wish I was kidding right now. This game stands as a perfect example of the old adage “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.”
The plot picks up several years later after the events of “Resident Evil 5.” Albert Wesker has long since been destroyed and the seemingly indestructible Umbrella Corporation now operates as Neo-Umbrella Corporation. Their newest bio-weapon, the C-virus, has infected great swathes of the population, and it’s up to Chris Redfield, Leon Kennedy, and mysterious newcomer Jake Muller to topple Neo-Umbrella and bring about peace – all through branching storylines, of course.
NSA agent Sherry Birkin, a Raccoon City survivor from the first game, teams up with Jake, whom she reveals has the blood necessary to bring about an antivirus to combat the C-virus. Her assignment is to ensure his survival and ultimately that of the human race in the process. Along the way, they are dogged by a menacing bio-organic weapon codenamed “Ustanak.” Why is this creature after the pair, and who is behind the new incarnation of Umbrella?
“Resident Evil 6” is unnecessarily hampered by somewhat shoddy controls. You have two options for moving around: running and running faster. Even worse, holding down the run button makes the character even harder to control than it is already, so don’t be surprised if you run smack dab – or trip – into an enemy or obstacle on accident. Adding insult to injury, the run button actually doubles as an action button. If you are running from a boss early in the game and you need to jump over an obstacle in a hurry, good luck getting comfy with it. It just feels like a miscalculation on the part of the developers. Give me the old control scheme back.
Perhaps worst of all, shooting no longer feels precise or satisfying. Moving the right thumbstick doesn’t move your gun independently of your character’s stance like in the last two games: the character now moves completely. This wouldn’t be too bad if aiming felt precise, but the aiming system just feels unfinished. And the signature laser-aim on Leon’s gun has to be selected in the submenu if you desire it. The game defaults to a cross-hair aim, embracing a generic third-person shooter convention the series long defied.
Quick-time events are liberally sprinkled throughout the game with varying degrees of success. Occasionally, they can be thrilling and engaging. At other times, they ruin the flow of the game and cause needless character deaths. There is a particularly dreadful section of these quick-time events early in Leon’s campaign where you must rifle through a car looking for the keys while the zombies attempt to break in. It would be scary in any other game, but here it’s simply irritating due to said slippery controls and some superfluous cinematic flair.
On the bright side, the presentation and graphics in “Resident Evil 6” are quite impressive. The frame rate remains consistent even with a large number of enemies on-screen and the environments look exceptional. Cutscenes are rendered in real time and play out like a summer blockbuster, which helps create at least a certain sense of fun. The ashen cities and destroyed wreckage lend a nice touch to an unsettling atmosphere, even though the suspense could have been better, when compared to previous games. Also, the character models are some of the best I have seen to date in a video game.
In the end, a flashy and substantive presentation can’t save this muddled mess. With entertaining characters, epic boss battles, and over-the-top villains, it feels like a Resident Evil game. It simply doesn’t play like one. And it sincerely didn’t need to be this way. If you’re new or curious, it’s not a terrible game. If you played the previous games in the series and loved them, don’t bother. Capcom laid an egg.

 

– “Resident Evil 6” is available now on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC