Resident Evil is an extremely successful franchise in the entertainment industry. With game spanning 16 years and films starting back in 2002. It’s fair to say that I am more of a fan of the films than the games. I associate Resident Evil with slow gameplay, stopping and shooting, and while I have always admired it for its success in the survival horror genre, the pace has never felt comfortable with me.
Because of the issue that I have with the pacing of the gameplay, I’ve never delved more than a few hours into a Resident Evil game, and have more often than not, avoided them completely. Now in 2012, Konami have released their latest effort Resident Evil 6, which is more action packed than any of its predecessors, maybe this would be a Resi game that I could get on board with.
Well it’s a yes and no scenario, with it mostly being no. Resident Evil 6 is a massive game. There are 4 fully fleshed out campaigns with an interweaving story. Completing all take a good 20 hours +, and the fourth campaign isn’t unlocked until the first 3 are completed. The first 3 campaigns focus on the main protagonists Leon S Kennedy, Chris Redfield and Jake Muller. Completion of these unlocks Ada Wong’s campaign. The story sees you battling through enemies infected with the new ‘C-Virus’ to find out the source of the outbreak, and a solution. Each campaign allows for a co-op mode, either with a friend or with someone random over Xbox live. You can play through as single player as well, with AI taking up your partner with general success overall.
Now Resident Evil 6 seems to be a game confused as to what it’s meant to be. There are some survival horror parts, some military shooter parts, and some parts where all you do is run…a lot. A part of me even thinks it’s trying to be a film or TV series, and it may well be suited to the latter two. With so many different elements to the game, everything feels disjointed. Like Konami have decided to try some different things to see what would work, no decision could be made on which was best to take the series forward, therefore they have thrown it all in. One solid campaign of consistent gameplay style would have no doubt been a better option. Fairly standard third person shooter sections are common throughout, which would have been absolutely fine if it weren’t accompanied by a shockingly awkward cover system, which makes these sections clumsy and an annoying hassle.
Dreaded quick time events and button prompts also blight the game. Far too many times I felt that I was no longer playing the game, as much as I was following commands to drive the story forward. Every few minutes (and that is really not an exaggeration) there will be a door to open, sometimes on your own, other times you’ll need the help of your ally. And if they are off doing something else, you’ll be aimlessly waiting around for them before you can go through. When you need to stop and press the ‘A’ button just to step down a small ledge, it makes you think the game is taking the piss out of your ability to play it. The consistency of these events is the biggest negative point of the game.
It’s such a shame that the negatives are so extensive that they outweigh some cracking ideas. There are some truly imaginative enemies here, the J’avo that mutate in response to physical trauma (along with carrying weapons and attacking with intelligence), a Nemesis style brute of an enemy and an invisible snake to name but a few. The visuals and the sound in the game are a high point. Environments and characters are presented with aplomb, and the sounds effects, from gunshots to punches, are to be commended. The voiceovers for the characters are acted brilliantly and take into consideration the different personality of each character, and the cutscenes are at the top end of what you’d expect from a top title. But again, they are all too regular.
To summarise, Resident Evil 6 really gives too many negatives for it to be an enjoyable journey. When you think you are enjoying something, you’re interrupted by another QTE, a button prompt (“Why can’t I just climb up the ladder without pressing another sodding button!?”) or a cutscene. Konami has a strong story here, but it genuinely would have been better off given to the fans as a film or a TV series. When a game requires minimal playing, it ceases to become a game. The back of the box is adorned by the slogan ‘No Hope Left’. If Resident Evil continues down this path, I’m afraid it will be a tagline for the series as a whole. 5/10