Zombies aren’t exactly considered top-shelf video game adversaries. They’re the entry level guys. The Goombas. The grunts. The guys you fight before you get to the bigger creatures that inevitably lead to a giant boss encounter. That holds true about Capcom’s Resident Evil series as well. Sensing the legions of the undead had seen their best days, the development team in Osaka, Japan retired the brain-eating monsters almost ten years ago, opting for villagers co-opted by parasites and viral outbreaks.
Now, with Resident Evil 6, zombies have returned. But they’re not the zombies you remember.
While various films, novels and games have tried their hand at animated corpses in different ways – changing their weaknesses or movement speeds – Capcom is changing the capabilities of its bad guy staple, and making sure heroes like Leon, Jake, Chris and the recently-announced Ada Wong face them in large numbers.
Zombies leap at you. They spit acid or shriek, causing your characters to cringe in pain. They use the weapons and armor they wore when they died. If you’re smart enough to take out their legs, they’ll crawl after you. They’re relentless, the decay of their flesh and minds doing nothing to erode their savage intent. One on one, the undead are still not much of a threat, but in a narrow, confined hallway, a half dozen of them can lead to multiple deaths.
These remade, re-imagined creations are just one part of Capcom’s ambitious Resident Evil 6, which features not one but four full campaigns, each of which was developed by its own team, each of which is approximately two-thirds the size of Resident Evil 5. Put it all together, and this sixth installment could be triple the size of its predecessor.
The zombies themselves – based on what we’ve played so far – are limited to the campaigns of Leon and Ada. Perhaps not coincidentally, both of these storylines carry a very old school tone. Leon and Helena’s investigation into the C-Virus outbreak in the city of Twin Oaks takes place in the dead of night, lending a very dark, murky atmosphere that gains tension through its bursts of action. Solemn, ominous treks through Tall Oaks University erupt into all-out zombie onslaughts, forcing you to quickly determine whether it’s worth fighting or fleeing. These things aren’t homeless people asking for change – they want to eat your brains.
Ada’s journey, by contrast, has a little more of an exploration angle to it, forcing players to investigate tombs and graveyards searching for missing emblems, gems and switches to continue their quest. It’s the sort of absurd dungeon design featured in the best Resident Evil games, though being set in the dank depths of the Earth feels far more appropriate than a pristine, polished mansion. In a bit of a departure for the Resident Evil 6 norm, Ada operates without a partner, lurking in the shadows of the adventures of Leon, Chris and Jake, helping and interfering as she deems appropriate. All told, her segments of the game were impressive, featuring great puzzles, great combat and a general level of polish that seems reassuring for the production as a whole. Given that Ada’s campaign will only unlock upon the completion of the other three, a strong finish for Resident Evil 6 seems likely.
Offering the most extreme difference possible, Chris Redfield’s early campaign is set in the bright daylight, strongly calling up memories of Resident Evil 5. Much like that game, this portion of the game is action-packed, with almost non-stop gunplay. Tanks and squads of soldiers assist Chris’s incursion in Eastern Europe, as he attempts to discover the source of a C-Virus outbreak – and the deadly mutating J’avo soldiers that it can create.
Chris’s E3 demo left many wanting, featuring awkward level design and a camera that did more to hurt the experience than help. Capcom’s producers vow that feedback of this nature has made a difference, and that adjustments to a flawed camera and graphical issues like tearing will be the team’s focus in the final months of development.
This time around, with a wider environment and a camera not hell-bent on wandering aimlessly, the latest playable moments of Chris’s saga are far more impressive. The progression of events and pacing is more sensible. What’s most fascinating about Capcom’s designs here is that the controls, which are more modern, more suited for fast-paced third-person action, aren’t indicative of the best way to play the game. Attempting to ‘run and gun’ will quickly lead to a dead hero. Instead, despite being able to move while firing, Resident Evil 6 almost begs the player to play in a ‘stop and shoot’ manner, being cognizant of ammo needs while recognizing the enemy’s superior numbers.
A new segment featuring Jake and Sherry focused on the pair’s battle with a large number of J’avo, which can now not only mutate their limbs when damaged, but transform into fast-moving reptiles capable of spewing gas and needles at their foes. This demo was a far cry from what was shown at E3, which emphasized the Ustanak’s role in this campaign, a creature obsessed with capturing Jake at any cost.
Leon, Chris and Ada all seem to have found a tone and pacing that makes sense for their campaigns. Not only do their campaigns play well, but their general commitment to a particular type of horror is clear. All three of these storylines feel different, and in the best way possible. Jake does not benefit from that distinction. The pursuit with the Ustanak somehow feels less interesting than Chris’s battle with a two-story giant, and Jake’s battles with the J’avo are not nearly as well-executed as Chris’s, to say nothing of the Leon and Ada zombie encounters, which are excellent. With Capcom effectively developing four games in parallel, it seems as though one was destined to falter. Jake’s might be unfortunate enough to receive that distinction – but seeing these isolated, 15-minute slices of the game might change when they’re placed in the larger context of a campaign that might be a half-dozen (or more) hours long.
The scope of Resident Evil 6 exceeds any one preview. Despite discussing all four campaigns, we’ve said nothing about the newly announced Agent Hunt online feature, nor have we even had a chance to go hands-on with the game’s Crossover functionality – nevermind Mercenaries Mode, which Capcom has announced but hasn't detailed. It’s clear there is so much more to this adventure, which is quite literally the largest production in Capcom’s history. Fortunately we don’t have long to wait. Development is nearly finished, and we’re about two months from release. Who’s counting down the days with us?
Rich is an Executive Editor at IGN.com and the leader of the IGN Nintendo team. Follow his ridiculous adventures through IGN and Twitter. Keep it cool, Koopalings.
Source : ign[dot]com
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