Is Resident Evil 6 doomed to repeat Resident Evil 5?
Survival horror might have something to fear...
The Microsoft Media Briefing has left questions lingering in the air; the most poignant being “Whaaaat?” One of the things we saw at this pre E3 event was some gameplay of Capcom’s eagerly anticipated Resident Evil 6. Many are aware Capcom’s Resident Evil 5 had very mixed reviews during its initial run. Resident Evil 5 had its ups: the graphics were breathtaking and the control mapping scheme were properly executed. It also had lows: poor AI’s for both main characters Chris and Sheva. All of the stigma would lift from that game if we all realized the obvious; Resident Evil 5 wasn’t a survival horror game.
Die hard fans sprang to its defense; I was one of them. Several multiple play throughs later and my opinion forever changed.
Resident Evil fans praised Resident 4 for it’s atmosphere, tone and direction all while introducing the element of a linear antagonist. Some did comment about the shift of foe going from zombies to mind controlled infected slaves, but the overall appeal appeased the fans.
Resident Evil 5 fell short because of one thing and one thing only: failure to maintain the continuity of the already established world. The air of terror,the need to conserve and preserve were all missing. The zombies were not the zombies that we came to know and expect. They were essentially a well-trained militia with riot shields that just happened to be undead. Not to mention the sun drenched background did not effectively set the mood.
We got exposed to some actual gameplay of Resident Evil 6 at the Microsoft Media Briefing. Once again there was: excessive camera shots, slowed pans of an action leading to a finishing move and lets not forget all the drops falls and rolls.Sound familiar? It should.The setup seems to mirror Resident Evil 5: we have our main hero with god-like skill, a female partner who may amount to a sack a beans and over the top actions moves that aren’t necessary for this kind of combat.Leon is looking less like cop and more like a byronic hero from any late ninety’s TV show and Helena isn’t looking much better. A few shots to the head used to get the job done, but those days are gone now. Resident Evil 6 could be navigating some dark treacherous waters if it isn’t careful.
Capcom knows what is popular in the mainstream gaming eye: action adventure games. Today’s display also gave me the impression that Capcom is ready to make a game to fit the popular genre for the sake of profit. There is nothing wrong with action-adventure games, but they have no place in survival horror.
I think we have a problem…
So what do you think?
