So... Resident Evil 6?

So the Resident Evil 6 trailer showed up last night on a number of sites and as I turned off the computer and tucked myself in bed I found myself thinking about the series a lot. I thought about the original and how that scene from the Hunter’s perspective terrified me to the core, I thought about how Resident Evil 2 is likely the game I completed the most times and so on. Now, I wouldn’t call myself the biggest Resident Evil fan. I’ve certainly had fun with the series, a lot of fun, but after seeing the trailer it has gone from a game I had little interest in to one of my most anticipated of 2012, and I’m not sure how it happened.



What makes my sudden excitement in RE6 weird to me is I didn’t like the little of what I played of RE5. Granted, I just played the demo and I know I should never judge a game solely on that like I did with Batman: Arkham Asylum. I didn’t like that game’s demo too and totally wrote it off but someone bought it for me as a present and it only took an hour or so with the full game and I felt like an absolute boob. Batman: AA is awesome. So RE5 could still be great but I think it was more the idea of having to play it co-operatively. I know you don’t have to but still having an AI partner using up all the ammo and generally being something that clings to the back of your mind isn’t how I want to play Resident Evil.
I do enjoy playing games in co-op, I’m not inherently against doing it: Halo, Gears of War and currently Resistance 3 are games I enjoy playing co-op, maybe even more so than alone but I just never wanted to do that in Resident Evil. I wish I could explain why, but I can’t; it just feels wrong. I don’t want to do it.

It has been mentioned that RE6 will also feature co-op, which is great as I know a few people who loved playing RE5 that way but when it comes to RE6 I just hope it’s separate for those who want it, and I think that will be the case as Leon’s parts in the trailer looks like it will be single player. Speaking of Leon, isn’t his jacket sweet? That’s probably my favourite thing in the trailer. I want to find one for myself and I’ll be the coolest guy down the farmer’s market, I know it.
And you’ve got that new guy going full on MMA on the zombies which is one of the most brilliantly stupid things I’ve ever seen. I think overall that’s what Resident Evil 6 is; brilliantly dumb.



But there is an elephant in the room which needs to be addressed; it’s hardily the traditional Resident Evil game that a lot of people are yeaning for. The survival horror genre is something that isn’t quite what it used to be. Apart from indie games like Amnesia: The Dark Descent it’s something we don’t see anymore which is a shame, it’s always sad when an interesting genre ceases to exist anymore, and seeing survival horror’s poster boy, Resident Evil, turn into a monster slaying action game doesn’t appear to be a positive thing as we do have plenty of those already.
I don’t know why the slow and intense horror game fell out of favour. I don’t believe it was because of the direction Resident Evil 4 went in. I’m not going to be mad at that game, it’s impossible to be. Yes, it was the first game to turn the series to what it is now but it was just so, so good at it. If Resident Evil 4 wasn’t one of the greatest action games ever crafted and it became popular then I’d be mad, but unfortunately, it is one of the greatest action games ever, so I’m not.
There is a gap in the market for a survival horror game and I’d love to see someone fill it, but I’ve long stopped to expect another Resident Evil game to be the one fill it.
Resident Evil 0 was the last game that had the traditional formula and that was nearly ten years ago now; Resident Evil isn’t that thing anymore, and hasn’t been for some time.



But that gap maybe filled! Resident Evil: Revelations, from what I’ve heard seems to be doing that, so purists are covered, right? I think we’re really spoiled sometimes. But it does raise the question with regards to Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City. The question is: what’s the point?
This is a game I really couldn’t care less about and its existence is only apparent to me because I have a friend who brings it up from time to time. I dunno, I’m probably going to sound like a complete weeaboo but there is a slight weirdness to Japanese games even when they’re trying so hard to be western. Even in the RE6 trailer you have a zombie president and a man going full on CQC on the other zombies, and punching them in the face. It’s a western looking game but slightly skewed and off kilter. I don’t get that from Operation Racoon City. I just get a Resident Evil game through the eyes that brought us the borefest that is SOCOM.

So, Resident Evil 6! I’m excited by it. I miss the old style horror as much as anyone who was playing them around that time but I can’t be upset by something that, potentially, could be so much fun in its own right.
And I think I should give RE5 a chance before this hits in November. Day one!

For the record, I wanted to have the trailer in the blog but I couldn't figure it out... Here's a link if you haven't seen it for whatever reason - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS_bGpe9qE8