Even the most diehard Resident Evil fan would admit that RE5, after four long years of development, was underwhelming.



The game was not bad, by any means; but it was nowhere near as impactful (and some would argue, good) as its predecessor. It did many things right--graphics, audio, an improved melee system, an incredible Mercenaries mode--but it also did many things wrong--lack of any suspense in single player, inability to poke fun at itself, inability to play without a partner in single player, and overall it just was not as impressive as Resident Evil 4.

That said, what's done is done; and what Resident Evil head-honcho Jun Takeuchi says is done is the story for Chris, Jill, Wesker, and the T-Virus. For Resident Evil 6, what I would like to see is a proper conclusion to the storeis of Leon, Jill, Claire, and Las Plagas.



Resident Evil 5 focused even more on the combat than previous Resident Evil titles; in particular, the melee combat. My dream RE6 would further focus on melee combat--because it would take place in the 1700s.



As revealed through the course of Resident Evil 4, Las Plagas is a centuries-old scourge. The ancient cabal "Los Illuminados" used Las Plagas as a tool to further their corrupt "religion" and extend their power. The first Castellan de Salazar, however, saw through the Los Illuminados' insidious front, and took it upon himself to strike a great blow to the cabal, sealing Las Plagas deep underground.

Flash forward to the present. Agent Leon Kennedy is still tracking down the rogue Ada Wong, despite the death of her employer [Wesker]. Leon is eventually joined by Claire Redfield, who has graduated and become a lead scientist for the North American BSAA branch. During their investigation, they find the very last members of Los Illuminados, who lead Leon and Claire to ascertaining the ancient history of Las Plagas.

Here, the game would pull a Raiden: You would take control of the first Castellan of the Salazar family, and your play would effectively unfold the events of Las Plagas' origin in a way Leon's narration could never achieve. The gameplay itself would be a stark contrast between Leon's antics in the game thus prior; since firearms were a rarity in the 1700s, combat would be melee-oriented, with swords, shields, and crossbows replacing Glocks, combat knives, and Dragunovs.

The game's control scheme and gameplay itself would shift drastically, with L1 hefting Salazar's shield (so as not to be helpless when surrounded by enemies) and R1 readying his weapon at hand.
The ultimate goal of this paradigm shift would be to change combat to a much more intense, cautious, and suspenseful affair. Instead of never fearing combat (like in RE5), you would have to use your environment and brain to survive against superior numbers. The implications and change of pace could be great.

After Salazar's journey midway through the game which explains the origins (and key to destruction) for Las Plagas, we return to Leon and Claire in the modern time. With this newfound knowledge, our heroes set out to eradicate the last members of the Los Illuminados, and finish Salazar the First's mission of sealing away Las Plagas for good.



Although my ideal Resident Evil 6 comes off as amateur, I do think the premise is solid. At the very core, I feel that RE6 needs to conclude the Las Plagas story arc involving Leon and Ada (and throw Claire in there), before Capcom decides to truly revamp the series and start with a clean slate.