Resident Evil 6 Review. Grandeur is Its Ultimate Undoing

Resident Evil 6 moves away from the survival horror genre that we all were used to. This game is grander in its visuals and production and offers four different campaigns, but suffers from trying to do too much in a single game.

Graphics: 4.5

The graphics are as excellent as they come for any RE game, and you’ll thoroughly enjoy the cinematic scenes which are high-tempo and exhilarating. The players are also modeled quite aptly, and the rendered environment creates a visually stunning city. There are no unnecessary framerate dips in this game. The incessant switching of camera angles is my biggest issue with the visuals, and it completely takes away from the fun.

Gameplay: 4.0

Resident Evil 6 offers you four different modes, the storylines of which are all interwoven together. The first focuses on Leon Kennedy aided by Helena Harper as an AI and takes you back to the fourth and fifth chapters of the series. The second one features Chris Redfield and Piers Nivens as they engage in a military shooter-style campaign and engage brutal bosses. The third sees Jake Muller and Shirley Birkin guided by on-screen prompts and follow more scripted gameplay. Playing these three unlocks Ada Wong’s campaign which is more puzzle-based. The former three also support co-op.

Quick time events and set pieces prominently feature in the game. These usually interrupt the actual gaming and may go as far as being a nuisance on an otherwise enjoyable experience. You’ll also have numerous camera changes which affect the requirement to be constantly attentive when you play this game. They’ll drop in a scene randomly when you are engrossed in a situation that needs the attention of both your eyes and fingers.

Controls: 3.5

I don’t like the fact that RE6 takes away so much control from player movement. The combinations are similar to most of the franchise’s other games, such as LT/RT to aim and fire and RB to perform a barrel roll. However, the movement is affected negatively by the numerous cutscenes and the constantly shifting camera angles. Some of the vehicle controls are also cramped by limited space, such as on a snowmobile escaping an avalanche.

Replay Value: 3.5

While I do appreciate a storyline that is accentuated by great in-game scenes, RE6 tries to do too much at once. The combat is for the most part okay, and the fact that you have four different campaigns means you can clock in about 20 or more hours of gameplay. However, the basics of the original survival horror genre lack greatly, and the action doesn’t fit into a checkered storyline.

Conclusion

It seems like Resident Evil 6 was going for a more cinematic appeal which makes the game fall on its face miserably in terms of delivering what hardcore RE fans want. This game is big, and you can see that all the way from the banging cut scenes to the presentation of four different campaigns. I tend to think that for a game such as this, simplicity would have made for good gameplay.