Resident Evil 6 REVIEW

Hang on, dudes with guns? What happened to all the zombies?

Release Date: OUT NOW!
RRP: £49.99
Format reviewed: Xbox 360
Also available on: PS3 and PC
Publisher: Capcom

Winning back the fans who felt spurned by the last, lacklustre entry in the Resident Evil series was never going to be easy for developer Capcom. Their response? To assemble the biggest team in their history and create a game four times the size of rotten-egg entry Resi 5.

Resident Evil 6 has four unique campaigns, each lasting roughly eight hours and boasting different styles of gameplay. Leon Kennedy’s story is a zombie-strewn blend of survival action and horror reminiscent of Resi 4; Chris Redfield’s is an action rollercoaster; newcomer Jake Muller’s part is a strange blend of fist-fighting, vehicles and free-running; while the feisty Ada Wong’s quarter involves all of the above plus stealth sections.

It’s an odd mix, and there will be parts that don’t sit well with everyone (vehicle sections are clear lame ducks) but as the old adage almost goes, splat enough blood at a wall and some of it’s going to stick.

Not only is the game huge, the stories often overlap to create epic, one-of-a-kind four-player setpieces. Side-mode The Mercenaries makes a successful return, and a new mode named Agent Hunt even lets you be the bad guy and invade other people’s games.

Ultimately you’ll get back what you put in. Not only is Resi 6 fairly difficult, its combat is also subtly different from before. Those who don’t learn all the new sub-systems will find the going impenetrably tough. Those who do will discover an epic, unpredictable and occasionally frustrating cacophony of action.

Matthew Pellett

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