October 2nd is only a few weeks away, and with it comes the release of Resident Evil 6; one of the more anticipated games of the year.
So far, the game looks freaking amazing. Graphics, movement, environment… absolute full potential of the gaming systems that its meant to be played on. But will it be good? We’ll have to take a step back and look at the full picture for a moment.
The franchise of Resident Evil has always been great. I remember playing the very first one, scared more than from any movie ever did before that. I remember when those dogs smashed in through that window that very first time, I jumped, dropping the controller. And the whole game was just as good. 2 followed with equal quality. The split story, the city environment, the evolving story-line; you just couldn’t stop playing. And though 3 was not the next best, it was still on par, adding new elements and story. The side stories, Code Veronica and Zero, also had their appeal – the “feel” of the game was what we all played for, and it was given to us.
And then Resident Evil 4 came out. It was a slap in the face. A wake up call. What Resident Evil was always MEANT to be. It was what Ocarina was to Zelda, what Mario 64 was to Mario, and what Prime was to Metroid. A next step in the right direction. That game was simply amazing, keeping all of the Resident Evil elements, and more – all the while changing up the gameplay/camera/style, into what seemed to be perfect for the type of game. I swear, I’ve played that game over 5 times, beginning to end, (even very recently, when it was re-released on HD – and it was still JUST AS GOOD).
Sadly, RE5 failed to deliver the same. Sure it looked good. Sure the whole “daylight” was new and creepy in its own way. But where were the mansions, the castles and the haunted forests? And what lacked the most was, the story had the “virus” perfected. You weren’t fighting zombies anymore… you were fighting zombie soldiers with weapons. It was a shoot’em up game, where you went into an area, fought your way to clear it, then moved on. Where were the puzzles, the creepy story and the fear? It was basically like playing Gears of War. Don’t get me wrong, Gears of War is awesome… but I didn’t want that. I wanted Res Evil.
So here comes 6; and it looks simply astonishing. It seems to have the “creepiness” that 5 lacked. Will it deliver though? Unfortunately, so far I’m skeptical… the few gameplay trailers that have been shown – despite looking great; despite showing what seems to be an amazing “gameplay”; they’re still showing the same thing. Zombies with guns shooting at you. Oh, I’ll still get it. I’ll probably pull my first all-nighters since college playing it. But right now, I have to admit, I’m worried. So, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this installment has a little of everything, and it’ll give myself, and all the Resident Evil fans, a game that keeps us up at night, even after we’ve turned our consoles off.
~Mozeus