Resident Evil's assortment of genres may not please some fans, but it's a fun action game none-the-less.
Resident Evil is sort of a game where it's never sure of itself. This can be a bad thing for someone looking for survival horror, as the game offers fleeting bits of it that are well done. Then the game seems to run at full blast with gun fights and overwhelming amounts of enemies thrown at you. There is also several huge boss battles that I'll remember fondly.
For the first time in the series, the player can now run and gun. This has been bugging me for over a decade, so yes, I'm very happy with this change. You'll need to use this feature quite a bit, as you're always backing away from some monster while firing at it.
The biggest issues some will have with the game is the camera. I can admit there was some parts where it left me dead. These were run from the monster chasing you moments, and when the camera changed from behind me to infront of me, I wasn't sure if I should press up or down. This got me killed a few times. Also when you're in the heat of the battle it is very easy to get hit from behind as the camera is very close to you so you can concentrate on more accurate shots. This can be annoying if you're low of health and get a cheap kill, but can also make you jump and laugh at yourself.
Quick time events are used in the game as well, but not as much as in God of War 3. In God of War, you have to use a quicktime every freaking time you're fighting an enemy, in this game, it's only used for action moments and to break free. And quite frankly, it heightens the tensions very well in parts and is used, to me, to keep me paying attention during a cut scene or to really feel like I finally beat some boss. Now, some don't like QTEs, but I wouldn't say it is used as much as a God of War game.
The story takes you on some spectacular set piece rides, from plane crashes to huge monsters and to awesome scenes I can't ruin. The graphics have a nice polish, and the production values are noticable to anyone who plays the game. The action is fluid and fun when it's at it's best, and at worst, a frantic search for bullets as some enemies are like sponges.
Personally, I liked the story, but not many people are playing this for the story. There is some excellent scenes you see in everyone's campaigns that are heightened and enhanced when you play another campaign. Some action scenes and set up scenes, and yes, even boss battles, all feel different and fresh even if you 've seen them before.
This game is for action fans who love shooting zombies and love the Resident Evil brand. I've been playing it for over a decade and I know the game has evolved into an horror action game, with survival mixed in. Whether this is best or not is another debate on one's opinion but the game never slows down and I never felt like I was "going through the motions".
A sad loss is that of the merchant (whatcha buyin?). I felt like he could of been of very welcome in some places, especially before boss battles. There was one boss I got stuck with little ammo and it made it much harder to beat.
The game instead gives you Skill Points, which most enemies will drop if they don't drop an item. You can also find skill points in suitcases and in crates.
There is a very light "loadout" system being used, where you get 3 "perks" to choose from. You buy these perks with your Skill Points, but some Level 3 Perks are stupidly expensive. There is a lot to choose from, but only a handful that people would actually use. These include Firepower, Medic (partner revives you with extra health), Item Drop Increase and Combat Gauge (for melee). For those who want to max out everything, they can farm Skill Points in the Mercenary Mode.
The enemies in this game have some nice variety. You'll get to know the ones you hate pretty fast. The most hearstopping is the terror in Jake and Shelly's story, the huge Ustranak. He barrels after you and keeps returning from the dead hungry for revenge. There is some nice zombie mutations, including a freaky spider thing, a flying threat and more. The worst enemies are the soldiers because they just don't feel like they belong, but the game paces so well that there's lots of variety.
When you beat the main 3 campaigns, you unlock Ada's. Ada's is much shorter, clocking in about five hours. It's very interesting playing each campaign because of the story questions, but when you get to Ada's you'll really be wondering. Her campaign is a little more like Leon's. She has her share of action, but also some stealth and lots of puzzle solving. It's a nice change of pace after the earlier campaigns, but every campaign is well paced and fun on their own merits.
Resident Evil 6 clocks in at about 30 hours, which is quite impressive for an action game these days. The game is a heavy co-op experience, but I had lots of fun playing by myself. But there was plenty of spots where you go solo, and lots of times I wanted a partner around. But don't worry, the AI is very smart and you never have to worry about their stupid ammo, guns or health. This is a nice change from Resident Evil 5.
Resident Evil 6 is not a survival horror game, for better or worse. But it's not a terrible game on it's own merits. It has a lot of fun action, some very nice boss battles, a good story that intersects and a good length. The game may not be for everyone, but for anyone with an open mind who wants some fun horror action, you can do a lot worse.