Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Almost, but not quite"

Resident Evil 6 is a very polarizing game indeed. Not since Resident Evil 4 have fans been so divided on how they received changes to the series.

Resident Evil 6's gameplay is much like the last two numbered games in the series. You're still working with the third person perspective, but the series has now gained a much deserved control overall. You're no longer a clunky, tank-like character. You can tumble, roll, slide, and melee enemies with ease. This along with the narrative makes RE6 a very fast pace frantic game.

This does hurt it though. At times, in spite of updates, you still have camera control issues that plague the game. This is most evident when forced into a corner and trying to melee an enemy. Also, the overuse of QTE and instant death really hurts the game. Earlier games were more sparing about these, only throwing them in when you were least expecting it. RE6 is littered with them and it really hurts the pace of the game.

Still, RE6 is a blast to play. The new run-and-gun style really fits with what you imagine a zombie outbreak to be. The enemy design deserves particular praise for the diversity. There are several types of zombies and J'avo. The J'avo have at least a dozen different mutations, not including the ability to turn into chrysalis monsters. This makes fighting them a dangerous task as one wrong shot can make a J'avo stronger or tougher.

One change that I didn't like however, was the removal of the ability to upgrade guns. This was a fun challenge and make your limited arsenal more useful. In its place are skills that can be switched out freely, purchased, and upgraded. While they aren't the same as the gun upgrades, they do serve a purpose and serve it well helping you enhance your capabilities.

Visually, Resident Evil has never looked better. The graphics are even better than 5. Environments are dark and foreboding, the monsters are truly freaky, and the main characters have all seen improvements over earlier versions. One qualm I had was having to increase the lighting on the game to be able to see. Whether this is by design on the game or my TV, I'm not sure.

The sound design is also stellar. The game has top notch voice acting with familiar actors returning from earlier games and CGI films. The music for the game is more pulse-pounding at times than creepy like earlier games, but still gets the job done.

Value for the game is strong. The main campaign itself encompasses four different scenarios, each rounding out at about 5-8 hours each. Each of these has their own storyline going for them, but they intersect with each other at times. In the end, it's worth it to play them all, especially Ada's, which will give you a clearer picture of the story.

Outside of that, you have the standard mercenaries mode and the new Agent Hunt mode. Mercenaries is still a blast to play as always, but Agent Hunt is a bit boring if you ask me. Other modes are planned on being added as DLC, but for now this is what you get.

Resident Evil 6 is still a great game when you get down to it. It just suffers from some mishaps along the way. If you can deal with the QTE overload, instant deaths, and occasional camera control issues, you'll find a frantic, action-packed shooter that will keep most people enthralled.

The Good: Wonderful visuals, excellent voice acting, good replay value, superb enemy diversity, epic boss battles, mercenaries mode is great.

The Bad: Too many QTEs, instant deaths feel cheap, occasional camera control issues, Agent Hunt isn't very fun, future modes are paid DLC.