There are many games that I am interested in getting my hands on at this year’s E3, but none more so than Resident Evil 6.
Capcom gave me an exclusive 45 minute demo of the game that featured 3 levels, allowing me to try out the game’s three main characters and how each slice of the campaign will differentiate itself from one another. In addition to this demo I had a chance to talk with two fine folks who are working tirelessly on Resident Evil 6, Hiroyuki Kobayashi and Yoshiaki Hirabayashi (both producers), but more on that later.
[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oHxmHkbNB4&feature=plcp’]
The demo was broken down into three intervals lasting approximately 15 minutes each in length. The lovely and super accommodating Capcom PR staff gave me a quick rundown of what to expect with each scenario. Leon’s would be more heavily rooted in classic RE staples (so horror), Chris’s would be more like Resident Evil 5 (so lots of guns and explosions), and Jake’s (our new character) would resemble that of a Resident Evil 3 meets Uncharted blend (strange mix, but I dug it). How about a little more detail for each?
Because I have an unhealthy man crush on Leon I played his portion first and I’m glad I did. Leon’s level was super atmospheric and the tight over the shoulder camera keeps you on the edge of your seat. Great lighting, fog, and shadow effects set the mood as you navigate the level and with creepy ambient sound effects, you are always kept on alert. I found myself going around every corner with gun drawn, more often than not seeing nothing to harm me, but I felt vulnerable, I felt like I was in danger, and let me tell you, it felt awesome. Leon’s story arc is going to focus heavily on these aforementioned mechanics, you are going to experience something very classic in nature and I think older RE fans will definitely like Leon’s portions over the other two, but that isn’t to say the other two don’t bring something to the table.
I demoed Chris’s portion next and it was your standard run and gun affair. Chris also has a new partner, Piers, and he has your back throughout the demo (and the rest of the game). I wish I could be more enthusiastic about this portion of the demo, but it just wasn’t that compelling. You would run from rooftop to rooftop, shoot everything in between, and then repeat in another section. Really no suspense to be found during this portion, but it will offer some contrast to Leon’s more horror-centric sections.
Last, but not least, Jake, the latest addition to the RE canon. His demo starts off with him and a one Sherry Birkin being chased by what I can only describe as “Jake’s Nemesis”. After a quick dash section Jake and Sherry find themselves in a warehouse, with some armed combatants and you guessed it “Jake’s Nemesis” (I apologize, his actual name escapes me at the moment). You run around killing the erroneous enemies, dodging JN’s attacks and shooting explosive barrels. While it wasn’t terribly amazing, it offered a more intense scenario and showcased how boss battles may be structured in the final product.
So after all three flavors were tasted my excitement levels for this game still remain extremely high and I haven’t even told you about my interview yet. Shame on me, let me fill you in.
During my behind closed doors demo and interview, Hiroyuki Kobayashi and Yoshiaki Hirabayashi, let me in on some very cool information about Resident Evil 6’s newest and most compelling mechanic, Crossover. Crossover is a new initiative being used in RE6 that will fuse story elements and gameplay mechanics across the game’s three branching story arcs.
So what does this mean, you ask? Well with Crossover people playing the game will seamlessly have their game turn from a single player experience into either a 2 or 4 player co-op experience based on what is happening in the narrative. If you don’t have other people to play with, no worries, the game will fill their souls with what is hopefully a competent A.I. They demoed a boss battle where Jake and Sherry run into Chris and Helena, and together they collectively battle the boss, but another cool thing that can happen with Crossover is that your partner can be switched up on you. So say you are playing with Leon and Helena, but one happens to get separated with another character say Sherry, boom, Sherry will be your new partner (temporarily).
Other things that were discussed aside from Crossover were multiplayer, where they didn’t confirm a traditional multiplayer, but they are “looking to open as many possibilities for people to play together as possible”. I also inquired about Mercenaries mode and was told that we should expect to see it in the final product. We also talked about the return of zombies to the franchise and received a short and concise answer, “you guys wanted them, so we gave them to you”. They certainly didn’t beat around the bush on that question, but I digress.
The ability to dual wield is back (and a blast to use) in Resident Evil 6 and the new inventory and navigation system will surely pleases fans as they are more streamlined and accessible than past versions.
All in all Resident Evil 6 is shaping up to be fine title that has something for every kind of Resident Evil fan and action/horror fans alike. Keep this game on your radar folks and stay tuned for more E3 2012 coverage here at HeyUGuys Gaming.
