Video Game Review: Resident Evil 6

LOVED IT: Stellar voice acting and sound effects, great visuals, loaded with content, well-built online setup

HATED IT: Overuse of QuickTime events, routinely troublesome camera, vast inconsistencies in pacing

GRAB IT IF: You love the Resident Evil series, or are in the mood for an average third-person shooter

Early on in the prelude, you find yourself running away from a monstrous explosion, just moments after a horrific crash. You dash down the highway, leaping and dodging cars, then jump onto the rung of a helicopter.

These opening moments of Resident Evil 6 — as well as the menu cinematics that resemble the start of a Spider-Man movie — make one thing clear: This game means to be a blockbuster.

For better or worse, the series that once defined the survival-horror genre almost completely leaves it roots behind in Resident Evil 6. As Capcom tries to fully advance its series into the modern era, action and cutscenes and massive set piece battles take center stage.

But the end result is a game that's too often chaotic and directionless. Instead of building on mystery and loneliness, it takes its cues from all those up-and-down Resident Evil films, relying on action and adventure. The elements don't succeed here, though, and you're left with that same empty feeling that you get after a "Resident Evil" film: You've seen lots of action and none of it was meaningful.

Is Resident Evil 6 a bad game, as so many reviews have said? No. But, a testament to the series, it certainly doesn't live up to the lofty expectations we've come to expect from the series. In the attempt to usher in a new RE6 era, this game is a far more homogeneous experience, like the spring's Operation Raccoon City, instead of the captivating, stubborn experience of Resident Evil 5.

RE6 blends both new and old ideas. The story is ambitious, blending four different campaigns into one intertwining arc. But the controls eschew so much of what once made the series a patient, well-parsed crawl, relying on a broken and faulty third-person cover-shooter scheme. The disparate parts never fit together, resulting in an uneven experience.

RE6 introduces a new storytelling mechanic into the series, breaking itself into four intertwining campaigns. Series mainstays Chris Redfield and Leon, as well as newcomer Jake Muller (the son of the evil Albert Wesker) all get their own campaigns, and the stories intersect at various key moments. Another unlockable Ada Wong campaign ties the entire experience together, lending cohesion to the tale.

Source : nydailynews[dot]com