Resident Evil 6

Having played through all 4 stories in this game now I don't know whether to give it 1 star or 5, which is why I've settled on 3. There are some very entertaining sections in each character arc, but there are some massively frustrating, clunky and downright annoying elements too.

Most reviewers supply their Res history, so, if anyone is interested, my first PS1 game was Res1, which I loved. Res2 and 3 were equally brilliant for me and equally replayed over and again. I was unsure of Res4 when I started it, due to the change in style, but it soon won me over and became a favourite. I enjoyed Res5, but only as a 2-player co-op game, not a solo game. And that brings me to the first problem with Res6: it's a co-op game only, in my opinion. It's a decent enough 2-player game, but a pretty awful single player outing. I've never met a game-player in my life who enjoys playing with an AI following them around. Having said that, there's a scenario that's designed to be single player, if you can be bothered to unlock it, but it kind of suffers with the same problems as the other scenarios anyway. There's no drop-in/drop-out to the co-op, and that annoys me.

So, while I'm at it, let me just vent my spleen about all the other things that annoy me; starting with the fact that it takes 12 button clicks to start the damn game (15 if you want to invite someone too). It's ridiculous and just smacks of a lack of forethought. Next, I often only have time for a quick play, and Res6 doesn't support this. There are lots of checkpoints, but, for some unfathomable reason, checkpoints are not saves. I found this to my cost, when I put the game back on and found I had to redo about half an hour's gameplay.... and almost didn't bother. On top of that, I don't really like the menu system, but that's a personal thing. Why do I have to pick up an herb, maybe mix it, convert it to tablets, and then put it into a separate place all so I can have a 1-button fast-heal that other games give you for free? And as for the camera angles, well they are beyond a joke at times. You literally cannot look where you are running at really key points in the game; it's maddening. Finally, I found the game to be very challenging even on normal mode. My brother tells me it's much more fun when you have infinite ammo, but I actually dislike such things. I do accept this may simply be because I am old and rubbish though! Younger, more nubile players probably whiz through professional level and don't end up fumbling around looking for ammo, looking like their dad does when he's dropped a contact lens!

I got Borderlands 2 at the same time as this and I expect I've spent 50 times as much time playing that game. I'm not comparing the games in themselves, as they are totally different. However, with B2 I can start it with 2 button clicks, play for 10 minutes or 3 hours, and my girlfriend can join me and leave any time she feels like it.

I do want to emphasise that some of the game is actually good fun and highly enjoyable with a co-op partner though.

When I started writing this I said I didn't know whether to give it 1 star or 5. Well, it was never in danger of being 5, in fairness, but it has been in danger of being 1 at times. I will stick with 3, because I think Res games get judged harshly, mostly because the early ones were so very good.

With Dead Space 3 about to arrive any day, I honestly don't know when I'll come back to this game, but it won't be soon. Maybe I'll view it more favourably when I do... but I'd be surprised.

Ok so I have had this game nearly two days now and so far I have completed Leon's campaign, played roughly three hours of chris's campaign and played two hours worth of Jake's campaign. My thoughts so far? That this game is more dissapointing than it is actually bad.
Let's talk about what the game gets right first.
Well to start, this game is fantastic value for money, with 3 campaigns that last around 6 hours each, a fourth campaign that is unlocked upon completion of the other 3, The Mercenaries mode is back, Agent Hunt mode is a very interesting idea that allows other players online to play as the zombies and other creatures you bump into while playing the campaigns. So if you like your games to last you a long time, then Resident Evil 6 has you covered.
Another thing the game gets spot on is Leon's campaign. It's great. A lot of people have complained that the series has abandoned it's survival horror roots and that this entry is no exception. Well I don't know about those people, but I found myself constantly struggling to find ammo and health.(I played on Veteran difficulty by the way. There may be more supplies on the lower difficulties.) There are far too many enemies for you to kill them all which means frequently running away, trying to find the next safe haven where you can catch your breath. To me, this is what Resident Evil and Survival Horror is all about. Trying to survive impossible odds with anything you can find. If it wasn't for the unfortunate lack of actual puzzles and being able to properly explore your surroundings, I would call Leon's campaign a true return to form for the series.
A lot of people have complained that the new melee system is way too overpowered. Well trust me when I say it isn't. Ok so maybe during the first hour or so of gameplay it can feel very powerful, but as you progress through the story, you'll bump into several creatures who will just shrug off any melee attacks you throw at them. The trick to mastering this game is knowing when to melee and when to shoot. It's a good system and feels like a mini puzzle in itself. Some people have complained about the melee system, saying that it turns the series even more towards action. They may have a point, but let me ask you a question, if a zombie was coming towards you in real life, would you not do everything you could to keep them back, or would you just stand there and wait until it bit your face off like you would have to do in the older titles? I know what I would do.
Another common complaint is that this game is not scary in the slightest. I would probably agree with that point but I will say that the games atmosphere and sound design is top notch at times. Apart from maybe jumping 2 or 3 times during Leon's campaign, I didn't find it all that scary at all. But then again, apart from Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and some parts in Resident Evil 2 I never really found the games all that scary anyway. I will say that if you find the older Resi games terrifying, stay the hell away from the Silent Hill and Project Zero games.
I know that some people don't like the idea of constantly having a partner with them while playing single player. I'm not too fond of this either but Capcom have at least given us some options to soften the blow. There is a lone wolf skill for example, which will apparently stop your partner from helping you in any way. Yes your partner will still be by your side but what can you do? Also the fourth unlockable campaign is single player only.
So do I have any complaints? Plenty actually. From what ive played of chris and Jake's campaigns, they just aren't all that enjoyable. The first hour or so of chris's campaign consists mainly of running down linear corridors and shooting any enemies you bump into along the way. It's game design that would have felt ancient a decade ago. From there the game opens up a bit for the next chapter, which has you taking out tanks, sniping machine gunners and taking out anti aircraft guns. Yes, you read that right. You have to take out anti aircraft guns. I can honestly say I never thought I would have to complete such ridiculous tasks in a Resident Evil game. It would be like having to cook dinner for your family in a Gran turismo game. But thankfully chris's campaign is all out action which means there should be plenty of ammo lying around for you to take down enemies right? Oh wait....
Yes, another huge complaint I have with chris's campaign is the lack of ammunition in it. It's ok in Leon's campaign as that is the horror portion of the game but to not have enough ammo in the action portion of the game is completely ridiculous. I'm not going to go into details with the rest of my complaints as this review has already gone on too long so I'll quickly go through them.
The cover system is very clunky and requires you to press two buttons to use it. If you have to use the cover system, I recommend sliding into cover as it works a lot better that way. The boss battles aren't all that engaging either to be honest. Many of them just require you to shoot at very obvious weak points. Some even require you to shoot red barrels that explode as the boss walks past them. What year is this? 1998?
Ok so Resident Evil 6 is disappointing, there's no two ways about it. It promised to be one of the best Resi games ever. It seemed like a true game of the year contender. What we have been left with is an enjoyable game with a lot of flaws. The English magazine Games said that you should buy this game for Leon's campaign and to just see everything else as a huge amount of bonus content. I totally feel the same way. Leon's campaign is very enjoyable and while Chris and Jake's campaigns might not be as enjoyable as other third person shooters like the Gears of War or Uncharted games, their at least better than other mediocre third person shooters like the Kane and Lynch series. In the end I can't accurately predict how you will feel about this game. You might hate it, you might love it, hell it might even be your favourite of the series.(If your part of the last group, their are plenty of institutions where you can get the help you so need and deserve.)
I will sum up by saying you should probably see Resident Evil 6 as a long term investment. There is just so much content in here, you could easily invest hundreds of hours into the thing. It always seems to want to show you a new mode, campaign, location or unlockable and in this age of 4 hour campaigns and repetitive multiplayer, that counts for a lot.

The Survival Horror Specialist 03/10/2012

Update: So it seems someone must have taken offence to my review cause someone thumbed down nearly every one of my horror reviews after reading this. Maybe it's the fact I call myself the survival horror specialist. Just so people understand, I don't call myself that to make myself seem important. My opinion is no more important than anyone else's. I use that name so people will know they can contact me if they need any information about the survival horror genre. I've completed the original resident evil at least a dozen times, I cleared silent hill 3 4 times within a month when I first got it. I've played pretty much every survival horror game ever made, from Resi to project zero, Penumbra to Amnesia, so I obviously know what I'm talking about. But like I said, that doesn't make my review scores any more right than anyone else's, it's just my opinion. With that said, I have completed the game and I stick by what I said earlier. Leon's campaign is very enjoyable. Chris and Jake have their moments but for the most part, their campaigns are meh. Ada's campaign is very enjoyable however, and it's worth playing through the other campaigns to unlock it.
Like I said previously, I can't accurately say how you'll feel about this game but it's definitely worth a rental to find out.

This games has had a lot of bad reviews but in my own opinion this games great could not put it down . i am one for the COD games but im a much lover of Resident evil franchise, ive played most of them from 1 to 6 and my favourite was RE 1 and would love them to make a remake for the newer consoles.

The game the only reason i didnt give it 5 stars as it goes away from the puzzle solving like the original RE . the game play is pretty straight forward straight forward . Loens mode is good but was let down with the ending you get loads of ammo and stuff to pick up but with chris its more shooting but ran out of ammo quicker which was frustrating when coming to a boss to kill and only having hardly any bullets left but this is where it kinda goes away from the RE game play havnt played jakes so cant comment.

what i loved . the bits when the camera angle goes like the old RE games
3 campaigns basically 3 games in one so dont know why people are complaining about the price each campaign is about 4-6 hours so getting ur moneys worth
storyline is good but leons at the end was a declimax

disliked- The non RE feel being on low ammo and being on your own and trying to survive
upgrades would rather it be like the other games when you just upgrade the weapons as in the game there not that much noticeable
the health tables after a while gets annoying making them but its good that ur just one click away from healing
the d pad how many times i selected the spray health thing instead of grenade
and does the pause actually work how many times i need to pause and it was still playing !!!!

i do recommend this game 2 of my mates got it one is a skyrim and all that lover and he says he cant put it down. the other one loves it

get it wont be disappointed

ps Bring back Resident Evil 1