The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds
70%
Resident Evil 6

Resident Evil 6 game review

It's bite night tonight in a horrorfest sporting an impressive engine

  • print
  • alert

Requirements Checklist for Choosing a Cloud Backup and Recovery Service Provider

Review What a dumbfounding series Resident Evil is. First, we have the innovations – popularising the survival horror genre for one. Then later, perfecting the third-person shooter camera, before taking environmental interaction to new heights. The game even led the way in cooperative campaign mechanics. But then there's the series' bizarreries – and I'm not talking its roster of mutated freaks and shambling undead.

Resident Evil 6

Long shot

The most infamous of these quirks is the aiming mechanics which, up until Resident Evil 4, prevented our all-action heroes from moving and shooting at the same time. Lest we forget the continued over-reliance on boss fights, which go on long past their relevance or ability to shock, as transformation after transformation of said boss, tests the patience more than your trigger finger.

Elsewhere, current examples such as Resident Evil: Revelations on 3DS have taken the franchise's sprawling narrative to all new levels of madness too – to the point where most will be tempted to simply bypass cut scenes vaunting ‘Bio Organic Weapons’ in awkward voiceovers.

Resident Evil 6

Dead can dance

These same contemporary entries have also upped the close-quarters fighting stakes, with our protagonists now looking to kick zombies' heads off via QTEs, rather than go down the traditional route of lodging bullets in undead brains.

While perhaps most perplexing is the retention of the health restoring green herbs – seriously, Capcom, you don't need to continue with that 'iconic' feature, it's done...

Resident Evil 6

What happened to my old dentist?

Yes, it's fair to say the franchise has had its triumphs and its issues, but why am I telling you of entries past when I should be talking about Resident Evil 6? Well, aside from the fact that since RE4 characters can now move while shooting, the exact same comments and criticism can be levelled at this latest example.

What you need to know about cloud backup

Next page: Dead legs

Anonymous Coward

QTEs

Worst part of modern gaming, don't let the player actually do any of the cool good looking bits, just make them follow an onscreen sequence.

It might seem cool the first time, the second time it becomes 'oh, that again', the third it's worse than a cutscene you can't skip. It stops being impressive because you're really not in control of the action.

Actually designing the games so the player has superior control and can pull off the things shown in many of the QTEs and feel a real sense of accomplishment for doing it would be preferable and more varied.

2
0

You can't move and shoot in RE4, it introduced being able to aim at what you shoot at but it kept you stationary. That's crucial to the game, you can run or you can stand and fight but no doing both. In the games before that you automatically pointed at the nearest enemy when you brought up your gun and could only aim up or down.

IMHO this makes RE4, it would be easier if you could move and shoot but not better.

2
0

But...

Can you taser people for carrying white sticks?

1
0

More from The Register

Microsoft lures buy-curious vixens, corduroys with a cheap fondle
Surface slab sales latest: Will no one rid Ballmer of these turbulent tabs?
Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Proof the pen is mightier?
Sammy’s iPad Mini killer has a stylus to stab other rivals too
First look: iOS 7 for iPad
No, Apple hasn't released it yet, but that doesn't stop intrepid devs
 breaking news
Curtain drops on Apple Store ahead of WWDC: What lies behind?
Steve Jobs watching from on high. No pressure, lads
 breaking news
Cold, dead hands of Steve Jobs slip from iPhones: The Cult of Ive is upon us
Billionaire biz baron's death clears way for uber-shiny iOS 7
Airbus imagines suitcases that find themselves
Point your mobe at your smalls to track their every move
Surprise! Intel smartphone trounces ARM in power trials
Tests show equal performance while sipping significantly less juice
Samsung plans LTE Advanced version of Galaxy S4
1Gbps download capability could stiffen drooping S4 sales forecasts
Ex-HTC execs launch UK-based smartphone maker Kazam
Startup threatens to 'disrupt status quo' this year