Resident Evil 6 Review: A Case of Identity Crisis
Capcom's latest iteration on survival horror shows off the fundamental problem with inclusion.
Feature
1UP COVER STORY
1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF OCTOBER 1 | A DARK DESCENT INTO RESIDENT EVIL
Step into the dark, musty corners of a setting in Resident Evil and you won't quite know what to expect. Is that constant moaning a zombie patiently waiting to bite into your flesh, or is it a much more horrible creation hell bent on your destruction? As you creep closer to the door that stands between you and the unknown monster, the true fear sets in after a quick count of your ammo. The low number means you'll have to run past it, but what if what's waiting behind the door can run even faster than you?
The great games of the Resident Evil series know exactly how to scare you. They find ways to defy expectations and create an unpredictable type of fear you won't ever see coming.
Since its debut in 1996, the series has slowly evolved the core concept of survival horror and turned the familiar into the savagely unfriendly. First, it established the survival horror genre by creating a genuinely terrifying scenario: explore a dark mansion, find out why the people here turned into zombies, and don't get eaten by the undead denizens. Sure the dialogue felt goofy and the acting set a new low for unintentional comedy, but the scenario made players tremble because it constantly forced us to take risks and conserve ammo. By 2004, the series needed to find itself and step away from the predictable cast of virally mutated monsters and delivered a worthy sequel by completely rethinking the concept of survival.
Through 15 years of Resident Evil games, the series is far from settling into a fresh grave. Join us for a weeklong analysis, as 1UP examines the most important name in survival horror in order to uncover the true nature of fear.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 1
Resident Evil 6 Review: A Case of Identity Crisis
Capcom's latest iteration on survival horror shows off the fundamental problem with inclusion.
8-4 Play's Special Resident Evil Podcast
The 8-4 crew goes in-depth on a number of Resident Evil titles.
IGN Video Resident Evil in 5 Minutes (Sort of)
Catch up on the crazy struggle between our indomitable heroes and the evil Umbrella Corporation.
Interview: The Resident Evil 6 Masterminds on Zombies, Remakes and the Nature of Horror
We talk to the dev team at Capcom to learn more about trajectory of the series.
Before Resident Evil, There Was Sweet Home
Capcom's Famicom horror classic paved the road to Raccoon City.
Resident Evil WTFiction!? v2.0
Catch up on all the characters, plots, and virus code names with our handy reference guide.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2
From the 1UP Archives Shinji Mikami Profile
An in-depth look at the career, games, and attention span of the director behind Resident Evil and Vanquish.
Reader Blog Late to the Party: Resident Evil 2
1UP user RedSwirl catches up on a classic Resident Evil game.
Reader Blog RE Cram Session: The Other Guys
1UP user Wakkawipeout takes a look at the supporting cast of Resident Evil.
For The Love of Game A History of Resident Evil Commercials
Looking back at some of the series' stranger advertisements.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3
IGN Video You Are Dead: The Deaths of Resident Evil 6
There are a lot of horrible ways to die in Resident Evil 6. Here's (almost) all of them. WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS. Violent, horrible spoilers.
Survival History: A Resident Evil Retrospective
A look back at the 16-year history of Capcom's famed survival horror series.
Encumbrance Value: Finding the Horror in Limited Inventory
How Resident Evil's limited inventory systems terrify for all the right (and wrong) reasons.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4
The Five Biggest Resident Evil Rip-offs
Bring some health spray, a shotgun, and a lawyer for this terrifying journey into the legally questionable.
IGN Video Cheap Cool Crazy Resident Evil
IGN looks at numerous gadgets and gear based on the Resident Evil series.
For The Love of Game A Closer Look at the Resident Evil 6 Premium Edition Leather Jacket
A few early pics of the limited edition leather jacket Leon wears in RE6.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5
Hell is Other People: Resident Evil's Strange History Exploring Partnerships and Perspective
How Capcom's famed horror series never truly left you alone in the dark.
The Grind Resident Evil Could Be a Better RPG Than an Action Game
Survival horror and roleplaying can go hand in hand. Here's why.
Interview: Resident Evil 6's Director and Producer on Giving Their Game Global Appeal
Eiichiro Sasaki and Yoshiaki Hirabayashi on Capcom's move from survival horror to entertainment horror.
Help Us Record the Ultimate Resident Evil Podcast and Win a Prize |
I appreciate being featured for this cover story! Especially since it's focused on Resident Evil.
Maybe if some of the live action films could capture the horror found within that poster they would be better! Granted it is a bit of a night of the living dead rip, but I am digging it regardless. Loving the features so far. The Sweet Home write up that Marty did was really eye opening. Can't wait to see what else you guys have up your sleeve!
I'm not sold on the idea that the series doesn't have a foot in the grave already (at least creatively), but there is still plenty to love and celebrate about Resident Evil regardless. Looking forward to this week.
Resident Evil has always had its highs and lows from what I hear. I haven't followed it since the very beginning (neither did I go all the way back), so I can't consider myself a series fan. However, upon watching the Gamecube remake being played I could truly see what Capcom was going for in survival horror. The excellent graphics truly did the game justice on GCN, and just watching the game made me creeped out. I remember getting hype for RE4 just because the game looked conveniently different and the production values were soaring.
What I got with RE4 was what would become my 6th favorite game ever. The game was such a mastery of action/adventure design that it put everything else to shame both on a technical level and an architectural level. The scares were a result of a perfect balance (imo) of unfamiliarity and familiarity.
It seems after RE4 the series doesn't know what to do. Capcom thinks that since players have seen their enemies dozens of times, they won't be scary anymore....so they just go balls-out action. What made RE4 terrifying in the midst of its action-friendly gameplay was the innovative design of its enemies (and their behaviors). What Capcom truly needs is, simply enough, a new way to scare people. Whether it be new enemies or a new psychological impediment or whatever, I think Capcom would do best to stop trying to rebalance the perfecly balanced RE4 formula and start anew like they did in 2005.
While the gunplay as of late has gotten a lot of flack for overempowering the characters and diminishing the horror, I wouldn't want RE to become something like Amnesia or other super-vulnerable games. Shooting and ammo has always been a trait of the series. I'd look to Dead Space for inspiration, or at least the 1st one. Here's hoping the franchise goes above and beyond once more and delivers something truly classic in the future.
Having once worked in a video store, I played all the Resident Evil games through Nemesis on the PSone. And I really wanted to like them, but the tank controls, corny dialogue, odd save system, and goofy puzzles made it almost impossible to do so.
Years later, well, I think those games are even more terrible, but the GameCube remake, plus the sublime RE4 and co-op excellence of RE5 finally made me a believer in the franchise overall. Not sure what to make of RE6 yet, but there's no denying the series has left its indelible mark on the medium.