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Six reasons to be excited about Resident Evil 6
by Joey Núñez
2.2.12

I am unabashedly a fan of Resident Evil. Ever since I walked into that creepy mansion in the outskirts of Raccoon City I have been hooked, having played and owned every single main game in the series.

Like every long-running series, the Resident Evil franchise has had its highs and lows, but when all is said and done, you would be hard pressed to deny that Resi is an iconic series, birthing characters and game mechanics that will go down in the gaming history books.

As you can probably tell by now, the announcement of a new Resident Evil game, to me, is nothing short of a gaming event. Consequently, when Capcom officially announced Resident Evil 6 a few days ago I felt like a kid in a candy store, and my excitement only grew once I laid eyes on the fantastic trailer. But I don’t want to be the only geek on this hype train; I want you right there with me, so here are six awesome reasons that prove why you too should be marking Resident Evil 6's release date on your calendar.


Reason 1: Mr Badass Protagonist, I'd like you to meet M. Badass Protagonist the second


For a series with famously horrific dialogue, it is surprising that Resident Evil has somehow managed to create such endearing and iconic characters. The series' core protagonists have evolved over the years, developing individual character arcs which (although convoluted) have managed to overall make a weird sort of sense. These characters have somehow managed to overcome their many flaws, including their imposed dialogue impairments, and ingratiate themselves with gamers worldwide.

Such are the cases of Chris Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy. The first has been the stalwart male protagonist of the series since its inception, and has gone from being an overwhelmed, cardboard cut-out, clichéd cop character, to a man with a mission in life, deeply affected by the rollercoaster of trauma that has surrounded him for years. The second, the rookie Raccoon City cop with the Bieber haircut, was literally transformed into a badass before our very eyes, whilst still being perhaps the most relatable of all of the series characters.

Resident Evil 6 will make series history by putting these two characters in the same game together. That was the collective gasp of Resi fanboys around the world which you just heard.


Reason 2: a story Bond would be proud of.


I have a somewhat love-hate relationship with Resident Evil's story. Most of the time, the yarn crafted by the cooky guys at Capcom isn't much more than soap opera fare. However, over the years I've found myself engrossed in the mythos of Resident Evil. I read up on the characters on wiki sites, enjoy the multiple conspiracy theories bouncing around the internet, and try to keep up with the ever-expanding history of the evil Umbrella Corporation.

The point is that what started out as a simple 'night of the living dead' game has morphed into a whole world, featuring espionage, intrigue and worldwide bioterror. I love it, and I can't wait to see just what Capcom has up its sleeve, especially with a game reported to follow three protagonists in branching yet intertwining storylines, which will see our protagonists in locales around the world. Time to update those wikis fanboys.


Reason 3: Ada-freaking-Wong


We first heard of Ada Wong all the way back in Resident Evil 1. Apparently the girlfriend of one of the scientists working in the mansion lab, Ada's name was said scientist’s computer password. Poor dope. As the series progresses we encounter Ada in both Resident Evil 2 and 4, and learn that she is somewhat of a superspy, working for one shadowy organization or another, in an attempt to obtain information and samples of the bioweapons at large.

The quintessential femme fatale, Ada Wong is an incredibly memorable, scene-stealing character, who was an absolute joy to play as in Resident Evil 4. The Asian sensation is poised to make her comeback in Resident Evil 6, and will be playable. Huzzah!


Reason 4: Survival-horror? Action? Does it matter?


The feelings I first experienced when I first played Resident Evil 5 are hard to describe. It featured prominently on my screen; both Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, the series’ original protagonists, were featured in the game; horrifying mutated dogs were lunging at my neck; all of the ingredients that make up the Resi recipe seemed to be present. But it just didn’t feel like a Resident Evil game. It very quickly dawned on me that the survival-horror which defined original Resi games had been replaced with non-stop monster-killing action. Solitary walks down confined corridors, with nothing but a single clip of ammo and your trusty knife were out; co-op and no-holds-barred kill fests were in. Although this transition had been initiated by Resident Evil 4, the definitive jump made by Resi 5 was somewhat jarring. In the end though, I didn't really care.

The fact of the matter is that Resident Evil 5 was a good action game. The game mechanics of the original Resident Evil games were starting to show their age, and a change was needed. The series was turned on its head, and no-one can say that's automatically a bad thing. Resident Evil 6 seems to be pushing that action envelope even further, and to Capcom I say go for it. They gave me Megaman; I trust those guys.


Reason 5: Co-op Madness?


Six player online co-op? Six players, controlling six Resi characters, facing a horde of the series' best monsters? Although this has not yet been confirmed by Capcom, the rumour mill is running at full force, encouraged by a post about the game featured on Xbox.com. The post has since been removed, but if there is any truth to the rumour you should be excited; very excited.

If you have played the mercenaries mode featured in Resi 5 with a friend, you know how addictively fun co-op Resident Evil madness can be. Adding four more of my pals into the mix is a stroke of genius if you ask me. I’m in.


Reason 6: Zombies!


Watch the trailer. Zombies are back. Rejoice!

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- Joey Núñez

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