Resident Evil 6 Trailer Impressions

Following a slew of rumors and a viral marketing campaign, Capcom officially came out today and announced Resident Evil 6 along with not only a rather detailed trailer, but also a release date of November 20th, 2012. The debut trailer weighs in at around three and a half minutes long and showcases a surprising amount of both gameplay footage, characters, and drops some clues to the games story and locations.

Firstly, Capcom told us this would serve as a reboot to the series and after watching the trailer for myself, I really fail to see in any way shape or form how Resident Evil 6 can be considered a reboot to the franchise. Before we dig too deep into the nitty gritty, I must also state that, surprise surprise, this is not the 'return to form' survival horror I know many fans such as myself have been wishing for. That being said, I've given up dreaming for a classic B-Movie survival horror Resident Evil since RE4. That's not to say RE4 was a bad game, it was superb and delivered a creepy and unsettling game that introduced a more tense horror. Well, for the first hour or so anyway. Resident Evil 5 further pushed the franchise toward a more action-oriented approach to horror, tightened up the gameplay, and introduced co-operative mechanics .

Remember, horror is subjective and comes in many forms and can evoke different emotions. Shock, dread, suspense, tension, and often shades in between. RE4 and RE5 drifted more towards tension and wrapped it up in essentially what can be best described as a third person shooter. The classic games in the series explored the survival and sense of isolation and of course the occasion boo scare thrown in for good measure. Ever since Resident Evil 4, there has been and always will be a great divide between fans of the series and an everlasting debate as to what classifies something 'scary'. The truth is the new age Resident Evil games play well and generate a lot of money for Capcom. For better or worse, this is how the franchise will continue. Deal with it. However, there may be some kind of happy medium...

So to begin with, the trailer showcases poster boy series favorite, Leon Kennedy along with the boulder bashing veteran, Chris Redfield. While Chris looks almost exactly the same as he did in RE5, Leon has been victim to yet another makeover. He doesn't look like the Leon Kennedy from any of the previous games. It's really quite bizarre. There's a few other characters shown throughout, one of which resembling very closely to Ashley Graham, Hunnigan, as well as a new protagonist - a mercenary dude with a buzz cut. From what we can tell, yet another biological virus has been identified and seems to be attacking people across the globe, and the story is supposedly split between the three main characters.

There seemed to be a nice range of enemies shown. Ranging from your typical garden zombie (yes, real Zombies this time...) to some Nemesis like giant and other strange gruesome things. There even seemed to be a very William Birkin-esque arm mutation monster which I have to admit, did look pretty damn sweet. I noticed Leon performing some roundhouse kicks and other finishing moves.

Could we see more context sensitive fatalities this time around? Could this be the first signs of a melee system? (Christ, I hope not) The few snippets of gameplay shown looked very remiscent of RE4 and RE5. I have to admit, I couldn't help but cringe at the return of the cover system. Speaking of which, at one point, an enemy grabbed Chris from behind cover, could there be more to it than meets the eye? I also noticed a quick shot of Chris sprinting down a street.

Visually, I thought it looked very striking and impressive. Lighting and shadowing show a great improvement this time round and definitely adds to the mood of the various environments. Sure, it wasn't the leap from RE4 to RE5 but it still looks damn fine. Something that stuck out to me was the amount of scripted and cinematic set pieces. I mean they've gone all out this time. While they all looked impressive and exciting, I couldn't help but feel it only further push the series to the Hollywood Blockbuster action movie we've seen it slowly evolve into.

Possibly the biggest question people are asking right now relates to the co-operative multiplayer. Let's face it, RE6 is going to have it. The trailer does show scenes with Leon and Ashley(?) as well as multiple other supporting characters. I was personally against co-op in RE5 but if they are going to include it here, I'd like to see more thought and effort put in. Maybe use the partner system for more than pushing a heavy obstacle or climbing an out of reach area. Utilize puzzles, multiple pathways, make the partner feel absolutely critical to the games story and not just a sidekick along for the ride.

One of the most interesting things about the trailer was the sharp contrast between the first and second half. It would have been hard not to notice how the scenes with Leon were darker, creepier and gave off a more 'traditional' kind of setting you would usually find in, oh...a horror game? However, the second half with Chris Redfield was full of explosions, gunfights, and over the top cinematic action. There was even a guy grabbing onto the front of a moving chopper. On top of that, the location and environments change from the creepy aesthetic to the vibrant, neon lit streets of China.

Viewers and fans of the trailer will no doubt have their theories and questions. Who are the other characters? Will Wesker somehow return? Will the game actually prove to be unsettling and scary? I personally want more information on the new guy. He talks about 'them' wanting his blood. Presumably whoever 'they' are after him specifically. One could easily go out on a limb here and assume this could somehow relate to Wesker, considering he's been the main antagonist of this series since the beginning. I wouldn't put it past Capcom to have Wesker either return somehow, even if it's through say...a clone.

Yeah, sounds stupid I know, but let's face it - the 'lore' and storyline behind the Resident Evil games have always been laughable and farfetched. However, things we DO know is that the game is being directed by Elichiro Sasaki, responsible for the Resident Evil: Outbreak games, with Yoshiaki Hirabayashi  returning as executive producer. The game has definitely seen an improvement visually, as well as showing off some brilliant animations.

So was it a good trailer? Sure. Will I get it? Of course. I'm not expecting a return to survival horror, or horror whatsoever. I'm expecting Resident Evil 6 to be nothing more than a dumb fun, good looking third person shooter with cool looking enemies and oozing in cinematic flair with a story I'll forget 3 months later. Does this look like the reboot Capcom initially stated it would be? Absolutely not. It looks nothing more than a sequel to Resident Evil 5. This will surely please a lot of people who had fun with that game but may leave others rolling their eyes and, like me, questioning the identity of this legendary franchise - what it started as, compared to what it's become. That being said, I am far more intrigued in seeing more of what Leon's story has to offer over Chris'. Oh, and for the love of Jeebus, let me move and shoot for fuck sake...

Now it's your turn. You've seen it for yourself. If you haven't, check it out here and let us know your thoughts, leave a comment below and share your opinion. Remember though, this is only the first trailer we've seen. As time goes on, more and more information will trinkle out and as it does we'll keep you updated. Til then, let us know your thoughts of the trailer. Leave a comment below and share your opinion.

Actually, you know what? On second thoughts I may not buy this game at launch. I'll wait for the inevitable re-release 6 months later with DLC up the ass included!