The "Retro Game Reviews" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
Now with the recent PC port of Resident Evil 6 I decided to pre-order for DLC and a copy of Resident Evil 5. After playing through both, I can say that two is a crowd in Survival Horror. I know that RE4 was more action oriented than the previous ones, but I can’t imagine feeling fear or paranoia when I have a partner to rely on. I believe this is the main cause of the series losing its tension.
Not only has it lost its tension, but it also seems to be a lot easier as well. I remember struggling to beat Resident Evil 4 on Normal difficulty, but in both RE5 and 6 it seems that Veteran difficulty is required for some resistance.
After finishing Resident Evil 5 I felt mildly satisfied with it as a co-op game. It had some memorable moments where co-op was implemented well such as a re-occurring boss that had one player lure it into a room while the other has to trap it by closing the doors on it. When it reappears again, one player pins it down with a flamethrower while the other pumps it full of lead. Another interesting section was “7 minutes of survival” and the section afterward where one player restrains the enemy so the other can remove an item off them. There were also decent turret sections where an AI drives so both players can gun down enemies riding on bikes and trucks. However, the game showed how annoying quick time events could be with Keyboard and Mouse although they only used the A, D, F and V keys so it became easier when I knew what to expect.
With Resident Evil 6 I can’t think of as many sections where co-op was implemented well. There is a section where Jake can take control of security camera turrets to help his partner when they separate. There is the final encounter in Chris’s campaign where his partner Piers has to pin down the enemy for Chris to attack. There was a section in Leon’s campaign where each player alternates between helping each other out even though they are separated. Apart from that there isn’t much. There are sections where one player is given a task and the other player is expected to sit and wait. There are sections where one drives and one shoots, which isn’t much fun for the shooter as the driver has a bigger responsibility in that hitting any obstacle usually means instant death and enemies seem infrequent. I believe there are more standout moments in RE5 than in RE6, even though RE6 is multiple times longer with 4 campaigns.
In some ways I prefer the atmosphere of RE6 to the daylight of RE5 but there are times when it is so dark that I wished for a mini-map like in 5. Then again RE6 has you following a very accurate GPS device, which is another tension killer.
There are many sections, especially in Jakes campaign, that consist of pure running and QTE’s. There are many sections where instead of fighting, you just run to the mission markers. Zombies that lay on the ground are invulnerable until they leap on your face. Unlike RE5 the QTE buttons are far more varied, which means that on certain occasions you are expected to be clairvoyant when given a split section to react to a random button prompt.
Now the previously single player only campaign with Ada has now been given a co-op option. However, its execution isn’t very good. Her partner Agent has no dialogue, cannot open doors, collect items and randomly blinks to Ada’s location. Later on in the game there is an amusing section where Ada keeps slamming the door in Agent’s face and then he blinks to right next to her. Playing Agent makes you feel like a passenger rather than an ally.
Playing Resident Evil 6 had me feeling frustration rather than enjoyment for the most part. I don’t really care about whether it is survival horror or not, but I don’t think it is a good game. I consider it Mediocre at best. In this version there are connection issues when playing co-op and I found two progression stopping bugs in co-op play. This meant I had to finish chapters with the AI so I could continue with a friend.
I did have some fun with Mercenaries and Mercenaries No Mercy modes as expected. Agent Hunt mode isn’t a very good idea and unsurprisingly it isn’t much fun. Of the DLC Onslaught is a fun mode to play with a friend on Skype as you face waves of enemies and each enemy you kill spawns to attack the person you compete against until a massive hoard overwhelms one of you. It isn’t as fun with a complete stranger who you can’t hear complaining. Predator and Survivor modes are better than Agent Hunt but they seem a tad shallow.
It is hard to say whether the PC version is the definitive one. The graphics aren’t much better than the console versions. The dodge and running controls aren’t very good with a keyboard and mouse but you can always use a controller. Although the PC version is £20 the console versions have dropped to a similar price. I don’t know whether the connection bugs and network issues exist on console but if they do, then the PC exclusive of Mercenaries No Mercy could make this the definitive version.
I was almost tempted by the latest one, but not really sure.
Now with the recent PC port of Resident Evil 6 I decided to pre-order for DLC and a copy of Resident Evil 5. After playing through both, I can say that two is a crowd in Survival Horror. I know that RE4 was more action oriented than the previous ones, but I can’t imagine feeling fear or paranoia when I have a partner to rely on. I believe this is the main cause of the series losing its tension.
Not only has it lost its tension, but it also seems to be a lot easier as well. I remember struggling to beat Resident Evil 4 on Normal difficulty, but in both RE5 and 6 it seems that Veteran difficulty is required for some resistance.
After finishing Resident Evil 5 I felt mildly satisfied with it as a co-op game. It had some memorable moments where co-op was implemented well such as a re-occurring boss that had one player lure it into a room while the other has to trap it by closing the doors on it. When it reappears again, one player pins it down with a flamethrower while the other pumps it full of lead. Another interesting section was “7 minutes of survival” and the section afterward where one player restrains the enemy so the other can remove an item off them. There were also decent turret sections where an AI drives so both players can gun down enemies riding on bikes and trucks. However, the game showed how annoying quick time events could be with Keyboard and Mouse although they only used the A, D, F and V keys so it became easier when I knew what to expect.
With Resident Evil 6 I can’t think of as many sections where co-op was implemented well. There is a section where Jake can take control of security camera turrets to help his partner when they separate. There is the final encounter in Chris’s campaign where his partner Piers has to pin down the enemy for Chris to attack. There was a section in Leon’s campaign where each player alternates between helping each other out even though they are separated. Apart from that there isn’t much. There are sections where one player is given a task and the other player is expected to sit and wait. There are sections where one drives and one shoots, which isn’t much fun for the shooter as the driver has a bigger responsibility in that hitting any obstacle usually means instant death and enemies seem infrequent. I believe there are more standout moments in RE5 than in RE6, even though RE6 is multiple times longer with 4 campaigns.
In some ways I prefer the atmosphere of RE6 to the daylight of RE5 but there are times when it is so dark that I wished for a mini-map like in 5. Then again RE6 has you following a very accurate GPS device, which is another tension killer.
There are many sections, especially in Jakes campaign, that consist of pure running and QTE’s. There are many sections where instead of fighting, you just run to the mission markers. Zombies that lay on the ground are invulnerable until they leap on your face. Unlike RE5 the QTE buttons are far more varied, which means that on certain occasions you are expected to be clairvoyant when given a split section to react to a random button prompt.
Now the previously single player only campaign with Ada has now been given a co-op option. However, its execution isn’t very good. Her partner Agent has no dialogue, cannot open doors, collect items and randomly blinks to Ada’s location. Later on in the game there is an amusing section where Ada keeps slamming the door in Agent’s face and then he blinks to right next to her. Playing Agent makes you feel like a passenger rather than an ally.
Playing Resident Evil 6 had me feeling frustration rather than enjoyment for the most part. I don’t really care about whether it is survival horror or not, but I don’t think it is a good game. I consider it Mediocre at best. In this version there are connection issues when playing co-op and I found two progression stopping bugs in co-op play. This meant I had to finish chapters with the AI so I could continue with a friend.
I did have some fun with Mercenaries and Mercenaries No Mercy modes as expected. Agent Hunt mode isn’t a very good idea and unsurprisingly it isn’t much fun. Of the DLC Onslaught is a fun mode to play with a friend on Skype as you face waves of enemies and each enemy you kill spawns to attack the person you compete against until a massive hoard overwhelms one of you. It isn’t as fun with a complete stranger who you can’t hear complaining. Predator and Survivor modes are better than Agent Hunt but they seem a tad shallow.
It is hard to say whether the PC version is the definitive one. The graphics aren’t much better than the console versions. The dodge and running controls aren’t very good with a keyboard and mouse but you can always use a controller. Although the PC version is £20 the console versions have dropped to a similar price. I don’t know whether the connection bugs and network issues exist on console but if they do, then the PC exclusive of Mercenaries No Mercy could make this the definitive version.