Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City was released on March 20 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Microsoft Windows. This is the first game of its series to be developed by Slant Six Games rather than its publisher and previous developer, Capcom. The storyline is based on a “what-if”scenario and take you behind the scene of the main series storyline for Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.

A Brief Introduction

For those unfamiliar with the series, Resident Evil is a survival horror game that made its first debut on the PlayStation in 1996, and since then – excuse the pun – it has swept the nation and world like a disease. The series brought on five live action films, tons of novels, comics, collectibles, and other various items all devoted to it.

How The Game Works

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is split into two sides: the SPECOPS side (only playable through downloadable content) and the U.S.S. side. Players can choose four of the six characters per side, and there are six chapters to each side.

Behind the Storyline

The storyline for the U.S.S. begins with the Delta Team (or “Wolf pack”) entering the Raccoon City Underground Laboratory. Their mission is “to assist the Alphas in stopping Dr. Birkin from handing over his G-Virus research to the US Military and retrieve the G-Virus.” But of course, a game would be no fun if that’s where it all ended, so of course the virus has to leak out. You’re pretty helpless at this part of the game, just playing along till you get to the good part where you can kick some zombie butt.

The game is – obviously – a third-person shooter, with single-player, multiplayer, and co-op multiplayer options. Directed by Adam Bullied, the game is sure to have quite a few surprises and action-packed adventure in store.

Drawbacks

However, some reviewers are disappointed with the sixth game in the Resident Evil series. One reviewclaims that the developers of the game have taken for granted that you already know what’s going on in the story. They have a good point, too – those new to the series who try to play this game might have a difficult time keeping up with the storyline, since it can’t be taken as a new story by itself but also gives no explanation for past events in the series. “It thinks you know about the special abilities and unlockables of each class, and how to access that content, right from the start.”

“Those who missed out on Resident Evil 2 and 3 may not appreciate the small bits of fan service developer Slant 6 Games has tossed in, but that’s minor compared to how much context is missing elsewhere.”

What Others are Saying

IGN also gave Operation Raccoon City a bad review – a 4.0 on a 10.0 scale. The opening line stated “an actual zombie outbreak would have been less tragic.” They proceeded to tear ORC apart, even trashing it’s auto-cover mechanic, where you stick to any wall you go near as a tactical protection maneuver. “It’s beyond annoying when you venture over to pick up an herb and end up sticking to the wall. In fact, it’s downright frustrating and almost never actually useful.”

The setting for the game is also, sadly, very under standards for Resident Evil. “The set pieces are bland and forgettable, and everything down to the music fails to capture the RE universe or create any amount of tension.”

Don’t blame the game for that, IGN, blame the developers.

Bad reviews or not, die-hard Resident Evil fans shouldn’t pass up this game. In reality, it’s still an excellent addition to the action-packed and suspenseful series that is Resident Evil.