JBoc924
“Taken by itself, Resident Evil 6‘s Leon scenario is now my new favorite Resident Evil experience. My new favorite video game experience of all time. I can’t say the same for Resident Evil 6 as a whole, but Leon’s scenario is truly special. Those 8 hours provided the most memorable gaming experience i’ve had all year, and it resulted in a scenario that has dethroned Resident Evil 2 for me.”
I wrote those words in my review for Resident Evil 6 a month ago, where I gave the title a 9 out of 10. Here we are, one month later, and things have certainly changed…
Don’t get me wrong, I still stick by my final score for the game, it truly is an overall package worthy of a 9 for me. But after replaying each campaign a few times, I’ve come to a conclusion I never thought I would reach: Resident Evil 6 just isn’t that fun anymore. So, instead of erasing parts of my review altogether, I’m just going to give you guys my updated take on the game in this column. But to answer it straight up: Resident Evil 2 is still my favorite Resident Evil experience. And in case you’re wondering, I do think Revelations is better than Resident Evil 6. Ultimately, this isn’t just an issue with Resident Evil 6, it’s an issue with modern games in general…
When it comes to this series, each main entry always had me extremely motivated to replay them again and again. It’s been like that since the first time I completed all of Resident Evil 2’s scenarios (a game I play basically everyday…), and continued to be the case with the main games that followed. Of course, some I replay more than others.
Resident Evil 2 is basically like a religion to me. Resident Evil 4 is another game I’ve replayed to hell and back on every platform it’s been released on, minus the PC. And a trip back to Raccoon City, being pursued by Nemmy, is always welcome. And surprisingly, I replay the original Resident Evil (Director’s Cut on PSN) more than I replay the Remake. Yeah, go figure. But when it comes to the latest entries (Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, Revelations and 6), only one game succeeded in truly being as replayable an experience as the classic games. That game is not Resident evil 6, it’s Revelations.
Resident Evil 6 failed to keep me interested in replaying it over and over, even Leon’s amazing scenario which I still love, but it in no way dethrones Resident Evil 2 for me. When I first played it, I did truly believe this, though It was just the thrill of that intiial playthrough and how memorable it was, making me actually believe I loved it more than Resident Evil 2. But that’s not the case a month later.
Like I stated before, this has been the case with most modern games I’ve played. Once I beat them initially, I don’t have much incentive to go back for more playthroughs. Though with Resident Evil 6, you do have quite a lot of content to keep the disc spinning in your console for a good while, and plus you have the always fun Mercenaries mode. But after going through each scenario a few times, it’s just not the same as replaying the classic PS1 games. Sure, those games are old and look dated now, but there’s just this special sense of excitement I get revisiting them, even though I’ve beaten them countless times.
Today’s games focus a lot on big set-piece moments. That’s not a bad thing entirely, but modern blockbuster titles seem to rely on that a little too much. They try to replicate the thrill of watching action films. This leads to games feeling quite scripted, so once you beat it, you pretty much know what to expect next time you play through it. And also, there’s a lot of hand-holding in a lot of today’s games, making them quite easy after you know exactly what to do and where to go. This applies to Resident Evil 6 somewhat. I was amazed the first two times I went through Leon’s scenario, truly. But going back to it now, I find myself quitting the game after like, 15 minutes with it. I’d much rather replay Resident Evil 2 and fully immerse myself in its eerie, albeit pre-rendered, atmosphere. Even if I know when all the scares are and when they’ll hit…
Yes, I still think Resident Evil 6 deserves a 9. But, of course, that’s my own personal opinion. It’s a game that is definitely one of the year’s best for me, despite Revelations still being the better Resident Evil game this year. I definitely do suggest buying it if you haven’t already. Yeah, it’s getting loads of mixed reviews, but it’s definitely worth your time. And plus, we have a big title update coming mid-December which will allow players to change the game’s camera settings. And as we all know, the game’s camera proved to be quite troublesome for many…
Are you still playing Resident Evil 6, one month after its launch? Or are you like me and find yourself not really excited to replay the scenarios again? I can’t be alone, right?! It’s like I always argued back even before Resident Evil 6 came out: If the game fails to live up to expectations, we still have the classic games, those aren’t going anywhere.
