Leon S. Kennedy hasn't learned a lot since his days as a rookie police officer in the Midwestern American mountain community of Raccoon City. You would figure that after battling zombies in Resident Evil 2 and the mysterious Los Illuminados in Resident Evil 4, Leon would shoot the moment he sees the President of the United States lumbering forward with rotting flesh. But I guess some people are slow learners.
The new Resident Evil 6 demo gives players the opportunity to play test-drive all three of the new game's gameplay styles. Basically players choose between Leon, Chris or Jake in the demo just like they will be able to do in the full release. All three offer a different feel and gameplay style.
Leon's level feature him and the mysterious Helena trying to fight their way out of a zombie infested school. The school is dark and creates some atmospheric anxiety, but never reaches the level of fear that the original titles did back in the 1990s. There are some moments when you are searching for ammo that will bring back some nostalgia, but I felt the level design was rather linear and didn't feel as large as the old mansion in Resident Evil or the police station in Resident Evil 2.
Graphically, the demo is beautiful. I love the facial expression and the gore. I don't remember Resident Evil ever being this bloody. The reason I have compared Leon's level to new Resident Evil games, is because I feel his level design pays homage to the older titles and moves away from the action of recent games. There is a great use of sound and lighting, but I found myself anticipating and preparing for the zombie moments. So no real scares, especially if an online friend joins you.
Chris Redfield's level is set in a war zone in eastern Europe and feel more like the newer Resident Evil games and Call of Duty. Chris has a machine gun, a massive amount of ammo and no bubble gum. In Chris' level you face intelligent enemies that shoot at you and mutate into monstrous creatures that fly and have enlarged limbs. The melee combat is visceral and player will feel like soldier with a troubled pass.
The co-op gameplay felt better but mostly because of the level design. There is no chance for fear in this part of the game because you are too busy shooting anything that moves. This part of the demo reminds me that Resident Evil has evolve into something different with every release, perhaps too much.
Jake Wesker's level is sort of mix of the other two characters, but perhaps suffers from playing the middle ground. Jake is trying to escape derelict city, while mutated enemies that move fast when they attack. But the atmosphere feels more claustrophobic like Leon's level. Having a gigantic hulking beast chasing after you while dealing with other mutants does creates a dire sense of urgency. This was my least favorite mode in demo, but that could also have been because I felt less attachment to Jake.
The demo feels like 3 different games and Leon' s level makes me nostalgic for the old nights of terror on the original PlayStation. The other characters' levels make me feel like the series is moving even further into the action genre. I was hoping that the return of zombies meant the game was going back to pure survival horror. I am going to hold off on giving this game a rating. It is really well designed and graphically beautiful. But I want to see how the 3 styles of game play tie together in the retail release. I hope that the full release has more moments of suspense and terror.
PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners can download the demo on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. Find out what is going on with the PC version of the game here. Watch the game's trailer below...
