I bought Resident Evil 6 on release day (10.2.12). This wouldn't be the first game that's taken so long for me to beat, but RE is one of my favorite franchises, and any RE normally would have been beaten by now. This isn't entirely the game's fault. I've been pretty busy the past few months. Really, though, the game would keep my attention if it wasn't so flawed.
As per usual, my first play-through is on the toughest difficulty and in co-op mode. Unfortunately, nobody I know bought RE6, so I am forced to play split-screen with my stepson. He's a skilled gamer, perhaps moreso now than I, so the only real issue with this is the smaller view. It's still okay, for the most part, but it is detracting slightly from my enjoyment of the game. This is the first triple-A co-op title I purchased in which I was unable to join online with a friend because nobody else bought it.
My main issue is with how the controls (they're too complicated to begin with) couple with the menu screens and HUD.
Growing up, I used to play games with kids who would throw their controller, bite it, cuss at their Mom, punch a pillow, cry, you name it. RE6 is turning me into that person.
It's embarrassing, really, cursing at this game so frequently and so loudly. Due to the unfamiliar HUD, I can never tell exactly how many rounds are in my clip, and it's set in such a way that makes it difficult for me to keep an eye on, so to speak. I'm not a fan of how herbs and other weapons (grenades, mines, etc) become equipped to the HUD. Herbs and other healing items should have a specific button or method of invoking. I shouldn't have to switch back if I use a grenade, or even switch to a grenade to begin with. It should have a seperate slot in the interface.
Speaking of the interface, there's too many actions programmed into it. I have to press 3 buttons to do a running slide. That's ridiculous to me. The game is constantly prompting the required input string during specific moments, because there's too many for them to simply feel intuitive enough to remember at any given time. Granted, I haven't been playing consistantly for days, so each time I play I have to "brush up".
There's a bunch of nitpicky nuances that bother me, too, which are more the byproduct of playing co-op. Cutscenes sometimes leave me facing in a prone direction. Sometimes I think I'm downed, when it's really my partner, thanks to all the unnessecary flashing and button prompts happening on-screen.
I can never seem to aim accurately, either. Headshots? Forget about it. Again, this could be due to the smaller split-screen, but I can't tell if I'm even making contact . The enemies don't react properly, or at all. At best, there's a splashing of brown goo, which could be from my ammo, or some gaseous spittle already flowing from its face.
It's a shame, because there's so many new ideas that I like, and the graphics are amazing. It pains me, too, because I've thoroughly enjoyed every previous RE, making this the first I might not like. Perhaps the story would be different if I dropped the difficulty or played alone, but I've never done that for previous games, and never had interface issues.
I put playing RE:6 higher on priority list, and I will beat it in the next week or so. It's just breaking my heart. It feels more like a grind, than a game.
Other Bits:
I'm excited to try RE: Revelations on a console, and wanted to give it a quick nod after dogging RE:6 like that. It's great on the 3DS. It shifts playable characters and locales a lot, which reminded me of Code: Veronica.
In other gaming news, I still play a lot of multiplayer on Wii (FIFA, Tiger Woods), and startedBattalian Wars. I'm also playing Punch-Out on the Wii U, a great value at 30 cents, but kinda sad considering that's all I'm playing on Wii U at the moment. I also went old school and downloaded a fan-translated Mother 3 (Earthbound 2) GBA rom. It's pretty good, and reminds me of 8-, 16-, 32-bits' hayday.
To further resonate the retro note, I threw a few bucks at the Retronauts Podcast Kickstarter. It's already reached its initial goal, now working toward stretch upgrades. Personally, I'd like it to reach the 72,000 goal, which would trigger the creation of a quality Retronauts website. Donations were at around 40,000 last I looked, with about 20 days left, so there's still a chance.
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