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Capcom Introduces New Ways to Play Resident Evil.

Resident Evil has been an important series in gaming for a long time now. Games like Resident Evil 2 and 4 were revolutionary landmarks in survival horror and third person gameplay. Despite its lineage of quality titles, the series has been often criticized for its departure from survival horror and its venture into more of an action oriented style.  Resident Evil 6 aims to combine the best of both its past horror-focused outings and the action-oriented gameplay of its more recent titles.

Resident Evil 5 showed a much different side to the franchise, focusing on frantic action sequences and co-op gameplay. With Resident Evil 6, all of this remains true. Each of the game's three campaigns will feature cooperative gameplay that you can play with a friend. And yes, you did hear correctly; this game features three separate story lines featuring six main protagonists. This E3 featured three different demos, showcasing the gameplay of each group and rounding out the new creative vision for the Resident Evil franchise.

Resident Evil 6 features a story involving a brand new strand of the T-Virus, known as the C-Virus and its various forms. Within each campaign, you will encounter different forms of the virus and deal with its effects.

The first campaign stars series veteran and fan favorite, Leon Kennedy and his partner Helena Harper, who is a fellow government agent. Following the events of the debut trailer, Leon was forced to kill the President, who had been infected by a strain of the C-Virus that turns people into zombies. After murdering the zombified president, Leon and Helena discover that a zombie outbreak has plagued the land of Tall Oaks.

Generally, Leon’s sections are based a lot more around the buildup and horror that the series is known for. As you walk, you will encounter poorly lit and quiet areas, perfect for the unexpected jump scare. Beyond that, ammo is a lot harder to come by during Leon’s sections, so conserving ammo is a lot more important.

During the demo Leon and Helena proceed to a parking lot, where they are attacked by an onslaught of zombies. They dispose of these shamblers using an array of new systems implemented for Resident Evil 6. First off is the fact that now characters have a full range of movement. Players can move and shoot at the same time, duck and cover and slide and roll. One of this game’s most noticeable features lets you shoot while sliding, which has an interesting cinematic effect. Another addition addition to the brand new control scheme is called the “Quick Shot” which lets you snap off a couple of shots rapidly by pressing the L and R triggers simultaneously. The action is not nearly as stiff as in its predecessors, but players still have fast enemies to fend off.

The second demo featured another series veteran, Chris Redfield joined by his new partner Piers Nivans. Chris is on a mission in the Chinese city of Lanshiang to aid in the quarantine of another strain of the C-Virus which spawns enemies known as the J’avo.  Chris’ section of the game is more focused on high-octane action. The J’avo attack with weapons like Machete’s and even guns, so they are automatically an increased threat. To combat this, Chris has some new moves at his disposal thanks to the revamped melee system. 

The last demo features newcomer Jake Muller, who is the son of series antagonist Albert Wesker. Jake travels through the Eurpoean state of Edonia with Sherry Birkin, a young woman who was saved by Leon and Claire Redfield in Resident Evil 2. Their section of the game featured a giant monster that pursued them the entire time, recalling older Resident Evil enemies like Tyrant and Nemesis. To combat this, Jake features some enhanced melee combat abilities.

Over all the gameplay demos, one interesting new element comes in the form of skill points. These skill points can be used to upgrade your character. For example you can upgrade things like your reload time to make it faster, or improve firepower or even increase your health.

From the entire gameplay demo’s it’s easy to see that Resident Evil 6 is attempting to take the series in a new direction. While some may not be happy with the lack of focus on horror, it’s still apparent that there will be something for everyone in the final product.  Resident Evil 6 will be launching for the Xbox 360 and the PS3 on October 2nd, 2012.