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The franchise has been going the action route for some time. I understand the frustration, especially since the survival horror genre was pioneered by RE and is slim right now, but this game isn't trying to be that. It's not following RE5, it's a squad shooter like Gears of War, so you have to look at it from that perspective.
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1st impressions from IGN
The Struggle of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
A concept only takes a game so far. At some point execution takes over, separating great games from great ideas. The concept of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City takes the world of Capcom's survival horror series and turns it on its head, both in design and story, allowing players to see events from the perspective of Umbrella and its Security Service in a squad-based shooter. In theory the game should work, expanding a franchise outside of the box it is known to rest comfortably in, giving fans an opportunity to revisit classic moments from the past.
The execution, however, betrays the idea.
Resident Evil thrives on its ability to take outlandish characters, throw them into haunting environments and pit them against unimaginable creatures. How players explore a world and how they engage with it are just as important as the actual mechanics of combat. In fact these ideas are so critical that they've often led Capcom to artificially limit control schemes and camera flexibility to make sure it dictates how the game unfolds. Operation Raccoon throws all these preconceived notions out the door, but in doing so it fails to find something equally as compelling. This might look like Resident Evil, but it doesn't capture the same thrill of Resident Evil.
Operation Raccoon City operates with a mission-based structure, allowing former SOCOM developer Slant Six to shift the action and story to convenient settings. At the outset of each mission, the Umbrella Security Service (USS) is assigned a task, typically taking on the dirtiest errands possible - infiltrating facilities, erasing evidence of illegal activity, acquiring confidential information and protecting the interests of a corrupt organization. The first four missions of the game pit these six operatives, new to Capcom's franchise, against the likes of iconic baddies like William Birkin, Nicholai Ginovaef and the Nemesis. These encounters are bracketed with battles against United States special forces, zombies and bio-organic weapons (BOWs) like Lickers and Hunters.
In theory it should work, but based on the game's first four missions, Slant Six fails to get critical details right. From a single-player perspective, the three USS members accompanying you are utterly moronic. They'll engage in combat, but fail to competently operate with any sort of intellect let alone strategy. They'll run in front of your guns in the middle of a firefight, frequently fail to heal themselves (or you) with the plentiful herbs and first aid kits strewn throughout levels, run into the middle of overwhelming odds and even walk straight across trip mines so blatant they might as well have neon signs hanging above them. Making matters worse - you have no ability to control or direct your allies, making them a liability in every possible way.
The issues don't stop there. Brace yourself for more problems no matter how you're playing the game or who you're playing it with. As stupid as your AI partners are, the AI enemies can often be worse - even accounting that a good half of them are zombies. The special forces that oppose you might as well be the undead the way they fail to secure cover, blatantly ignore your presence in the heat of battle and primarily serve as ways to expend your ammunition. In fact, combat more or less feels like you're fighting wooden stumps that simply challenge how much ammunition can be conserved as you move from Point A to Point B.
Slant Six resorts to some ridiculously cheap tactics in design, including humans that absorb far too much punishment, lame fetch quests that spawn dozens of enemies, and clumsy scenarios that point cameras in the wrong direction when your objective is actually behind you. Poor hit detection is an issue. Your characters move too slowly for an action game that has few strategic elements. The "snap-to" cover system works for the most part, unless you're trying to just look at something, in which case taking cover in an empty room seems ridiculous.
Most offensive in this seemingly endless list of offenses is your ability to become infected by zombies, which over time will turn you into a mindless member of the undead. While a seemingly interesting tactical problem, the way it's implemented is beyond frustrating, as your ability to heal yourself without a medic is limited to say the least. The fact that you can only carry one antidote, yet wield a half dozen grenades at the same time, is a severe oversight. Players should be able to determine their armaments prior to missions or on-the-fly.
More positive is the customization present for each of the six characters. Each member of the USS is able to work with passive and active abilities that are "purchased" through XP. Players will also be able to acquire a variety of weapons over time, allowing some measure of differentiation in the mindless combat. Slightly less promising is the fact that most of these weapons feel more or less the same.
Operation Raccoon City lives in the Resident Evil world, but fails to take advantage of the franchise's rich heritage. It fails to find a sense of gameplay that feels right, and can't even seem to recreate the atmosphere and environments that millions have come to love over the past 15 years. Granted, this is based off the first four levels, and granted, the game manages to progressively improve as the missions move onward. But a game this flawed has warning signs all over it. Going back to Raccoon City just might be as dangerous for players as it is for the security service tasked with cleaning it up.
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And...I'll get it when it's $20.
So this game really is mediocre or Capcom didn't give IGN any money.
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GameInformer's review/first impression was quite a bit more positive than that one. Can't find it online, however. I do remember that it shared the same concerns with special forces AI.
The big thing for this game is going to be the 4 player co op I think. If that is executed properly, a big portion of gamers can overlook a couple other issues.Comment
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[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXK01C8BidU"]Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City - Character Trailer 2012 - YouTube[/ame]
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Pre-Order Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City w/racoon city sign $59.99+shipping
Capcom Store Exclusive!
Order now to ensure you get your free Welcome To Raccoon City sign. Replicating the Welcome sign that greets visitors entering Raccoon City, this 18" x 10" metal sign is limited to 1000 pieces worldwide!
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Nemesis DLC exclusive to 360
Capcom announced this morning that Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City will include a multiplayer mode entitled "Nemesis Mode," exclusively for Xbox 360. Now, don't go thinkin' this DLC is free or something crazy like that. Nemesis Mode will be available at launch, on March 20, for 320 Microsoft Points ($4).
Nemesis Mode has the USS verses the Spec Ops in an eight-man battle with someone able to control a Nemesis. While one team tracks down a control unit, the other can "give the Nemesis orders to destroy the opposition." As with all things "exclusive," we don't know how long it'll take before this multiplayer mode infects other platforms, but we're sure not even Capcom can contain Nemesis.
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What kind of bullshit "exclusive" is that? Fucking Capcom. I was all set to say "Looks like when I get this game it will be the 360 version". But nope. Fuck you Capcom. At least offer it for free with the online pass or code that only comes with new copies. This is just fucking bullshit.
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Resident Evil: Operation Free DLC deploys on April 10
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City focuses on a group of Umbrella operatives sent in to clean up the doomed city in the wake of a zombie outbreak. Meanwhile, a separate team of Spec Ops soldiers sent in by the government becomes the focus of some free DLC, coming to Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City on April 10.
The Spec Ops mission revisits the events of Resident Evil 3, in which Jill Valentine is stalked throughout the city by a rampaging Nemesis. Good ... times?
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I'd only get this with a dedicated crew and on sale...
Makes me wish I played Resident Evil Online back in the day... that HDD you had to buy back then dissuaded me though.Comment
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So they nickel and dime us with one DLC, for only one platform, and then give us this for free? And all of this DLC announced before the game is even out. Any guesses on how much of it is already on the disc?Resident Evil: Operation Free DLC deploys on April 10
http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/15/re...s-on-april-10/
I'm usually a sucker for RE games so I'm sure I'll get it at some point. But I won't even get it at $40 unless it is getting stellar reviews.
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6.0 rating from GameInformer.
"...buggy AI, debilitating glitches, and sloppy gameplay."
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