What We Want in Resident Evil 6

Resident Evil 6 doesn't exist - at least not officially. Despite plenty of rumors and wishful thinking by millions of fans worldwide, Capcom has yet to confirm the existence or development of the next major entry in its survival horror series.


Yet Capcom almost doesn't need to say anything. Small leaks about voice talent, alongside the not-insignificant fact that Resident Evil 5
ranks as the best-selling entry in the franchise, effectively
guarantees the game will eventually arrive. That begs the question -
what kind of Resident Evil game will we see?


Please Scare Us


Resident Evil 4
kicked off a new direction for Capcom's zombie series. Control and
camera angles changed as did one much more significant fact - the game
no longer focused on forcing players to survive in horrific situations.
The survival horror genre of the franchise evolved to something much
more action-oriented.


Resident Evil 5
only underlined this change. Whereas RE4 somewhat straddled a line
between old and new, the last entry in the series abandoned its roots in
favor of something that almost felt like its movie counterparts. Fans
felt the series they had supported for nearly a decade was no longer
recognizable, and despite being a very good game, RE 5 didn't exactly
feel like Resident Evil. Quality aside, that was a problem.


Capcom appears to be listening to its fans, as Resident Evil Revelations
on the Nintendo 3DS finds a creative way of balancing high-action and
high-suspense by frequently shifting to locations that suit different
temperaments.


It's About Survival, Stupid


The notion of scaring the crap out of players goes hand-in-hand with
another idea - make it tough to survive. Resident Evil 4 didn't stray
too far from this notion. Whenever an abundance of ammo was provided,
big trouble was right around the corner - like an El Gigante or two. RE5
didn't seem to pay attention to this design idea, which not only
removed tension from gameplay but further eliminated any feeling of
fear. No creature, no matter how great a design, is too alarming when a
player is fully armed and fully loaded.


Resident Evil 6 needs to almost go to the other end. Deprive us of ammo
so much that we're forced to run away. Make us conserve ammo and place
our shots carefully. Make us frantically question whether it'd be wiser
to run and fight another day. That's what makes the RE franchise so
engrossing.



Remember the Legacy
Both Resident Evil 4
and 5, perhaps out of necessity, did something strange. In an effort to
feel fresh and original, the two titles almost seemed to operate
independently of the core ideas outlined in previous titles. Updates on
the mighty Umbrella Corporation were still provided, and Albert Wesker
certainly made his presence felt, but the games felt a bit removed. And
why can't Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy seem to exist within the same
story? Fans certainly want to see the two franchise icons work together,
yet Capcom continues to keep them apart.


Resident Evil 6 needs bind its sprawling, almost unwieldy narrative
together. It needs to remember the heroes and villains that have made
the series so popular, while avoiding any troublesome or confusing
concepts that most of us try to forget. Obviously this will be no easy
task, but with the abundance of other zombie games out there, Resident
Evil's legacy will continue to be its 15-year history. Despite the need
for fresh mechanics and ideas, it can't act as if its past is something
to discard or forget.


Be Careful With Co-Op
So many characters,
so little time. Regardless of whether Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy
are brought to the front of the same game, there's no denying Capcom
loves to load each Resident Evil entry with characters. Revelations
introduces four leads to battle evil alongside Chris and Jill. More and
more, the developer seems enamored with the idea of pulling two heroes
on the same journey. (Revelations splits its six leads into three
pairs.) In Resident Evil 5, that concept evolved as the supporting operative became an integral part of gameplay, playable online by a second player.


Sheva was a reasonable addition to the RE franchise but not its gameplay
mechanics. Playing with AI resulted in an incompetent pack mule, and
playing with a partner online greatly reduced what little tension and
fear might have been there. There's nothing like hearing a dick joke
while you're exploring a creepy shack to take you right out of the
moment. Better yet, faulty internet connections served as a brutally
unfortunate reminder that playing alone just might be the better way to
go.


Whether considering the impact of co-op mechanics on the game's
atmosphere or its overall quality, RE 6 should simply avoid the idea
altogether. If Capcom
wants multiplayer components, keep them separate from the main game. No
one wants a sidekick that does nothing more than hold ammo - or worse
yet, wastes inventory. And the notion that a survival horror game must
be played with a partner, though admirable in concept, clearly doesn't
work as well as it should. Leave the experiments to some other franchise
or a non-numbered entry in the series - keep Resident Evil 6 intact.




Bring Back Zombies


Zombies have not played a prominent role in a Resident Evil game for
nearly ten years, when Resident Evil Zero was released on the GameCube.
During their absence, the undead were replaced by Las Plagas-infected
creatures and the Majini. Call them what you want, Capcom was attempting
to find replacements for zombies. None of them, save for Revelations'
Ooze monsters, have been effective substitutes, failing to stray far
enough from the franchise's iconic, memorable enemies.


It sounds like a simple, needless thing to bring back, but the horror
mainstays are popular for a reason. They set a particular tone to a
world, one that Resident Evil 6 needs to reclaim on its quest to being
more faithful to Capcom's original vision.


Find New Territory


Bringing back zombies, avoiding co-op elements in the main story,
embracing the franchise's history... no doubt some of you, particularly
Resident Evil's detractors, are wondering why RE 6 should retread old
territory when it has already been there. Simple - embracing survival
horror's roots does not preclude innovation.


Resident Evil Revelations is the perfect example of the proper direction
for the franchise. It embraces ideas established by previous titles
while still finding new areas to explore, including finding a balance
between survival horror and action. Resident Evil can never forget what
made it great in the first place, but that leaves plenty of room to
innovate.




If zombies return, what's to say we can't see something as genius as the
Ooze make its debut? We've seen other RE titles work with large casts,
without resorting to forced co-op concepts. Revelations even breaks its
story into distinct chapters, allowing players to work through varied
locations and play styles, keeping diversity high through smart
structure and pacing.




Resident Evil 5
is not a bad game. It's actually a great modern action title. However,
it's not necessarily a good fit for its own franchise, which is an odd
thing to realize. Over the past several years, the Resident Evil
franchise has changed its approach to survival horror considerably.
Change can be very good, but not when it comes at the expense of what
defines a video game brand.


The future of Capcom's foray into the world of zombies should look back to Resident Evil 4
as well as the games that came before it. RE 4, as brilliant as it was,
rarely created the brilliant, gripping tension that we all anticipate.
We want to be scared again.


Fortunately Resident Evil Revelations signals things are in the right
direction. With a bit more of its past and the franchise's overall
progress in mind, Resident Evil 6 could easily become the best survival
horror game Capcom has produced.


Now we just need confirmation that it exists...