Resident Evil 6 announced by Capcom
Tuesday, Tuesday, January 24, 2012 4:41 PM
Well, that's what 2012 was lacking – a big announcement from a truly iconic series.
On January 19th Capcom posted a Resident Evil 6 reveal trailer on Youtube and announced the game via a press release, flipping the lid on the next instalment of one of gaming's most cherished series.
The title will be released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on November 20th 2012, with a Windows PC version to follow soon after.
A sixth Resi will hardly be surprising for fans – since the survival horror shooters were reinvented with the excellent Resident Evil 4 back in 2005 the popularity of the franchise has been boosted – even though Resi 5 was received a mixed response a few years after.
Leon Kennedy, floppy-haired protagonist of Resi 2 and 4 and one of the series' best-loved gunslingers, looks set to play a key role in 6.
The first trailer gives some tantalising clues about what we can expect from the game, opening with a fantastically melodramatic scene in which Leon shoots a zombified US president after a bioterrorist attack. Cue your best 'president evil' joke.
The plot thickens as an unidentified female character states she is responsible for the latest virus outbreak, this time situated in the city of Tall Oaks.
From there on footage suggests business as usual, with Leon even promising "this is Raccoon City all over again".
The trailer shows frenetic gun battles against marauding zombies will be supplemented with some fluid hand-to-hand combat – perhaps a first for a Resident Evil?
Chris Redgrave will also join Leon as part of a broader cast on an international scale, with gameplay footage showing his adrenaline-fuelled sections will be set in the streets of a Chinese city as infected attempt to overrun the civilian population.
A strong emphasis on co-op will be carried forward from Resi 5, with the trailer suggesting Leon's segments may be more suspenseful while Chris' will bring the relentless action that has characterised the more recent titles.
In fact, repeating viewing hint at influences from Resident Evil 2, 3, 4 and 5. As usual fan and critical reaction has been pretty divided, with certain quarters of the games press bemoaning the series' evolution from its 'pure' survival horror roots.
Visually, it has to be said the gameplay footage from Resi 6 looks pretty stunning, with night fighting in grimy cities besieged by all manner of zombies and mutants likely to be the order of the day.
Capcom's press release for the game reveals that retail pre-orders for the game have also commenced, with Amazon.com, Gamestop and Best Buy all offering reservations.
In related news, Resident Evil Revelations is due to be released on Nintendo 3DS on January 27th 2012.