A new Resident Evil game is here, and that means that "lovers" of 16 years old gameplay are hating it .....again. Because of it and considering the bad press this game is getting, I am here to try to convince some haters by letting them know what I think about the complete game :D. Spoilers: I think it is great!
(I wrote this review as a user in N4G, so I am copying it here :D)
**Before hating, read it whole and / or play it for yourself**
STORY
A new Biological Hazard is at hand; and you may be wondering who are the bad guys this time, (considering that almost every important bad guy in the mythos has been *defeated*) but all I can say is that it looks like they were the bad guys since the first Resident Evil game. That fact is the only thing I can say in order to intrigue you without spoiling the story :). The story in this game is really cool, and has a much bigger scope this time. When it all begins the main characters and yourself are going to be wondering wth is going on, but as story develops, you are in for nice surprises. The story is really well paced, and it does a really good job telling what is going on and why. Obviously not everything is answered here, because it is quite obvious that a sequel is in the plans.
GAMEPLAY
The gameplay mechanics added are really good, because they have added more mobility to the characters, and now melee attacks can be performed without the need of making the opponents dizzy. But it comes with a price because you can not spam them because you have a stamina gauge below your life bar, that drains with each attack, so you have to plan your kicks and punches carefully. You can run, slide and do barrel rolls in order to avoid damage, and also you can now counter enemy attacks, which requires really good reflexes lol XD.
There is an skill points system that is similar to the money system of RE4-5; but instead of buying or upgrading weapons you buy or upgrade skills. For example, instead of buying a bulletproof vest, you buy an skill to take less damage; and Instead of upgrading a weapon in particular in order to do more damage, you buy an skill that allows you to do more damage. Most skills can be upgraded, but cost lots skill points to do so. You can only equip 3 skill points for each skill set. At first you have only one skill set, but afterwards when you complete 1 campaign you will get access to 8 sets. Each one of them can have 3 skills, and can be swapped on the fly during gameplay, so if you think that certain area or boss requires different skills, you can equip them without a problem. But remember that in order to access the 8 skills, you need to finish 1 campaign first.
If you are in need of SP, you can grind them by replaying a chapter in particular like in RE5; but this time you can not select between sub-chapters to make it easier/faster, because the whole chapter is one big level. You can also use the Mercenaries mode in order to farm SP, but is hard to do so, because if you dont complete the quota of zombies, or if you die, all the sp collected will go to waste.
The inventory system is intuitive and similar in function with the one RE5. With the D-pad, by pressing up/down you scroll throw health spray, and explosives, while by pressing left/right you change weapons like pistol, knife, shotgun, etc. In order to manage your whole inventory in case you can not pick up something, you can press triangle (PS3), or Y (360) in order see your inventory in real time and discard something if you don't want it.
During some events there are QTEs, which I think are quite unnecessary, but they last a small amount of time, so for me they did not bring down the gameplay. There are other kind of QTEs, like when a zombie grabs you, and you need kick him in the face so he stops biting you lol XD. I think those fit the gameplay well.
Oh, and in case you did not know; this game is hard XD. It does not have any "horror" element, but it has the survival element, because you will end up with no bullets and healing items lots of times; so you need to think how you will approach some situations.
You have at first 3 campaigns to choose from with their respective hero: Leon, Chris, and Jake. I think that is the biggest strength of the game, and also it is where most of the weak points are. The 3 campaigns are quite different from each other, which is not a bad thing; but it is kind of bad when they all have different gameplay focus. The gameplay mechanics seem to have been elaborated around Leon´s campaign, and that makes it look like that Leon story is the MAIN story while the other 2 are some kind of bonus....a lengthy bonus. Now this may sound really bad for the game, but that is not the case; I say this because Leon campaign is the best of the 3, it last between 7-8 hours to complete; so for me as a fan it justifies the $60, because you also get lot of good extra content. I think Leon´s Campaign is a mix of RE4 and old RE games.
I think that they should have made the Leon campaign longer, and make it THE MAIN CAMPAIGN of the game, and once you clear it, you are able to access Chris and Jake story. Kind of separate ways and desperate escape, but much bigger. And once the 3 are completed you could access Ada´s campaign.
Treat the game as if it only has at first the Leon´s campaign available. It begins slow the first half hour, but after that it picks up the pace, and it is really good. And if you play it in co-op it is a blast. One of the most enjoyable experiences I have had during a game.
I says this, because the gameplay mechanics dont fit really well Chris, and Jakes campaign. They are enjoyable once you get used to the gameplay focus of each campaign; but Leon campaign is simply the best. Ada´s campaign is also great.
I recommend you to play a campaign first and once you want to play other one do so, but dont jump back and forth between them because they are very different. The skill points and skills you get are cumulative through the campaigns :D. So if you get level 3 skills in defense and attack during your Leon´s campaign, you can also use them for your Chris and Jake playthrough, make it them a lot easier XD.
I think that if reviewers would have played the other 2 campaigns as a bonus, (after they completed Leon´s campaign) instead of playing them as the main thing offered in the game they would have rate it way better.
Also I think that the camera should be further. They have added gameplay mechanics that add more mobility, but due to the fact that the stages are bigger, zombies can attack from anywhere, so you still can not dodge them. It would be better to have the camera further away (like in Uncharted) in order to have a better look of the surroundings.
TIP: Change camera settings from 5 to 1.
SOUND
The FX, and voice acting is really awesome. Just what you expect from a big budget game.
GRAPHICS
Character designs, and monster design is really awesome! The lighting effects are also fantastic. The main characters look superb. The only thing that bothers me is how the textures don't look as good as in RE5? I know that areas are bigger, and that now the levels are the whole act, instead of sub-chapters; but you would expect that a big budget game like this would get better graphics than the previous tittle. Textures lack lot of detail sometimes, NPCs look really bland. The "zombies" and stages in RE5 have more detail. Graphically looks unpolished in comparison, but still it is a good looking game.
CONTENT
There is lot of content offered in this game. In order to finish the 4 campaigns you will play the game around 30hrs. And also you have mercenaries mode, and agent hunt mode in case you want to screw other gamers while they play their story mode lol XD. There are also collectibles and unlockable costumes.
FINAL WORDS
The game is really good, and way better than both demos released. If you are willing to give this game a chance it will surprise you in a really positive way. At least rent it; and if you like it, buy it. If you are a fan of RE4 you must play Leon´s campaign, it is worth it :D. I know that for some people Chris and Jake campaigns are shooter heavy, and not is not necesarilly true in most of the cases. You shoot because you have guns, but you wont have to kill 3 waves of 30 dudes in order to proceed. This game is not Gears, nor COD. You really have to play it in order to apreciate it. I think that they expected something different of what the got, and they just played through the first chapters of each campaign, without giving much chance to the game to show them how good it can be.
SCORE: 8.5/10
EDIT: I have added a poll so the people who has finished it can rate it :D
