Resident Evil 6 Reviews: Too Many Quicktime Events, Controls Described As Confused, Convoluted

Resident Evil 6 releases day, October 2, 2012, and the game is seeing a negative-to-average reception from critics.

Resident Evil 6 is not a recommended game – unless you like quicktime

The issues seem to be the game lacks an identity, and just doesn’t control well. For readers considering buying Resident Evil 6 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or PC, here’s why not.

The first reason is because the game is convoluted. Players rotate between Leon Kennedy, representing the traditional thrill-centric Resident Evil experience; Chris Redfield, effectively an action game; and Jake Muller, focused on in-front-of-the-camera chase sequences. Therefore, players don’t focus on a particular character, become confused, and inevitably prefer a particular campaign. Chances are most players will prefer Leon’s section, though for the tone, and not for the controls.

Controls are the second issues. Unlike in Resident Evil 4 where players juggle shooting and moving, Resident Evil 6 allows players to dodge, roll, vault, and shoot and run together. In theory that’s great because players are versatile when tackling situations. The reality is the preliferation of quick time events means characters stumble, run into objects, and the camera flails around to lose focus on action. It contrasts Resident Evil 4 where the camera was very closely focused behind-the-shoulder.

Third, quicktime events dominate the game. The demo shows this: from searching for keys in a car by using the left analog stick, to pressing right trigger (Xbox 360 version) to stomp enemies, to press X to open a door, small actions are automated and take an unusually long period of time. Walking through a door should be as easy as pushing the door. Quicktime events are cool when used sparingly, like when searching for a key in an abandoned car while zombies approach. Combine that with long cutscenes, and the actual playing the game moves away.