Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City review (PS3)

The Resident Evil series is arguably the most acclaimed and recognisable name within the horror genre of gaming. Capcom have an unparalleled amount of pride in their long-running franchise, so it’s strange that they’d hand over the development of a Resident Evil title to another studio as opposed to producing it in-house as they usually do.

That said, it is understandable that Capcom wanted a spin-off which took a squad-based shooter approach within the RE universe, so they naturally went with SOCOM series developer Slant Six Games.

Sadly, the result is something which neither hits the mark in terms of what we’ve come to expect from a Resident Evil game, or as a solid tactical shooter.

Bit off more than it could chew

The story takes place parallel to the events of Resident Evil 2, where the T-Virus outbreak has plagued most of Raccoon City. Players now get to see the events from the ‘bad’ side, as the Umbrella Security Service is sent into the city to retrieve a new strain of the virus, and to eliminate all evidence of Umbrella’s involvement in the outbreak.

Following the USS Delta team, players take on the role of one of the members in the four-man squad. The story then doesn’t really elevate beyond the already intriguing and somewhat over-used premise of Resident Evil 2, as you deal with faceless mercenaries and vague enemies throughout the game.

Interesting bits do arise when you come across Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield (RE 2’s protagonists), but nothing else monumental happens, leaving you with just as much insight into the Resident Evil franchise as you probably already had going in.

The walking dead

The game then throws you into a three-way battle between government forces and the zombies and creatures that now fill the city. Using each of the characters’ unique skills, such as Vector’s cloaking, players have to navigate their way through Raccoon City and destroy various remainders of Umbrella’s evidence, while fighting off hordes of zombies and trying to get to the bottom of a rogue mercenary who is causing some untold problems for Delta squad.

The game actually manages to capture the feeling that a Resident Evil game should have. The herb health items, swarming zombies and crazy creatures, but there are plenty of moments where the game trips.

The biggest slip-up in Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is in its gameplay. Simply put, the controls are not conducive to the gameplay style Slant Six are trying to achieve. Movement is pretty rigid (even for a Resident Evil game) and players will often find themselves bumping into everything that can be bumped into.

The game does feature a cover mechanic, but it’s incredibly clumsy. It uses a sticky-cover system, which automatically attaches players to cover if they press against a wall. While it sounds convenient, the system often makes players suddenly stick to walls or ledges when they’re trying to avoid being overrun by zombies, or pop out of cover and into enemy fire when trying to slide along the wall. There are just too many occasions when the cover system falters and causes unnecessary frustrations; not to mention that you can’t vault over cover.

Another problem also exists within the movement, as there is no evade manoeuvre, and given the nature of the game where most bosses and enemies use swinging melee attacks, it should’ve been compulsory.

Barring the terrible movement, the ingredients that do make squad-based shooters great are dynamic AI and solid shooting mechanics, – sadly, Operation Raccoon City has neither.

The shooting and aiming feels off and inaccurate, leaving players spraying bullets and hoping for the best as opposed to executing well-placed head shots. There is a nice variety of weapons, but they all end up feeling rather similar given that the aiming isn’t precise enough.

The AI is incredibly foolish, as they’ll end up standing in front of doorways, running through traps and mines prematurely and getting caught on the environment more often than not. It’s incredibly unfortunate given the exciting concept of a squad-based RE shooter, but the team-work element is seriously lacking due to the robotic AI.

Fleshed-out, but bloody

Visually, Operation Raccoon City looks pretty impressive. The models and environments are well detailed and everything has a spooky atmosphere to it. The game could do with a little bit of sharpening up on some objects and elements, but overall the graphics are one of the better pieces of the game.

If you’re going to endure it, might as well be with friends

The game does manage to redeem itself somewhat by having a relatively fun multiplayer component.

Heroes mode lets players play free-for-all matches with all the familiar faces of the series, such as Leon, Claire, Jill Valentine and Ada Wong to name a few. With zombies thrown into the mix, it makes for an exciting dynamic as players have to try take out opponents while watching their backs for a flesh-eating hug-buddy.

The other main online feature is Nemesis mode. As the name suggests, players fight for a Nemesis on stand-by; the first one to activate Nemesis can use the hulking mini-gun wielding mutant as an advantage in the match.

Infected from within

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is a pure case of lost potential. The concept and fiction to work with is all there, but the execution was just poor. The story isn’t really coherent to anyone unfamiliar with the background of the series, and the controls and design choices hamper the experience a little too much to be enjoyed; and while the multiplayer acts as a fun distraction, it doesn’t pull the game out of the hole it digs during the single-player moments.