Capcom could lose fan base with the changes in Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
It seems that the people at Capcom are trying to breathe new life into one of the video gaming industry’s most well known series with Resident Evil Raccoon City, and it could end up costing them some of their loyal fan base.
Known primarily as THE survival-horror games, the Resident Evil franchise has sent players underground into the heart of the Umbrella Corporation’s headquarters, to the post apocalyptic zombie infested Raccoon City and more recently, to the plains of Africa
to trace the origin of the virus.
The tension created in the game not only came from the epic boss fights that ranged from giant scorpions to biologically engineered super-zombies aka Tyrants or the hordes of zombies, it came from the combat system itself.
Unable to run and shoot at the same time, the dynamic added an extra level of tension as the player stood rooted to the spot as the enemies converged.
The dynamic was still used in Resident Evil 5 but the inclusion of an AI partner, in the form of a very attractive but equally brutal Sheva Alomar, (who could be controlled by another player in split screen and online co-op modes) removed a bit of the that
tension as players felt safer knowing they had someone with them.
The changes were met with a mixed reception by the games fans who claimed the game had lost some of its terrifying charm with the addition of a partner, while others argued it added more action to a repetitive mechanic.
Now, however, it seems that Capcom are taking another big risk as they seem to change the gameplay almost completely after hiring Slant Six to develop the game. The reason some fans are concerned, while others are excited, is because Slant Six specializes
in squad based shooters and are well known for their work on the SOCOM series.
It seems they are taking Resident Evil in the same direction with Raccoon City set to be a third person squad based shooter as well and by the looks of the trailer, the trademark ‘stand in one place and shoot’ mechanic has also been done away with.
One can only wonder what prompted the change as Resident Evil 4 seemed to have perfected the formula, earning many ‘Game of the Year’ awards before Resident Evil 5 came out with plenty of tweaks. Though the co-op did make the game more accessible to certain
users and added an extra layer of role playing it reduced the tension and added more action.
The label of ‘Survival horror’ became one of ‘survival action’ and although commercially successful, was not a fan favourite even with the franchise’s first venture into the realm of online multiplayer.
Yet, as with all things change is needed to freshen things up and the squad dynamic and the chance to play as members of the Umbrella Corporation are both things that Resident Evil have not tried before.
However, the Resident Evil universe can accommodate the new dimension and it will be interesting to see how it works out in-game. Yet one thing is for certain, that for better or for worse the series seem to be heading towards a more Left4Dead-esque action
oriented type of game.
While it may not bid too well with the loyal fans of the series, it would make the game more accessible and give everyone a breath of fresh air in a series that perhaps got a bit stale.
Capcom seems confident, however, as they have already forecasted sales for the game to be in the 2.5 million units region, but only time will tell whether or not Capcom’s move to change a winning formula will pay dividends.
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