Every single one of my anticipated releases for this year have taken a distant backseat. In a different car.
Set in 2008, Resident Evil 6, a game that for all intents and purposes came right the hell out of nowhere, depicts a world caught beneath the stretching shadow of biological terrorism. Hoping to alleviate this threat, U.S. President Graham looks to out all of the insidious details behind the disaster that was Raccoon City. The President does indeed raise bio-terror awareness, but only by becoming a monstrous victim of a terrorist attack, demonstrated before the American people.
Befriending President Graham after saving his daughter, Ashley (also prominently featured in the trailer), Leon S. Kennedy is forced to hold down the homefront as he deals with the tragedy of his friend’s horrible fate. Across the globe, Chris Redfield of the B.S.A.A. continues to fight to contain a similar attack in China. Expect to take control of both of these horror icons along with a new supporting cast and the (possible) return of former allies like Ada Wong.
Capcom looks to raise the stakes thematically by introducing widespread panic on an apocalyptic scale. Even the advertising for the game strikes the right tone of despair by repeating the mantra “No hope left." The trailer shows us an all-together new direction for the series that seems to mash the old-but-modern sensibilities of Revelations with the back-to-a-wall firefights displayed in Operation Raccoon City. Those games seem to set the stage for the dramatic but welcome shift RE6 is attempting.
I won’t hold it back, I’m completely fucking excited for November 20th (though I doubt a Resi this big can make a release that close). Yeah, they definitely aren’t abandoning the hard-on for action the previous two main titles introduced. Yet I can’t deny the horror elements in this trailer (they’ve brought back zombies, man!). Objectively, I shouldn’t be this impressed with a mere announcement trailer, but the fan boy inside me is clawing out my objectivity’s eyes.
The end of 2012 might as well be humanity’s last days – the games coming out are too good not to be a sign.
UPDATED: IGN says their sources confirm the blonde girl that looks and sounds like Ashley is, of course, Sherry Birkin (last seen in RE2). I’ll eat zombie crow when I see further proof.