Resident Evil 6 Limited Edition Strategy Guide Strategy Guides and Books

Resident Evil 6 Limited Edition Strategy Guide Product Details

Released on 02-Oct-2012

• Resident Evil creator unveils The Evil Within

  Shinji Mikami is best known as the creative force behind the Resident Evil series, but his most recent outing was the slick sci-fi shooter Vanquish. Now he's returning to survival horror with new title The Evil Within, publisher Bethesda has revealed. The game, previously known by the codename Project Zwei, will be the first from Mikami's new studio, Tango Gameworks.

  Little is known about the gameplay, but a teaser trailer promises something warped and bloody. It opens to the comforting strains of Bach's Air on a G String, before a hand bursts through the window of what looks like a padded cell. Cue the grisly stuff, as we see a mysterious man twisting barbed wire with grungy tools followed by someone with broken glass protruding from their skin, a hulking butcher-like figure wielding a meat hammer, burning flowers and a creature with multiple limbs emerging from a puddle of blood. Iconic scenes and images from western horror hits such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Hellraiser are heavily referenced.

  "We're incredibly proud to announce The Evil Within. My team and I are committed to creating an exciting new franchise, providing fans the perfect blend of horror and action," said Mikami, ever the master of understatement.

  Expect to find out more about this juicy looking game in the next week. The Evil Within is currently slated for release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC and next generation consoles in 2014.

  Published: 19/04/2013

• Time magazine picks the 100 best games ever

  Respected American journal, Time, has ventured into digital waters to list what it considers to be the top hundred video games ever made. The result is a suitably eclectic mix, presented in chronological order stretching from the 1970s all the way up to the 2010s.

  All the retro arcade classics you'd expect are in there - Space Invaders, Frogger, Pac-Man and more - while Nintendo's core franchises dominate the 1980s as consoles made their way into US homes. Mario and Zelda are among the only games to appear in more than one guise. The original Super Mario Bros and Mario 64 both make the grade, as does the original Metroid and its 2002 first-person sequel Metroid Prime.

  Resident Evil and Tomb Raider join the list in the 1990s, and are still going strong today. Resident Evil 6 launched recently, while Lara Croft is being relaunched in 2013.

  More recognisable names also pop up as the list draws closer to 2012. Bioshock, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Guitar Hero, Wii Sports, Portal, Gears of War and The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion are all held up as examples of classic modern gaming.

  Just two games from the last few years have been deemed worthy of a place. Mass Effect 3 and Batman: Arkham City are the lucky pair. Notable by their absence are current big hitters such as Assassin's Creed, Borderlands and Uncharted.

  Is Time placing too much importance on the past? Would you pick any of these for your top 100?

  Published: 16/11/2012

• Resident Evil 6 producer on finding the balance between action and horror

  When the Resident Evil series started back in 1996, it was a slow-paced horror game where every bullet had to be counted and gruesome death waited around every corner. With Resident Evil 6, publisher Capcom has set out to balance the scary stuff that long-time fans expect with the sort of fast action that modern players prefer.

  "We're making games and we need to have mass-market appeal in order to survive," producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi told 1UP. "How far do we go into horror before we lose the support of the average player? How far are we going to lessen the horror elements at the risk of losing core fans, including Resident Evil fans?"

  "For instance, if you have multiple scary stages, just one right after another, and you give that to a Resident Evil fan, they'll be happy with it at first. But they'll get accustomed to it after a while. It won't be scary for them anymore. I think they would lose interest at that point."

  "It's the same with casual players. They play this and it's just too scary and they don't want to keep going. It's too much. It overwhelms them. In order to make and experience something that these two groups find enjoyable, you have to take a step back from that."

  Resident Evil 6 is out now for Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 3. It includes four epic campaigns, all playable co-operatively online, ranging from grisly zombie horror to guns-blazing action and even sneaky stealth sections.

  Published: 03/10/2012

• Resident Evil 6 - Review

  
  

  

  Bang For Your Buck

  Resident Evil 6 features elements of what began as a horror series but its focus is definitely geared towards a cinematic-style shooter. Utilising the semi-free camera system and third-person over the shoulder perspective that reinvented the action genre with Resident Evil 4, it's a highly generous offering featuring tens of hours of zombie fire-fights interspersed with high-octane action sequences inspired by the likes of the Call of Duty and Uncharted games.

  The title boasts four individual campaigns lasting around seven hours apiece. Set around an overarching plot in which global bioterrorist attacks have turned those infected with a virus into gruesome monsters, each features different characters, unique enemies and settings, plus somewhat distinct atmospheres.

  The storylines begin in different locations around the globe, intertwining in various ways before leading to the game's geographical focal point of China. Three of them, starring returning series protagonists Leon Kennedy and Chris Redfield, as well as new boy Jake Muller, are playable cooperatively with a friend, while the fourth, featuring another established character, Ada Wong, is single-player only and is unlocked after completing the others.

  

  While the style of each campaign varies, there isn't a survival horror one per se. The game will largely be remembered for shootouts and big action set pieces as opposed to the series' past focus on exploration, limited resources and terrifying encounters. Leon's campaign is the creepiest, featuring generally slower zombies that are particularly dangerous up close, with the standout fights set in cramped spaces and winding corridors.

  The Chris and Jake campaigns offer more open environments and range-capable enemies, while Ada's introduces a number of inventive and challenging puzzles. There's a mixture of gameplay on the menu then, but not really of genres, rather it feels like four flavours of zombie shooter dotted with a few nervy moments and tense battles.

  Trigger Happy

  Seeing as there's so much shooting involved it's just as well that the gunplay feels and sounds lovely, although some might begin to tire of the campaign sections after 20 hours or so of play. The cover system can be a bit fiddly at times too, while a two-button dodge mechanic removes some of the challenge found in past Resi games.

  

  There are also a few too many quick time events, which see players tasked with performing actions on the controller shortly after the appearance of on-screen prompts to allow for limited interactivity during cinematic sequences. Planes and other vehicles will be piloted, collapsing/exploding structures will be escaped from, and while it's all very prettily presented, your participation is at times limited to hammering buttons or waggling sticks as quickly as possible or in sequence.

  The game's cooperative and online modes add plenty to the overall Resident Evil 6 package. Joining a friend's session is simple and the addition of a second player invigorates the combat. There's also a split screen option allowing two buddies to play on the same television.

  The fan favourite Mercenaries mode, which can also be played with a partner online, is another great feature that makes a return from previous series entries. Set across a number of maps, the goal is to accumulate a high score by killing as many enemies as possible within a limited amount of time without dying.

  With so much content on the disc, Resident Evil 6 offers value for money. It would be nice if the gameplay styles in the different campaign sections were more distinct and leaned more heavily towards the franchise's survival horror roots, but what's available is largely great fun to play, particularly with a friend. Resident Evil 6 kicks off the end of year blockbuster release season with aplomb and it's a game that's highly recommended for shooter and action fans.

  GAME's Verdict

  The Good:

  • Shooting feels and sounds lovely.
  • A ton of content offers value for money.
  • Strong co-op and online features.

  The Bad:

  • Not as scary as older series entries.
  • Action elements are spectacular but largely unoriginal.
  • Campaign can get a bit repetitive after 20 hours.

  Published: 02/10/2012

• Bring On The Bad Guys!

  
  

  

  This week sees the release of Prototype 2, where the Alex Mercer, hero from the first game seems to have become the new bad guy to beat. So, in celebration of all things vile and villainous, the digital team has once again been gently prodded to share with you our favourite evil-doers. These are the people, who, in the style of Bugsy Malone, are "the very best at being bad"

  
  

  

  Glenn - Mad Mod

  Diablo is the Lord of Terror and a Prime Evil of Hell. That's a job title that alone warrants a spot on our best bad guys list.

  He manipulates his opponents using their innermost fears and then obliterates them with his Demonic strength and incredibly powerful Spells. The strongest Demon in Hell, named after the Devil himself, and seemingly indestructible (Read - he's been destroyed a number of times, even with the Arch Angels helping and he's still keeps ticking, like a malevolent Duracell bunny), devious and able to possess his enemies, Diablo is the Ultimate Bad Guy. And he's back in Diablo 3!
  

  

  Marc - Analyst to the Stars

  The little girl from F.E.A.R. - Alma Wade.

  She was scary. Honest. Like the girl from the Ring (Japanese version, obviously). The first corridor experience with her and the ceiling of blood is one of the scariest scenes ever in a game.

  The Music and Sound was eerie too. It was just all far too scary and Alma was the cause of it all.

  Carl - Design Doodler

  Shao Kahn from Mortal Kombat. Because he's massive and I can't kill him!

  

  Ali - Queen of the Internet

  My favourite video game villain is Revolver Ocelot. He started life in Metal Gear Solid as a random gunslinger who you could kill if you (as Solid Snake) waited for him to need to reload his revolver - he really should have named himself something with more than 6 bullets!

  After cutting off his arm you assume that's the end of him, but he's more maniacal than you realise as he replaces his arm with that of your dead clone brother Liquid Snake. In a strange twist of surgery his arm takes over his mind so you have to beat him again in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Finally the epic family feud of a lifetime is over, but with Metal Gear nothing ever seems to stay dead. Roll on Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance!

  James - Captain Category

  G-Man from Half-Life - not really a villain but still very creepy

  

  Nick - Colonel Category

  Wesker from Resident Evil.
  
  How many times did he die escape get retconned? Nigh on unkillable (until the muddle that was Resident Evil 5), the variety of his super powers (whatever the situation demanded, basically) and his smartass one-liners made him the man (ish?) well all loved to hate.

  Plus, sunglasses in those dark places, yes, THAT's how hard he was!

  Louis - Merchandising Meddler

  Wesker be top of my favourite picks, too. From his humble beginnings in a dual life as a scientist/Umbrella genius/STARS Leader, he goes about sacrificing his entire team in the name of science... and obtaining reliable combat data.

  After he is foiled by Chris and Jill, Wesker fakes his own death, escapes, and, not content with the destruction of Raccoon City, tries to continue his research away from the tenacious and meddling Redfield...

  But, Wesker is a bad guy and is therefore doomed to fail. After failing twice, mutating his body beyond belief and moving to Africa, he becomes nothing short of annoying and impossible to kill. The only way he is stopped is by being tackled by Chris and Eva and hundreds of bullets later, is engulfed in a pool of lava.

  Truly special, I'll always remember him for his rubbish sunglasses (worn at all times) and even worse Matrix-esque coat (RE 5). It was also really weird the way his accent changed too. He went from camp American to indignant English... I guess that cemented the transformation from mildly devious to completely evil!

  My second pick would be The Shredder (many Turtles games, but in particular, the 1989 TMNT Arcade Game). Not content with burning down April's apartment building, he kidnaps her too - forcing the Turtles into action and on a mission to end all missions. To a degree, menacing, but generally just annoying and incessant ; )

  Finally, I'd say my third pick would be Dr. Robotnik from Sonic. Generally, he's also just annoying, but also very devious and innovative. From trying to run Sonic down with a drill machine, to smashing Sonic with a giant wrecking ball, to trying to drown Sonic, to pitting Sonic against Metal Sonic in a race to save Amy Rose. Robotnik never gives up... You gotta love a good villain!

  

  Robyn - In-Yer-Face Interfacer

  Baron von Blubba. You know, the whale in Bubble Bobble! When time runs out it goes ape and super fast... Waaaaaah!!!! (o_o)

  Damien - Good Word Writing Man

  Does 'Dragonforce - Through the Fire and Flames' from Guitar Hero: World Tour count? Talk about an unbeatable enemy... No? Well then there's always the Joker in Arkham Asylum and City - played with delicious glee by Mark Hamill. He won an award for it and everything.

  Published: 22/04/2012

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