The Eternal Record

So, even though I vowed to finish Neptunia first, my cousin insisted I play Resident Evil 6 co-op with him, and last week we finished the last campaign. And, I gotta say...I can easily see why this game was so divisive. While some stuff in terms of gameplay and atmosphere certainly have improved over RE5, the other changes...not so much.

In any case, I'll give my overall impression and opinion of each campaign, since each one plays very different from the others. Then I'll get to the general stuff.

BEWARE OF SPOILERS!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!! ALSO, THIS IS GONNA BE LONG.

Leon's Campaign

This one, in my opinion, was the best scenario in terms of atmosphere. Despite playing co-op in broad daylight, there were some moments I felt truly scared, especially in the Tall Oaks section of the story. The lightning, the music, the fact it took place in a graveyard and catacomb in the middle of a zombie apocalypse...The updated zombies also work very well with the new gameplay; they were incredibly fun to fight against.

However...there wasn't much in the way of plot. Sure, capture Simmons, another outbreak, SATURATION, etc. But, nothing really develops out of it. Leon and Helena don't get much development either, save for a couple of chapters. Despite some shortcomings, all in all, this campaign left an overall good impression on me. I was wondering what the fuzz the criticism was about, until...

Chris' Campaign

My. God. I though I was playing RE6, not frickin' Call of Duty. This scenario is the epitome of the over-actionization of the franchise. Everything wrong with the gameplay in the last two games combined in this scenario. From over-emphasis on action, overuse of quick-time events (I'll get to that later), very annoying enemies, and a stupidly horrible final boss...Ugh.

And it's a shame, because plot-wise, Chris' scenario is one of the best in the game. It takes an issue addressed in the previous game (Chris' problems when his partner/teammates die, and his desire for revenge) and expands on it. In fact, Chris gets the most development out of all the characters in this game. Piers is also a very likeable character, and has some good chemistry and development with Chris. Hell, I actually felt sad for the guy during the ending. Kudos to Roger Craig Smith for his role here.

However, as I mentioned, the gameplay. Bullets flying everywhere, mutant J'avos up the ass, tedious amounts of QTEs, and the final boss? A long string of QTEs combined with running away while the camera constantly shifts around. Oh, and you die if you're too slow. The actual fight with the damn thing is not much better. And don't get me started on the Jeep section from chapter 3...

Sherry's Campaign

If Leon was RE2, Chris was CoD, then Sherry was RE3. I'll be honest, Sherry's campaign starts a bit slow, if only because the first chapter is Chris' chapter 2 redux, and the second is not much better early.

However, starting with the Unstanak's appearance in the mines, the scenario starts getting better. Sure, the stealth sections were a bit difficult, but they gave that sense of terror as in Leon's scenario. One mistake, and it's game over. Sure, different type of fear, but fear nonetheless. Things get better from there. Hell, the bike section in chapter 4 was lots more fun to play than Chris' Jeep shit. And the final battle with the Unstanak...pure awesome, especially for my cousin who was playing as Jake.

Story-wise, while Sherry and Jake don't take much part in the main plot (being the target of both bad guys for most of it), the interactions between the two are so much fun. They have the best dynamic in the game, plus Troy Baker as Jake is just pure win. Sure, some scenes are a bit cheesy or over the top (hello, chopper), but, hey, this is Resident Evil. In my opinion, this was the best scenario of the game.

Ada's Campaign

What can you say about Ada's campaign...well, it's got a mostly developed story, since it ties all the other stories together. Not only that, but Ada is also fun to play as. Gameplay-wise...well, she's a mixed bag. Her scenario combines elements from the previous chapters, so it's to be expected. So, I didn't get to enjoy too much of the zombies, but I also didn't have to deal with Call of Duty: Biohazard. Her scenario is...as they say, average. It does get bonus points for the Carla fight. It felt like something straight out of Silent Hill.

Well, that's it for the scenarios. If I had to rate them, gameplay-wise it would go Leon>Sherry>Ada>Chris, and story-wise, it goes Sherry>Chris>Ada>Leon. So, Leon and Sherry's scenarios are the best, and Ada consistently stays in third. Sorry Chris, blame CoD.

The game still has lots of issues of its own. The skill system is incredibly flawed: Why give me so many options (many of which are situational at best) when I only get pitiful amounts of Skill Points to buy them? Or, for that matter, when I can only equip 3 at a time per chapter? Ugh...I miss the upgrade system. The aiming issue was tolerable, but, the QTEs...every damn thing in the game involved a QTE. Escape the explosion! QTE. Avoid the monster! QTE. Attack the monster! QTE! Open the door! Q. T. E. All. The damn. Time. And the bonus features? No costumes in campaign, no extra weapons, no infinite rocket launcher. I feel like I unlocked nothing!

Oh wait, the Mercenaries. Ya know, in RE5, to score an A in co-op you needed 80,000 points. The same score here grants you...a D. What. The fuck.

Overall, the game's not bad. But, it had so much potential, especially with the improved gameplay, that I find it sad how much of it is wasted for CoD action sequences and QTEs. Leon's scenario proves this type of gameplay can work well while maintaining the survival horror feel. In any case, not a bad game, but I'll stick with RE5. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to bomb some Lickers into oblivion.