The return to the metropolis that started it all is coming, and it’s time to meet the characters of Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City
Resident Evil 2 is probably the most highly regarded of the Resi series (with perhaps Resident Evil 4 coming a close second). The first outing for Leon made for an adventure that was bigger, more varied and generally much better than the first outing, and it gave people the chance to romp around the infected Racoon City.
Aside from the third game, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Racoon city has been all but ignored for much of the series (ignoring the awful Outbreak games), that is, until now.
Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City is based around events of the second Resident Evil game, and sees Umbrella send a special forces unit into the ill-fated city in order to retrieve samples of the G-Virus from Resi 2 antagonist, William Birkin's lab. On the flip side, a US special forces team is also sent in, to stop Umbrella from achieving its goal. Queue team-based antics in a zombie-filled urban nightmare.
In the latest trailer for the game we get to meet and greet the cast members of both teams, each conveniently containing the exact same character types, and some admittedly cheesy dialog to boot.
There are soldiers, stealth recon units, demolition specialists, medics, and more, all sticking to the archetypes usually found in team-based and competitive shooters. This is all wrapped up in Gears of Evil-style play, with plenty of cover-based combat and the return of series favourites such as the Licker and the Tyrant.
We must admit, Operation Racoon City doesn't really deliver the kind of Resident Evil feel that we're looking for, and the full-on action gameplay may alienate the franchise's fanbase, but here's hoping it's a solid zombie-slayer when it arrives in March.
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