I believe that I can safely say that we were all slightly underwhelmed by
Resident Evil 5. Whereas the previous fourth edition was a grand departure for the series, mixing over-the-shoulder shooting with the same looming sense of dread as its predecessors, the fifth entry felt like a tired slog through a series of mundane action sequences, bogged down by a lack of tension and some bloody awful AI in the form of partner Sheva. It was a great deal more fun to play co-operatively, though, and this seems to be developer Capcom's tactics for the newly announced
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. RE: ORC, as it shall now be known, has is now
officially Capcom's next installment in its seminal horror franchise, after details of the project were
leaked last week. It looks to be a drastic change of pace for the series, with team-based play now appearing high on the agenda and an array of multiplayer modes also set for inclusion. Details below;
It is September 1998 and the action centers once more on the ill-fated Raccoon City and the horrific consequences of the deadly T-virus outbreak from the Umbrella facility," reads the press release. "With a cover up required, Umbrella orders an elite team into Raccoon City to destroy all evidence of the outbreak and eliminate any survivors. Hearing of this plan, the US Government dispatches its own special forces to uncover any evidence that exposes the cause of the viral infection and Umbrellas actions. Players take on the role of an Umbrella Security Services soldier (U.S.S.), competing alone or in four player co-op in a battle against all the competing forces at play in Raccoon City.
Even though this isn't a revised return to the more survival-horror aspects of PSone era Resident Evil that I have been hoping for, this still sounds like a step in the right direction for the series and one that I will happily embrace. It's SOCOM in Raccoon City - how could I possibly refuse? The game is set to be released on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in the winter of this year.