I admit, I’m a man
with a broad scope when it comes to genre appreciation.
Entertainment-wise, I
love a good zombie flick. Gaming-wise, shooters are my go-to choice for fun.
Combining the two
should produce great results. But not always.
There have been some
good ones – the Left 4 Dead franchise and even the old Resident Evil: Dead Aim
PlayStation 2 title come to mind.
So, I had high hopes
when I popped in Capcom’s latest zombie shooter, Resident Evil: Operation
Raccoon City, available on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. And things went
south in a hurry.
Plot-wise is where ORC
shines brightest. It’s September 1998 and you are a member of a four-person
assault team working for the Umbrella Corporation. This is the group
responsible for developing the zombie-creating T-Virus, which has turned the
citizens of Raccoon City into brain-hungry creatures. The fact you’re working
for the bad guys, blasting your way through seven co-op missions that can be
played online or offline, is an interesting concept for the RE franchise. You’re
tasked with eliminating key witnesses and evidence that tie Umbrella to the
outbreak.
You’ll visit come
iconic locations and meet up with some classic RE characters during the game,
including a young male cop who you’re tasked with killing.
Where ORC falls apart
is in telling the story and the actual gameplay itself. There’s not a huge
amount of character development. Granted, you can play as one of six different
agents who have special skills, but the storyline could have included more
character revelation and moments. I know there’s not a lot of story and
character development in Left 4 Dead, but a story-driven gaming nut can dream,
right?
And the mechanics of
playing ORC are cumbersome at best and downright frustrating at worst. Trying
to manoeuvre and shoot in some of the locations is an exercise in patience. The
aiming mechanics are awkward, as is the lack of precision targeting when
chucking grenades. As such, the game feels sloppily designed when compared to
other co-op shooters.
Offline play is also
frustrated by the poor AI of your non-player-controlled squadmates. They lack
tactics and basic intelligence. I know the bad guys are supposed to be stupid
or clumsy or arrogant, but this is beyond frustrating given the fact not
everyone wants to play online with other people.
Overall, the voice
acting is solid, led by Nika Futterman, who is best known as the voice of Asajj
Ventress on Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series. But there’s a lot more
that could have been done with the characters and the gameplay needed to be
tightened up in a big way. Great concept. Poorly executed.
The score: 2.5 stars
out of 5. Rated M.
***
Here’s a quick look at
some other sports titles currently available:
* The Walking Dead:
Episode One (360, PS3; Telltale Games): The first of a five-part series of
downloadable titles based on Robert Kirkman’s graphic novels, you play as Lee
Everett, a convict who gets a second chance at life at the end of the world.
The story and character development in this game is outstanding and the action,
while occasionally uneven, is engaging as you battle zombies and deal with
other characters and some truly emotional, almost gut-wrenching scenes. If you’re
a fan of the graphic novels, the TV series or intelligent games featuring
hordes of zombies, this is a no-brainer. Play it today.
The score: 5 stars.
Rated M.
* Resident Evil:
Revelations (Nintendo 3DS; Capcom): Set during the time between Resident Evil 4
and RE5, this story takes place on an abandoned cruise ship (remember Dead
Aim?). It’s a good shooter that makes good use of the handheld’s 3D
capabilities. It’s quite atmospheric, especially if you play in the dark with
headphones on. Handheld games have certainly come a long way and this is one of
the best genre titles you’ll find out there.
The score: 4 stars.
Rated M.
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