E3 2011: Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon CIty hands-on preview

We had some time to check out Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City at E3 2011. I tested the game along with three other players in a LAN co-op mission to save Raccoon City from a zombie infestation.

We started the demo with six playable characters each with their own set of unique skills and a handful of weapons. The first thing I noticed about the game is that while the textures and visuals remain somewhat similar to RE5, the gameplay mechanics have been tweaked quite a bit. The most accurate game comparison I can draw would be between Left 4 Dead series. I actually had to inquire with one of the Capcom representatives regarding which gaming mode was being demoed (as the sheer number of enemies was reminiscent of a horde/Nazi zombie mode). He assured me that I was indeed testing the campaign mode. In addition, I was able to shoot and run simultaneously.

Another detail I noticed was that the zombies were a lot easier to kill which is atypical of the Resident Evil series. As far back as I can remember, zombie battles were always slow paced and involved a somewhat tactical approach (i.e. ammo retention, strategic shooting and knowing when to run). With ORC, I felt as though I was just mowing through a crowd of zombies with strategy completely out the window. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as franchises should test new waters to keep their titles from becoming stagnant, but it did skew my impression of the title. Overall, I would say that this installment of Resident Evil is a fine balance between what we’ve seen from the past installments in the series and Left 4 Dead.

Check out a brief snippet of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City from E3 2011 and make sure to check back with Gamertell for all of your E3 news. Happy gaming.

Read [Gamertell @ E3 2011]