Capcom has recently revealed the trailer for Resident Evil 6 – the latest installment in the Resident Evil series to be announced – and so far, it looks promising. However, promises won’t mean anything if Capcom leaves concerns from the last game unanswered.

The trailer shows footage of Leon Kennedy, star of RE4, fighting his way through what looks like a modern day Raccoon City in the midst of another viral outbreak. Chris Redfield, notable staple character of the series, is shown in China fighting against bioterrorists. A third unnamed character looks playable as well, though no information has been released about this man as of yet.

In a press release from Capcom on their website, regarding the story, the video game developers said the following:

A press release from Capcom states the setting of the game takes place 10 years after the Raccoon City incident. The U.S. president discloses the truth behind the current revival of bioterrorist activity. Leon S. Kennedy is at the president’s side when the location suffers a bioterrorist attack, however Leon must confront “a president transformed beyond recognition” and make a difficult decision.

Simultaneously, Chris Redfield, Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance member, arrives in Hong Kong, while the city is under the threat of an attack. “With no country safe from these attacks and the ensuing outbreaks, the entire world’s population is united by a common fear that there is no hope left,” said the release.

The trailer looks fantastic, but healthy skepticism is warranted. Unless Capcom wants to anger even more fans, as in the case with RE5, changes need to be made.

Zombies

Resident Evil 4 and 5 decided to forsake the typical slow-moving zombies in favor of a parasite that just resided in a person’s body and controlled their actions. This allowed for cooperation among enemies, resulting in tense moments, at least when it came to RE4.

With Leon acting solo, handling an angry mob of Spanish villagers was harrowing enough. Add to the mix the protection of Ashley, kidnapped daughter of the president, and the result produced some terrifying moments and definite atmosphere.

RE5 lost this charm. Enemy types were recycled, even down to the chainsaw mini-boss. There was no “horror” element whatsoever and it felt more like an action game. The game wasn’t exactly bad, but it didn’t strike anywhere near the high note that RE4 did. Rotting corpses incapable of feeling pain add to the sense of dread.

From what can be seen in the trailer, it does look that at least Leon will be facing the undead, and they are capable of running to an extent, and in some cases, even jumping. Versatile undead seems like a step up, but hopefully it’s executed properly and often.

Loose Ends/Story

There are a plethora of characters who have not received closure that they deserve in the series.

Sherry Birkin, the daughter of an Umbrella Corporation top scientist, was taken into the care of the government at the end of RE2, but has been unheard of since. Fans are speculating that the woman who appears next to the unnamed main character could be Birkin, but there are those who also believe it to be Ashley.

In addition, Ada Wong, whose motives are relatively unclear, is said to be unlocked as a character in the game. Considering that players have been wondering about her for years, it would be nice to receive some information. The story at this point is also extremely difficult to follow at times. RE5 didn’t make sense until the player read all of the hidden files, and even then it was a horrible exercise in storytelling. If Capcom doesn’t answer some questions or make the process easier to understand, the series is going to lose its appeal to some extent.

Endgame Content

RE4 had some awesome content – the Mercenaries, Assignment Ada, multiple weapons and costumes, etc. – which were unlockable after beating the game. This really added a lot of life to the game. While RE5 did have some great costumes and mercenaries, it just wasn’t as fresh. Unlockable figurines? Bore. There just wasn’t anything great. Additionally, it doesn’t help that Capcom released more content further down the road as DLC. This better not be the case for RE6. It should be a complete package with enough post-game content to keep it going.

Survival

The series has become too much of an action thriller. RE5 killed the inventory and chapter system entirely, allowing players to keep replaying levels to build up money and upgrades. It broke the game on multiple levels and removed any sense of strategy, making every situation one to pick the best gun and go shoot everything fast.

Actions need repercussions. If the game isn’t going to be atmospherically tense, at least instead of returning to roots, elements need to be added to increase tension. The series doesn’t need to be survival horror, but it needs to be something to distinguish it from every other shooter on the market. Players should have to ration their items, plan their actions and make proper moves and status should transfer from one level to the next, without the ability to essentially build up supplies.

It looks as if RE6 will be implementing a more fleshed out cover system, a notable quality of many certain shooters. RE6 can’t survive alone by making another shooter game with zombies. It will have to offer the player something other games don’t. It’s going to need to evolve and improve at the same time.

That said, considering just the trailer, it looks as if Capcom has made some great improvements to the formula. Although, the fact that it’s just a trailer needs to be taken with caution. Until gameplay footage unearths, it’s the best that can be seen so far. Capcom has about a year until the game hits stores, and that’s plenty of time to make another classic.

Tim Jones can be reached at [email protected].