Operation Raccoon City is a new type of Resident Evil. Slant Six Games introduces players to a squad based third-person shooter. It is fast paced, focusing on intense action and mayhem as the core experience. The result is a brand new style of gameplay that breaks the conventions of the traditional Resident Evil series.

Story

Umbrella Security Service (USS) Delta team enters the Raccoon City Underground Laboratory, where they meet up with Alpha team leader HUNK. Their mission is to assist Alpha team in stopping Dr. Birkin from handing over his T-Virus research to the U.S. military and retrieve the G-virus. On their way to Birkin’s lab, they find Birkin has paid numerous Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service (UBCS) mercenaries to work for him while the deal goes forward.

When they reach Birkin’s lab, the doctor is shot, and HUNK and another Alpha leave with the samples. They soon find that Birkin survived the attack and infected himself with the virus. The Birkin creature proceeds to kill off most of Alpha team before disappearing; HUNK offers to go back in search of the sample. Not long after the battle, it becomes evident that the T-virus has leaked city-wide, and people are beginning to transform into flesh-hungry zombies. In what they see as a punishment by USS command, Delta team is ordered to remove evidence of Umbrella’s role in the outbreak.

Gamers can expect the return of many original Resident Evil enemies, iconic landmarks, and fan favorite characters during the campaign including Leon S. Kennedy who, as a rookie police officer in Raccoon City, is on your hit list to eliminate.  A surprising twist for fans.

Atmosphere

The unique setting of the Resident Evil universe not only provides a rich backdrop to the action but delivers a unique and thrilling triple threat battle. Players not only compete against an opposing squad but also tackle a third unpredictable element, zombies and Bio-Organic Weapons. With capable PC’s, the game really shines and brings out the dark and hellish environment that is Raccoon City. Lighting, shadows and realistic fire effects help draw you in while the higher resolution helps make each character and your surroundings that much more believable.

Characters

There are twelve playable characters in the game, with six characters for each side. On the Umbrella Security Service team there is: Vector, the team’s recon expert and is equipped with a cloaking ability; Beltway, who is proficient in the use of explosives; Bertha, the medic; Spectre, the marksman; Four Eyes, the scientist, with the ability to program the bio-organic weapons (BOWs); and Lupo, who is the team leader. On the United States Special Ops team there is: Willow is the recon expert; Dee-Ay is the team leader; Tweed is the demolitions expert; Harley is the medic; Shona is the field scientist; and Party Girl is the sniper.

Gameplay

As discussed earlier, Operation Raccoon City was focused in the action and shooter genre, much like Resident Evil 4 and 5, but with a new team based approach. There are also some nice new touches such as blood splattering on the screen temporarily during an attack. If players are shot repeatedly in a short time frame, their blood will attract zombies and B.O.W.s until the bleeding stops.

If allowed close enough, zombies will grapple players trying to bite them, the player will have one chance to get free (I.E moving the Joystick left and right rapidly). If completed, they will shove the zombie off, if not, the zombie will overpower the player and bite them. This will infect the player but can be reversed if the appropriate spray is equipped and used.

Infected teammates will slowly lose health and must be cured with an Anti-Viral Spray, however the players can keep the infection at a stop by constantly healing with Herbs or First Aid Spray. The infected players, who have turned into zombies, will have no control over their character and will attack their teammates. The zombie player must be killed before another teammate can revive them. Expect a healthy variety of enemy types in the game besides zombies.  This list includes Lickers, Hunters,Cerberuses and the return of Nemesis and Tyrant.

Multiplayer

The game features four competitive multiplayer modes: Team Attack, Survivor, Heroes, and Biohazard. Regular and special infected populate all multiplayer maps and can attack and infect players. Infected players may become zombies and attack their teammates. Players earn experience points throughout each match for player and infected kills and victories. These points can be spent to unlock or upgrade class abilities and passive powers. These powers can be upgraded a maximize of three times. Players may also unlock weapons. However, during matches, players can pick up the dropped weapons of other players, even if they have not unlocked said weapon.

• Team Attack mode resembles traditional team deathmatch in that two teams representing Spec Ops and U.S.S. compete for kills in a timed match. Team Attack also uses a point based system in which monster kills and enemy player kills earn a set amount of points, witch a larger point distribution for the latter.

• Survivor mode is a unique game mode in which two teams battle for seats on the last helicopter out of an infected zone. Killing opponents lengthens their respawn time, giving players a better opportunity to safely board the helicopter when it arrives. While players work in teams, individuals only win if they successfully board one of four seats on the helicopter.

• Heroes mode includes several classic characters separated into two teams:  These characters have unique ability sets and are much harder to kill than the game’s normal set of characters. If a hero dies, the player respawns as a normal character. Players win when they eliminate all the heroes on the opposing team.

• Biohzard mode is a capture-the-flag variant in which two teams compete to retrieve a glowing purple vial and return it to their base. Vials spawn in one of several central locations. Players win when their team returns five vials.

Key features

• Team based shooter set in the dark and sinister Resident Evil universe
• Triple threat battle as zombies and B.O.W’s add to the action
• Return of favorite RE enemies, including Hunters, Tyrants and the Nemesis
• Risk infection from the hordes of zombies, zombie dogs and lickers. Fight to survive with anti-viral sprays, your character’s special skills or help from field scientist Bertha before your character’s condition worsens, turning you into a violent zombie who will attack your own team members
• Compete with up to three friends as an Umbrella Security Service squad member in Campaign mode
• Choose from six U.S.S characters, each with their own unique skill set and roles.
• Features iconic landmarks and RE classic characters, such as Leon S. Kennedy and Hunk.
• Rewrite the history of the Raccoon City outbreak. Destroy all evidence of Umbrella’s involvement at the City Hall and discover UBCS operative Nicholai Ginovaef’s true intentions.  Explore Raccoon City, collecting evidence and intel to report back to Umbrella command.

Final Thoughts

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City has a lot going for it. It features explosive action, classic characters and enemies while allowing friends to team up in the fight against zombie hordes. The PC version also boasts some pretty impressive visuals, which help add to the overall experience. The controls are stable but could use some fine tuning and the AI could have used more polish. The audio for many of the game’s weapons seem to be a bit spotty as well. Outside these minor flaws, fans of action based shooters who also enjoy the RE series shouldn’t let some of the harsher reviews scare them off. Operation Raccoon City offers a fun and challenging team based shooter that many will find quite enjoyable. Don’t miss the opportunity to explore Raccoon City from this unique perspective.

Review Rating: 7.5/10

System Requirements:

Minimum:
OS: Windows Vista(R)/XP, Windows 7
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo 2.4 Ghz or better, AMD Athlon(TM) X2 2.8 Ghz or better
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 8 GB free hard drive space
Video Card: NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) 8800GTS or better, ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3850 or better
DirectX®: 9.0c or greater
Sound: Standard audio device
Other Requirements: Online play requires software installation of and log-in to Games For Windows – LIVE

Recommended:
OS: Windows Vista(R)/XP, Windows 7
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad 2.7 Ghz or better, AMD Phenom(TM)II X4 3 Ghz or better
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 8 GB free hard drive space
Video Card: NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) GTX 560 or better