'Resident Evil 6' Confirmed for 2012; New Trailer Released

As expected, it has been officially confirmed by Capcom that Resident Evil 6 is in development and is targeting a release date of November 20, 2012. While it might come as a shock to some that this year would be overloaded with so much Resident Evil content, including another feature film, this is really the game fans have been looking forward to for a lot of reasons.

Being a true numbered Resident Evil sequel, this sixth entry will pick up some ten years after the incident in Raccoon City and star both Leon Kennedy and Chris Redfield (the key protagonists from Resident Evil 4 and 5 respectively) as they work to stop two different bioterrorist attacks.

Also joining the fold are several new characters who Capcom say will offer a “unique perspective and involvement.” That definitely means co-op from Resident Evil 5 is returning, but unfortunately there is no confirmation as to who will be joining the fray (although we have heard Ada Wong is returning)

Story-wise Resident Evil 6, as mentioned before, will see Leon and Chris working through their own distinct storylines that will hopefully intertwine for a big finish. Leon, who is residing somewhere in the States, is forced to deal with a bioterrorist attack on the President, who has now become infected, and must face a difficult decision. Chris, on the other hand, is still travelling the globe, and headed China to stop a bioterrorist threat there.

Check out the awesome trailer below:

While it hasn’t been outright confirmed, it appears that Resident Evil 6 is giving fans the best of both worlds, with the Las Plagas and T-Virus making appearances in the storylines. Not only does the production value seem of the highest order, but also the new movement options for characters should hopefully alleviate many of the problems fans had with the over-the-shoulder gameplay.

Capcom also announced that there would be pre-order bonuses for Amazon, GameStop, and the Capcom Store, with each retailer getting a unique map that is playable in several of the game’s modes. Does this mean competitive multiplayer is in the cards?

As the self-touted most ambitious Resident Evil game yet, Resident Evil 6 definitely seems like it has a lot going on in terms of story and character. It gives fans the Leon Kennedy protagonist they were hoping for, and gives Redfield a pseudo-redemption by pulling him out of the Resident Evil 5 milieu. Now if only they could fine-tune the mechanics a little more, something Capcom has shown is possible with Revelations, this could be a smash hit.

What do you think of the first Resident Evil 6 trailer? What would you like to see in this iteration that has never before been featured?

Resident Evil 6 is slated for a November 20, 2012 release on the PS3 and Xbox 360, with a PC release to follow.