Capcom events have been a veritable wellspring for Resident Evil 6 news as of late. Though leaked shortly in advance, the game's reveal trailer, tentative release date, and outpouring of details were all the byproduct of a January event for the company in Tokyo.
Today, the Capcom "Captivate" event has kicked off in Rome and in addition to revealing Lost Planet 3, it's proving no less generous in its RE6 libations.
Originally, Resident Evil 6 was slated for a multiplatform release on November 20, 2012, but Capcom announced that the date has shot all the way up to October 2. A reason wasn't stated for the change, but it would be wise to get the jump on Assassin's Creed III and (allegedly) Black Ops 2. Ubisoft's Revolutionary War Era yarn releases on October 30 with the Activision/Treyarch shooter expected in toe - and both are libel to engulf the month of November.
An even bigger surprise to stem from the event, though, was the announcement that RE6's campaign will be adding the playable duo of Sherry Berkin and Albert Wesker's son, Jake Muller. According to CVG, Muller's story will start off in the fictional Eastern European county of his birth, where he and Berkin (from Resident Evil 2) will engage in close-quarters melee action throughout the game. Also, expect both to play pivotal roles in solving the new C-virus outbreak; Muller's blood contains the cure for the strain and its T, G, and t+G components, while Sherry seems capable of handling the G-virus.
We already knew that Chris Redfield (Resident Evil 5) and Leon Kennedy (RE4) were returning to RE6, and it seems that, much like their respective games, each character's branch of the campaign embodies a distinct style of gameplay from the series' past.
Chris Redfield will be paired up with Pier Nivens in the fictional African city of Lanshiang, a setting they find to be overrun by the mutated victims of the C-virus. Naturally, then, Chris and Pier will survive Lanshiang and its mutated denizens via shooting up the scene a la RE5.
Leon, meanwhile, finds himself holed up at the Tall Oaks University campus. A recent bio-terror attack has pit him against an entire student body and the President of the United States - all of whom are grossly infected. It's here where game to shifts to its classic survival horror perspective (even introducing a new dynamic camera for blending cutscenes and gameplay) as Leon wards off the massive swarm of students, and is eventually forced to execute the zombie POTUS.
The multi-styled campaign of Resident Evil 6 lends an interesting dichotomy to a series that seems content to change with the times. But does it affirm some hardcore fans' suspicions of the creators selling out? Here's how producer Eiichiro Sasaki explained things to CVG:
"Chris' campaign is an action-based thing, but we're still trying to bring horror elements to each of them in their own way. And even an action story can have elements of horror that you can't do in, say, Leon's story - that greater intensity and pressure."
Capcom may well be attempting to woo two separate audiences, but the bigger picture gleaned from the two campaigns is that both protagonists discover the widespread, terrifying effects of the C-virus. Blended with the T, G, and Las Plagas compounds, the new super-strain ensconces victims in a Chrysalid state and spits them out as a random variety of enemy types. The apex offspring of this process are the J'Avos, hybrid zombies who can simultaneously repair limbs and employ firearms. No doubt they'll present a challenge to longtime RE veterans and newcomers alike when the game makes its newly revealed October release.
For an extended look at the J'Avos, the new storyline, and the possible exploits of Ada Wong, you can watch the official RE6 trailer that came out of today's Captivate event below:
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Resident Evil 6 will now release on October 2, 2012 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. A PC version is due at a later date.
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Source: CVG