It started as a rumor, which lead to a leak, which lead to a reveal and eventually a trailer. This is how gaming news often breaks and for Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, the story is no different.

Less than a weak ago, details for the next Resident Evil franchise installment hit the web, explaining the next iteration's co-op multiplayer features and hinting at a story which would take players into the franchise's past and let them alter the history of the series. Capcom made the game official two days ago and today they released the first ever Operation Raccoon City trailer.

This first trailer acts as a teaser for the game and doesn't really show much of anything in terms of what it will look like playing the game, but it does present a certain franchise character towards the end. There are zombies, helicopters, more zombies, bullet fire and some zombies getting smashed.

Watch and enjoy:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDe_-KlZpBA

Resident Evil 5 is one of my favorite and most replayed games of the current console generation. What made it such a long-lasting and enjoyable gaming experience were its co-op features and RPG elements which allowed you to collect and upgrade weapons, and use them to unlock additional special weapons, costumes, etc. It was a beautiful looking game that provided incentive to continue playing.

As a co-op fan, I'm immediately sold on a 4-player action-oriented Resident Evil. And by Slant Six Games and Capcom launching Operation Raccoon City as a spin-off/prequel of sorts, it opens the door to still create a Resident Evil 6 that will appeal to the built-in fanbase who prefer the slower-paced survival/horror element of the series.

While I'm intrigued by the concept behind Operation Raccoon City, I am not at all excited by this trailer. A teaser needs to tease me to want more, but the in-game footage depicted here was unimpressive, featuring surprisingly dated graphics. The only positive was seeing Leon at the end but even that doesn't stand out as special.

Is the whole game the same dark aesthetic? How much will this differ from the Left 4 Dead titles? I'd rather have not seen this teaser and let the details released so far keep me interested until actual gameplay and/or a better trailer could be shown. We'll wait until we see more, but for now check out the latest Operation Raccoon City details.

Am I being too harsh on our first look at the game?

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City will be released this winter for the  PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

-

Follow me on Twitter @rob_keyes

Follow Game Rant on Twitter @gamerant.