Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City

[Pikminister]

We, Kemosabe?

Me and my 12 other user names. The ones I pull out whenever someone here makes a poll (btw, when was the last time that happened?)

[Stars_g36]

I thought revelations was awesome. pffft.

[Pikminister]

I thought revelations was awesome. pffft.

Oh... you though we were talking about the game itself? No. The infamous TYPO.



That lil' fuck up. That some consider a collector's item nao.... maybe ORC will become one too.

[Smiley]

While I haven't played the game, I have watched videos of all the stages and I have to say that this is my biggest beef with it. The environments are linear and bland, but most of all, they don't look or feel anything like Raccoon City. I can understand Slant Six not recreating most of the streets and alleys from RE3 since that particular version of the city didn't have a very American design, but what about Outbreak? The city looked perfect in those games, and still retained the RE2/RE3 atmosphere. The only thing in this game that even remotely resembles the canon locations is the RPD, and aside from the front hall they pretty much screwed it up, too.

I understand re-working some of the existing locations to make them more TPS-friendly, but they didn't even bother to do that. Instead, they decided to create their own bland and boring versions of this series' most famous location. You'd think for a game that has the main location actually in the title, they'd try to make the city interesting. It really is Raccoon City in name only.

The problem here is your expectations that this is still a "survival horror" type game which Outbreak tried to be. Survival horror online. You know better than most that RE2 and RE3 couldn't use the same layout for the type of game this is meant to be. However, the same should be said for Outbreak as well. The locations here weren't re-using most aspects of a PS2 game unlike Umbrella Chronicles, and instead opted to recreate levels that have some similarity, but function more appropriately as maps for action combat.

You don't fault a game like the Resident Evil remake for redesigning the mansion, so no one should have any issues with the idea of redesigning Raccoon City. If you don't like the redesign that's fine, but if you were thinking that the solution would be to rip the design from a different type of game just because you like the way that setting was designed.... Sorry, it doesn't work that way. And if they did, people would just complain that they were being lazy.

As far as the locations we have, here's how it goes. In campaign the game is linear to the point where you have a marker to indicate where your squad need to reach during each section. Not uncommon.

Now versus wise the maps are quite large and range very well for as up to eight players to adventure through.

[Mr. Spencer]

What are you going to do with all those copies you bought, Smiley?

[Wrathborne]

Sell them on Ebay at half price and make bank...awww yeeeah.

[Beanovsky Durst]

What are you going to do with all those copies you bought, Smiley?

If we look at Smiley's location:

Living in a fort made from all the copies of Operation: Raccoon City that I purchased.

A promising future! LOL.

[Wrathborne]

You can build an extra level on that fort!

[Smiley]

It's going to be fine in sales. Sure the reviews are bad. But those that have the game will spread word of mouth, and in no time I'll get some of those copies out there.

[Det. Beauregard]

The problem here is your expectations that this is still a "survival horror" type game which Outbreak tried to be. Survival horror online. You know better than most that RE2 and RE3 couldn't use the same layout for the type of game this is meant to be. However, the same should be said for Outbreak as well. The locations here weren't re-using most aspects of a PS2 game unlike Umbrella Chronicles, and instead opted to recreate levels that have some similarity, but function more appropriately as maps for action combat.

You don't fault a game like the Resident Evil remake for redesigning the mansion, so no one should have any issues with the idea of redesigning Raccoon City. If you don't like the redesign that's fine, but if you were thinking that the solution would be to rip the design from a different type of game just because you like the way that setting was designed.... Sorry, it doesn't work that way. And if they did, people would just complain that they were being lazy.

I understand taking creative liberties with some of the building interiors to make them more shooter-friendly. But the city itself and the exterior areas around the buildings? No. They had plenty to work with in the older games, and could have made small changes here or there that would have been no big deal, but they butchered it. Like I said, the front plaza and main hall of the RPD are the only things in this game that resemble their actual versions. The reviews out there that say this game has bland and lifeless environments are right, and the reason they're so dull is because they don't resemble the Raccoon that fans of the series are familiar with.

If anything, not recreating the city we're familiar with is lazy.

[Wrathborne]

More I watch the game the more I realize its pretty much a 6.5-7.0 game. Not as bad as reviewed, but really sloppy, really bad AI and definitely needed more beta testing.

[[STARS]TyranT]

Now it's out there's even a less of a need to defend it folks. Come on, it's functional at best but i'd say gaming wise Resi has seldom had a darker hour than this.

And I didn't go in expecting a survival horror experience, and that ultimately has nothing to do with the environments at all. There is simply no excuse for retelling sequences or effectively re setting the games in more 'third person friendly' areas. If you can't work around what's already established, you stay the hell away.

[Smiley]

I understand taking creative liberties with some of the building interiors to make them more shooter-friendly. But the city itself and the exterior areas around the buildings? No. They had plenty to work with in the older games, and could have made small changes here or there that would have been no big deal, but they butchered it. Like I said, the front plaza and main hall of the RPD are the only things in this game that resemble their actual versions. The reviews out there that say this game has bland and lifeless environments are right, and the reason they're so dull is because they don't resemble the Raccoon that fans of the series are familiar with.

If anything, not recreating the city we're familiar with is lazy.

Recreating the city with a fresh new overview isn't lazy either way. You may not like it, but it's definitely preferred over a copy/paste rehash that would account for being legitimately effortless (or sloppy if forced to have it work with a game play format that just wouldn't fit). The exterior areas around the buildings wouldn't have worked for the war zone approach this game is going for. Another Outbreak could benefit from using the blue prints of the RC design from the previous Outbreak games. Not a game like this. Just the way it is.

Now it's out there's even a less of a need to defend it folks. Come on, it's functional at best but i'd say gaming wise Resi has seldom had a darker hour than this.

And I didn't go in expecting a survival horror experience, and that ultimately has nothing to do with the environments at all. There is simply no excuse for retelling sequences or effectively re setting the games in more 'third person friendly' areas. If you can't work around what's already established, you stay the hell away.

Not much to defend. You either like the spin off or you don't. Not the first RE game I've seen with some bugs nor is it the first action oriented RE game I've come across.

Most people know what the game play is about, and the best way to play is with friends. You didn't go in with a survival horror experience in mind as you say, but it's clear you aren't sold on the idea of a retelling using this game play format. They don't have to "play by the rules" for what you say is already established. The game is not part of the main series and a spin off. They can do what they like.

[Darkmoon]

Recreating the city with a fresh new overview isn't lazy either way. You may not like it, but it's definitely preferred over a copy/paste rehash that would account for being legitimately effortless (or sloppy if forced to have it work with a game play format that just wouldn't fit). The exterior areas around the buildings wouldn't have worked for the war zone approach this game is going for. Another Outbreak could benefit from using the blue prints of the RC design from the previous Outbreak games. Not a game like this. Just the way it is.

This never made much sense, to my way of thinking. Between RE2 and RE3 we see...what? Five or six actual streets of the city and half a dozen back alleys? Even if my memory is utterly failing me and it's actually double that number, that's not exactly a vast section of Raccoon City.

It shouldn't be impossible, or even that difficult, to keep the city plan and simply use the RE2 and RE3 street sections as relatively low level conflict areas, if they're really that poor for run and gun gaming. Maybe move some wrecked vehicles out of the way to open up certain sections. And then the rest of the city can be more extensively run and gun, since much of it hasn't been locked in stone. The actual buildings might be more problematic, but honestly I don't even know which buildings you go into.

Frankly, this smacks more of Slant Six's 'Cannot be arsed to do the research, it's not on the wiki' situation than they absolutely had to change the street plan for gameplay reasons. There just weren't enough streets in the actual games for it to be that huge of a problem.

[Archelon]

Paging ORC Defense Force: 6.5 from Gametrailers