Resident Evil: Raccoon City

[Hero-of-Time]

First details have emerged of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, the much rumoured franchise spin-off from SOCOM developer Slant Six.

 

According to Official Xbox Magazine's imminent scoop, kindly summarised by StickSkills, it's a team based shooter set in the Resident Evil 2 era that sees up to four players cast in one of three factions.

 

As a member of the Umbrella Security Services Squad you'll have to scour Raccoon City destroying evidence, head-shotting zombies and brutally sweeping T-Virus survivors under the proverbial rug.

 

There are also two other teams to choose from, which Capcom apparently insists constitutes a "three-corner conflict". As well as the Umbrella death squad, US Special Ops are also on the scene, as are "bio-organic weapon monsters" created by Umbrella.

 

The Umbrella team is made up of four new characters: Vector, Beltway, Bertha, and Spectre, and the game will play out slightly differently depending on who you choose. Various familiar faces are due to pop up along the way, including Leon Kennedy.

 

You'll earn XP as you progress, which allows you to earn new abilities, such as Vector's cloaking skill, and weapons.

 

It sounds like it's set to be a more gun-ho Resi than we're accustomed to, with ammo management not playing such an important role. "It's not fair to give people big guns, then take all the ammo away," reads a quote from the OXM piece.

 

Apparently the game is due out on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in the Autumn.

 

Expect a shedload more information when Capcom officially takes the wraps of the game, possibly at its annual Captivate event early next month.

 

 

Sounds like a much improved version of the Outbreak series. Outstanding!

[Diageo]

Why are all the zombie games 4 player nowadays?

[Cube]

Why are all the zombie games 4 player nowadays?

 

Because they want to try and match the greatness of Left 4 Dead. And fail.

[jayseven]

Am I wrong in thinking that Left4Dead just blates stole their idea from Outbreak?

[flameboy]

ooooooohhh I never played OUtbreak but loved the idea and concept so defintely gonna keep an eye out on this.

[Dante]

more details - Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City

 

Hitting this Winter, gamers will be able to get their hands on Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Our friends over at the Official Xbox Magazine have the official cover story this month, and while we'll list a few details, you'll have to pick up their May issue to find out everything!

 

* The game takes place in 1998, a time where Resident Evil fans already know what's set to take place. The title lets you enjoy the series from a new perspective, as the men and women who are technically responsible for it all.

* Rather than continuing the zombie slaying antics of BSAA agents, you're taken back to the original outbreak "that underscored both Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis."

* The game doesn't require any crazy amounts of knowledge of the past titles or characters involved in the series. The title opens up to a "quartet of new faces". Essentially, you're playing as members of the official Umbrella Security Services squad.

* Operation Raccoon City is a team-based shooter allowing four members of the USS team to destroy all evidence of the ongoing outbreak. Along with slaying the zombies, you're looking to "kill pretty much every survivor possible".

* The gameplay is described as "dirty", and the series will feel much darker than it has up to this point.

* The game features three factions that Capcom has stated make up a "three-corner conflict". The other two factions are the US Spec Ops, who are there to repel the USS, and the "bio-organic weapon monsters (BOWs) created by Umbrella.

* The USS team is made up of the following characters: Vector, Beltway, Bertha, and Spectre. Depending on which character you choose, the responsibilities that you're asked to do within your team will variate.

* Hunk, first seen in Resident Evil 2 as a hidden character, is the inspiration behind the USS team.

* "Whichever team you play on, you'll be facing Umbrella-created horrors in between skirmishes with each other".

* Zombies in the game can sense you in three different manners: sight, sound, and smell.

* A situation is described in the game where Vector cloaks himself to stir up previously slumbering zombies to use against the Special Ops military foes.

* Quite a few scenarios in the game aren't "all about headshots". A quote in the article states, "It's about shooting the other soldiers - manipulating the, making them bleed."

* The game will take you through a number of familiar areas if you're a Resident Evil junkie who remembers your journey to Raccoon City.

* Operation Raccoon City, depending on how you play the game, will give you the option to "change the history of Resident Evil". Not only will you have the chance to meet and interact with various characters from the series, but you'll even have the opportunity to kill them.

* One of th mottos repeated to OXM throughout the demo was "Kill Leon". It's also stated that if you choose to represent in the game as the Special Ops team, that you'd more than likely have the goal of trying to save Leon Kennedy.

* Slant Six or Capcom won't reveal if any other characters will be playable in the title just yet, but it'd make sense to see quite a few big cameos.

* The title will still see players relying on collecting herbs to heal from any attacks you may suffer. You won't need to hoard any herbs, but they'll still benefit you to collect them throughout the game.

* "This is not a one-versus-one game where you've got one clip full of ammo and zombies on you. If you've ever thought of those times in an RE game when you thought, 'I'd wish I had a big gun', that's what this game is. It's not fair to give people big guns, then take all the ammo away."

* One of the pictures in the article showcases a zombie being used as a "meatshield".

* Operation Raccoon City allows players to earn XP for kills, with these points helping you survive the onslaught, and to help to encourage you to anihilate everything in your path.

* The XP will allow you to earn new abilities, such as Vector's cloaking skill, and new weapons.

* Tyrants will most definitely be included in the title.

 

There's a ton of details listed above, but there's even more listed in the May 2011 issue of the Official Xbox Magazine. Don't forget to be on the lookout for the issue to hit store shelves to get even more details on Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City!

[Dante]

Cover:

[jayseven]

Lol wat?!

 

Prey 2

[Shorty]

http://uk.kotaku.com/search/prey/

 

Keep up

[jayseven]

I rely on this forum to keep me up.

 

In all senses of the phrase.

[Dante]

I rely on this forum to keep me up.

 

In all senses of the phrase.

 

It feels that I am only one keeping up on game news, so i waited for someone else to make the thread.

[Dante]

Press Release:

Capcom® a leading worldwide developer and publisher of videogames, today announced Resident Evil™: Operation Raccoon City, is in development for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC. In addition it was also confirmed that the forthcoming Nintendo 3DS title, Resident Evil™: The Mercenaries 3D,will ship with a playable demo of Resident Evil Revelations.

 

Resident Evil™: Operation Raccoon City is a collaboration between Capcom and Vancouver based studio Slant 6 Games and is scheduled for release this Winter. Since the launch of the first title 15 years ago the Resident Evil series has enjoyed phenomenal success, selling over 45 million units worldwide to date. This latest offering will take the series in a completely new direction and offer a style of gameplay yet to be seen from the franchise.

 

Resident Evil™: Operation Raccoon City delivers a true third person team based shooter experience set within the dark and sinister Resident Evil universe and a reinterpretation of the events depicted in Resident Evil™ 2 and Resident Evil™ 3. The setting of the Resident Evil universe not only provides a rich backdrop to the action but delivers a unique and thrilling triple threat battle. Zombies and Bio-Organic Weapons (B.O.W’s) add to the mix as players not only compete against an opposing squad but also tackle this third unpredictable element, creating a brand new style of gameplay and breaking the conventions of traditional team based shooters.

 

It is September 1998 and the action centres once more on the ill-fated Raccoon City and the horrific consequences of the deadly T-virus outbreak from the Umbrella facility. With a cover up required, Umbrella orders an elite team into Raccoon City to destroy all evidence of the outbreak and eliminate any survivors. Hearing of this plan, the US Government dispatches its own special forces to uncover any evidence that exposes the cause of the viral infection and Umbrella’s actions. Players take on the role of an Umbrella Security Services soldier (U.S.S.), competing alone or in four player co-op in a battle against all the competing forces at play in Raccoon City.

 

Expect the return of original Resident Evil enemies, iconic landmarks such as the Raccoon City Police Department and fan favourite characters, including Leon S. Kennedy, who as a rookie police officer in Raccoon City is on your hit list to eliminate. Players will experience a retelling of classic moments from past titles Resident Evil™ 2 and Resident Evil™ 3 and watch the events unfolding from the menacing perspective of the Umbrella Security Service, giving fans the chance to rewrite the history of the Raccoon City outbreak.

 

In addition, Resident Evil™: Operation Raccoon City will deliver a number of competitive online multiplayer modes. Each one of these will provide a unique gaming experience thanks to the three way combat between the Umbrella Security Service, US Special Ops and threat of zombies and B.O.W’s that could only exist in the deadly and twisted Resident Evil Universe.

 

Purchasers of Resident Evil™: The Mercenaries 3D, scheduled for release in the coming months, will get a taste of the horror to come thanks to the addition of a playable demo of Resident Evil™ Revelations. Set on board an ocean liner, the demo lets players take control of one of the full game’s characters, Jill Valentine, as she explores the ship’s dark interior, killing any mysterious creatures that emerge from the shadows. A brand new title built from the ground up for the Nintendo 3DS, further details on Resident Evil™ Revelations will be revealed at this year’s E3.

 

Images:

[James McGeachie]

The designs are "cool" but kind of a bit ridiculous and impractical. I preferred when human characters in the series didn't go for over the top stylised fashion. Outfits in the past were generally pretty "normal". Hunk wasn't being some fashion freak either, his teammates all wore the same outfit.

 

I blame RE5 Wesker for opening up the series to black-leather-nightmare fashion and similar alternatives.

[Retro_Link]

I blame RE5 Wesker for opening up the series to black-leather-nightmare fashion and similar alternatives.

Yeah the Wesker fetish-wear in the first magazine cover, seems out of place in the Resi 2 universe.

[Diageo]

If you wanted to protect yourself from infection from zombie bites, wouldn't leather and heavy padding be the way to go?

[Dante]

Scans can be found here.

 

Interview:

The producer of RE:ORC talks about the why of this title, and the future of the RE series

 

Question: Did you set the game in Raccoon City to strongly anchor it to the rest of the series?

 

Capcom Producer: For us, it's about a new direction for RE. It's kind of a spin-off. That's why it doesn't have a number. It's not necessarily entirely in the canon, but it's totally immersed in the mythology.

 

Question: Why did you choose this part of the timeline?

 

Capcom Producer: Raccoon City is emblematic of the series for players, and it's well adapted to this genre of gameplay--the design, the roads, the urban structure.

 

Question: Why a team-based third person shooter?

 

Capcom Producer: As you know it's our fifteenth anniversary, which is a long time for a video game series... bottom of this answer cut off by watermark. Some players came to the series when it made a turn towards action (still with horror elements, though). This design led the series towards TPS. How do you attract shooter fans? ...

... continued... Coop, Multiplayer... These are particularly important aspects. So it was important for us to do them. I want to clarify something, even though it's a shooter, there are still tons of horror elements.

 

Question: Why use an external developer? Why Slant Six?

 

Capcom Producer: The idea came up when we were working on Lost Planet 2. We didn't have any other teams internally to work on it. Western studios are known for their ease of development, and in terms of gameplay, this genre. Slant Six... we just bought a studio in Vancouver (Blue Castle) and when we were looking for external partners... Blue Castle talked with Slant Six, and they were well known for their online games and their coding skills. We met them and they were big RE fans. A good starting point!

 

Question: Will projects (the words here are "Will these components...") from now on be primarily Western developed?

 

Capcom Producer: Shooters are very popular in US/Europe. RE is still popular in Japan. Thus we've continued with this episode to try to interest Japanese players. Besides, this isn't just a TPS game... covered by watermark...

 

Question: Who worked on ("How did you work on...") the artistic design for the project? It seems darker than the last ones.

 

Capcom Producer: All the artistic designs came from my team and I. Here we wanted something dirtier. In previous games we spent a lot of time working on lighting and shadows (RE5 for example). Because it takes place at night, this game requires us to look at lighting. It's a natural evolution for our work. Because of the limited capabilities of the PS1, it was impossible to go very far with this concept. Besides that, there's also blood and gore! In RE we can't push it like in Dead Rising... which views itself as a comedy.

 

Question: Are zombies a part of Capcom's DNA?

 

Capcom Producer: Obviously! A huge number of the creators of the series are zombie fans, and they wanted to make them move realistically... more realistically than before. For example if you hurt a zombie but don't kill it, he will attract others who come to put it in pieces... We imagined some unique behaviours for this game.

 

Question: Survival horror doesn't sell very well, except for Dead Space 2. Is going towards a full shooter a natural evolution for the series?

 

Capcom Producer: In terms of sales, survival horror isn't as popular as it once was. Having said that, I love Dead Space. Besides this game, I am working on a survival horror game. We aren't making this game to run away from survival horror, but to bring new challenges to the world of Resident Evil. I wouldn't say it's a natural evolution as much as I always wanted to do something a little different.

 

Question: In the survival horror genre, Dead Space succeeds at doing better than most of the founders of the genre, including Resident Evil. So expectations have been raised...

 

Capcom Producer: We have to work harder because of titles like Dead Space, to be as interesting as possible. Plus, the franchise as a whole has its own unique problems that must be solved. Our fans are also our critics, for example with RE5. Also I wouldn't directly compare RE and DS. But it's always great to see the genre be popular, it's inspiring. Yeah, there's a future for the genre!

 

Details:

 

- Like other third-person shooters you’ll also be able to take cover behind objects like stationary vehicles.

 

- The game will pay respects to the classic titles (Resident Evil 2 and 3) by bringing back that sense of horror that’s been missing.

 

- The base inspiration for the foundation of the game is noted as being Resident Evil 2.

 

- We’ll get more insight towards Mr. X before he was sent to Raccoon City to pursue Leon/ Claire.

 

- Leon is your main prey throughout the game (in regards to the USS team)

 

- Previous controls have been abandoned in place for a more modern control set akin to today’s third-person shooters.

 

- Capcom is behind such a change in game-play and this is why they approached Slant Six over the development of such a project.

 

- As aforementioned you’ll be able to grab enemies and use them as cover which will add to the game’s team-based strategic style.

 

- We’re going to get a very dark look at the classic city in the game with new and iconic locales.

 

- The end of the demo showed off a battle with Mr. X.

 

- The USS team takes their inspiration largely from Mr. Death himself, the 4th survivor Hunk. The team is also situated on Rockfort Island which is another locale fans recognize.

 

- Hunters and Lickers are confirmed and they’ll be able to also mow down zombies if they’re in the way of their destruction.

 

- Operation Raccoon City will let players see the story of the Resident Evil universe (pre-RE4) from a whole new perspective.

 

- Shooting lights will be one of the mechanics in the game and doing so will help you stay clear of zombies due to them being attracted to said light.

 

- Environments will have destructible objects for you to use agains the hordes of zombies.

 

- Beltway, Vector, Spectre, and Bertha will be your soldiers. They look a lot more stylized than we anticipated, but they’ve gotta have personality right? Beltway seems to be the explosive guy, Vector is the residential ninja who can apparently become invisible, Spectre specializes in snipers and surveillance, and lastly, Bertha is one sick dominatrix crazy lady with a bone saw.

 

- Capcom remains silent over topics relating to the game’s multiplayer mode and what other surprises the game’s story may have for players. We’ll likely hear more about this game at E3 so stay tuned.

 

This "Leon is your main prey throughout the game (in regards to the USS team)" is major WTF to why are USS team after new cop on his first day on his job?

Edited March 28, 2011 by Dante
Automerged Doublepost

[James McGeachie]

Yeah because "reinterpretation" tends to mean "fuck around with something people like and change it a lot". Which is fine sometimes. Don't know about here.

 

Can't see half the scans as the quality is kind of excessive and it's taking an eternity to load them, but from what I do see, it doesn't "feel" very much like Resident Evil. It has that kind of "Japanese IP now in Western hands" feel to it that I'd associate with titles like recent Silent Hill games.

 

The engine looks nice enough though and it could have an interesting atmosphere, but it'll take quite a bit to sell this to me as actually being "Resident Evil" and worth playing.

[Retro_Link]

This "Leon is your main prey throughout the game (in regards to the USS team)" is major WTF to why are USS team after new cop on his first day on his job?

I think it's just simply...

* Operation Raccoon City is a team-based shooter allowing four members of the USS team to destroy all evidence of the ongoing outbreak. Along with slaying the zombies, you're looking to "kill pretty much every survivor possible".

... and Leon is basically someone at large in the city, gettin in their way.

a reinterpretation of the events depicted in Resident Evil™ 2 and Resident Evil™ 3.

Yeah, they are slowly but surely rewriting the old story.

[bryanee]

They do say its a spin off and not cannon. I'm really interested in seeing this in action. I'm huge RE fan and the series hasnt been right for awhile but with Revelations and now this on the way I'm excited for the future of RE.

 

I guess this means we wont see a numbered sequel until 2012 atleast though.

[James McGeachie]

Okay, with that interview available now...errrmmm....yeah. I think I could only potentially enjoy this if I pretend it isn't a Resident Evil game.

[Retro_Link]

Leon playing quite a big part in it makes that a little difficult though! :p

 

But yeah, I'm looking forward to a trailer/gameplay.

[flameboy]

They do say its a spin off and not cannon. I'm really interested in seeing this in action. I'm huge RE fan and the series hasnt been right for awhile but with Revelations and now this on the way I'm excited for the future of RE.

 

I guess this means we wont see a numbered sequel until 2012 atleast though.

 

Pfff...who really cares at this point if we are seeing exciting titles like Raccoon City that do something different?

[Cookyman]

Remember Slant 6 made Socom Confrontation which had to be patched for months after release because the game was broken.

 

Anyway heres the trailer!

 

[Dante]

Capcom's Kawata Explains How Slant Six Has Changed His Perception Of Westerners

 

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City producer Masachika Kawata has said he relishes "the challenge of working with a Western developer", adding that Vancouver-based developer Slant Six Games has "completely changed" his perception of Western developers in general.

 

"I must say that I love the challenge of working with a western developer, Slant Six especially," Kawata told OXM during our exclusive first look at the game.

 

"Resident Evil is very unique to Capcom, we've got lots of people working on that particular franchise," he went on. "If we're going to start working with anybody outside of Capcom, Japanese developers as well, we run the risk of losing those particular elements.

 

"Therefore, the first thing we did was pass on the foundation of the Resident Evil history, and we made sure that Slant Six 'got' it - and I'm happy with the results."

 

Kawata admitted to certain preconceptions of the western work ethic, and said he was pleasantly surprised by his experiences at the house of SOCOM. "I've never worked with any Western developers besides Slant Six, and I don't know if the same is true of other Western developers, but they work very hard."

 

"I didn't find any differences to any of the Japanese developers I've worked with before. Besides the time zone and language, I've had no problems working with them at all.

 

"To be honest, I had my own impression about Western people - being laid back and sitting on sofas, but even yesterday they came in early, on a Sunday, and gave us all sorts of recommendations. They wanted to do it, rather than being dragged out of bed if you like. So they've completely changed my perception about working with Western developers."

 

Kawata said he was especially pleased with Slant Six's work on Operation Raccoon City's characters. "I'm happy with the concept design. At the moment with the character modelling, we need to lock down more details and features, but I'm confident they will look really good."

 

Operation Raccoon City was announced last week, and our preview can be found in issue 72 - on shelves tomorrow. According to Kawata, the new game will be a shooter first, horror game second.

[Dante]