Resident Evil 6 Can't stay alive :(

[KingKamek]

Hell everyone! I'm new here and let me just say so far I'm real impressed with this site! I hope to meet a lot of great re fans here. Now onto my point. I recently purchased re 6 for my xbox 360 and tried it out last night and.... I died. A LOT. I mean I don't think I have died this many times in a videogame since maybe when I was beating Castlevania 1 the first time. I really don't understand it either. I try and conserve ammo but that just leads me to HAVING to defend myself in tight spots where I have to defend myself (yes I use the fighting actions as well, like kicking and tackling) but I either stay super short on ammo, get bit or scratched or both. EVERY. TIME. I purchased the item drop skill which seems to help a tad but my main problem here is simply staying alive. I can't dodge incoming projectiles (not sure if you can in general) I try and escape grabs but essentially lose 2 to 3 bars of health and I'm shaking my joy stick as FAST AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE!!! So what the heck?! I am on chapter 2 of Leon's scenario and just get SMASHED completely in a mere 5 minutes. I have completed RE 2, 4, 5, more than half of outbreak and survivor, so I know how this genre works. Heck I've even played quite a bit of silent hill. So what's going on here? What can I do to enjoy this game?

 

[Spikeyroxas]

Which difficulty are you playing?
I lost slot of health by not getting out of grabs until I equipped the skill to break out of grabs easier.
Do you do headshot maneuvers ?
Where you shot the head and go up to perform a finishing melee move, this can get you out of tight situations really well.
This game isn't so hard to dodge, if you take the time to learn how to do dodge rolls and slides you can mix them into your attack and defense style.
I went through most chapters with just the handgun.
Learn to counter attack - every enemy is different.
Attempt some mercenaries mode to practise against many and different enemies under pressure.

 

[Springhosen]

Counter-attack is a very helpful maneuver in Resident Evil 6 and I'd go so far as to say that you can't effectively play the game without it so learning it is pretty imperative. Like Roxas said above, play mercenaries mode to perfect using counter-attack.

I also noticed something in your post; you mentioned you conserve ammo. Is this something you do as a sort of challenge to yourself or because you feel you have to? Resident Evil 6 isn't classic RE and there's no need to conserve ammo as ammo is nice and plentiful. The more enemies you kill and the more you break things, the more ammo you pick up so don't be afraid to use ammo because you'll be rewarded with even more ammo.

 

[KingKamek]

I conserve because I'm afraid I'll run out of ammo. I tried merc mode and the counter button didn't pop up when I was about to be grabbed or swung a weapon at. Glitch? Also Leon always seems to low kick when I try to counter but this is when I don't try and shoot. I didn't know there was a skill on here that helps you get outta grabs . I'm playing on normal and getting slaughtered.

 

[Spikeyroxas]

I conserve because I'm afraid I'll run out of ammo. I tried merc mode and the counter button didn't pop up when I was about to be grabbed or swung a weapon at. Glitch? Also Leon always seems to low kick when I try to counter but this is when I don't try and shoot. I didn't know there was a skill on here that helps you get outta grabs . I'm playing on normal and getting slaughtered.

Yeah if you melee, quick shot and run too much you use up your stamina and pressing a melee move won't work very well as your character moves all sluggish. This also stops the ability to use counter moves which might be why they're not showing up.
The command only shows for a split second so you will need to practise as the command appears at different moments depending on the enemy and attack they're using

 

[Springhosen]

There is a small window just before an enemy attacks that will prompt you to counter; the window depends on the enemy in question. (Zombies have a pretty nice, open window that leaves room for error, with ganados the window is smaller and countering must be more precise and blood-shots barely have a window at all so countering them must be timed perfectly.)

Each character has their own, personal counter-attack moves that work well with said character's style and their own stamina bar which indicates how often you can use CQC in a specific time frame without tiring the character out and leaving yourself open to attack. Choosing a character isn't just about who you like anymore, it's more about who fits your playing style better. If you like using CQC, Jake is the best character to choose because his game play is all about CQC and he has the best stamina. On the other hand, I've found that Leon's CQC moves aren't ideal for continued CQC usage and his stamina...well his stamina sucks. His CQC moves are oftentimes best used in a pinch or tight spot.

And like I said above: don't worry about conserving ammo, this is not classic RE. Ammo is insanely plentiful.

 

[KingKamek]

Man I never knew this game was so complicated . :/ yesterday I ordered resident evil O because I want more traditional re. I'll come back to this sometime but I may try easy if I keep getting slammed.

 

[Springhosen]

Easy mode is always nice for a first run-through as it's easier to figure out game mechanics and what you're supposed to be doing on a lower difficulty.

Don't go into RE0 thinking it's going to be a cake-walk either; I hear it's one of the tougher numbered titles.

 

[Refan128]

RE6 can be quite difficult (only numbered game that I could only beat on easy). Code Veronica and RE0 are quite challenging as well.