I can only assume the people playing this game with any kind of regularity have nothing else new to play. I havent finished a single campaign because they're all so horribly executed. I bought this game right when it came out, and Ive been playing New Super Mario Bros 2, Kingdom Hearts DDD, The Walking Dead series (a far superior zombie game), and started my second play through of Sleeping Dogs since then, all of which I vastly prefer to this game. Im sure I wont even come close to finishing it, as the farther I get in any given campaign, the more glaring the flaws are. I thought the reviews were way too harsh at first, now I completely understand. I can't wait for Assassin's Creed 3. Please, colonial assassin, save me from this trash.
It's nice to see that not everyone is raving about this game-although I think you might be tad harsh!. I'm a big resi fan, as I'm sure nearly everyone here is, but I have found my fondness for the games is diminishing with every release since Resi 3. I think the problem lies with the fact that with more powerful consoles coming out, capcom, like most developers, have felt the need to utilise the graphical power and try and be bigger and bolder. This has taken away the brilliant elements that made 1-3 so great-the claustrophobic camera angles, the real feeling that you were alone, the fact that ammo really was scarce and the choice between running and standing your ground was always a big one, I could go on. Resi 4 set the tone in terms of gameplay for 5 and 6, and despite the new look for Resi, I enjoyed it. 5 felt a bit more shallow, and if it wasnt for the brillance of Wesker, I feel the story may have suffered. After all I think as characters go, Sheva was weak-I didnt really care what happened to her!
So that brings me to 6. I feel that this is not a bad game-no where near it, but I feel that the transformation is complete. Everything that made the original resi's brilliant is now gone, and it is an entirely new game in its own right. I have completed all 4 campaigns, and wasn't scared or made to jump once. Massively disappointing. Had to change my underwear in 1 when the dogs came through the windows, same thing with the crows in 2, and i swear i had a heart attack in 3 when the nemesis came through the wall after you thought you had escaped! This is an action game now-not survival horror.
The good points are clear to see, and anyone doubting the validity of its purchase should think again. The hours of play involved over the four campaigns is value for money in itself, and mercenaries is a brilliant side addition that will keep you entertained for ages. Agent Hunt is also an interesting idea, but I quickly got bored with it-more work and it could be quality! Leon's campaign has some elements of the original resi and so I liked that, but due to the control matrix and the "actiony" linear style imposed on the game, it never flew too far from the action game it has become. Hand to hand is a great way to fight BOWs when needed and should have been implemented in this way earlier. Jake is also an interesting addition to the cast, and I hope he resurfaces soon.
The negatives, as iProinsias pointed out, are glaringly obvious, but to be honest I started to pick up on them immediatly, rather than well into the campaigns. Chris' campaign is poor in terms of interest. It plays ok, but it is a shooter, and it is missing the main thing a shooter needs-enough ammunition. Its annoying having to take BOWs on with a knife/hand to hand, not tense or worrying, just annoying. The story for Chris is all over the place-it was boring all the way through, before an emotional ending, so there was no curve building up to a big finale. Replaying several areas when campaigns crossed just came across as a cheap recycling trick to rack up play time.The physics are poor in places, I wont list them all here, but one of the main ones that comes to mind is Adas escape up the ladders in the sub. I died a few times sprinting to the ladders, only to die because the option to climb wasnt presented due to the poor camera angle. The camera angles are poor through out. I got sick of having my camera yanked around to see something when doing something else-dizzy! The final criticism I will lay here is probably one of my biggest worries. As the games have gone on, I feel the plot has become increasingly diluted. The 2nd three games have relied heavily on the history of Resi, which is fine, if anything I want them to but 4,5 and 6 have increasingly added little to the ongoing universe/story of Resident Evil. 6's plot at times was disjointed, poorly put across and at times down right confusing. If this trend continues for the next 1, maybe 2 games I may end up not buying, and borrowing off a friend later once he/she has completed it.
I've come to the end of my rant-apologies for waffling on a bit! Ultimately this is a 7/8 out of 10 game for me. It was enjoyable, but it wasnt resi I probably wouldnt be that in to it. I have seen how many people on this forum really like 6 and think its fantastic, and that's great. Im not here to speak ill of you for liking it-its not a bad game, but I cant understand why some people REALLY like it. If you look at it from an unbiased gamers view, rather than a resi fan view, you will quickly see that it is far from being a great game, in fact there are better action games out there-and therein lies the biggest diasppointment of all... I honestly thought it was going to be the best!