10 years later, Resident Evil 6 shines as a misunderstood spectacle

digitaltrends.com:

In a less forgiving timeline, Resident Evil 6 could have been the final breath for gaming’s greatest horror series.

Coming off the critically (and ethically) panned Resident Evil 5, the franchise’s sixth mainline installment is widely considered its worst. The title would move entirely away from the series’ signature puzzle box horror in favor of a fast-paced action game with an over reliance on cinematic quick-time events. That departure, coupled with sloppy execution, would leave a sour taste in players’ mouths. The game would launch in 2012 to mediocre reviews and fail to hit the lofty sales expectations Capcom set for it. It felt like the series was one bad investors’ call away from a “You Are Dead” screen.

Its reputation was so immediately poisoned that I didn’t have the heart to play it when it launched. As someone who grew up loving the series, I was disheartened to see a once-trendsetting series lose its identity. It didn’t just feel like a loss for Resident Evil, but one for the gaming industry as a whole, as it seemed to be trading in what made it special to try and replicate Hollywood.

It took a decade (and easy access to the game via PS Plus) for me to work up the courage to finally play it. And once I did, I was shocked by what I found: that for all its obvious flaws, it’s kind of a blast. Yes, Resident Evil 6 is a total mess, but it’s a misunderstood game that deserves relitigating now that it’s removed from the expectations hung on it in 2012. It may not feel like a classic Resident Evil game, but in many respects, it’s the most Resident Evil game there is.

Much of the criticism lobbied against Resident Evil 6 is earned — even a fresh 2016 remaster couldn’t cover up its blemishes. It’s uncharacteristically