In January 2012 it looked like a banner year for the Resident Evil license.  Capcom would release Resident Evil Revelations on the Nintendo 3DS in February, Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City in March topped off by the ‘big one’ in Resident Evil 6 later in the year.  Revelations didn’t see much hype as expected with a handheld release and Raccoon City has been slammed by most critics thus far.  The jury is still out on Resident Evil 6 as we all expect big things from the latest sequel.

Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City sounds good on paper – a four-player co-op online game (with AI subbing when you don’t have friends around).  Visually the game holds up well with some decent art direction and tone.  Where things mostly fall apart is in the gameplay.  The cover mechanics and controls are mediocre – the game feels very ‘slow’ and it doesn’t help that control over the camera is lost more often then wanted.  Raccoon City has some charming parts here and there but the entire package will struggle to hold up in a gaming industry already populated by polished titles.

At the end of the day we’d offer Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City up as a ‘weekend renter’ – if you can get your friends together to play campaign or versus then you’ll find satisfaction but if you are a lone gunman like myself and relying on AI teammates then don’t count on much satisfaction.  We’ve provided some gameplay from Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City with commentary by Robert Welkner – enjoy!

Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City is out now for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Related Videos:

Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City Official Launch Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N07mx5f-OoI

Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City [Commentary] Gameplay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESloP9xoG80

Resident Evil 6 Official Announcement Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwGp4UsQdyk

Resident Evil Revelations Official Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgSF2aY9MtM