I, for one, did not expect this at all from Capcom. With this year so far having a plethora of shooters already out, having Capcom announce Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City as a team based, 3rd person shooter is a bold move. Everyone already being inundated with the shooter genre this early in the year makes this new Resident Evil game a hard sell.
I cannot say for sure if I like this idea of turning a franchise I adore into a shooter but at least Capcom and Vancouver based studio Slant 6 Games (SOCOM: Fire Team Bravo 3 was their last title developed) has plenty of good material to work with. Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City will be set between Resident Evil 2 and 3 with a reinterpretation of the events that unfolded.
It is September 1998 and the action centers 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 favorite 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.
Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City is scheduled to be released this winter on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC
