• DLC Review: Resident Evil: ORC “Echo Six Expansion Pack"

    by
    Scott "mountain_duwe " Duwe
    Published on 05-18-2012 10:58 AM
    2 Comments Comments


    Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City "Echo Six Expansion Pack"




    Developer: Slant Six Games
    Publisher: Capcom
    Platform: Xbox 360
    Genre: Third-person shooter
    Rating: Mature
    Release Date: April 17, 2012 (Missions 1-4) May 15, 2012 (Missions 5-7)

    Free DLC from Capcom. Wait, what? Only the first mission, folks. Don’t get too excited. Mission 1 of the Spec Ops Campaign DLC for Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City was free. It offered a glimpse into what was to come for the upcoming paid DLC -- six more missions, seven in total. Is it worth your MS points?

    Presentation
    The "Echo Six Expansion Pack" campaign for RE: ORC is basically the opposite of the regular Umbrella campaign that the game shipped with. The whole idea of ORC was to play as ‘the bad guys,’ Umbrella’s Security Service Delta Squad, and it was fun. This time around, though, you’re playing as US military Spec Ops, a whole new cast of characters previously only seen in multiplayer, spread across seven missions.

    Whereas the USS campaign focused mainly on events from Resident Evil 2 and trying to help Umbrella cover up the conspiracy, the Spec Ops campaign plays out through events in both RE2 and Resident Evil 3 and you’re trying to uncover Umbrella’s secrets, with a mix of both scenarios intertwining somewhere in between.

    Graphics
    Surprisingly, there’s a good amount of diversity in the settings of the Spec Ops campaign from the USS campaign. Most of the missions are played in areas from the USS campaign, but there are some new areas to be seen, such as dark sewers underneath the city, a final showdown in a large crater-like area and more. For the most part, there’s not all that much new to be seen, but there are quite a few surprises as well.

    The visuals are very much the same from the USS campaign. Character models are pretty weak, but the environments themselves are representative. Running around with a shotgun and gibbing zombies into piles of bloody nothingness is as fun as ever. ORC isn’t a great-looking game but it’s not ugly, either.

    Sound/Music
    With the Spec Ops team comes a new team of voice actors, led by veteran voice man Robin Atkin Downes as the team leader, Dee-Ay. Voice acting has never been a specialty in the Resident Evil series, but ORC is an exception to the rule. While some of it is still eye-rolling to hear, a series staple, actors like Downes do their characters justice.

    The in-game music still is extremely cheesy at times, but I guess it helps to fit with the overall theme of the game. RE: ORC is best if not taken all that seriously, as a Resident Evil title or a third-person shooter, and is best suited as a fun shooter to play with some friends while having a few laughs. The soundtrack only furthers this.

    Gameplay
    As in multiplayer, the six members of Spec Ops are a carbon copy of their USS counterparts in abilities. There’s one of each class type available, so don’t be expecting too much variety. Dee-Ay shares abilities with USS’s Lupo, Willow shares abilities with Vector, Tweed with Harley, and so forth.

    The DLC’s gameplay works very much the same as the USS campaign, except that the pacing of the missions are better in nearly every single way. You’ll be walking through a dark sewer lighting your path with flares one minute, and then fighting off a wave of Crimson Head zombies the next. You’ll fight bosses like Tyrants and Super Tyrants and then find yourself escorting Sherry Birkin through a dark sewer as you shoot zombies that approach her from your position on a catwalk above. Pretty much every mission in the Spec Ops campaign is an improvement over the original.

    Instead of trying to sabotage Umbrella’s involvement in the zombie outbreak, you’ll be trying to uncover the truth. Echo Six will find themselves searching through City Hall for clues, helping out Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliveira fight off Nemesis, running into Claire Redfield, Sherry Birkin and Leon Kennedy and more in their attempts to save the day and earn their ride out in a rescue chopper. Things are never that easy, though.

    Lasting Appeal
    On a first playthrough, the missions could take anywhere from 2-4 hours, just like the USS campaign. It’s not very long. But for DLC, this isn’t an issue. It’s still disappointing how short the original campaign was, but this is a respectable length for downloadable content. There’s also 20 new achievements that come with the expansion pack, so there’s some time that can be put in there. With the new campaign also comes six new maps for multiplayer, so the replay value of this DLC is moderately high.

    Conclusion
    It’s not often that a game’s DLC ends up being better than the original game, but that is the case here. Most people I talk to who’ve played it agree; the Spec Ops campaign is a lot better than the USS campaign. While the Spec Ops characters might not be as interesting or as ‘cool’ as the USS ones, the missions themselves are just better-paced and more fun to play.

    At a total of 1600 MS Points for all six missions(not including the original free prologue mission), it’s up to you to decide whether or not you wanna shell out the moolah. I’m happy with my decision, though. I had a lot of fun with the Spec Ops campaign.

    Score:
    8.5/10
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  • Review Scale

    Score 10- Flawless Victory: A score not handed out to every game. Games earning this rare score sit at the very pinnacle of excellence. These games act as the examples for which all others should be measured with. They are instant classics from the beginning. These games not only deliver what was expected of it, but also exceed the player’s expectations. The game’s features are innovative and original. No game is without its absolute flaws, but the finished product you bring home surpasses the anticipation the game has formed. A day one buy is a must. The game you hold in your hands with this score is a video game jackpot.

    Score 9 - 9.5- Outstanding: Games earning scores such as these absolutely must be played. Games that achieve this high ranking do so because they define the genres that they are in. Flaws are few and barely noticeable. Features seen in the game have been renovated to provide something new and fresh. The story, gameplay, graphics, and lasting appeal are all fantastic and is reason enough to bring the game home and to enjoy with family and friends. Every penny you spend on the game is so worth it.

    Score 8 - 8.5- Great: Any flaw the game may possess is overshadowed by its fun factor. These games would be great for gamers to play. These great games appeal to gamers more and more outside its normal player base because of what it brings to the table.

    Score 7 - 7.5- Good: Flaws do exist in these games, but the positive features of the game can counterbalance the flaws. Additionally, players who are predisposed to liking a game of a particular series or genre with this score should enjoy the game. These are in no way bad games, and much fun can be had with them. An overall good game is worth taking a look at, whether you are willing to buy the game or rent it first. That or you can also wait for the game to reach a good price.

    Score 6 - 6.5- Decent: Games falling into this category may suffer from numerous flaws (for example, graphics or gameplay), but are still worth playing. Granted, the player should be aware that a game with these scores may not guarantee them full satisfaction.

    Score 5 - 5.5- Average: An average game is one in which a game’s features are neither good nor completely terrible. Instead, the finished product is manageable. Little has been done to hold the player’s interest. If anything, rent this game before you consider buying it so that you can at least get a feel for the game’s overall experience.

    Score 4 - 4.5- Poor: Games falling into this category may only keep gamers entertained for a short while. While the game may seem enjoyable for moments at a time, it can quickly grow old and may never be revisited again. The game’s overall function is lacking in quality and may not hold the player’s attention for long. The game leaves little or nothing else to return back to.

    Score 3 - 3.5- Bad: If any positive qualities about a game in this category exist, it is not enough to redeem the game for its shortcomings. Sure you may find yourself playing it, but for how long? You will wind up not giving the game a second glance.

    Score 2 - 2.5- Horrible: Games such as these may not be totally unplayable, they nearly are. Additionally, they may lack, or greatly suffer in, the fundamental functionality of the software as a whole. The game simply does not come close to meeting industry standards at the time of its release.

    Score 1 - 1.5- Appalling: Gamers should avoid this game at all costs. The game was clearly not ready to make its way to store shelves in its status. Save your money and find something else. See it in the bargain bin? No! Stay away! Keep moving and look for something else.

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