Review: Ada Wong, Resident Evil 6

Originally introduced in the 1998 sequel to the first Resident Evil game, Ada Wong has long been a fixture in the zombie smashing franchise as a supporting character. With the release of Resident Evil 6, Ada was given a much-deserved spotlight and played an integral role in the narrative.

Despite the fact that she's considered one of the most popular characters from the Resident Evil franchise, Ada Wong had been no more than an accessory to the games she'd appeared in. While she may have had two mini-games in Resident Evil 4, Ada had never been placed on an equal standing with fan-favourites like Claire Redfield or Leon S. Kennedy. Resident Evil 6 addressed this head-on by building the narrative of the game around Ada and the producers are to be commended for that. Ada is finally given her own campaign within the main game and it is a major selling point for this particular entry. Her campaign is unique in that it combines the pulse-pounding thrills of espionage with the chills of zombie hunting. Ada's segment emphasizes stealth and encourages players to carefully analyse each situation. There is a sense of urgency and imminent danger in much of her campaign as well and, unlike the other campaigns, Ada does not have a partner to rely on when playing independently offline. That said, she does get to pilot a helicopter at one point and pwns just about everything in her crosshairs. It's also worth mentioning that Ada's campaign is essentially the linchpin that holds everything else together as it fills in all the holes in the other campaigns.

Upon beating Ada's campaign, she becomes available for play in The Mercenaries. Unfortunately, Ada's default has one of the most infuriating inventories in the game. While her crossbow was tons of fun in the campaign, it is now a burden. Its need to be reloaded after every shot is a pain-in-the-neck and the fact that it knocks singular enemies back is counter-productive to building up combos. That said, the pipe bomb arrows are useful for crowd control and for firing at boss-level baddies. Her Ammo Box 50 serves as her primary weapon and is more practical than the crossbow. It fires bullets like a machine gun but has the strength of a handgun. As such, there is the tendency to run out of ammo rather quickly so gamers need to be extra careful while using it since Ada doesn't have a good back-up weapon. The incendiary grenades she carries are ideal for tossing at the stronger bad guys when things get hairy. After achieving an A-rank with Ada's default, her alternate is unlocked. It is marginally better than the default. The MP-AF is her primary weapon and is a low-level machine gun that can be set to single or multiple fire modes. The latter mode is more powerful but tends to eat up ammo. Her secondary weapon is a snipe rifle. While the rifle may be high-powered and ideal for inflicting tons of damage, the reload speed is killer and places Ada in danger after each shot. The rest of her inventory contains hand grenades, flash grenades and two always-useful red herbs. The hand grenades will come in handy but the flash grenades should probably be discarded to open up her inventory for more helpful offensive items.

In many ways, Ada Wong is Resident Evil 6's greatest achievement and biggest disappointment. Her campaign is spectacular and serves as a major standout aspect of the game. It blends action perfectly with stealth and problem-solving puzzles. It's a diverse campaign and finally gives Ada the respect and attention she deserves. Conversely, she is one of the most poorly-stocked characters in The Mercenaries. It takes a lot of work to achieve high scores with Ada due to her counter-productive weapons that lack power and devour ammo. However, it's better to have a poorly-stocked Ada than have no Ada at all. After all, what is Resident Evil without its resident femme fatale?

Campaign Grade: A-

The Mercenaries Grade: C

Review: Sherry Birkin, Resident Evil 6

For long-time fans of Resident Evil, Sherry Birkin is fondly remembered as the plucky little girl who survived the viral outbreak in Raccoon City with the help of Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield. Over a decade later, Sherry Birkin is all grown up and ready to kick butt as an NSA agent tasked with bringing in the mercenary Jake Muller to fashion an antidote for the virus that creates zombies.

Of all the characters in Resident Evil 6, Sherry Birkin is probably the most welcome inclusion. There’s a sense of nostalgia attached to the character and seeing her once more is like catching up with an old friend. Of course, much has changed in Sherry’s life since she survived Raccoon City. As an NSA agent, she knows a thing or two about gun-slinging and she comes across as resourceful and intelligent. She’s still spirited but there’s a slight sassiness to her character that obviously comes with age. Sherry is also now eligible for romantic plotlines due to her age and her interactions with Jake Muller are dripping with sexual tension. Their chemistry is quite notable and comes across as more believable than that of Leon and Ada. Naturally, this is to be credited to the animators and voice actors. Above all else, Sherry is so interesting due to her emotional transparency and her desire to stick to her moral convictions even when that means going against orders.

As far as ‘The Mercenaries’ mode is concerned, Sherry is a tank. Her default costume comes with a well-stocked inventory that is tailored to zombie smashing and racking up combos. Her Triple-Shot handgun is fairly standard but it’s quite effective since it allows the gamer to follow-up with melee attacks. When it comes to tougher enemies, Sherry’s Lightning Hawk magnum is very useful. It doesn’t have the same crowd control effect that shotguns do but it efficiently deals damage to boss-level opponents. Sherry also carries a Stun Rod that is a decent back-up weapon should ammo run out or if the gamer is seeking to conserve ammo. Sherry’s inventory is rounded out by essential healing items – two red herbs and a First Aid Spray. Those red herbs are especially useful since they are scarce otherwise. While her default costume is great, her alternate is even better. Her inventory in her alternate costume is about as good as it gets. Her primary weapon is a high-powered assault rifle which has an alternate function that can utilize explosive rounds. The Bear Commander rifle is strong and takes care of enemies with incredible proficiency. Sherry’s secondary is the Assault Shotgun. It’s an excellent weapon for crowd control and for downing boss-level baddies. As with her previous costume, Sherry carries those essential red herbs and First Aid Spray. The only drawback to this alternate costume is that her inventory is clogged with the less-than-useful Flash Grenades that should be ditched at the start of the level to make room for more effective items. Of course, in order to play as Sherry the gamer first needs to achieve a B-rank on the Mining the Depths level and then achieve an A-rank as Sherry on any stage in order to unlock her alternate. The former task is a little more difficult but it’s well worth it since Sherry is probably the best character in ‘The Mercenaries.’

Though Resident Evil 6 has its share of faults and mistakes, Sherry Birkin isn’t one of them. She’s a fantastic character whose presence helps to ground Jake’s campaign. Additionally, Sherry’s well-stocked inventories in ‘The Mercenaries’ makes her an essential character that is most certainly more adept at dealing with bad guys than her male cohorts. Not bad for a girl whose speciality used to be running and hiding from enemies.

Grade: A+

Review: Helena Harper, Resident Evil 6

As Resident Evil mainstay Leon S. Kennedy's partner in Resident Evil 6, former CIA agent Helena Harper proves she's got what it takes to survive a zombie outbreak. Characterized as emotional yet able to perform under pressure, Helena off-sets Leon's cool demeanour and acts as a figure the gamer can invest in during the game's narrative. As any number of gamers would agree, it's not easy to be introduced into a beloved franchise as a new character but Helena takes that in stride in order to become one of the stand-outs in Resident Evil 6.

In a franchise where women reign supreme as badass zombie hunters, Helena Harper holds her own. She's somewhere in the middle between Jill Valentine and Claire Redfield. She's a skilled marksman whose stamina and agility are quite remarkable like Jill but isn't quite as seasoned and indulges in her emotions much like Claire. Though she receives second-billing in Leon's campaign, it can be argued that she is the true star as his narrative relies on Helena's in order to progress. Unfortunately, very little is revealed about Helena in-game and it is through the unlockable files that the gamer learns of her backstory. This is mildly inconvenient especially for those who may have to do a second or third play-through in order to find these files.

In "The Mercenaries" mode separate from the main game wherein the goal is to eliminate as many zombies and monsters as you can before the timer runs out, Helena is unlocked upon achieving a B-rank on the Urban Chaos stage. She's presented as a mid-level character whose primary weapon is the Picador handgun and her secondary is the Hydra shotgun. The best strategy for Helena remains in utilizing her handgun in order to rack up a combo and using it smartly so as not to run out of ammo -- this means using it to set up melee attacks. Though shotguns in general prove to be powerful weapons within the Resident Evil franchise, Helena gets stuck with the less-than-stellar Hydra. Though it may pack a little bit of power, it only carries three shells at a time and has a slow reload speed. This could prove deadly should she need to reload when a horde of zombies approaches. As such, the Hydra functions best in a capacity where she'll have enough room to reload without being interrupted or attacked. Helena's alternate outfit can be selected upon achieving an A-rank with Helena's default on any stage. This is a slight upgrade from her default outfit. Her primary weapon is the Ammo Box 50 which functions like a machine gun but has the power of a handgun. Maddeningly, Helena is once again short-changed with her secondary. Her Sniper Rifle may be powerful but it is inconvenient due to the fact that there is an animation that prevents her from moving very far following each shot so there's a frustrating delay between shots. As such, this could mean the difference between taking down an enemy and getting pounced on. This means that Helena must either consistently keep her distance while using it or she must use quick shots which will eat up her energy. Thankfully, the rest of Helena's inventory makes up for it. In addition to the red herb and first-aid spray for healing purposes, she has three incendiary grenades which provide instant kills for most enemies. Unfortunately (or fortunately for some), Helena's alternate costume is best categorized as a 'sexy cop' and clashes horribly against her characterization. Surely a stylish suit not unlike Sheva Alomar's wouldn't have been a stretch for a woman who used to work for the CIA.

Helena Harper is a welcome introduction to Resident Evil. She's smart, capable and allows the gamer to invest in her due to her loyalty and passion. She's also proven herself to be quite the fashionista as both her canon costumes in the game are quite stylish and functional. Though she may not be top tier among those available in "The Mercenaries," she can be utilized effectively to achieve the same high scores that the more advantageously stocked characters can. Helena has a long way to go before she can be placed on the same level as icons Jill Valentine or Claire Redfield but she has a promising future should she ever crop up in any future games. Hopefully she won't share the same fate as the oft-forgotten Rebecca Chambers or Sheva Alomar.

Grade: B+

Review: Resident Evil 6

Released in the fall of 2012, Resident Evil 6 is the much-maligned sequel to the divisive action video game Resident Evil 5. The game assembles a large playable cast, allowing gamers to choose from Resident Evil favourites like Chris Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy as well as newcomers like Helena Harper and Jake Muller. It reinvents the gameplay expected of a Resident Evil game and becomes what the producers at Capcom have called 'dramatic horror.'

The storyline of Resident Evil 6 is interwoven between four campaigns and tells the narratives of seven playable characters -- Leon and his new partner Helena investigate an outbreak in a small American town, BSAA agent Piers Nivens attempts to get veteran Chris Redfield back into action, NSA Agent Sherry Birkin joins forces with the mercenary Jake Muller against Neo-Umbrella, and Ada Wong solves a mystery concerning her stolen identity. This fractured storytelling creates an uneven narrative and leaves many with the impression that some campaigns are better than others. Leon and Helena's campaign stands the strongest. It is moody with haunting atmospheres and blends action with horror flawlessly. Helena makes for a captivating character and her involvement feels necessary. Likewise, Jake and Sherry's campaign has its moments of brilliance and the chemistry between the characters is palpable. The variety in settings is interesting and their campaign's Big Bad harkens back to the relentless Mr. X and Nemesis from previous instalments. Ada's narrative, meanwhile, serves as the linchpin of Resident Evil 6 and fills in all the holes left by the other campaigns. It mixes stealth with non-stop action to create a fun spy-fi adventure. Unfortunately, Chris and Piers' campaign comes across as dull and unnecessary. Piers is an eye-roll worthy creation who feels like a poor substitute for Jill Valentine and Chris is about as tolerable as a case of chicken pox. Chris' chapters would have been the ideal place to address what happens to Resident Evil icon Jill Valentine but the writers chose to leave that thread untouched. As such, it leaves the player feeling like Chris' campaign should have been scrapped in favour of expanding the other three.

Resident Evil 6's gameplay is hit-and-miss. While the expansion of melee moves feels like an improvement, the alterations made to the inventory and healing system feel unnecessary especially since they were perfectly functional in the previous instalment. Still, the usage of skills is an interesting development allowing for players to customize and tailor their experience to their personal play styles. The game also makes heavy usage of quick time events wherein the player must press certain buttons within a select amount of time or run from an unstoppable force. This can make for an exhilarating experience but at the same time will leave many wanting to rip out their hair given the difficult for certain QTEs. The fan-favourite Mercenaries mode also seems somehow harder than it should be but perhaps this is largely a result of the changes made in the gameplay and the significant imbalance in character inventories in that some characters have weapons that require time and precision that players really aren't afforded when playing The Mercenaries.

Overall, Resident Evil 6 can be an enjoyable experience and will surely be fun for most gamers. Obviously it has its share of flaws that will frustrate most. The decision to feature Chris Redfield once again is mind-numbingly idiotic when one considers the fact that his sister Claire hasn't been playable in a main game since 2000's Resident Evil Code: Veronica and since Jill Valentine offered more dramatic potential given what she went through during the events of Resident Evil 5. Claire and Jill's absence is felt so profoundly largely because the campaigns are so heavily focused on the narratives of the men despite the fact that the women from the franchise have larger fanbases. Furthermore, some of the changes in gameplay seem a little illogical and awkward while The Mercenaries mode doesn't feel as satisfying as it did in Resident Evil 5. Nevertheless, the game should be praised for taking risks and for the tremendously effective campaign given to Leon and Helena as well as giving Ada Wong the attention she deserves. It most certainly won't please all fans of the iconic zombie smasher franchise but when nitpicks are set aside it can be a satisfying jaunt into the world of Resident Evil.

Grade: B (Sorry Capcom! It would have easily been an A- had Chris' campaign been about Claire or Jill!)