It's Time to Admit Resident Evil 6 is Great

I remember when Resident Evil 6 first dropped in 2012 — the fandom was buzzing with excitement, only to crash and burn with disappointment. Since then, many have referred to Resident Evil 6 as the worst in the entire Resident Evil franchise; but honestly, as someone who grew up playing these games, that sentiment never made sense to me.

If anything, Resident Evil 6 is a great time, especially if you have the opportunity to play it multiplayer — lately, I've been playing through it on couch co-op with my fiancé, and as I've progressed (having a blast, by the way) I can't help but wonder why so many people hated the game in the first place.

In all honesty, Resident Evil 6 is a good game, with a good premise, and good gameplay — I think what went wrong was that it tried to appeal to all audiences in the Resident Evil fandom, but even then, I love the different campaigns for that exact reason. Those who say that this is the "worst Resident Evil game of all time" clearly haven't seen some of the random spin-off games that provide no substance.

Now that it's been a while, and we can look back on this game with the knowledge of where the franchise would go, I think it's time to admit that Resident Evil 6 actually wasn't all that bad.

Resident Evil 6 is Not Terrible

Sure, It's Action Horror, but Still Fun

Let's face it: the Action Horror Era was a dark time for horror gaming, and many pointed to Resident Evil 6 as the catalyst of that (while somehow forgetting that Resident Evil 5 is right there, and with just as much, if not more action, than RE6 — I'm just saying, we don't punch a boulder in RE6).

However, Resident Evil has always leaned more towards action horror than being more atmospheric and psychological, and it's honestly unfair to try and squeeze that tone into this franchise. Even then, for those that want the more traditional horror experience that RE is known for, there are three different campaigns to choose from, and the one that has more of a traditional survival horror emphasis is Leon's (and Ada's, after you unlock it).

At the same time, there are two additional campaigns (Chris's and Sherry's) that also have different play styles, allowing for fans of all kinds of gameplay to have a good time. If you're more into action, you can play Chris' campaign, but if you want something that's a decent balance of traditional survival horror and action, then Sherry's campaign is available as well. Plus, there's other, arcade-style modes that have been in the games since the earliest titles.

The main critique that people have about this game is the fact that it takes a horror series and turns it into a comedy — however, that just tells me that these players hadn't touched any previous RE titles. Humour has been present in every single Resident Evil game since the start; campiness has always been part of the charm.

And as far as the horror goes, is it the scariest Resident Evil game? No, but was Resident Evil ever known for being the scariest in the horror genre? Also, no.

It genuinely makes no sense that this game is hated so much, especially when there are countless other Resident Evil titles that flopped way harder and were far worse overall.

The Excessive Hate Makes No Sense

There Are Definitely Worse RE Games

Resident Evil 6 is easily the most hated by critics and fans in the entire franchise, but it honestly doesn't make sense to me. There are definitely worse Resident Evil games out there (Umbrella Corps comes to mind immediately), and yet these terrible spin-offs are swept under the tracks so the hate train for 6 can keep going.

If you were one of the players that didn't mind the camp but actually didn't like the game due to the story, that's the only critique that I can honestly validate. The story is kind of a hot mess, but if anything, that's what makes the most sense for this particular incident and its happenings.

It's an attempt at the Raccoon City tragedy but spread around the globe, so, of course, your main goal is to simply survive. Figuring out what happened, how it happened, why it happened, and all the other details feel irrelevant when you're trying to get from Point A to Point B as fast as you can with your limbs (and immune system) intact.

The three (four if you count Ada's) different campaigns are a great way to show just how much is happening all at once, and it makes sense that not one campaign has all the details. If you want the full picture, you have to play through all the other campaigns, getting all sides of the story to piece together the truth yourself — which is natural to how we figure out information anyway. It's the same energy as the infamous quote by Robert Evans: "There are three sides to every story: your side, my side, and the truth. And no one is lying. Memories shared serve each differently."

You're in the memories of four different individuals in four different campaigns, and being able to piece together the story with these memories not only works in reality, but it shows how chaotic the situation everyone is in actually is.

Seriously, it's perhaps one of the most chaotic incidents that happened in the Resident Evil timeline, so, of course, it's going to be jumbled and messy if you're out of the loop. It's up to players to find this loop and to stick their foot in to get the idea. You try saving the world while keeping yourself from zombie infection and see how neat and organized your story will be from there.

Hindsight is Always 20/20

It's Time to Appreciate this Game Entirely

In all honesty, I understand why people were concerned with where Resident Evil was headed after Resident Evil 6 dropped, but we're thankful to live in a better timeline where RE didn't fall into obscurity, but rather flourished to be better than ever. The release of Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil: Village made sure that the series stays on the horror track, cementing it in its pathway so future titles don't end up flopping the same way RE6 had.

Yet, with this hindsight in mind, people are still far too harsh on this game. It's not like Resident Evil became a shoot-em-up action series, so there's nothing to genuinely blame RE6 for.

So, because of the fact that the Resident Evil franchise didn't get destroyed, now is as good of a time as ever to revisit Resident Evil 6 and take it in for what it is: a fun time in the RE universe. If you played it only when it came out, feeling the doom and gloom creeping up your chest about where the series is headed, you can play it again now with the relief of knowing that won't happen. This way, you can properly enjoy Resident Evil 6 instead of avoiding it like a curse.

It's even better if you play it with another person, since it's clear that's how it's meant to be experienced — and I can't help but wonder how this game will be looked at in another decade from now. Will it still be despised as the entry that almost killed the series, or will people finally begin to appreciate it for the solid experience and fun that it provides?

Considering that horror is doing better than ever, I sincerely hope it's the latter.