Part 1: A Resident Evil This Way Comes...

(16:55) Episode 1-1: Prelude to the New Nightmare|YouTube

-After surviving an explosion that knocked the breaths out of him and his partner, Leon drags Helena to safety from an attacking helicopter. He carries her to a secluded area and is attacked by a zombie, but is able to kill it before resuming his mission and making the journey to the Quad Tower, a set of large skyscrapers at the heart of the city with a few more surprises lying in wait for him in ruined China.

This is a pretty poor tutorial section that thrusts you right near the end of the game "in medias res" style for a presentation demo of what you'll be seeing during the game's high points in China. You learn the bare bones basics of actually playing the game and using your inventory while also getting a small taste of combat. Since this section is forced you can't change any major options yet and you need to complete it before getting to the real game. However, we also catch a glimpse of all of Leon's weaponry that we'll see in his campaign. For now there's no need to worry about it and during the chapters we find them I will talk about them a little more.

The prelude also cannot be played co-op.

Characters

Leon S. Kennedy
He's glad you're here.


Helena Harper
Leon's glad she's here too.


Creatures
Zombie

It does zombie things. It also does non-zombie things.


(47:30) Episode 1-2: Hell Yeah!|Youtube
(11:13) Episode 1-3: Bonus Reel 1|YouTube

Date: June 29th-30th, 2013.

~This chapter actually takes place in the middle of the story during the China outbreak and pretty much throws you into the action. As the LP goes on you will be able to connect the dots more easily in terms of who is where and what is happening. I chose Chris first because his chapters set up the game with the white text on black background monologue and also go into the events leading up to the China outbreak as well. Also Chris just plain rules.

-Returned to duty by his former partner, Piers Nivans, Chris Redfield resumes command as Alpha Team Captain and leads his squad into Waiyip, China to rescue the U.N. workers taken hostage at a tenement codenamed Ace of Spades. Along the way his amnesia bleeds through and affects his combat ability, but all-in-all, he is able to work through his headaches and accomplish his mission, but at the end of it, he seems to take time to reflect on that horrible memory which caused him to go into this mood that made him leave the BSAA in the first place.

There are some things to mention. Playing on Veteran difficulty first was a bad idea because I don't have any skills and I'm just starting out on a fresh profile so I was taking a lot of damage pretty easily. I'm considering switching over to Normal Difficulty because of some forced "boss" like moments later in some of the first chapters that will just squeeze ammo I don't have out of me and they'll have much more health on higher difficulties and I won't have any attack increases or advantages of my own, but for the most part I should be sticking to Veteran.

As for the bonus reel, I'll be setting up the voting procedure later today, for that and for a few other things like the aforementioned difficulty.

Adding an addendum to this post I'll go over all the combat mechanics in the game. Keep in mind all my controls will be listed as the PS3 version so translate as necessary.

BASIC GAMEPLAY
HUD-
Health comes in 6 squares. Taking a hit depletes one, sometimes more depending on the severity. One herb restores one health square. Half-damaged squares regenerate overtime. Taking an herb with a half-damaged square restores the next square regardless. If you are put into Dying, you will be on the ground and vulnerable to enemy execution. A meter starts to fill, when it fills you will stand back up. Your partner also resuscitates you and can give you herbs to immediately save you. Being in the 'critical phase' of health is dangerous as even a slight tap puts you down, so heal up!

The Combat Gauge is below the health bar. You only have 5 bars. Each move that does consume stamina only takes one bar, no matter what. Stamina regenerates fast when you take cover or lay on your back without doing anything. Eating an herb or using a first aid spray also completely restores the gauge. If you run out of stamina, you start to limp around until a red meter fills, and you will regain one stamina. Consuming an herb or using a first-aid-spray will fully restore your stamina.

Herbs come in the form of pez, tablets etc now. Basically, you can combine Green+Green+Green to get a paper of 6 tablets, or Green + Red for 6 tablets as well. You can only have 17 total herbs, but the game does not let you add anymore past 12 for some reason. The best thing to do is add 6 herbs when you have 11 to max out.

MELEE OVERVIEW-
In Resident Evil 6 we see the final form of the hybrid gameplay Shinji Mikami started all the way back in Resident Evil 4. Available to you is a fluid and polished control system that comes without an instruction manual, but I'm here to help! To start with, your melee and mobility is now limited by a Stamina gauge, and careful managing of your endurance is vital to not limping around and being without power.


Enemies do take locational damage, however the repertoire of moves is much more limited than in Resident Evil 5. Every character has the same amount of moves but some are re-used for several situations. I will go over what you can still do in this game and what has changed.

For starters, you now have the ability to melee at any time. The first hit, usually distinct to the character (but always a rifle uppercut with a 2-handed weapon) does not consume stamina and won't stun an enemy, but does cause them to stumble for just a second. You can follow this up by pressing again for an attack that does consume stamina and will stun an enemy at Level 1. This is slow and should be used sparingly.

Shooting an enemy in the head and just running up to them initiates the character's Throw attack. Some throws are better than others but any kill made with them will negate a mutation like the neck snaps/slits in RE5, and some throws (like Chris' body slam) have better chances of hitting enemies. What's more is, your characters will automatically position themselves mid-stride to try and hit other enemies, but it's not an absurd 180 kind of turn, only if they're in front. Being behind an enemy while they are stunned from, say, a headshot will let the character do their 'stealth' kill which does the most damage and also negates transformations. These moves also have chances of hitting other enemies but they're not as good at damage as the real throwing. I'll go over the melee moves in general just below this.

If you shoot an enemy in its legs it will likely trip up. If you have a one-handed weapon equipped you will stomp on them. This is the best method to finishing off an enemy, by going for the head. A head attack while they're down is an instant kill but does trigger transformations. With a two-handed weapon equipped like Chris' rifle, you do a slow rifle-butt attack, this leaves you open. With a melee weapon equipped like Chris' knife, you will stab down and it is still slow, but the damage is greater over the rifle and stomp. But again...you should always aim for the head.

Shooting an enemy in its arm may cause him to whip around with their back exposed to you. Use this opportunity to run up and get a 'stealth' kill!

If an enemy is stunned in any way that isn't a headshot, your character defaults to a simple roundhouse kick or Chris' backhand. These moves are feeble and consume stamina and only serve to get enemies away from you in a pinch. Focus on better attacks. That about covers the basic set up though. There are contextual attacks that happen depending on the enemy's stun and you can bash their heads into walls, drop down on them, pull them down from ledges etc. These take 1 Stamina to perform as well. You'll all see this in game.

There are critical hits present in this game. Randomly, and with increased chances from a particular skill, you will get instant headshots that pop an enemy's head. If they are set to transform however they will become Chrysalids. This can be annoying or funny depending on the circumstance.

GENDER INEQUALITY-
Male and Female characters have a special attack they can perform when you turn your camera opposite the direction your character is facing. By pressing R1 at this time your character, if they're male, will elbow behind them. If they're female, they will kick. This consumes 1 stamina. However, the elbow attack instantly stuns an enemy at Level 2 and is very useful to use, and the kick will just send them packing, not as useful.

QUICK SHOTS-
In RE6 you have the ability to unleash a quick-shot by pressing both L1 and R1 at the same time. This consumes 1 stamina bar and will Level 1 Stun an enemy as well! However, Chris' Combat Knife does not do that, nor does Leon's Survival Knife. All but one weapon can use quickshots, and they target the closest enemy within a certain range no matter where they stand, and the animations are pretty rad. Automatic weaponry unleashes a burst while semi-autos fire once. This is an extremely important skill to master that will save your life many times.

COUNTER-ATTACKS-
New to Resident Evil 6 is the ability to launch counter-attacks against almost every enemy in the game. There are a metric fuck-ton of animations and ways to kill enemies that the kind of detail becomes superhuman. You will be seeing everything over the course of the LP.

Counter-attacks are performed by pressing R1 at the right moment before an enemy hits you. Some are very strict while others are easy to learn. The only advice I can give you is to think about Onimusha; watch the enemy's animations, don't watch for the prompt. Some people have said before that it's possible to just mash R1 in some cases but that's dumb and you should finesse it, otherwise you're going to take a lot of painful hits. The best part about counter-attacks is that for the most part they all have custom animations depending on the enemy and consume no stamina while delivering a strong blow that causes a Level 1 stun. You can also move around an enemy's back and still counter their attack which is likely aimed in the very opposite direction, helping you practice this better!

All two-handed weapons default to a strike with the butt of the weapon when countering a basic enemy attack like a machete slash. Anyone holding a one-handed weapon will do something different. For example, Chris does a shoulder-ram with a pistol equipped countering a basic attack. If he has his knife equipped he will stab them in the gut! Piers will do a shoulder-chuck that doesn't throw enemies across like Chris' counter would.

MOBILITY-
Dodge-roll - L1 + X, use Left Analogue Stick to control direction. Use camera to curve. You can roll forward, left, and right, and you throw yourself on your back by pulling back. While rolling you can also turn the camera and your character will rotate in their roll as well. You become extremely hard to hit while rolling but there are no invincibility frames. It's an all around great move that doesn't consume your stamina. Even when you are out of stamina you can still roll around like this, making it a critical option to master.

Sliding - Be dashing, press L1. This is a little more complicated. To slide, you technically have to be dashing which is done by holding moving forward and holding X. Your character has a small buildup time before sprinting, but you can actually time your move just right to slide without dashing. It's also possible to just press all the required buttons at once and slide before even dashing. You can curve your character and even fire your gun in mid-slide, but the shots only go forward so careful positioning is necessary. Sliding consumes one stamina. It also damages an enemy and counts as a Level 1 stun, but following it up only uses the character's basic melee and can waste your stamina. A great tactic is to shoot an enemy in the head and then slide into them, setting them up for a coup-de-grace kill, or you can walk behind them and use a "stealth" kill option to negate their mutations. Lastly, it's also possible to slide without any stamina by doing the above: just press all the required buttons at once and you can still slip and slide into zombies!

While sliding and rolling, you can also flip around by pulling back on the stick during your roll/slide. this allows you to get some extra distance and unload on any pursuer!

Dashing start - Whenever you are sprinting to an obstacle, your character has a running start and takes it faster. Jumping across ledges is also faster. When leaping from a ledge in dash, you can hold down L1 and when they roll on the ground they will do a quick slide. By letting go of L1 at the right time you'll get up much faster than waiting for the animation to play out! Generally, anything you take running will be a lot faster, but better control is needed.

Being knocked down - When you are sent twirling by a very strong attack, you can tap L1 to get up faster or hold it to take aim while on the ground. If you are knocked backwards and stumbling to the ground you can hold X to roll back to your feet immediately.

CHARACTERS

Chris Redfield
One of the founding members of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance(BSAA), he is a legendary soldier with roots in the Raccoon City Incident. After defeating his long-time rival Albert Wesker in the mouth of a volcano and ending the threat of Uroboros, he continued his service as one of the world’s heroes and strived to prevent any more catastrophes caused by viral outbreaks.

Due to an event that happened during the Edonia outbreak, he left the BSAA and drifted around Eastern Europe for six months before being tracked down by his partner Piers Nivans and other BSAA members, taken back into the fold as Alpha Team Captain. Suffering from amnesia and PTSD, he’s forced to command a new squad as he enters the burning, shattered streets of China’s Lanshiang District. Despite his condition, he still retains his convictions, and will give his life to save the innocent from the threat of bioterrorism.

MELEE MOVES
Assume all melee uses 1 Stamina, and assume that Basic is the weakest. Throw and Stealth negate transformations.
(Throw, Head-Front) Body Slam - Chris grabs an enemy, hoists them up and throws them forward, doling out major damage.
(Sealth, Head-Back) Neck Snap - Chris grabs the enemy from behind and breaks their neck just like in RE5.
(Basic, Varies) Backhand - Chris winds up for a mighty 360 backhand that blows enemies back!
(Coup-de-grace) Haymaker - Chris rears back and unleashes his signature super-punch!


Piers Nivans
A prodigy soldier who comes from a family line of commandos, he walked in his father’s image and trained as a soldier as soon as he was able to carry a gun. Eventually, Chris found him and recruited him to the BSAA based on his superior talents that could be better put elsewhere. Already having great respect for Chris, he joins. Known as a man who never misses his target, he is the BSAA’s top sniper and, when it comes to a leadership role, thinks of all his team mates as a family instead of subordinates. Members like Piers are whom the BSAA value most, so much so they claim that the future of the Alliance is carried on the shoulders of men like him. He holds strong morals and believes that the strength of the BSAA hinges on the bonds of all its agents.

MELEE MOVES
(Throw, Head-Front) Sleeper Throw - Piers maneuvers around his victim and throws them over his body in a swift move.
(Stealth, Head-Back) Dragon Sleeper - Piers cracks the enemy's spine in one simple flourish.
(Basic, Varies) Roundhouse Kick - Piers unleashes a strong kick that pushes enemies back.
(Coup-de-grace) Uppercut - Piers crouches down and unleashes a Chris-style uppercut that will demolish anything in the way.

CREATURES
J'avo

Serbian for "demon," the J'avo are mutated people capable of regeneration and transformations based on where they take damage. They're hard to kill fairly easy to kill but have an unpredictable nature, causing chaos wherever they go. They are not limited to a single transformation, and should you fire wildly, you will soon find that they can gain more abilities and become a greater threat than before. Their transformations are separated into four categories: leg, arm, head, and torso.

Ruka-Srp

Ruka is Serbian for "arm" or "hand," while Srp means "sickle." Fitting, as these types of J'avo wield a claw-like arm that doles out heavy damage, enough to knock you straight into the dying state if you are only lightly wounded. Difficult to counter, resilient to some attacks, and somewhat mobile, they should be prioritized as landing a headshot gives you a free coup-de-grace attack.

Noga-Let

Noga is the Serbian word for "leg," and "let" means "flight." It's a flying moth-like J'avo that transforms into this state when its legs are damaged. It is extremely weak but has the ability to throw grenades rarely which deal huge damage. They can be countered and killed with a single stomp. Beware of Noga-lets that also grow a claw-like arm as well.

Noga-Trcanje

Trcanje is the Serbian word for "runner." Their lower half mutates into something similar to a spider when their legs are shot. They crawl on the walls, on the ceiling, and pounce very fast. Easy to counter however, but getting swarmed can lead to a quick demise. As with the Noga-Let, one stomp will kill them.

Phone picture from before the LP! This guy got stuck when I uppercut him as Piers for some odd reason!