Part 3: The Consummate Mercenary
(42:12) Episode 3-1: Money is King|YouTube
(4:35) Episode 3-2: Bonus Reel (Sherry Gameplay, Remote Bomb Trick)|YouTube
(0:33) Episode 3-3: Files and Figures (Jake Ch1)|YouTube
Date: December 24th-25th, 2012
~This chapter takes place at the start of the story in Resident Evil 6 as well. While Chris works to contain this outbreak and fight the J'avo, Sherry and Jake are working to escape Edonia, being hounded by the same forces that Chris is battling.
-In the confines of wintery Edonia, an anti-government mercenary and his group have been given a drug that was purported to be a health enhancement drug, but it was really the C-Virus. All of the suave mercenary’s comrades have become monsters while he alone is unaffected. Approached by a government agent, Sherry Birkin, he is being led to safety. Thinking she was here to hire him, he lists his rates, but is given a wake-up call when she reveals that it was the same virus given to those he had just fought and that he had the antibodies, he sees an opportunity make serious bank, and demands 50 million dollars in exchange for his blood. He and his happy-go-lucky security agent make their way through a cliff-side structure and are attacked by BSAA troopers later killed. At the end of this gauntlet, they are beset upon by a behemoth known as the Ustanak, and hounded until they make a stand that drops them through the floor. After meeting up with Chris Redfield, the two work together and eventually gain air passage from Edonia, but the Ustanak is yet again on their trail…
Again, I would say that I’m really sorry about failing that challenge, but in my defense it’s really just this chapter being weird. And it gets worse in the next one at a certain point, but it’s only one point. In consolation, we got to see Jake’s badass moves in action. The man is inhuman, but that’s why he’s the best. He’s easily the best character to play in Mercenaries because he can do things that other characters will get hurt trying. Not to be outdone though, Sherry is easily another of the best characters to play as. She may be slow, but using her properly makes her stand out as a strong character, and she has a hard to learn weapon in the form of the Stun Rod. As for my skills chosen, Last Shot won out but every other skill was tied so I just went with what I knew would be the only useful stuff this chapter. Enjoy!
Challenge: No Dying State – Failed.
Skills: Last Shot, Defense, Firearm.
MARTIAL ARTS SCHOOL-
Let's talk about Jake's Hand-to-Hand! This is easily one of the most varied ways to play the game when using this and you can take on almost everything with it.
So, this is one of the highest points about Resident Evil 6 and is the 'weapon' (anybody can actually use this, it's considered a weapon and not unique melee moves so if you modded it to be on someone else they could do the exact same moves) that can completely thrash the J'avo in your path. In this weapon alone are many types of moves and techniques to master that will make you nigh unstoppable. It's going to be a doozy to go over this so pay attention!
To start with, equip your hand-to-hand. First, you can still use Jake's normal two-hit kick combo by pressing R1 like with every character. Also, if you ready your attack by holding L1 and try to dodge left and right, Jake will do sidesteps. These are not as good as rolls and you need to be aware of this. Forward rolling and throwing yourself back still work. Also, when using knives like Chris' Combat Knife he will sidestep. Pretty much all melee weapons have the sidestep, but Chris' combat knife will slash twice if you dodge back with him, and Sherry will do a spinning strike if you dodge backwards with the Stun Rod, but these attacks rarely hit and aren't very useful.
On to Jake. Using his hand-to-hand will unlock new mobility options unique to it, but we'll get to those in a bit. Welcome to RE: The Fighting Game, or RE:
BASIC COMBO-
Hold L1, Tap R1+R1+R1 - A 3 hit strike with two hooks and an elbow strike. Performing the whole combo will Level 2 Stun an enemy. However, it's really the 2nd and 3rd hits that do the stuns. If you just punch twice then punch once again, you will Level 2 Stun an enemy. None of this basic combo requires stamina! You can also shoot an enemy in the head then just punch them once with the first hit and they will be instantly Level 2 Stunned as well. It's just the most versatile and stamina-efficient way to crush your enemies.
CHARGE ATTACK-
Hold L1, Hold R1, use Right Analogue Stick to choose a target. Red icon indicates target locked, then let go of R1. - The first strike of this combo is a Thrust Punch Look familiar? This attack does not consume Stamina, but following it up will. There is a 20m range on the charge lock on.
Now, this is where things get interesting. While holding the charge stance or just entering it, you can roll to the left and right with a different animation that covers a lot more distance and ends Jake up in the same position to unleash an attack, so if you're targeting something, dodge and let go of R1, he will automatically attack. Also, after locking an enemy and starting an attack, you can charge forward, unleash the attack then dodge again and Jake will still keep automatically performing the Thrust Punch. While Jake is sprinting towards his target, he can actually perform a fucking awesome strafing move by just tapping the Left Analogue Stick to the left or right, great for dodging attacks in split seconds! If you let go of L1 at any time during the charge, he will stop in his tracks, so keep it pressed as long as you want your martial arts to go on.
FOLLOW-UP COMBO-
After the Thrust Punch, just keep L1 held down and tap R1. These combos should be finessed a bit with proper timing to get your enemies. Also, using Quick Shot with the hand-to-hand defaults to this Tiger Uppercut and you can still keep L1 held and go through the combo minus the thrust punch!
This combo targets all enemies around Jake and evens out the damage in a pretty good order.
The Tiger Uppercut starts the follow-up combo followed by a Cobra Strike as the third hit. Using the uppercut costs 1 Stamina, but using the Cobra Strike does not. So, you can chain three hits together (Thrust Punch, Tiger Uppercut, Cobra Strike) all in one combo for good damage coverage with just 1 Stamina bar! However, the two hits following this are a Leg Sweep and an Arm Smash, and both of those attacks consume 1 Stamina and you cannot cancel out of them.
During any of the first three hits you are free to cancel out of the attacks with a dodge (so long as L1 is held) and you can also perform a backflip in the same way! Dodging backwards will cause Jake to do a quick backflip, and this is the fastest way to chain Thrust Punches together for infinite no-stamina use damage, so it's pretty overpowered when it clicks! If you use the Quick-Shot near an enemy who is flying or just above you and you can't punch them (or you lock on and charge them) Jake will do a somersault kick that knocks them out. This also happens if you lock on to an enemy lying down.
If you use the Quick-Shot and the closest enemy is downed, Jake will default to his arm smash and crush them.
The leg sweep has a pretty wide range but the arm smash does not, and the damage on both can be negligible, so use judgment when deciding to follow up with those attacks because as stated before there are no invulnerability frames in this game outside of your contextual melee and you are wide open to be hit in the middle of most of these animations, but your hitbox is generously smaller.
Knowing all this you open up a wide array of attacks and dodges, use them well and you will soon forget the need of guns! Her's a quick summary.
GIANT SWING-
Unique to Jake only with Hand-to-hand equipped, if you approach a downed enemy's legs he will pick them up and throw them in the opposite direction. Great for clearing enemies and does a lot of damage.
CHARGE COMBO-
Hold L1, Hold R1 (Lock-on), Release R1, keep tapping R1 for all the combo hits. The full combo consumes 3 stamina bars.
CANCELING-
During the charge stance or while in the middle of the Thrust Punch, Tiger Uppercut, and Cobra Strike, you are free to dodge or backflip. While charging towards an enemy you can also dodge left or right and the attack will automatically recommence after evading.
AUTOMATIC RETURN-
After locking a target then dodging and letting go of R1, Jake will constantly attack that enemy. The lock-on can persist even after death so make sure to switch targets often or you'll just strike air. As long as you've got a target you can do whatever you want.
SHERRY'S STUN ROD
A returning weapon from RE5 now in the hands of Sherry Birkin, her Stun Rod is capable of being over charged. This weapon is slow and will slow Sherry down while it's being used, so careful usage is necessary. When unleashed however it will deal serious damage and caused a Level 2 Stun at overcharge. The attacks are pretty limited and there is only one special attack, using it on a downed enemy which is a slow animation where Sherry stabs them with the rod.
BASIC SWING-
Hold L1, Press R1. That simple, this is the first of the attacks and is hard to aim but. It works like a gunshot in that hitting their heads causes them to reel and hitting them anywhere else will just cause a stumble.
CHARGE ATTACK-
Hold R1 after using Quick-Shot or making the first swing. Wait for crackling. Sherry smacks anyone in front of her with the rod and they are delivered a few thousand volts. It's a fairly strong attack but its slowness makes it inefficient and dangerous in crowds. Does Level 2 Stun most of the enemy's in the game if it doesn't kill them however, and splash damage is unlikely, but it's there.
COVER STRIKE
I haven't gone over this yet but when taking cover at a corner you can actually charge Jake's Hand to Hand or Sherry's Stun Rod and wait for an enemy to come close. Also, Jake's hand-to-hand charge from cover causes him to whip out and charge at whatever is closest, very useful to have, but if an enemy doesn't know you're there you can just do a stealth kill instead which does more damage than regular attacks.
GROUND ATTACK-
Unique to Sherry's stun rod is her ability to stab an enemy on the ground. It's slow but can do a mediocre amount of damage.
CRAWLING ATTACK-
All melee weapons have something you can do while lying down. Sherry's stun rod gets the worst of it and it has no range whatsoever, and she only stabs forward with it. Jake does a kick, while everyone with knives will swing it. Chris is best to use this with, slide past an enemy's legs and slash their ankles for example.
CHARACTERS
Sherry Birkin
Last seen free in Raccoon City, Sherry Birkin has returned seemingly as a U.S. Government Agent. She has come to Edonia to find and safeguard the mercenary Jake Muller, who has the antibodies to the new C-Virus. The world is in danger and a vaccine must be made to counter the threat, so no matter her callous partner's demands, she will make sure he gets out alive. She is naive but strong, believing that the world can be saved while Jake on the other hand acts facetious.
MELEE
(Throw, Head-Front) Kickoff - Sherry climbs on to the victim's chest then kicks them back, crushing their chest.
(Stealth, Head-Back) Face Smasher - Sherry bulldogs anyone with their back to her and smashes their face into the pavement.
(Basic, Varies) Reverse Roundhouse - Sherry wrecks the crowd with a swift kick.
(Coup-de-grace) Sweep Kick - Sherry steals Jill's move from RE5 and kicks an enemy's head clean off.
Jake Muller
A mercenary formerly aligned with the group "La Vita Nuova," or "A New Life," tagging along with Sherry Birkin and under the protection of the U.S. Government. He possesses the antibodies to the C-Virus and has demanded $50,000,000 for his cooperation in making a vaccine. He is strong, spry and clever with a bit of a suave side topped with an aura of cocksure indifference. His talents are unequaled in the field of martial combat, almost superhuman in nature. His services definitely shouldn't come cheap.
MELEE
(Throw, Head-Front) Tornado DDT - Jake grabs the enemy, swings around and crushes their head in a quick move!
(Stealth, Head-Back) German Suplex - Jake copies Leon's Suplex from RE4 and wrestles his enemy down.
(Basic, Varies) Reverse Roundhouse - Jake unleashes a 360-degree kick, getting some breathing room.
(Coup-de-grace) Windfall/Axe Kick/Chikyo Chagi - Jake drops his foot on some fool's head and crushes their skull. This is Wesker's Windfall kick from RE5 that he used in both Mercenaries and the Campaign.
CREATURES
Telo-Krljust
Krljust is the word for "scale," and just like the Oklop leg armor transformation, these enemies have the same resilience, although they are a much rarer variant that you may encounter only 2-3 times in the entire game that is still as easily taken out with a clean rifle headshot. However, they are almost immune to counter-attacks and melee of any kind, making them slightly more dangerous.
Ustanak
The Serbian word for Rebellion or Uprising is Ustanak, and this hulking brute effortlessly chases after Sherry and Jake, intending to apprehend Jake for reasons unknown. Like the Nemesis that once hounded Jill Valentine, this unassailable behemoth is impossible to permanently stop, and never seems to give up. Thankfully, it lacks the ability to transform in the ways that Nemesis did, but Neo-Umbrella did not skimp on its survivability. Truly, this foe of iron flesh will pose a never-ending problem to the mercenary and the government agent assigned to protect him.