And the diary continues…

DAY 1 – 24th JULY

We met with our fellow journalists and Capcom PR representatives in the hotel lobby and after some chat headed to the Capcom office. On arrival at our destination we were impressed by the professionalism and simplicity of Japanese offices, enriched by various items from Capcom’s famous franchises.

We start with a brief presentation from Hirabayashi-san, the Producer of Resident Evil 6 who introduced the first big unveiling: Ada’s campaign.

After a short gameplay demonstration we learn that the gameplay of Ada’s campaign will see her infiltrating locations in order to get the information she needs. Along the way she will need to solve puzzles as well as take on the zombies and c-virus mutations found throughout the game. The feel is very close to that of a thriller, but at the same time will follow the stories of the other characters and interact with them from time to time during the game’s crossover moments, giving players a different perspective on the events they have experienced while playing the other campaigns. Ada’s main weapon is her deadly crossbow (although you may employ all the weapons featured in the game during her campaign). Ada’s HUD will be represented by a mysterious glass cube which she has with her at all times. Hmmm.

The graphics we saw in the demo, just like the rest of the game, seems greatly improved, smoother and more detailed when compared to the earlier content from E3 etc. It was, without doubt, real eye candy.

The presentation of the famous “woman in red” of the RE saga ended with the confirmation that, Ada’s campaign will deliver an additional several hours of gameplay.

Even If the confirmation of the Ada’s bonus campaign was not such a big surprise (as there had been many rumours previously) it is fair to say we were very much stunned by the second big reveal, “Agent Hunt” mode.

In the demo of Agent Hunt Mode, Hirabayashi-san took on the role of a J’avo while Shiba-san played as Jake Muller. As a J’avo Hirabayashi-san was able to perform sword attacks as he tried to take down Jake alongside the standard AI controlled enemies you’ll encounter in each stage. When Hirabayashi-san’s J’avo had taken a few hits, just like in the main game, its arm transformed allowing the ability to attack Jake from distance. Later we saw the J’avo turn into a chrysalis and then a fierce lizard like creature which could attack Jake with toxic gas and fire poisoned darts.

All the journalists around the table of the meeting room were really excited by news of this innovative and fascinating mode which will allow you to play as not just J’Avo but also zombies and the other creatures and mutations created by the C-Virus.

For the rest of the morning and early afternoon, escorted by Capcom international PR staff, we had the opportunity to be the first people outside of Capcom to experience Ada’s campaign and Agent Hunt mode.

First of all we want to tell you one thing: we heard some comments, based on demo that was released in June, concerning the graphical quality of Resident Evil 6 being less than expected in certain areas. If you are one of those people then you will change your mind, rest assured of that!

At first sight the new content we tested as well as the San Diego Comicon 2012 demo which we also got to play is visually ASTONISHING with highly detailed textures, incredibly fluid animations and near photorealistic character models.

As for the other aspects, from the gameplay to the plot, we can confirm that we are in agreement with all those websites and magazines that have had the opportunity to play more of the game and praised Resident Evil 6 in recent months.

The game offers a big variety of different types of horror, action and gameplay mechanics perfectly mixed together so it is easily on a par with the best productions of different genres … But, if you had forgotten, remember that in Resident Evil 6 you will find them all together into one title!

Survival horror, third person shooter, pure action, stealth and co-op online, the sixth instalment of Resident Evil contains all of these elements and fans of every genre can only be pleased about that. After the hands-on session Capcom’s guys escorted us to the heart of the development studio, the 6th Floor, never opened to the media before.

After being told a few do’s and dont’s, we reached the sixth level of the building, inserting the access card like in all the Resident Evil games, before finally entering the real Resident Evil 6 “delivery room”.

When we entered the big open area, we were impressed by the silence that greeted us, in spite of the fact that a hundred developers and programmers were busy at work. Game artworks, iconic items from the series plus the awards Resident Evil 6 has already gained gave us the feeling that we were in a true “sanctuary” of the games industry; a place where all the Resident Evil series has come to life from the first chapter back in 1996.

We left the heart of the production for Resident Evil6 with plenty of nostalgic memories and emotions still in the throat. We then moved to another nearby building where we discovered the historical main entrance of the big C, and inside a beautiful room/museum with some rare items of other brands created by the software company from Osaka.

After viewing the historical pieces, playing a Monster Hunter slot machine and having an informal chat with one of the most friendly guys in gaming industry, Tsukasa Takenaka (Producer of Resident Evil: Revelations and Assistant Producer for RE6), we were taken back to the hotel.

Tired (but happy) by a day full of emotions we still had the energy to visit the area surrounding the Hotel Nikko. We had a lovely dinner at the famous Royal Host chain and we finished with a nice walk surrounded by the thousands lights of Osaka. We are already looking forward to enjoying another day at Capcom’s Japanese headquarters…

Michele Giannone

Keep following us to find out what happened on day 2, and take a look at Capcom Italia’s page to find all the extra pictures from day 1 that we didn’t include in this post!