Despite being largely panned by critics,Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon Cityintroduced a feature that has great potential in future titles. A common thread across most of the reviews ofOperation Raccoon City—hidden beneath criticism of its clunky mechanics and dysfunctional AI—is near-ubiquitous praise for its innovative and flat-out enjoyable multiplayer experience.
Operation Raccoon Cityis only one example of Capcom’s attempts atmultiplayerResident Evilgames, but it arguably presented the best blueprint for future titles. What makesOperation Raccoon Citystand out from its peers is that it presents an ambitious four-player co-op mode that was overlooked largely due to other problems with the game. While titles likeResident Evil: Resistancehave also offered four-player co-op, the structure was more akin to asymmetrical titles likeDead by Daylightthan what fans associate withResident Evil.
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Operation Raccoon City Gave Fans a Glimpse of Four-Player Resident Evil
Operation Raccoon Cityhad its fair share of problems, and the criticisms leveled against it were largely justified, but like any poorly reviewed title, it stands as a valuable teaching lesson for futureResident Eviltitles. Namely, it lays out the ideal framework for a future multiplayerResident Eviltitle or a multiplayer mode within anupcoming release likeResident Evil 9.
IfOperation Raccoon Cityshows anything, it’s that Capcom needs to have one more run at afour-player co-op game. It also proved that the game has to feel and play likeResident Evil. WhileResident Evil: ResistanceandOperation Raccoon Citywere enjoyable experiences in their own right, neither exactly felt like aResident Eviltitle. The four-player co-op inOperation Raccoon City, for instance, leaned too heavily on the shooter aspect of the game while neglecting the horror aesthetic of previous titles.
For what it’s worth, Capcom need not look at the failed aspects ofOperation Raccoon City, instead, it can focus purely on the positives. There are plenty of useful lessons to be pulled fromOperation Raccoon City’s co-op mode, while the negatives plaguing the game were almost exclusively tied to polish, controls, and AI behavior, all aspects where Capcom has improved considerably over the past decade.
What Could Be Improved for Resident Evil’s Next Co-Op Title
A surefire way to improve on past co-op experiences is to draw inspiration from old-schoolResident Eviltitles. The enemies should primarily be zombies and other non-human creatures. While Umbrella Corporation soldiers are an easy crutch to create a third-person co-op shooter-style experience, the net result is an experience that has been done to death. If players want a faster-paced third-person shooter, there is no shortage of options available. AResident Evilco-op gameneeds to feel dialed back in terms of weapons and pacing.
Oddly enough to create an adequate horror atmosphere, a future title may have to step away fromResident Evil’s typical third-person perspective and try afirst-person perspective like inResident Evil 7. When four players are playing with a third-person perspective, it’s nearly impossible to surprise them in any significant manner. Since a first-person perspective is a tighter point of view, it may prove to be easier to induce elements of horror. A pitch-black room or mist-filled forest at night is significantly more frightening if players can never be certain a zombie isn’t sneaking up on them.
Like any of thebestResident Evilgames, a future co-op title also has to be brutally difficult. Whether it’s through ammo scarcity, enemy durability, enemy abilities, or the like, the game has to make players think on their feet. The moment a co-op experience turns into mindless grinding, it’s dead in the water.
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon Cityis available on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.
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