Resident Evil 6 - Reception

Reception

Resident Evil 6 received mixed reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the PlayStation 3 version 73.55% and 74/100, the Xbox 360 version 69.03% and 67/100 and the PC version 68.73% and 68/100. PlayStation: The Official Magazine praised the story and marking the game and the experience as "an unforgettable one." Similarly, Game Informer said "The game's minor flaws don't hold back the decadent experience from being an unhinged, flaming rollercoaster ride." Official Xbox Magazine UK concluded their review calling it "an accomplished shooter on the whole, and a fittingly thunderous send-off for current gen Resident Evil", praising the length and variety of the game. GameTrailers noted the shift away from the style and tone of past games in the series yet still praised the overall direction, stating that with the "old identity stripped away you've left with a massive action game that tends to check all the boxes instead of creating new ones, yet measured against its contemporaries it remains near the top of its class." IGN was favorable toward the technical and artistic design of the game, with "some of Capcom’s greatest successes incredibly strong world, lighting, and creature designs", noting the new enemies as "some of the best designs and concepts in the history of the franchise." GamesRadar praised the improvements to the controls over its predecessor with "an emphasis is placed on fluidity and movement--a massive departure from the tank-like controls of previous games" but did criticize the cover system "that never seems to work right (but, thankfully, is never really necessary)." The Escapist also praised the improved AI companion that "does a decent job of backing you up and taking the fight to the enemy rather than just standing by", however also disliked the cover system, calling it "the most forgettable new feature of the game."

Eurogamer was divided over the campaigns, calling Leon's "the strongest" and "the closest we get to the series' survival horror roots", along with Ada's as having "diverse flavour". However they felt indifferent to Jake's campaign, which "rarely delights" while calling Chris' "the worst" and "a second-rate, third-person sprint interrupted by endless shootouts with gun-toting grunts and idiotic cut-scene dialogue." Edge magazine also felt that the chapters noticeably contrasted in quality more than others. More negative reviews were made by GameSpot who concluded "this long, poor sequel is the ultimate test of patience for even the most dedicated", and Destructoid called Resident Evil 6 "not just a step back for the series, it's a step back for commonplace, unassuming action-shooters".

In an Official PlayStation Blog interview, Resident Evil 6 executive producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi responded to fan criticism shortly after release, noting the creative differences with fans. He stated "the fans and us as creators are the two parents and just like real parents, you’re not always going to agree on what is best for raising that child," going on to say, "we want to make sure that what we do pleases them but the initial reaction might not always be positive. We do listen to the fans but we can’t be beholden to them at every turn or I don’t think we’ll ever make progress in terms of the series’ development."

While Capcom has dubbed the game "dramatic horror", several critics instead noted the game's departure from survival horror genre compared to previous installments. Reviewers like GameSpot and GamesRadar noted that " is no longer a survival horror game." Destructoid stated that "Capcom has abandoned any pretense of the survival horror genre." Many reviewers listed the game's genre simply as "third-person action shooter." ScrewAttack included it on their 2012 list of top ten Capcom mistakes.

Capcom announced that it has shipped 4.5 million copies worldwide, setting a new record for the company. In October 2012, the game sold 806,000 copies in the United States. According to Capcom, sales "weakened" following the strong start, with the publisher admitting that the game would not meet their goals, lowering financial projections for their fiscal year as a result. As of April 2013, 4.9 million copies have been sold.