Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
By Marc Saltzman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Darker, flawed sequel in extremely gory series.
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Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
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Based on 2 parent reviews
For mature children
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Zombie Kick-Butting
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What’s It About?
RESIDENT EVIL: OPERATION RACCOON CITY provides a different, darker spin and alternative perspective to the events depicted in Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3. Rather than a solo experience as with past games, this is a team-based shooter that places you as a member of the Umbrella Security Service, tasked with destroying all evidence of the Umbrella corporation’s involvement in the t-Virus outbreak. Played from a third-person perspective, you must not only take on the U.S. Spec Ops (a group tasked with uncovering the truth you are trying to hide) but also zombies. Fans of the franchise can expect the return of familiar Resident Evil enemies, locations, and characters -- including Leon S. Kennedy and Jill Valentine -- who are now on your list of enemies to destroy. This new game also delivers four different multiplayer modes for up to eight players, where you can play as previous protagonists in the series.
Is It Any Good?
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is not a great game. And that's a shame because it's a treat for fans of the franchise to replay a familiar scenario from a different perspective and with different game mechanics. Plus they will find it interesting to have previous heroes as your main targets as well as zombies. But where it excels in its concept it falls short in its execution (if you can pardon the pun). The game suffers from plain and unmemorable set pieces and the lack of atmosphere. And since the characters you play have no personality, background, or interaction with one another, you don't care about who you are and what you're doing.
In addition, the artificial intelligence (A.I.) is terrible -- your teammates' actions, which you can't control, are all over the place (as are the enemies) -- therefore multiplayer is a must. Even there, controls are problematic. Overall, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is a major disappointment on a number of levels and should be left well alone.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City pushes the envelope even more than other Resident Evil games because you can kill humans -- including U.S. operatives and officers (like Leon S. Kennedy, the star of some previous Resident Evil adventures) instead of just undead zombies. Is there a moral distinction?
What is the impact of playing extremely violent games?
Game Details
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Capcom
- Release date: March 20, 2012
- Genre: Third-Person Shooter
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires, Science and Nature
- ESRB rating: M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Last updated: August 29, 2016
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