Prior to the release of the CG anime film “Resident Evil: Damnation,” producer Hiroyuki Sasaki finished producing the new “Resident Evil 6” video game, developed and published by the iconic video game company “Capcom.” The gameplay takes a different turn from the previous “Resident Evil” games and offers three scenarios in which the players can engage in three different protagonists’ storylines.

The first storyline deals with a familiar protagonist, Leon S. Kennedy. Leon is a government agent from the 1998 “Resident Evil 2” and 2005 “Resident Evil 4” video games. In this slick new series, Leon is brought back to this atrocious scenery of the apocalypse after his Raccoon City Days. Leon is partnered up with a United States Service agent, Helena Harper, who is assigned to protect the president of the United States, but is too late once they find him turned into a zombie in his office. Leon and Helena must find a way to stop this new biohazard from taking over the world.

The second storyline also deals with a familiar face for “Resident Evil” fans and gamers. The main protagonist in this storyline is no other than the original 1996 “Resident Evil” hero Chris Redfield. Chris, an original S.T.A.R. member, doesn’t start off the game as the proclaimed hero we love and know from the previous games. He starts off on a drunken binge and is not himself. He is found drinking his life away at a bar until he is approached by Piers Nivans, a member of Bio-terrorism Security Assessment Alliance (B.S.A.A). Piers convinces Chris to join the group and to help put a stop to this new outbreak in Europe.

Lastly, the third storyline consists of a new face. Jake Mueller is the new and mysterious protagonist brought along into this zombie mayhem. He is allegedly the son of the notorious villain Albert Wesker (the main antagonist from previous “Resident Evil” games). Little is known of Jake’s history, but it is stated that his blood could be the cure to put away this barbaric outbreak. He teams up with a young lady, Sherry Birkin, from “Resident Evil 2,” the daughter of the game’s antagonist William Birkin. Sherry now works for the same government agency as Leon, and is assigned to protect Jake Mueller at all costs!

Each storyline has several plots and turns as each of the protagonists encounter one another. All of them share the same goal of ending the outbreak, but have different views of approaching it. Leon wants to find the truth and the reason for the outbreak whereas Chris is trying to redeem himself and escape his demons, but Jake is in it for the fun and thrill. Not only are their views different, but also the game play and backgrounds are different.

Leon’s gameplay goes back to the old “Resident Evil” game style. His storyline focuses on an eerie background similar to those of the first two games. His gameplay is actually like the video game genre seen previously: survival horror and strategic tactics. Chris Redfield and Jake Mueller, on the other hand, share a different gameplay that fans and players may not be used to seeing in the series. Chris’s gameplay resembles “Call of Duty” and “Metal Gear Solid.” It doesn’t have the zombie lurking around the corner as seen in Leon’s storyline, but instead consists of flying jets, blowing up buildings and dealing with zombies with assault rifles. Jake’s game play is unique, but quite simple. It gives the players the ability to fight zombies off with Jake’s brawler skills. So basically, when you run out of ammo, you don’t have to rely on the survival knife, but actually get to kick ass!

The game in general has its pros and cons like any other game, but it does offer a fun co-op shooter game play in which gamers will enjoy blasting off zombie heads and taking names. Fans might see some flaws, but they might push it aside and actually enjoy the game. “Resident Evil 6” tries to stay original to its roots, but also appeal to a new audience that is stuck on war and alien games. It is rated M for Mature and is for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

4 Stars