Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is just around the corner, hitting PlayStation 3s, Xbox 360s, and PCs March 20. Socom developer SlantSix is at the helm of this third-person shooter, returning to the infected streets of Raccoon City. After spending plenty of time blasting away zombies, mutated monsters, and the armed opposition, I’ve compiled a list of 10 things you should know about the game.

1. You Are Umbrella

Ever want to step into the combat boots of the evil Umbrella Corporation’s most hardened killers? This is your chance. You can choose from Hunk’s protégée, a rugged demolitions expert, a monster-controlling scientist, and more. Seeing the Raccoon City disaster from a new perspective is a unique experience that Operation Raccoon City has to offer.

2. Chaotic Third-Person Shooting

The Resident Evil series turned into a third-person shooter long ago, but Operation Raccoon City ratchets up the frenetic gameplay. At any given time you’ll be required to zoom-in with your weapon, pitch a grenade, or dispatch an enemy with a flurry of melee moves. This is one of the most action-packed entries in the series to date.

3. Human Opposition

Infected freaks aren’t the only threat on the battlefield – you’ll also face off against armed humans. Whether you’re blasting through the co-op campaign or hopping online, you’ll simultaneously fight zombies, mutated monsters, and gun-toting mercenaries. The combination of dodging zombies while watching out for enemy fire presents some harrowing situations.

4. Automatic Cover System

Unlike any other game in the series, Operation Raccoon City allows players to take cover in almost any situation. Bombed-out cars, corners, and waist-high crates make for great improvised cover when caught in a hail of machine gun fire. But be careful, it's easy for zombies to sneak up on you while you're engaged in a frenzied firefight.

5. Online Multiplayer

Players can hop online to engage in four vs. four battles. Standard team deathmatch gets a lot more interesting when the opposition inflicts a wound that causes you to bleed out, attracting the zombie hordes to your position. Heroes Mode allows players to play as fan favorites like Leon, Jill, or Hunk as each team tries to take out the others’ commander.

6. Progression

Whether blasting through the 4-player co-op campaign or tearing it up online in versus mode, your earn experience points at the end of every match. XP can be used to purchase new abilities or weapons, allowing you to customize your operative however you see fit. Want to dump resources into carrying a powerful machine gun and developing your character’s ability to go completely invisible? No problem.

7. Unique Abilities

Each character class has a custom set of passive and active abilities that you can unlock and upgrade as you gain experience.

Recon: Specializes in avoiding enemy detection by mimicking the opposition and using active camouflage.
Medic: Supports teammates with increased accuracy, speed, and defense. Medics can also equip a hypo gun which cures T-virus infections and hurts bio-organic weapons.
Field Scientist: This class can turn enemy soldiers into zombies, throw undead-attracting pheromone vials, and influence monsters to fight alongside them.
Demolition: The explosives expert can plant remote-detonated mines, throw timed sticky grenades, and set up laser trip mines.
Assault: This aggressive class benefits from increased defense, a stint of unlimited ammo, and incendiary rounds.
Surveillance: This unit can monitor enemy movements by scanning for targets, donning thermal goggles, and even see through walls.

8. Rewrite Resident Evil History

Players will encounter nearly every character that was surviving on the streets of Raccoon City during the second and third game. You can look forward to encountering Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Nikolai, and more. However, as your job is to scrub the town of any evidence linking Umbrella to the incident, these witnesses must be eliminated.

9. A Rogues Gallery

Freed from the narrow corridors of the early games, the series’ famous monsters prowl the open streets. You’ll encounter fearsome foes like the tongue-lashing lickers, ferocious hunters, and agile crimson head zombies. In the old games, these creatures usually attacked in groups of two or three at the most. Now their numbers are utterly overwhelming.

10. A Rampaging Tour Of Raccoon City

You’ll visit several iconic places from Resident Evil 2 and 3 during the operation. Your team will visit the infamous Raccoon City police department before Leon and Claire ever step foot inside, escape the hospital before it burns to the ground, and visit a familiar laboratory.