Time is a very valuable thing at E3, more so than money or energy or any other commodity. That’s part of why I always end up running around the show at the last minute. There is never enough time to play everything, and given the nature of today’s industry (filled with cancellations and studio closings) you never know if you’ll have the chance to play some of these games ever again. It’s a cardinal sin to waste someone’s time at E3, an unforgivable offense that can sour your mood almost instantly
That’s why I’m so shocked with Capcom’s Resident Evil 6 Leon demo. It is easily the least eventful demo I’ve ever played. Literally nothing happens for over ten minutes. We cut this video down for time, but trust me when I tell you that the majority of the demo consisted of walking forward, running forward, navigating through extremely simple mazes, or being led down a narrow set of corridors by NPCs who have suffered various levels of hobbling injury. On top of that, the controls are arbitrary and bizarre. Sometimes you can run, sometimes you can’t. Sometimes you automatically stick to walls for cover, sometimes you don’t. It all just works to take you out of the game and get on your nerves.
Slow-paced, uneventful, uninvolving, and anything but fun, Leon’s Resident Evil 6 demo was a total failure. We had a much better time with Chris and Jake. Stay tuned for those video previews. We’ll get them posted soon.