If you played the original Resident Evil 2, odds are you probably wished for the death of the main character, Leon Kennedy, at least once or twice. He wasn’t a bad character, nor was it a bad game by any means, but when your protagonist has trouble taking a right turn, or things like a picket fence become massive impediments that cause your death because it is impossible to climb over them, then you may have cursed Leon at least once.
For those that were never able to get over that, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City may be the perfect game. Set during the events of Resident Evil 2 (and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, although it isn’t clear how much, if any, story crossover from that title will be included), you play as either a member of the Umbrella Corporation’s special mercenary security force, or a member of the U.S. military sent to investigate the outbreak in Raccoon City.
Although typically prequel games are somewhat intractable in their storytelling options, Operation Raccoon City wants you to have the freedom to change the history of the Resident Evil franchise. As such, you can complete several missions that did not happen in the previous games, like saving the city, and putting a slug in poor Leon’s chest.
Look for Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 this winter.