Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City preview – hands-on Nemesis mode

This week we visited Microsoft’s Spring Showcase for 2012 and had a chance to pick up yet another multiplayer mode for the horror-gone-action title Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. The standard multiplayer modes have generally pitted players against each other in zombie infested maps that range from the Raccoon City streets to secret, underground Umbrella complexes with some B.O.W.s popping in here or there. We’ve had zombies, hunters, lickers, and even the dreaded Tyrant rip us to shreds, but the event revealed another favorite B.O.W. would be showing his face in the Nemesis multiplayer mode. We bet you can’t guess who it is…

Surprise, it’s Nemesis! The gargantuan, Gatling gun wielding monster wanders the multiplayer map destroying anything he designates as a target. The trick is that there is a computer console where players can reprogram Nemesis to attack the opposite team. In the match we played, we were required to capture and hold a point on the map for as long as possible to complete a data upload. Whether we were able to hold that point really depended on if Nemesis was fighting for our side and keeping the opposite team busy – or dead.

Surprisingly, adding the nearly invincible monster (he can be stunned for thirty seconds if you whittle his health down all the way) really made us change our tactics. If a member of our team didn’t ensure Nemesis was working for us it meant a whole lot of trouble for anyone else trying to capture the point. Nemesis, zombies, and enemy players can be a lot to handle. This basically made it necessary to hold both the upload point and Nemesis control console to pull out a “W.”

Nemesis mode adds a bit of unique variety to Raccoon City’s multiplayer – creating more strategic options and providing even more fan service. Be sure to check out our previous coverage on Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City's multiplayer.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City releases on March 20 in North America and March 23 in Europe.