Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The first hour with Resident Evil 6: Anthology is less about settling into one game than deciding where you want to begin. Resident Evil 6 is the physical-disc centerpiece, while the other five entries arrive as downloads, and that structure encourages sampling rather than a single straight-through commitment. You can start at either end of the collection, but the anthology is more rewarding when you treat it as a chance to spend time with several very different points in one long-running series.

That breadth is the package’s real strength. Resident Evil: Director’s Cut, Resident Evil 2: Dual Shock Version, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition, and Resident Evil 6 are not interchangeable purchases with slightly different subtitles. Moving between them makes the collection feel like a series tour, and the variety keeps it from becoming a six-game backlog item you feel obligated to clear in release order.

The frustration is that this is not a newly designed anthology with a fresh shared mode or a unified progression hook; it is one disc release paired with five downloads that were already sold separately on PS3. If you only want Resident Evil 6, the extra material may feel like more than you need. If you want several of these games, though, the payoff is a conveniently assembled library rather than a token bonus disc.

Graphics

Because this set stretches from Resident Evil: Director’s Cut through Resident Evil 6, you are looking at games from sharply different eras rather than one visually consistent collection. That contrast is part of the point: the older downloadable entries sit alongside later PS3-era releases, making the anthology feel more like a shelf of distinct games than a single remastered production.

Story

This anthology does not create one new story out of its six included games. Instead, it collects multiple Resident Evil chapters, from Resident Evil: Director’s Cut through Resident Evil 6, and lets you choose how much of that history you want to follow. That matters if you are coming in cold: the package offers a wide starting point, but it does not turn six separate titles into one seamless narrative.

Beginning with the earlier games gives the collection a natural sense of progression, while jumping straight to Resident Evil 6 makes sense if that is the game you came for. Neither route is wrong. The smart move is to think of the older entries as substantial games in their own right, not merely required homework attached to the disc release.

For a returning fan, the story-side appeal is recognition and scope. For a newcomer, it is access: you have a selection that includes Resident Evil 2: Dual Shock Version and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis as well as later entries. If one chapter does not grab you, another is waiting instead of the entire purchase becoming a dead end.

Overall Experience

Resident Evil 6: Anthology works best as a PlayStation 3 Resident Evil library in a box, not as a definitive new edition of any one game. Its strongest argument is quantity with purpose: six named entries, including Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition and Resident Evil 4, offer far more room to explore than a standard single-game release.

There is a practical caveat behind the generosity. Only Resident Evil 6 is included on disc; the rest are download versions, and those downloadable games were previously available for the platform. That makes the collection less exciting for someone who already owns much of the PS3 catalogue, but it remains an appealing consolidation for anyone building one from scratch.

If Resident Evil 2 is the title that has you curious, the related Resident Evil 2 page is a useful place to get a closer look at one of the anthology’s older included chapters. Overall, this is an easy recommendation for a PS3 owner who wants range, history, and several chances to find their preferred Resident Evil era; it is a weaker buy for a collector who already downloaded most of the same games.

Retro Replay Score

7.2/10