Published by:
Capcom
Developed by:
Capcom
Release Date:
March 13, 2009
Available on:
Xbox 360, Playstation 3
INTRO:
Welcome
to the next level of terror, as Resident Evil 5 has finally graced
current-gen consoles. If you have been reading my column for long enough,
you may remember my review of Resident Evil 4. In fact, it was the first
review I did after assuming the position of video game reviewer. Ah,
nostalgia.
Anyway, I loved that game and it remains one of my favorite games of all
time. As such, I’ve been waiting with baited breath for the fifth entry into the
series to grace my console. This one takes place in Africa. You play as RE
favorite Chris Redfield and you’re joined by your partner Sheva Alomar who helps
your cause. You’ve got to work together to stop this virus in broad daylight,
which is a true departure for the series.
I really think that Capcom was trying to put a whole new spin on their series,
but part of me thinks maybe it should have been left alone. I don’t know.
Although I’m the ‘game guy’ here, I think you should definitely make your own
mind up and play this game either way, regardless of my score.
GAMEPLAY:
I don’t normally talk too much about multiplayer games because although it
can be fun to play with a buddy, it’s my opinion that if you can’t have a
good single player campaign, you don’t have much going for your game. With
that said, I will say that this is one game you want to have a friend there
for, either at home with you or off in Chicago on XBOX Live (actually, I’d
play on Live if I were you because even on a big screen, the split-screen
co-op is really skewed).
A lot of what I said about Resident Evil 4 can be applied to this game.
In fact, it is almost identical in a lot of ways. You aim your weapon with one
shoulder button and fire with another shoulder button. You draw your knife with
the other shoulder button and slash with the ‘fire’ button. It’s a good strategy
to take out legs and slash dudes when they fall down if you can.
You still have the quick turn button and you can still run. You can now
access inventory on the fly, which is a change that I don’t like much because
although you can map certain weapons to the d-pad, sometimes you need to grab a
grenade or something and you press a button to bring it up and you can be
attacked while you do it. You might also throw it away or give it to a partner
by accident, which can be frustrating.
The AI is still tough and you’ll be ganged up on frequently, even more so in the
first few levels than the last one. One thing this game certainly accomplishes
is the tension of each and every gun battle. Ammo is always key and you never
feel safe. I can’t think of too many fights where I thought ‘eh, that was easy’.
Everywhere you look you have to keep a cool head and be ready for dudes to come
around the corner. They’ll flank, run and throw explosives, knives or swing huge
blades at you- among other things. You’ll also come across all kinds of
minibosses, most of them are HUGE monstrosities that you may believe won’t be
killed, but they come with a hefty reward.
The story is sort of weak, but that doesn’t really affect gameplay- it falls
apart about halfway through, depending on how hokey you can handle your game
plots about zombie-like things.
To me, the whole thing sifted from a badass RE game to a strange take on
Uncharted or Tomb Raider.
Boss fights are still awesome of course, as you and your partner will
have to solve puzzles while panicking and marveling at the sheer mass of the
monstrous creatures above you.
Another huge change that I must mention is that you can’t walk and shoot
anymore. Some people love it, some people hate it. I was really used to it and
felt it made sense and added realism. I had trouble adjusting to RE5 taking that
away from me and didn’t really get over it. Is it the end of the world? Not
really, but to me it seemed like half a step backwards.
Let’s
get to the co-op, because it’s a HUGE, essential part of the gameplay. Folks, I
have to tell you- this game took me days longer to get through than I’d hoped
for one reason. I had to wait for my buddy to be online to play with me. As a
co-op game, especially online, this game is just fantastic fun. But try single
player and you’ll undoubtedly end up frustrated. Sometimes Sheva won’t shoot at
the horde. If you need an item, she’ll often leave you hanging. She’s also not
always helpful during boss fights.
Ultimately, this game is a lot of fun as a multiplayer game but it really
feels a lot like the last one, which can be good and bad. If you liked the last
one (and I sure did), maybe you didn’t want a lot to change but at the same
time, it’s been so long that you’d think they could revolutionize even further.
RE5 just gives off a serious sense of familiarity that is hard to shake.
Gameplay: 8/10
GRAPHICS:
This game is quite simply gorgeous. Can I just leave it at that? No? Okay.
The character models are incredible. The open, dusty and hot environments
are gorgeous and rich in texture. Lighting is almost unparalleled and the
small details like dust effects add more pretty to this picture.
Graphics: 10/10
AUDIO:
I can say the exact same thing for this one that I did about RE4, so I will:
If you have a surround sound system, buy this game. RE5 wouldn’t be quite as
amazing as it is without the sound that it features. In fact, the sound is
so good; it is actually a vital tool for those of us lucky enough to have
5.1 systems. You’ll hear whispers in the darkness, shouts of anger, and
screams of agony. You’ll be tipped off that there’s an enemy off in the
distance to the right when he screams to alert the others that he’s detected
you. The sound in this game is truly chilling, and creepy as hell. You’ll be
treated to terrifying jolts, scary music, plenty of splattering and some
great gunfire noises. The voice acting can be hammy, but still sounds great.
Audio: 10/10
FINAL VERDICT:
Ultimately I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was just slightly disappointed by
this game. It’s not that it wasn’t a great game because it IS. I guess I
sort of feel the way I felt when I played Super Street Fighter II back in
the day. It’s everything I remember except with a different setting and a
few new twists. This one gets a little tired halfway through and begins to
feel a bit more generic as it goes on, until a rocking ending.
I suppose ultimately my big gripe is that I wanted to rip through the
single player and it was a bit of a chore because I felt like my AI partner was
useless in some instances. I know that there’s an innovation going on here, but
why does survival horror have to be a co-op affair?
If
you’ve never played an RE game before (for shame) and you’ve got a bloodthirsty
buddy with you, this one’s a ten..otherwise, maybe not so much.
Final Score: 8.5/10