What kept me away from the Resident Evil series was the concept of horror. I do not enjoy getting scared in games or movies and such, I tend to stay away but there has always been something that kept me intrigued to play the series. The story of the series drew me in by the mystery of that fact and the word of mouth love of Resident Evil 4's game-play further found my interest. Pure cowardice kept me from playing Resident Evil 4 but nothing stopped me from investing my time the next in the series.

Resident Evil 5 is a survival action thriller with an emphasis on co-op play. You can take the reins as Chis Redifield or Sheva Alomar but there is little difference between the two besides a left-handed visual scheme The system is nearly clone-stamped from it's predecessor as you will only move forward with tank controls. This form of control is when you can only move forward and backwards and need to manually face several other ways to move forward and backwards. The aiming takes place over the shoulder with only a small laser sight to give indication of your aiming and that's all you do. It's impossible to move, reload, heal, or talk while moving. Hard to think that a game mechanic when symptoms scream mental disease.

The game mechanics themselves add to tension that the series is known for, but know that this part of the series has little that scares and more that bring out pure action as enemies that seem like Lovecraft cast-outs try and kill you. Quick time events make it possible for you to dodge, jump, and punch zombies to oblivion. Quick-time events pad out the tank controls that add the ability to preform brutal take-downs against zombies. One example was when I aimed and kneecapped a walking enemy, causing them to kneel, allowing me to preform an uppercut that would make Ken proud, severing it's head. There are two sour notes that become a nuisance which are the inventory and the the computer AI.

Unlike 4, the game does not pause when checking the inventory. A screen will pop up while the game is still going with the option to see your partner's . You cannot move items around while in game and is reserved for pre-game lobby's to do advanced inventory management. The game does allow combining items on the fly and also trading items between the partner, be it AI or be it multilayer. Speaking of AI, some would argue of any “intelligence” of it. It will spew ammo like Arnold Schwarzenegger on a bender and needs to have everything spelled out for it as you have to control both yours and the AI's inventory because it wont combine items.

Now the game-play mechanic may be archaic, but the graphics are top notch. Any kind of aliasing that the PS3 is known for is unnoticeable and the facial textures are entirely believable. There are no drops in frame-rate even at the high points of action and light filters through areas in ways in which you wont question once. Animations are smooth and come off as believable with perfect transitions in between. As like what was said about Resident Evil 4, the graphics will become a standard for years to come.

The story itself must be seen in an unique light but should be considered for it's effort to be consistent. The Resident Evil series has been around for decades and they still try to keep the story plausible and the plot-holes thin but this is just padding for those who find no sense in it. I, personally, found no real problem with the story itself. There are no real twists and only introduce one or two new characters but the main attraction, of course, is Chris and Wesker. It wont win an Emmy but the story is consistent and likes to remind us all what has happened in past games between loading screens.

All in all, the game handles like 4 but lacks some of the thrills. The voice acting is an improvement and fans will love the service given through cut-scenes and the plots are tied up. There is plenty that gets resolved but leaves much to find out in the end. If you liked 4 for the game-play and action then it is likely that you will like the newest installment in the series. Unlockables give the game a great replay value as you can eventually unlock unlimited ammo for all your weapons including a few contrived ones also. Overall a great game that deserves a play if not a part of any collection.