GameInformer

When the original launched on the first PlayStation, the Resident Evil series introduced survival-horror to the masses. Over time, however, the scares the game threw at you weren’t enough to cover up the awful controls that felt more like a tank than a person. Then, back in 2005, Capcom did something that even the best game developers found impossible. They reinvented their series, and the horror genre, with the phenomenal Resident Evil 4, and brought to light the over-the-shoulder shooting mechanic that is a standard in most third person shooters today.
    With four year separating the fourth and fifth installments in the Resident Evil series, plenty of games have had time to evolve the gunplay Resident Evil 4 invented to make it even better. Does Resident Evil 5 do enough with its co-op features to reclaim its place as the King of Horror?
    If you were expecting a direct sequel to Resident Evil 4, you’ll be disappointed by RE5’s plot. The first game’s protagonist, Chris Redfield, returns, this time on a mission in western Africa. There have been reports of people showing signs of the Las Plagas infection, and he’s there to find out why.
    This new Resident Evil has a different feel than previous games in the series. This time, the military plays a much larger role, as biological weaponry and terrorism drive the story.
    The different feel of the plot doesn’t mean this is a different Resident Evil story. In fact, it ties up a lot of the loose ends from past games in the series. While this is a good thing for fans that are hungry for answers, people who haven’t played every game in the series will find themselves lost almost immediately. Shocking reveals and reestablishment of past characters will only confuse new players, making them scratch their heads and think “Why…?”.
    That’s not to say the immediate plot isn’t easy to follow. It’s super easy, in fact. With only a few characters, you’ll be able to follow the plot from the beginning to end, but anything before the beginning that is referenced will mean nothing to some (if you only played RE4, you’ll still be lost at points). The one complaint I have with the story is that the big twist is so obvious you’ll see it coming before you pass the title screen.
    The design of Resident Evil 5 is easy enough to explain. It’s Resident Evil 4 with a friend at your side. At anytime, a friend can pop into the shoes of Sheva, Chris’ partner.
    No matter which character you play as, you both have the same options available. Both characters can upgrade weapons at a shop using money you collect from enemies you’ve killed or containers you smashed. You can upgrade every weapon multiple times, and it will take you awhile to do so with all the killing tools you have at your disposal.
Pistols, sniper rifles, shotguns, machine guns, rocket launchers, grenades, mines, grenade launchers, stun rods, long bows, and more are at your disposal, some of which have their own variations you can also use. It’s a shame that some of the coolest weapons (like a flame-thrower) are used only once.
Since all your weapons and equipment must be carried with you at all times in the inventory, managing the space available takes up a lot of time. You’ll be switching weapons and ammunition constantly, and it isn’t a problem when there’s a friend at your side. If your friend happens to be AI, however, you’re going to spend as much time in the inventory as out of it. Sheva simply isn’t smart enough to keep track of it all. 
    Every level is linear, with only a few places where you can complete objectives in any order or branch off to look for hidden goodies. Being optimistic, that also means there are plentiful checkpoints, a clear path from point A to point B, and epic encounters are never lacking.
    The level design does have its shortcomings. Puzzles, which were once an important part of the Resident Evil experience, are stupid in their simplicity, plus there are only a few of them throughout the campaign. Also, the quick-time events that RE4 made popular are barely even used. It’s surprising, as they made for some of the coolest moments in the last game.
    The campaign is of decent length, clocking in at about thirteen hours, but that is still MUCH shorter than the last game. Mercenaries Mode is back, and that is still as fun as ever. The mode challenges you to kill as many enemies before the clock reaches zero or the opposition gets the best of you. While competitive multiplayer is available as a download, it sucks. You’ll still get a lot of extra playtime upgrading all the weapons and playing through with a friend though, and Mercenaries Mode will definitely be an addiction for SOME people.
    Since Resident Evil 4, the over-shoulder-shooter has evolved to include cover and movement. Resident Evil 5 hasn’t evolved, however, and feels sloppy as you are glued to the ground as you aim. Sure it makes the game much more intense, but the enemies are also limited because of the controls. They’ll navigate the environment, zeroing in on you, and seem reasonably intelligent until they get near you. Then they grind to a halt and start walking towards you at a snails pace.
    Sure the game would be way too difficult otherwise, but it gets a lot less scary when the enemies, who were charging at you madly just a second ago, start walking like your grandparents. This also means you will soon start repeating a pattern. Running away. All the time, you dash away from the enemy, turn around, shoot them a bunch until they get close, and then repeat. The same goes for managing inventory. It does break the game, it just ruins what is otherwise perfect pacing.
    The biggest issue I have is the cover system’s implementation. In the later levels, there will be a few walls that will allow you to take cover behind them. Why didn’t the developer just include the option of the cover system from the start? It’s just stupid.
    All of the issues sound like they should make an incredibly frustrating game. However, the difficult doesn’t present itself until you reach the last few levels.
    Sheva, when she’s AI controlled, is probably the most difficult part of the game. You’ll need to keep track of her like a curious boy who just learned how to walk. She also uses more ammo than air. When playing with a friend, however, none of these problems arise.
    However, even with all the issues, you’ll never want to stop. The pacing is near perfection, only broken somewhat by the necessity of running away. There are surprises around every corner, and it’s that intense action that makes Resident Evil 5 fun; not the fear factor.
    Resident Evil 5 is eye candy. Texturing is phenomenal, light reflects of every object realistically, and tiny details like dust blowing in the wind add up to make one of the prettiest games of the generation. Animations is also impressive, and the monsters look appropriately creepy, disgusting and awesome. The cinemas are extremely…well, cinematic, with better fight scenes than a kung fu flick.
    Voice acting is okay, only hindered by the awful script, but the music makes up for it, changing to fit the ever-changing action and setting the mood just as it should.
    Resident Evil 5 is a disappointment on so many levels, its hard to believe how incredible it still is. The game hasn’t evolved at all over the years, and the horror has all but disappeared. However, playing with a friend is fantastic, and it is certainly one of the best action games of the year. Just don’t expect a proper Resident Evil game.

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