Resident Evil 5

"I really can't summerize how great this game is in one sentance..."

So we have Resident Evil 5, RE5 henceforth, the only game worth 59.99 plus the 30 dollars more for the special edition version... OK that's just my opinion and in my opinion this game = game of the year. So we have another Resident Evil game with over the shoulder view, more weapons, more enemies, better partner (Better then RE4's partner anyways), co-op (A first for a Resident Evil game not including the Outbreak series), better plot, awesome graphics, and Resident Evil 4, RE4 henceforth, control scheme. I'm going to say it as much as I can in one review; I >BLEEP<ing love this game as much as I loved RE4, considering RE4 was one of the main factors for my Gamecube breaking and having to shell out 20 bucks for the PS2 version then some how ending up with the Wii version and still loving every second of it. OK so 4 had some thing's 5 didn't but both games have charming factors that make them both stand out. That and the fact your partner isn't an idiot girl who can't even use a gun. In essence this game kinda reminds me of Resident Evil 0 in the partner factor and there was some depth that will be compared later.

Graphics: 9
I don't usually judge graphics, but this isn't a DS game so I can't be mean to it because this, like 4, is a very beautiful kind of game. You have Chris, who looks like he's been on the same stuff Berry Bonds has been on for who knows how long. You have Sheva, who apparently is from Africa but about the only thing African about her is her accent, but what would I know? I've never been there. The designs for the stages are pretty. The stage design is really well put together; you have the claustrophobic basement with a bunch of bodies in it for a first boss fight stage, then later you find yourself in a place you would more likely find Lara Croft jumping around in and the normal Lab area. All in all the game is really good looking.

Sound: 7
If it doesn't make my ears bleed then the sound is fine, this being one of the few games where sound is actually needed; Music = bad guys in room. Also some enemies make a sound exclusive to that enemy, like Lickers make a clicking noise, chainsaw dude has a chainsaw roaring and is breathing quite loudly.

Story: 9
So we have Chris in Africa, he soon meets his new partner Sheva, Chris is with an Organization called the BSAA which stands for British South American Airways... Wait no it doesn't, it actually stands for Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance. Chris and Sheva are on a mission to catch a man named Irving and Chris finds information about his former partner; Jill Valentine who apparently is dead the two then go to find answers about Jill.

Game-Play: 10
So you have over the shoulder view like in RE4, you can now strafe unlike RE4, and you can't walk and shoot like in Outbreak File #2. A lot of people overlooked Resident Evil in the past because of these, Strafing wasn't in RE4, and Run'n'gun isn't in Resident Evil period. If this game allowed walking/running while shooting you don't know how easy it would have made this game. The strafing really isn't needed either as it only comes with two control schemes, one I didn't like the other is RE4's scheme but with strafing. They have also introduced duck and cover fighting into the series, which seems to be the norm for 3rd person shooting games these days and a game with a 3rd person view is apparently bad if it doesn't have it. I really enjoy the later levels that use duck and cover because it shows the enemies know how to use a gun unlike in the last game where the only two enemies that knew how to use a gun was the gatling gun enemies and a boss fight.

RE0's partner system compared to RE5's partner system
In Resident Evil 0 you started out as Rebecca Chambers and later gained control of Billy Coen and could control both in the game. In Resident Evil 5 you start out as Chris Redfield and you get Sheva Alomar as your partner. The key difference is in 0 you control both for the entire game save for some parts that separate the two, in 5 you only control Chris (Or Sheva, depending on if you unlocked that option). Then we have the physics between the two, 0's partner A.I was a lot better thought out then 5's partner A.I. Like if the computer was playing as Billy he would attack zombies with whatever weapon he had equipped, Rebecca on the other hand would only attack if Billy attacked. Also in 0 bullets seemed to pierce your partner and hit the zombies unlike in 5 where your partner will blindly shoot you thinking it will hit an enemy and it won't actually do any damage to you it'll just waste ammo. So basically Sheva in 5 = Ashley with a gun in 4 and you don't have to keep catching or saving her all the time.

The Partner AI in General:
OK, so after playing a bit I have run into several problems regarding the partner A.I. Such as in Vash12349's walkthrough it took him 4 or 5 tries to get past the first chainsaw enemy because Sheva as the A.I. partner kept getting killed. I haven't had any problems like this but I have had problems in later stages where I was at a door ready to move on and my partner had apparently gotten stuck halfway back and I had to go get him unstuck and escort him, yes it was Chris, to the end. Another time I had just finished this one boss and had to take a very long walk up some stairs and when I got to the door found out Chris had lodged himself between a wall and the bosses dead body and had to walk down the stairs just to get him unstuck again and walk him to the door. There is also the part during the final boss fight where you have to rely on your partner to grab ****** to finish the fight, but Chris on occasion was more interested in some daisies growing off camera.

Compared to 4:
So both games have their own little charm but there are some things that can't be topped: Resident Evil 4 had some Classic levels that 5 didn't even try to top, which is a good thing it shouldn't have to compete with it's predecessor and just a copy&paste of the same game. Basically I'm talking about such stages in 4 like the log house standoff with Leon and Luis, the trolley rides in the mining areas and the Del Lago boss fight. 5 does have an interesting setup of bosses but I'm not about to spoil them for you. I love the ending chapters when you have to use duck and cover to get around, it just added fun to the game and now I kinda wonder why Saddler never decided to invest in guns when he sent his small army against Leon in RE4?

Final score: 9
This game, I know, I'll be playing a long time. If history is any guess, I can only pray it doesn't break my Xbox 360 like 4 did to my Gamecube. The scenes are beautiful, stages are nicely done, the character models look nice. Sound is also nice in the fact it's the only game I play with the sound turned higher up then normal. I love the over the shoulder view and I'm glad they give you the option to play with 4's control scheme and an alternate of 4's control with strafing, I was not liking the one they made up for 5. This is also supposed to wrap up the series but it does leave some lose ends untied, perhaps for an RE6 which would be awesome but only if they give Rebecca some more attention dammit.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/19/09, Updated 04/06/09

Game Release: Resident Evil 5 (Collector's Edition) (US, 03/13/09)