Resident Evil 5

"Evil gets eviler"

Last generation, Resident Evil 4 proved that the greatest survival horror series of all time still had some tricks up its sleeve, as it did what the original Resident Evil did before it: completely revolutionize video games. Resident Evil 4 was so successful that its mechanics and gameplay conventions have been borrowed by games like Gears of War, G.R.A.W., Grand Theft Auto IV, Dark Sector, and a ton of other games that only go to show how influential this series still is despite its old age. Now, with the jaw-dropping success that Resident Evil 4 was, how on Earth could Capcom make a sequel that could live up to its predecessor? Well, the task was damn near impossible, but Resident Evil 5 is as good as you can get without surpassing Resident Evil 4. Honestly, if GameFAQs allowed decimal point scores for reviews, Resident Evil 5's score would be a 9.9.

That being said, what makes Resident Evil 5 so amazing is that it retains Resident Evil 4's core gameplay, which automatically ensures that it's going to be one hell of an experience. In case you don't own a GameCube, a PlayStation 2, a Wii, or a PC (and if you do, you have no excuse not to play Resident Evil 4), I'll give you a brief rundown of the basic conventions. The camera is over-the-shoulder, and almost all of the weapons available to you have laser sights in order to aim wherever you wish to on an enemy's body. You can't move and shoot, as this is not a shooter, and I personally wouldn't have it any other way. A lot of people have complained that the game controls like a tank, but let me assure you that these controls are absolutely fine and you will adapt to them and probably even prefer them after you're done with Resident Evil 5.

Now, Resident Evil 5 isn't a carbon copy of its predecessor. For example, the inventory system has been drastically altered. In Resident Evil 4, you could hold as many items as you could fit in your attaché case, but in Resident Evil 5, you are limited to only nine slots in a fashion similar to the older Resident Evil games. What this does is require you to pick and choose which items are most important, and you will be forced to make some pretty tough decisions. Should I take the machine gun, or should I take the green herb? The answer may seem obvious to you now, but once you're in the game, you'll know what I'm talking about.

What makes the inventory system in Resident Evil 5 more unique than even the older Resident Evil games is that going into your inventory doesn't pause the game. You have to tap the Y button and do whatever you need to do, whether that be combining items or equipping a new weapon, all the while with enemies running crazily at you. This creates intense situations that will likely scare the crap out of you when you're fumbling with some healing items while some big guy is swinging a giant meat beater/scythe combination.

As you can tell, this inventory system can really create some thrilling moments that you'll be talking about with your friends for quite a while, and speaking of friends, Resident Evil 5 finally lets a buddy join up with you to share the world of survival horror. Sure, Resident Evil Outbreak had co-op, but it was restricted to online-only, and while it was fun, it definitely can't compete with the co-op that Resident Evil 5 brings to the table. Two is definitely better than one, right?

Right, assuming that you are playing with a human buddy, whether that be online, system link, or in split-screen co-op. The A.I. for Sheva, the other main protagonist of the game, and who the second player controls, is not bad by any means. In fact, it's some of the smartest A.I. I have ever seen, but in a game like Resident Evil, the artificial intelligence just doesn't cut it. The main reason behind this is that you can't really strategize with Sheva and you will probably become frustrated more than once trying to navigate her around the environments. Does she need babysitting? No, but you do have to manage her items and such, which just sort of sucks the point out of a co-op Resident Evil game.

The quick-time events that Resident Evil 4 made so famous return in Resident Evil 5, and they are just as thrilling as before. Many games attempt to copy Resident Evil 4's interactive QTEs, but few ever do it right. You see, the reason the QTEs are so much fun in the Resident Evil games is that the game switches up which buttons you will have to press in order to complete the cinematic. This means that instead of just requiring the player to memorize button presses, the player will actually have to be on their toes throughout every cut-scene, and if they aren't, they will most definitely pay with their life. Co-op adds a lot to the QTEs in Resident Evil 5, as sometimes you and your partner will have to hit the button that flashes onto the screen, but other times, only one of you will have to tap the button, and it really helps make the game feel much more cinematic. Hopefully other games that copy this formula take a few notes from how Resident Evil pulls it off because I really love quick-time events when they are utilized properly.

Interacting with your partner is a large part of Resident Evil 5, and whether you are playing with a human player or not, this can be achieved in a number of different ways. After your partner hands you an item, you can tap the B button to thank them for it, or you can call them to your location by yelling out for them to come to you. There will be times when their health goes into the red, which means that they are bleeding to death, and you will have to run over to them to heal them or resuscitate them to prevent a game over. Environment interactions are common, and some doors are too strong for only person to kick down.

The game doesn't tether you two together or anything like that. You actually have a lot of freedom, and while the smart idea during large-scale conflicts is to stick together, you will probably find yourselves splitting apart while looking for supplies or just trying to find where to go.

Speaking of finding out where to go, Resident Evil 5 has a simple map system that you can switch on by tapping the RB button. While I really don't like this system sometimes as it takes out a lot of the exploration element of Resident Evil, but it does take care of a problem that games like Fable II and Dead Space have. You see, in those titles, you have to constantly tap a button for the game to point you in the right direction, but Resident Evil 5 takes care of this issue by simply providing a map for the players that, for whatever reason, just want to blow straight through the game.

Just blowing through the game is generally a bad idea as there are plenty of things in the environment for you to find, including invaluable supplies. You see, with the addition of a partner, Resident Evil 5 is much more difficult than Resident Evil 4 as you have to split the health and ammunition and there will be plenty of times throughout the game that your guns will be dry and you will be extremely low on health, just like in the good old Resident Evils of yesteryear. By exploring the environment, you can find health items and ammunition that you wouldn't have found otherwise, plus you will probably happen upon some treasure items that can be sold for some extra cash.

This time around, you won't be selling your wares to a crazy merchant that is just lounging around the levels. In between levels, when you die in a level, or from a simple menu, you have access to a screen that lets you manage your inventory. From this screen, you can organize the items in your inventory to optimize your quickness and be comfortable with how you switch between items. You can also sell any items you wish, sell the treasures you have found, buy a variety of new weapons, and upgrade your equipment to maximize their capabilities, eventually earning the ability to use the weapon with infinite ammo. The game prevents you from fully upgrading one weapon too early in the game, and you aren't going to get to have an infinite ammo weapon until after you complete the game at least once.

As you beat levels and earn letter grades based on your performance, you can choose to return to these levels whenever you want to earn more gold. When you beat the levels, you earn points as well. These points can be used to purchase collectible figurines, alternate costumes, filter effects for playing through the game again, and the infinite ammo for your weapons. You can't just buy anything you want right off the bat, but instead you have to collect BSAA emblems that are hidden throughout the levels, and you earn one by shooting them, which will in turn destroy them.

The Mercenaries mode from Resident Evil 4 and 3 was positively received, so it's no surprise that this mode returns in Resident Evil 5. In Mercenaries, you see how many enemies you can defeat before the time runs out, building up large combos and earning more points to buy more figurines and such. You choose a character you want to play as, all with their strengths and weaknesses, and there are ten levels to choose from in this game's Mercenaries mode as opposed to the four available in Resident Evil 4. However, I was a little disappointed that most of the unlockable characters are simply alternate costumes, but the addition of split-screen co-op play really adds to the experience and makes the Mercenaries experience much more exciting and action-packed.

Unfortunately, Resident Evil 5 doesn't really have any puzzles to speak of. Sure, there is a couple thrown in the middle, but they are so boring, obtuse, and ridiculously easy. Resident Evil 4 had more of a puzzle element going for it, which is saying a lot considering it barely had any puzzles to really speak of either. Another genre that the developers tried to combine with the Resident Evil formula is platforming, and there are some light platforming segments in the game where you have to time your sprints through areas to avoid hazards and such. If you recall, Gears of War 2 had some similar platforming areas, but the main difference is that Gears of War 2 made these fun, while Resident Evil 5 makes these parts overly frustrating. I love the “tank” controls that the Resident Evil series utilizes, but they definitely aren't made for platforming, no matter how light it is. Hopefully the next Resident Evil game reapplies the puzzle element that made the series so great to begin with, and totally does away with the terrible platforming element that the developers tried to apply here.

Melee combat has been completely revamped to include plenty of more options when you are trying to take down enemies. You can now break necks, slit throats, uppercut enemies, not to mention quite a bit of other options. I don't have a problem standing still and shooting, in fact I prefer it, but I think it would have been better if you could move and slice your machete around. Also of note, I found using the machete a little awkward because you have to hold LB to ready the weapon and then pull the right trigger, and it all just felt a little weird.

Resident Evil 5 is pretty much on par with Resident Evil 4 gameplay wise, except for some improvements like the fact that the game is much more difficult than its predecessor and the split-screen and online co-op is loads of fun, though the offline co-op isn't really drop-in/drop-out co-op for some reason and the online is a little gimped, too, because you can't switch weapons with your partner while playing the game online. Regardless, Resident Evil 5's success was banking a lot on how the storyline would be, because Resident Evil 4 completely bombed in this area in regards to the rest of the series. Fans should be relieved to know that Resident Evil 5 has an awesome storyline full of twists and surprises that will keep you glued to the controller. The game makes brief references to Resident Evil 4 throughout though, so gamers who started the series with that game and consider it the best shouldn't be disappointed either with the plot. The game takes place in Africa and follows Chris Redfield, the protagonist of Resident Evil, Resident Evil Code: Veronica, and Umbrella Chronicles, as he goes on a mission for the BSAA. He is given a partner, Sheva Alomar, but both of them really have their own intentions for the mission. Jill Valentine, a series mainstay and star of Resident Evil, Resident Evil 3, and Umbrella Chronicles, is proclaimed deceased before the game even starts (and this is revealed in the first few minutes of the game, so don't worry about spoilers here). The rest is just so awesome with awesome cut-scenes that play out the storyline perfectly, and you will definitely be satisfied. Are all of the questions answered? Well, no, but a lot of things are wrapped up, and Resident Evil 5 provides one of the best plots for any installments in the series, and even surpasses Code Veronica, which was previously my favorite storyline in any Resident Evil game.

Resident Evil 5 is no slump in the graphics department either. The environment is awesomely detailed and the environment is brilliantly destructible, which is made apparent as soon as you punch an enemy through a barrel, just to have the barrel break in a realistic fashion. The lighting effects are pretty damn slick, and the game never has areas that are too dark or too bright. The amount of enemies that can appear on the screen with absolutely zero lag is an accomplishment, plus all of these enemies are extremely detailed to the point that I think it's safe to say that the character models in Resident Evil 5 are the best I've ever seen (seriously, the facial animations will blow you away). Some background textures aren't as good as they could have been, but overall, the graphical quality is outstanding. I didn't find any bugs and didn't have many technical issues, but the game did crash once. An awesome presentation, with even the menu screen given extreme detail and legible text (finally Capcom! Now keep this trend going!), just further adds to the awesomeness that is Resident Evil 5.

Voice acting has never been a strong point for the Resident Evil games, but Resident Evil 5 actually has amazingly good voice acting. All of the characters are played awesomely, and while there are those classic goofy moments, which are a must for any good Resident Evil game (as long as they aren't too excessive), the game still provides a superb audio experience. The enemies will scare the crap out of you as they yell out in a foreign tongue and run screaming at you with their weapons (it's worth mentioning now that the enemies are MUCH more aggressive in this installment), and while some of the soundtrack felt iffy, it will almost always get your blood pumping and get you psyched for the upcoming battles.

I beat the game in a little over eight hours, but that's not odd for a Resident Evil game. I know that may seem short to some gamers, but consider this: Immediately after I beat the game, I had logged in another eight hours and still haven't gotten bored at all. The game just came out recently and I have already played for a little over twenty hours, and it's a rare that a game will make me play this much without boredom ever taking over. The achievements are interesting and will keep you playing this gem for quite a while to come, plus you'll want to share the co-op goodness with whoever decides to stop by or whoever signs onto Xbox LIVE that feels like playing some Resident Evil. The insane amount of unlockable content, multiple difficulty modes (you can now use your upgraded weapons on the higher difficulties), and a library function that allows you to watch cut-scenes you have already watched, allows you to view the figurines (which make noises), and you can read quite a bit of literature about Resident Evil's history. I was impressed with the amount of content stuffed into this game, and the best part is, none of it will bore you in the least bit. Resident Evil 5 is truly an amazing gaming experience, and one that you won't be forgetting any time soon.

I know a lot of people were dissing Resident Evil 5 because it doesn't let you move and shoot and stupid stuff like that, but after you play the game, you'll realize that moving and shooting would have ruined the experience. I'm so glad Capcom didn't sell out, and while a couple of flaws keep Resident Evil 5 from earning a perfect score, I assure you that if GameFAQs had a decimal point rating system, I would have given this score a 9.9 in a heartbeat. Mercenaries Mode was a little disappointing in the unlockable department, the melee combat could have been much better, and the lack of any challenging puzzles definitely were letdowns, but this just gives Capcom things to improve upon for the inevitable next installment. Resident Evil 5 is an awesome survival-horror experience that feels much more like a survival-horror game than its predecessor, while at the same time pleasing gamers of all preferences and backgrounds. If you don't have this gem yet, go out and buy it immediately. I promise you won't regret it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/20/09

Game Release: Resident Evil 5 (US, 03/13/09)