Resident Evil 5

"RE5: Best of the series, it's true"

Pluses:

- Co-op play

- Great looking

- Finally ties up the RE plot

- Lots of replay value

Minuses:

- Barely scary

- Some horrible voice acting

Resident Evil has become a major franchise in video games with its humble beginning being a video game version of "Night of the Living Dead". Being so popular with over 30 million games sold worldwide, games on almost every system since the PSX including cell phones, and a series of movies that have been box office successes, you would think that the love for the series was universal. Instead, the series has been argued over since Resident Evil 2 which is one of the best games on the PSX and possibly the best game in the series.

The big arguments? First there were the controls. Up until Resident Evil 4, every game played the same with the tank controls including a few slight improvements here and there with some of the games. Early on, the controls made sense to both create the right atmosphere, and to go along with the action. However, with many games evolving their style of play, you would think the same would be for the Resident Evil series but sadly no. For almost a decade, the controls were the same for each entry causing much strife amongst fans who could no longer take the aged gameplay. This all changed with RE4 where controls were changed, and what Resident Evil 1 did to make survival horror games popular, RE4 took in-game camera to a new level with the over the shoulder camera. RE4 put the series on the top again, but it led to a new discussion amongst gamers being the lack of horror in the game. Though Resident Evil didn't create the survival horror genre, it did make it popular. Each entry in the series has had its scares but RE4 had almost none thus disappointing survival horror fans that take delight with every jump the game gives them. Gamers were happy that the series played so well yet the sentiment is that the series has become more of a standard action game than survival horror. When Resident Evil 5 was announced, there was much excitement for the next entry in the series but the debate over if it'll be scary or not began once again.

Resident Evil 5 features the original protagonist of the Resident Evil series, Chris Redfield. In Resident Evil 1, Chris and his partner, Jill Valentine, were the heroes of the game, and Chris also shared Resident Evil: Code Veronica with his sister, Claire. Very little info was known about Chris after Resident Evil 1 since he went under the radar to find out more about the infamous and diabolical Umbrella corporation with the exception being him saving his sister in RE: Code Veronica. We find Chris as part of a global law enforcement group known as Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA). He's sent to investigate an African village where the next bioterrorism threat is looming. Villagers have been subjected to the same virus found in RE4, Las Plagas that turns individuals into ultra violent mindless killers, but not the undead zombies of the older games. Joining Chris is another member of the BSAA, Sheeva Alomar. Both individuals will learn not only who's behind the threat, but also learn more about the history of the series. Fans of Resident Evil will be very satisfied with what they learn in this game unlike RE4 which branched off the story completely.

Taking most of the gameplay from RE4, you start off controlling Chris with the over the shoulder view when you brandish a weapon. With your weapon out, a laser sight is used to show you were you're shooting with a very clear red dot on objects you are supposed to shoot at including enemies, buttons/levers for platforms, and even shining spots that will result in a jewel falling off. Towards the end of the game, there will be parts in which Chris will have to take cover in a Gears of War type fashion, coming out of cover to take a few shots at the enemies.

Just like RE4, Quick Time Events (QTE) are scattered throughout the game. These will vary on whether they'll slow you down or outright kill you. Added to the RE4 gameplay is the use of more melee attacks. Get a few shots on the enemies can cause them to stagger, and if you're close enough, you can let loose a melee attack that will do some good damage without wasting ammo.

Weaponry this time around has a little more variety than RE4 and other RE games. Weapons are split into categories such as handgun, shotgun, rifles, machine guns, magnum guns, grenade launcher, and the notorious rocket launcher. In the case of the handgun, shotgun, rifles, machine guns, and magnum, there will be multiple weapons in those categories varying in power, reload speed, magazine capacity, and special attribute. The special attribute varies on the weapon but in general, it's a way for the weapon to do even more damage. Once you acquire weapon in these categories, you can upgrade the weapon. In some cases, weapon found late in the game are better but sometimes they're not so you don't have to always give up the weapon you've already spent time upgrading. To do these upgrades, you'll need some cash. Money can be found through the different chapters, jewels can be found within the levels and drop off enemies that can be sold for money, and weapons can be sold whenever you feel you don't need them. Buying, selling, and upgrading are available between chapters, and continuing a game from the last checkpoint.

A major addition to the gameplay is the cooperative gameplay. In RE4, there are areas where you had a partner with you, but it was all about protecting her. RE5, on the other hand, has a badass for your partner. Your partner's AI is pretty sophisticated and possibly the best ever for a game with a computer controlled ally. It's still not perfect but the fact that you have to not worry about your partner is such a weight off your shoulders. Most of the time, your partner will stay right by you not venturing that far away hence not running off to get themselves killed. At some points, you can order your partner to pick up certain items, stay and activate a switch, or even provide cover fire for you while on a gun turret. In cases where you want them to hang back or do some more offense, you can select for them to attack or cover. There will be some cases where your partner will act a bit like an idiot but those are few and far between.

Both characters have their own inventory, and inventory management will be a necessity with characters having a set amount of spaces. Being that the partner is controlled by the computer, there are ways to take advantage of it being that the computer will rarely miss. Making proper use of them in boss fights can make the fights a lot easier since they will already know what to do against bosses allowing you to watch and learn. Unlike other games, the enemies will actual focus on your partner and your partner will actually kill enemies which other games that have allies in the game are usually just there to not do anything but get in your way. Capcom truly succeeded in setting the standard for AI controlled allies surpassing anything that came before RE5.

Death, like in other RE games, comes in many different forms. With the addition of a partner, you will have to focus on both health bars, not just your own. Using healing items such as herbs and sprays will heal the two of you as long as you two are near one another. Once either health bar is depleted, that doesn't mean your dead yet. Either character will begin to stagger, begging for help from the other character; unable to attack, and help comes in the form of a syringe that there is seemingly no limit. After being injected, the health bar is still low, but the character can still perform just like regular. If help doesn't come and that character takes an additional hit or two, that character will die making it game over for you. Now in some cases, there are enemies that will kill you regardless of health so you have to wary of these guys. In the previously mentioned QTE's, not pressing a button in time will also lead to a game over screen in most cases. Dying will have you continue from the last checkpoint, letting you organize the inventory between the character and buy/sell/upgrade your stuff.

Every single RE game has done well to show off the graphical power of the system and RE5 is no exception. Character models are highly detailed, and in the case of the monsters, they're pretty gruesome looking. What's really impressive is that the real time graphics are just a slightly less polished version of the cinematic graphics, but it's very hard to notice. It's the environments that show off some off the power of the game with very detailed building and areas. Resident Evil games have been known to take place in large compounds with buildings filled with enemies, puzzles, and traps. RE5 goes a little bigger with the game which makes sense since it takes place in Africa. There are villages, swamplands, building and other structures that will have to be explored. Not in the same fashion as a Grand Theft Auto but are there many spots to go through and explore.

Music has been a significant aspect of every Resident Evil game since the beginning. Subtle, yet creepy, musical pieces have been a mainstay for the series creating some memorable moments. It's a shame that RE5 doesn't have that same effect. The music in RE5 just wasn't as memorable. Towards the end, it does become a bit better, but there's nothing that makes me want to buy the soundtrack.

Now let's talk about voice acting. I don't know what the hell Capcom is thinking with the English voice actors, but they've been doing a horrible job as of late. Street Fighter 4 is just filled with bad voice acting and RE5 has some of the same. "Some" is the important word here because it's not all that bad but **** Capcom, enough of the goddamn villains with incredibly annoying voice. WE GET IT ALREADY! You're not helping the game by giving one of the bad guys the same damn whiny, high pitched, voice that's been used in media since the "talkies" were invented. Everyone else is ok with some bad acting jobs here and there with some of the more dramatic moments. There's a twinge of disappointment with Wesker who seemingly has an English accent that comes and goes.

Ever since the original Resident Evil, there's always been a reason to replay the games. Granted the last two games, haven't had nearly as much as the predecessors, but still the series has provided quality replay value since the beginning. RE5 takes replay value up a notch giving you good reasons to play through again. First off, there's the playing through the game by yourself and then with a friend. Co-op mode is available both offline and online. The two experiences are worth the time. Next comes the New Game + mode which means playing through a second time with all the equipment you beat the game with. Playing through again also lets you switch characters from just being. Then you have the rewards after each chapter which vary on how well you do in each chapter and also the difficulty you play at. These rewards include a variety of figurines that can be looked at in your Library. Included in the game is an unlockable Mercenaries mode that was originally in Resident Evil 3 but is part of the RE series extra game modes which typically offer more combat without much storyline. In Mercenaries mode, the objective is to kill as many villagers as possible with various characters in various settings. I say various characters because while the choices start as Chris and Sheeva, that roster will increase the better you do in the game. Adding online Leaderboards on top of it all, and safe to say that you will more than get your money's worth with this game.

First time through the game, as a Resident Evil pro, clocked me at around 13 hours. On one hand, that's a little less than RE4 but I feel that for a RE fan, the game is more rewarding. RE4 did a great job in recreating the series but the lack of any ties to the main storyline of the series made it take a little hit. With Resident Evil 5, Capcom finally treats the diehard Resident Evil fan with an explanation of what the hell went on in this damn series.

Score - 9.3/10.0

- O.G.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/30/09

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