Resident Evil 5

"Does Resident Evil 5 surpass it's predecessor or does it still fall under the shadow of a giant?"

Resident Evil 4 often hailed as one of the greatest games of all time, or at least this decade. It's easy to understand why; it was a dramatic change in the game play style of classic Resident Evil games. And for some this was terrible and for others well it brought them into the series. No matter what your opinion was, you'd have to be blind to not realise how well that game was designed and how effective the scenery was at setting a mood and creating a very enjoyable (and often scary) gaming experience. Outside of that the game play was intuitive fun and original (it even helped inspire games like Gears of war and Dead space). It goes down as my favourite game of all time, it caused me to play the other Resident Evil's (which I loved).

So once Resident Evil 5 came out I realised I had to fork over the money for an Xbox 360 and play the sequel to my most played game of all time. I apologize in advance if much of this review comes out as comparison to Resi4 but it must be done.

Story 7/10
Resident Evil has never been a game known for it's in depth story and complex writing style; however I always found deep enjoyment about the back-story and looking through the notes provided in game. So to me the story has been fairly interesting. Resident Evil 5 has taken several years after 4 left off. The Las Plagas parasite from 4 returns as the cause of the enemies, if you played the side missions in 4 you know that Albert Wesker got a hold of the parasite and has clear plans for it.

Open up to Chris Redfield who is headed to Kijuju Africa partnering with Sheva Alomar (your co-op buddy in the game). The 2 are assigned the task of apprehending Ricardo Irving, a man who has been selling viruses on the black market. Soon after they arrive the scene for the game is set in what seems like all of Kijuju has been infected with the Plagas from the original game. What happens next is difficult to explain without immense spoilers. The plot is definitely meatier than previous Resident Evil instalments (and certainly 4) and was actually fairly decent. Despite some over used story-line cliche it's still decent to keep you going.

Graphics 9/10
Friggin' gorgeous is all I can say. This may be simply because I just got a 360 and haven't seen as much variety. But the textures are astounding and the game is very well polished. Facial expressions are top notch and the visuals do not disappoint. Many people said that Resident evil 4 had the finest graphics of the last console generation (and I'd agree). But Resident Evil 4 came out closer to the end of the consoles life so most of the abilities of the GameCube were realised by then. The details on everything are incredibly meticulous and there's a lot to notice. Graphics we're definitely beautifully done.

Design/Atmosphere 5/10
Not a usual area I'd review in a game, but it felt necessary. Basically I felt the atmosphere in 5 was lacklustre and never very interesting. Whereas Resident Evil 4's locales set the mood for the game perfectly; with each area holding a unique aspect. Resident Evil 5's areas seem uninspired, while beautifully rendered, there is no interesting mood set and that is one of this game's drawbacks. I never felt fear once while playing, which I found odd since the games tagline is “Fear you can't forget”. There is nothing in the areas that makes you want to take another look or make you question your surroundings or make you very interested in the area around you which for me is what drew me into Resident Evil 4 (REmake and 2 as well).

Another gripe I have is the enemy design; there are very few interesting enemies in Resident Evil 5. Nothing that scares you or makes you want to run rather than fight (Regenerators, Garradors, Crimson Heads, Nemesis, Lisa Trevor are all prime examples). That being said, I found the Reapers in 5 to be somewhat interesting as well as the infected dogs (whose heads split open). But overall nothing inspired, especially bosses. I was disappointed in fighting the same tentacle monster the 3rd time and the monster that weren't draped in tentacles were just bland. Most of this is probably a result of the director change. Shinji Makami who had created the series and directed most of the games was not involved in the project to disappointment to many fans.

Game play 9/10
If you hadn't been told yet, this game is CO-OP which is a huge change for Resident Evil (other than Outbreak of course). It comes across very well in this game, playing with a friend is a very enjoyable experience as you work together and help each other out in need. Unfortunately the A.I is a bit moronic but is playable with. But overall the co-op is very fun, I can definitely see inspiration from Left 4 Dead (possibly the finest use of co-op I've ever seen) as you are reliant on your partner to save you in dying and the many strategic ways you can fight together. BUT there is a problem with co-op; it was one of the biggest factors in removing potential fear. Having a buddy with you or even just the computer character helping you removes the sense of isolation felt (4 had Ashley but you had to worry about her so it didn't seem to lift the sense of being alone).

Another interesting change is the inventory, they went back to the old style of Resident Evil, giving you a preset amount of slots and all items taking up once space (some items stack some don't though). Resident Evil 4 used an attache case where different items meant different space and therefore limited your items depending on what you had. It was intuitive and interesting, but I don't mind the change I enjoy the new inventory system and don't really mind it at all. In fact I enjoy that it works in real time, meaning you cannot pause to switch weapons. This makes the game much more tense and balances it in a lot of ways. Trading healing items or switching guns can be a much more interesting task when 20 infected are coming at you with cleavers and broken bottles.

Now one final word is what has many people bothered. There is no moving and shooting. Some people say it makes no sense, and even in Horror games like Dead Space (somewhat horror anyway) allow you to move slowly while your weapon is out. However it is in Resident Evil spirit that you stand still to shoot. I agree with this, however in 4 it added to the tension and the feel of the game, and every prior Resident Evil, in 5 it seems a bit odd. They have essentially made you Rambo in this game and in early trailers the villagers were much more savage. Obviously less so now as to make balance, however if they amped up the enemy AI and made them more vicious and allowed you to partially move and shoot I think that would have worked better for this title. Not that it doesn't work it's still very fun and intuitive it's just my small opinion and I still really enjoyed the game regardless.

However before I finish I will add this…*GASP* No more typewriters for saving, ye it was tradition, but it wouldn't have really worked for the setting of the game or how it works (the online gaming wouldn't have worked without a conventional checkpoint system). Anyway just thought I'd let you know.

Sound/Music/Voice Acting 8/10
No complaints about the sounds at all, all the guns feel very satisfying and using the Smith and Wesson 500 (Hand cannon in 4). The enemy's calls are less frightening then prior Resident Evil (zombies have the characteristic moan, and the chanting of the zealots in 4 is still bone chilling to me). But nonetheless they serve their purpose well. The music in the game is done quite well and serves it purpose to create tension and set the mood when needed. I really enjoyed the final boss musical score. I would even consider buying the soundtrack if I happened to come across it. The voice acting is top notch, no longer is it cheesy (well it was only cheesy in the original RE for PS and a bit after). But all the actors do a very fine job.

One thing I had a problem with was the lack of humour in the game. In Resident Evil 4; Leon had some excellent one liners. In the original the humour was all unintentional and amazingly campy. The problem is that sometimes when game developers take the game too seriously they forget to realize that putting humour into traumatic situations is actually a very human trait and what we do naturally, so when it comes across in horror games it actually helps to humanize the characters more and create a greater bond (not that a horror game need to be funny but vague humour helps a lot to bring realism into it). Overall, well done musical score top notch voice acting and satisfying sound effects.

Replayabilty 8/10
I haven't gotten everything unlocked yet but I'm very determined to do so. The game is loaded with bonus content and extra features so they really try to stretch it out for you. The mercenaries is a great addition to the game and has been since RE3. It adds a lot of longevity to the game and is sure to please people who enjoy going for high scores or people who enjoy finding dynamic and different ways to play their game. The amount of unlock able weapons helps a lot too. There are a lot to try out and compare and yield different ways to play the game. However after that there is little else, and that a problem which comes back to the atmosphere, there is little there to actually grip you into coming back and wanting to play it after you unlock everything. If you have a friend it will help for sure and the professional mode should keep you busy for awhile as you try to shave off your time to get that good speed run.

I played through Resident Evil 4 around 30 times, maybe more. The atmosphere totally drew me in and I still play it almost 4 years after release. This game has a lot to offer and a lot of enjoyment to be had, however I personally wasn't totally gripped by its presence as I have been with other games. However I will be still having a lot of fun with it.

Overall 8/10
Resident Evil 5 is a very well designed game with only a couple flaws and only 1 major one. Nevertheless it's a very fun game and best enjoyed with a friend or just a random to play some co-op with. It's got a decent story 4 difficulties and a multitude of weapons to destroy your enemies with. The graphics are beautiful the music is tight and the game play is refined. I still feel it's going to be living in the shadow of Resident Evil 4, but it is a great game nonetheless.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/07/09

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