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Resident Evil 5
Platform:Playstation 3
,Xbox 360Price: $59.99 (standard edition), $89.99 (collector's
edition
)
If Resident Evil 5 taught me anything, it's that when the inevitable zombie apocalypse comes, they'll come at us from all sides and you'd better have a friend with you to watch your back.
Resident Evil 5 is the latest installment in Capcom's flagship survival horror series and while some things have changed, others have stayed the same. The game retains most of Resident Evil 4's control scheme with slightly different button assignments and the ability to swap weapons and items on the fly. Inventory management has always been a huge part of the Resident Evil series and things are no different for RE5. To accommodate the real-time inventory access, you can only carry nine weapons/ammo/items during each mission with the chance to swap out weapons/ammo/items between missions. But the biggest change to the series comes in the form of co-op gameplay, either controlled by another player or the computer AI.
The co-op gameplay is where Resident Evil 5 shines. The previous games have been fairly solitary in their design, both in playing the game (aside from having someone else watch you play) and the game itself. Sure, most of the games in the series have featured more than one playable character but being able to have both characters playable simultaneously has given the game a whole new feel. The action is such that you need a partner help you get through each of the missions because the enemies come at you from all sides. Local multiplayer is accomplished via split screen, but unlike most games, Resident Evil 5 splits the screen but keeps the correct aspect ratio allowing a consistent field of vision in both single player and co-op. Online multiplayer is fun, but having a headset makes a world of difference in the enjoyability factor. But not everything is great about your partner...
Playing the game single player can be a frustrating affair due to your AI partner's overwhelming stupidity. Your partner tends to waste ammo, breaking one of the cardinal rules of playing a Resident Evil game. You do get the option of putting her into "attack" or "cover" mode, which basically boils down to how quickly she decides to waste your ammo. But playing alone is manageable since the game's difficulty is lowered with weaker and fewer enemies.
The controls for Resident Evil 5 are nearly the same as it's predecessor, Resident Evil 4, and for some that may be an issue. When the fourth game in the series was released in 2005, the control scheme was a fresh update to the series but in 2009, it may seem antiquated for those of you who are used to both moving and shooting at the same time. If you think you might have a problem with those controls, pop in your copy of Resident Evil 4 (seriously, odds are you own a copy since it's been on three different platforms for the past 2 generations of video game hardware...) and see if you can play it again. If you're frustrated by the controls, Resident Evil 5 may not be the game for you.
If you can get past the controls, there's an extremely replayable game underneath it all. The Mercenaries mode returns which is a timed mode where your objective is to take out as many enemies as you can. It's like playing the main story campaign without that pesky story getting in the way. (Honestly, story hasn't really been one of Resident Evil's strong points...) You can also choose to play particular missions without having to start over from the beginning to pick up anything you may have missed in your first playthrough or just relive your favorite levels.
Rating
In spite of some of it's flaws, Resident Evil 5 is an enjoyable game. It boasts some of the best looking visuals to date and co-op play is a lot of fun. Playing with a friend of mine with a headset, it reminded me a lot of playing Dungeons & Dragons. Playing the game for the first time and planning out strategies adds a lot to the experience. So this one is an emphatic "buy" from me.If you can play through the game with another person, either online or offline, that's probably the best way to play. Just make sure if you do play online that both of you have a microphones. Good communication is key to surviving some of the more difficult levels and it's just plain fun to hear a friend's reaction to some of the craziness that goes on in the game.
Recommendations
Dead
Space
- From being completely surrounded and having a partner to watch your back to being surrounded and completely alone, Dead Space is another survival horror action game that's worth playing. Just the presentation of the entire game makes it worth a play though. The screen is clear of any HUD that shows you your life meter, ammo, etc. Instead, all of those elements are incorporated into your character's suit, which makes you feel as if you're watching the something unfold instead of playing a game.
Resident Evil 4
Player Two
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Damsel I. Distress
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John Minion
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