Resident Evil 5

1. Vital Stats

Publisher: Capcom

Developer: Capcom

Platform(s): Playstation3, Xbox 360, PC

Version Tested: Xbox 360

Release Date: 13/03/2009

Genre: Survival Horror

We give it:

Capcoms leading horror franchise returns for another go. Is it outdated though or still worth your money?...

I have never pressed down the B (run) button as hard as when the zombie rose up and chased me in the Resident Evil remake on Gamecube. It was truly the scariest moment I have experienced in video games and whilst I'd almost had a heart attack it is an experience I continue to tell people to this day. 

Resident Evil has changed a lot since then, the fourth game revolutionised the control scheme and the way the game played. The problem with this though was that it felt more like an action game than a horror game, however the game was still the pinnacle of the series.

This was five years ago though and now the first Resident Evil game has appeared for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Leon has been replaced with Chris Redfield, the protagonist from the first game whom is investigating an bio terroism incident in West Africa as part of the Bio-Terroism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA). He is joined by a new female character named Sheva Alomar. This is the main new feature of Resident Evil 5, the co op mode. Whilst the majority of Resident Evil games have had two playable characters they have normally been played alone and on separate storylines. In this game you are joined by your co-op partner throughout the entire game. 

Your partner is controlled by the AI in single player however you can get a friend to join you via split screen or over the internet. This is perhaps the greatest feature of this game whilst also being a small weak point as well. The weak point comes in the fact that the co-op partner is with you even when you're playing on your own. Whilst the AI is good it can be a bit slow to react to you in danger or can be a bit quick to use healing items or ammo. So whilst the game is perfectly playable in single player the game was meant to be played in co-op.

This is shown by how much more enjoyable the game is when played with a friend. Cash is shared in the game so there is no need to be greedy and you can trade ammo and health between characters. If you balance out the weapons you can get a game where each character has their own strengths and weaknesses. This means you form new strategies that you've never done before in Resident Evil, such as one person taking out the immediate enemies whilst another hangs back and covers them using the sniper rifle. It makes you feel that you're working through the game together and is really fun to play.

As mentioned there is cash in the game again, as the game sticks to the formula set out by Resident Evil 4. This means the tank controls have returned but you can now strafe. It also means you cannot run and shoot at the same time, this might sound annoying but the enemies have been designed with this in mind so you won't get too frustrated as you play through the game.

A cover mode has also been added where you are allowed to stick to some walls and then pop out to shoot. This becomes vital near the end of the game when the enemies can shoot back at you. This feature could have been implemented a bit better though. These new features don't change the gameplay too much, which might annoy some people however the game is still really fun to play and stops it becoming just another generic third person shooter.

Saying this the game plays very much like an action game, there are a few puzzles but the majority of your time will be spent confronting the enemy. The typewriters of old Resident Evil games have been replaced with checkpoints and the infamous salesman of Resident Evil 4 has just been replaced with a menu.

On top of this the quick time events are back in the cutscenes where failure can lead to certain death. Fortunately most of these come near a checkpoint so redoing them won't set you back too much.

The story is your typical Resident Evil storyline with some old favourites returning. It's good enough to keep you playing the game but won't be winning best storyline any time soon. The soundtrack is great with some great music coming in the later levels of the game.

Another great point of Resident Evil 5 is the amount of replay value you get from the game once you finish it. As usual you unlock the Mercenaries mode which can be played in co-op as with the main game. This is really fun and you will spend a lot of time playing this mode and unlocking all the characters.

You can also unlock new weapons, costumes, unlimited ammo, filters etc. This cannot be done in one playthrough and you will be playing this game a lot in order to get all the unlockables.

In summary whilst this game isn't a major change from Resident Evil 4 the game is still really fun to play with or without your mates beside you. The replay value makes this game a really worthwhile purchase and a game you should have on your console/PC.