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Resident Evil 5 is an action packed, somewhat frustrating mix of the old and new. It ditches the usual investigation of a zombie-riddled mansion and takes the action to Africa, where the impressively muscled Chris Redfield, the original hero from the first Resident Evil, and new partner Sheva Alomar investigate a new bio-terrorist threat. The Umbrella Corporation is no more, but you can’t keep a good virus down and instead an emergent black market network has led to biohazard threats popping up worldwide. As part of a newly-formed unit called the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (B.S.A.A.), Chris Redfield is sent on a journey to look into a weapons project called Uroboros that will eventually lead him to old allies…and old adversaries.
Resident Evil 5 is a lot more action orientated than previous instalments of the series, and that combined with the new environments has really refreshed the Resident Evil experience. The game looks amazingly detailed, and like all RE titles is incredibly atmospheric, aided by some seriously creepy ambient sounds and music. Gameplay-wise the series has evolved from earlier instalments. I don’t recall there being a puzzle that will tax your brain more than the classic ‘find lever, insert lever here’ which is a little disappointing for long time fans but RE5 more than makes up for it by ramping the action up considerably. Continuing recent zombie trends (or Majini as they are known in this game), they have evolved into nippy little blighters and their amped up speed significantly ups the tension quota. It’s very intense in parts, in particular the boss sequences. Aided by some superb cinematic cut-scenes, the action is fast paced throughout and you are often put in situations that will seriously get the adrenalin pumping (chainsaw wielding scarecrows will do that to you).
Hands down the best new feature of RE5 is the introduction of two player co-op over Xbox Live. In terms of actual co-operative play, it doesn’t really extend beyond one player helping the other jump a ladder or cross a gap (or my personal favourite, the double roundhouse kick to open a stubborn door), but comes into its own in the action set pieces, where you really get the feeling that someone ‘has your back’ as you take on the undead. Players can resuscitate and aid their endangered partner, which adds a thrilling element to the action set pieces, especially when you are overwhelmed or playing on the harder difficulties. Furthermore, the partner dynamic essentially doubles the inventory space as you can request and switch items between the two. Co-op enthusiasts have been well served by Resident Evil and hopefully developers of other single-player games that have scope for co-op play will look at how well Capcom have incorporated it into basis of Resident Evil 5.
The storyline in this game is fairly clear but the overall story arc the cut scenes regularly refer to is becoming increasingly convoluted, with characters dying and reappearing on a regular basis over the course of the series. There are a lot of Easter eggs for long time fans but newcomers to the series may find it difficult to understand at times. Overall though it’s a small criticism, one that certainly shouldn’t detract you from purchasing the game, and can be solved anyway with a brief Wikipedia visit should you really want to delve into the mythos.
The main campaign is about 7-8 hours but there is a lot of replay value. There are collectibles, a ranking system that evaluates how successful you play, and unlock able weapons that can then be used in the main game, and a ‘Professional’ difficulty setting that is unlocked after completing ‘Veteran’, so it’s a lot of bang for your buck. If you’re still undecided, Capcom have supported the main game with a variety of DLC. The main addition is the introduction of a ‘Versus’ mode, where you can play either solo or as part of a team against other players over Xbox Live in two main modes, ‘Survival’ and ‘Slayers’. In addition, there are two single player/co-op chapters that, albeit short, enhance the main story and are well worth playing.
The archaic control system and cumbersome inventory management, a long held feature in the Resident Evil series, does retain some charm for long-time fans but at what point does it go from an annoying-but-charming mainstay to just plain annoying? I truly believe Capcom can craft a system that allows you to turn at more than an awkward 90 or 180 degree angle and still retain the claustrophobic feel of being attached by a horde of zombies, and it would certainly lead to a less frustrating gameplay experience. The ‘typewriter’ save system was ditched from previous games and I think there needs to be some similarly fundamental changes in the future, especially when so many other top developers are focusing on making these aspects more accessible and easier to use. I’m sure Resident Evil aficionados would passionately disagree however.
The Resident Evil franchise has been an enduring one since the 90’s and Resident Evil 5 does justice to it. Never less than entertaining, the game offers great excitement, and with the co-op enhancements and strong replay value certainly represents value for money. Whilst at times the awkward controls can be a little frustrating, and the story a little confusing at times, that’s outweighed by the inventive characters and sheer excitement this game delivers. Strongly recommended.
Resident Evil 5 is a lot more action orientated than previous instalments of the series, and that combined with the new environments has really refreshed the Resident Evil experience. The game looks amazingly detailed, and like all RE titles is incredibly atmospheric, aided by some seriously creepy ambient sounds and music. Gameplay-wise the series has evolved from earlier instalments. I don’t recall there being a puzzle that will tax your brain more than the classic ‘find lever, insert lever here’ which is a little disappointing for long time fans but RE5 more than makes up for it by ramping the action up considerably. Continuing recent zombie trends (or Majini as they are known in this game), they have evolved into nippy little blighters and their amped up speed significantly ups the tension quota. It’s very intense in parts, in particular the boss sequences. Aided by some superb cinematic cut-scenes, the action is fast paced throughout and you are often put in situations that will seriously get the adrenalin pumping (chainsaw wielding scarecrows will do that to you).
Hands down the best new feature of RE5 is the introduction of two player co-op over Xbox Live. In terms of actual co-operative play, it doesn’t really extend beyond one player helping the other jump a ladder or cross a gap (or my personal favourite, the double roundhouse kick to open a stubborn door), but comes into its own in the action set pieces, where you really get the feeling that someone ‘has your back’ as you take on the undead. Players can resuscitate and aid their endangered partner, which adds a thrilling element to the action set pieces, especially when you are overwhelmed or playing on the harder difficulties. Furthermore, the partner dynamic essentially doubles the inventory space as you can request and switch items between the two. Co-op enthusiasts have been well served by Resident Evil and hopefully developers of other single-player games that have scope for co-op play will look at how well Capcom have incorporated it into basis of Resident Evil 5.
The storyline in this game is fairly clear but the overall story arc the cut scenes regularly refer to is becoming increasingly convoluted, with characters dying and reappearing on a regular basis over the course of the series. There are a lot of Easter eggs for long time fans but newcomers to the series may find it difficult to understand at times. Overall though it’s a small criticism, one that certainly shouldn’t detract you from purchasing the game, and can be solved anyway with a brief Wikipedia visit should you really want to delve into the mythos.
The main campaign is about 7-8 hours but there is a lot of replay value. There are collectibles, a ranking system that evaluates how successful you play, and unlock able weapons that can then be used in the main game, and a ‘Professional’ difficulty setting that is unlocked after completing ‘Veteran’, so it’s a lot of bang for your buck. If you’re still undecided, Capcom have supported the main game with a variety of DLC. The main addition is the introduction of a ‘Versus’ mode, where you can play either solo or as part of a team against other players over Xbox Live in two main modes, ‘Survival’ and ‘Slayers’. In addition, there are two single player/co-op chapters that, albeit short, enhance the main story and are well worth playing.
The archaic control system and cumbersome inventory management, a long held feature in the Resident Evil series, does retain some charm for long-time fans but at what point does it go from an annoying-but-charming mainstay to just plain annoying? I truly believe Capcom can craft a system that allows you to turn at more than an awkward 90 or 180 degree angle and still retain the claustrophobic feel of being attached by a horde of zombies, and it would certainly lead to a less frustrating gameplay experience. The ‘typewriter’ save system was ditched from previous games and I think there needs to be some similarly fundamental changes in the future, especially when so many other top developers are focusing on making these aspects more accessible and easier to use. I’m sure Resident Evil aficionados would passionately disagree however.
The Resident Evil franchise has been an enduring one since the 90’s and Resident Evil 5 does justice to it. Never less than entertaining, the game offers great excitement, and with the co-op enhancements and strong replay value certainly represents value for money. Whilst at times the awkward controls can be a little frustrating, and the story a little confusing at times, that’s outweighed by the inventive characters and sheer excitement this game delivers. Strongly recommended.
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Resident Evil 5 is an action packed, somewhat frustrating mix of the old and new. It ditches the usual investigation of a zombie-riddled mansion and takes the action to Africa, where the impressively muscled Chris Redfield, the original hero from the first Resident Evil, and new partner Sheva Alomar investigate a new bio-terrorist threat. The Umbrella Corporation is no more, but you can’t keep a good virus down and instead an emergent black market network has led to biohazard threats popping up worldwide. As part of a newly-formed unit called the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (B.S.A.A.), Chris Redfield is sent on a journey to look into a weapons project called Uroboros that will eventually lead him to old allies…and old adversaries.
Resident Evil 5 is a lot more action orientated than previous instalments of the series, and that combined with the new environments has really refreshed the Resident Evil experience. The game looks amazingly detailed, and like all RE titles is incredibly atmospheric, aided by some seriously creepy ambient sounds and music. Gameplay-wise the series has evolved from earlier instalments. I don’t recall there being a puzzle that will tax your brain more than the classic ‘find lever, insert lever here’ which is a little disappointing for long time fans but RE5 more than makes up for it by ramping the action up considerably. Continuing recent zombie trends (or Majini as they are known in this game), they have evolved into nippy little blighters and their amped up speed significantly ups the tension quota. It’s very intense in parts, in particular the boss sequences. Aided by some superb cinematic cut-scenes, the action is fast paced throughout and you are often put in situations that will seriously get the adrenalin pumping (chainsaw wielding scarecrows will do that to you).
Hands down the best new feature of RE5 is the introduction of two player co-op over Xbox Live. In terms of actual co-operative play, it doesn’t really extend beyond one player helping the other jump a ladder or cross a gap (or my personal favourite, the double roundhouse kick to open a stubborn door), but comes into its own in the action set pieces, where you really get the feeling that someone ‘has your back’ as you take on the undead. Players can resuscitate and aid their endangered partner, which adds a thrilling element to the action set pieces, especially when you are overwhelmed or playing on the harder difficulties. Furthermore, the partner dynamic essentially doubles the inventory space as you can request and switch items between the two. Co-op enthusiasts have been well served by Resident Evil and hopefully developers of other single-player games that have scope for co-op play will look at how well Capcom have incorporated it into basis of Resident Evil 5.
The storyline in this game is fairly clear but the overall story arc the cut scenes regularly refer to is becoming increasingly convoluted, with characters dying and reappearing on a regular basis over the course of the series. There are a lot of Easter eggs for long time fans but newcomers to the series may find it difficult to understand at times. Overall though it’s a small criticism, one that certainly shouldn’t detract you from purchasing the game, and can be solved anyway with a brief Wikipedia visit should you really want to delve into the mythos.
The main campaign is about 7-8 hours but there is a lot of replay value. There are collectibles, a ranking system that evaluates how successful you play, and unlock able weapons that can then be used in the main game, and a ‘Professional’ difficulty setting that is unlocked after completing ‘Veteran’, so it’s a lot of bang for your buck. If you’re still undecided, Capcom have supported the main game with a variety of DLC. The main addition is the introduction of a ‘Versus’ mode, where you can play either solo or as part of a team against other players over Xbox Live in two main modes, ‘Survival’ and ‘Slayers’. In addition, there are two single player/co-op chapters that, albeit short, enhance the main story and are well worth playing.
The archaic control system and cumbersome inventory management, a long held feature in the Resident Evil series, does retain some charm for long-time fans but at what point does it go from an annoying-but-charming mainstay to just plain annoying? I truly believe Capcom can craft a system that allows you to turn at more than an awkward 90 or 180 degree angle and still retain the claustrophobic feel of being attached by a horde of zombies, and it would certainly lead to a less frustrating gameplay experience. The ‘typewriter’ save system was ditched from previous games and I think there needs to be some similarly fundamental changes in the future, especially when so many other top developers are focusing on making these aspects more accessible and easier to use. I’m sure Resident Evil aficionados would passionately disagree however.
The Resident Evil franchise has been an enduring one since the 90’s and Resident Evil 5 does justice to it. Never less than entertaining, the game offers great excitement, and with the co-op enhancements and strong replay value certainly represents value for money. Whilst at times the awkward controls can be a little frustrating, and the story a little confusing at times, that’s outweighed by the inventive characters and sheer excitement this game delivers. Strongly recommended.
Resident Evil 5 is a lot more action orientated than previous instalments of the series, and that combined with the new environments has really refreshed the Resident Evil experience. The game looks amazingly detailed, and like all RE titles is incredibly atmospheric, aided by some seriously creepy ambient sounds and music. Gameplay-wise the series has evolved from earlier instalments. I don’t recall there being a puzzle that will tax your brain more than the classic ‘find lever, insert lever here’ which is a little disappointing for long time fans but RE5 more than makes up for it by ramping the action up considerably. Continuing recent zombie trends (or Majini as they are known in this game), they have evolved into nippy little blighters and their amped up speed significantly ups the tension quota. It’s very intense in parts, in particular the boss sequences. Aided by some superb cinematic cut-scenes, the action is fast paced throughout and you are often put in situations that will seriously get the adrenalin pumping (chainsaw wielding scarecrows will do that to you).
Hands down the best new feature of RE5 is the introduction of two player co-op over Xbox Live. In terms of actual co-operative play, it doesn’t really extend beyond one player helping the other jump a ladder or cross a gap (or my personal favourite, the double roundhouse kick to open a stubborn door), but comes into its own in the action set pieces, where you really get the feeling that someone ‘has your back’ as you take on the undead. Players can resuscitate and aid their endangered partner, which adds a thrilling element to the action set pieces, especially when you are overwhelmed or playing on the harder difficulties. Furthermore, the partner dynamic essentially doubles the inventory space as you can request and switch items between the two. Co-op enthusiasts have been well served by Resident Evil and hopefully developers of other single-player games that have scope for co-op play will look at how well Capcom have incorporated it into basis of Resident Evil 5.
The storyline in this game is fairly clear but the overall story arc the cut scenes regularly refer to is becoming increasingly convoluted, with characters dying and reappearing on a regular basis over the course of the series. There are a lot of Easter eggs for long time fans but newcomers to the series may find it difficult to understand at times. Overall though it’s a small criticism, one that certainly shouldn’t detract you from purchasing the game, and can be solved anyway with a brief Wikipedia visit should you really want to delve into the mythos.
The main campaign is about 7-8 hours but there is a lot of replay value. There are collectibles, a ranking system that evaluates how successful you play, and unlock able weapons that can then be used in the main game, and a ‘Professional’ difficulty setting that is unlocked after completing ‘Veteran’, so it’s a lot of bang for your buck. If you’re still undecided, Capcom have supported the main game with a variety of DLC. The main addition is the introduction of a ‘Versus’ mode, where you can play either solo or as part of a team against other players over Xbox Live in two main modes, ‘Survival’ and ‘Slayers’. In addition, there are two single player/co-op chapters that, albeit short, enhance the main story and are well worth playing.
The archaic control system and cumbersome inventory management, a long held feature in the Resident Evil series, does retain some charm for long-time fans but at what point does it go from an annoying-but-charming mainstay to just plain annoying? I truly believe Capcom can craft a system that allows you to turn at more than an awkward 90 or 180 degree angle and still retain the claustrophobic feel of being attached by a horde of zombies, and it would certainly lead to a less frustrating gameplay experience. The ‘typewriter’ save system was ditched from previous games and I think there needs to be some similarly fundamental changes in the future, especially when so many other top developers are focusing on making these aspects more accessible and easier to use. I’m sure Resident Evil aficionados would passionately disagree however.
The Resident Evil franchise has been an enduring one since the 90’s and Resident Evil 5 does justice to it. Never less than entertaining, the game offers great excitement, and with the co-op enhancements and strong replay value certainly represents value for money. Whilst at times the awkward controls can be a little frustrating, and the story a little confusing at times, that’s outweighed by the inventive characters and sheer excitement this game delivers. Strongly recommended.