Safety's Off

It’s been a rough road for Capcom leading up to the release of its heavily anticipated next-gen iteration of its well-regarded survival horror franchise, but it’s finally here. Resident Evil 5 has hit on next-generation consoles, and it hits hard. Focusing more on the classic Resident Evil lore than introducing new story threads, RE5 harkens back to the Resident Evil games of yesteryear and ties up some loose plot ends with such a polished presentation you’ll swear you were watching a summer blockbuster at times. Despite some pre-launch worries, RE5 has conquered my fears and delivered another fantastic gaming experience that I won’t soon forget.

Let’s get one thing straight. RE5 is not a timeless classic like RE4 was. Does that mean it’s not a worthy sequel to one of the best games from the last generation of consoles? Not at all. RE5 is more than capable of carrying the Resident Evil brand, and although the game has moved incredibly far away from its survival horror roots since its inception, to write it off as a “Westernized” RE would be ignorant and foolhardy, as well as rob you of the best gaming experiences of 2009 thus far.

Going into RE5, one needs to understand two things. The game is not your typical run ‘n gun third-person action shooter, and you can’t move and shoot. With that in mind, as well as tolerated, the learning curve for RE5 is not steep, but does require a little patience and understanding. At first (especially if you’ve recently played Dead Space), the game feels a bit clunky, but once you get the hang of it it’s a perfect fit for the professionally refined gameplay that Capcom has infused the game with. The AI are programmed to work with the control scheme, often times rushing you to get your attention and build up the suspense before slowing down to prepare for a deadly swipe of their usually very sharp weapon. It’s this one feature that is expected from RE4 veterans like myself, but usually a troubling obstacle for those uninitiated in the Resident Evil control scheme. Once you can overcome the initial bewilderment with the control scheme, buckle your seatbelts, because you’re in for one hell of a ride.

 

                                                                          RE5 turns it up to 11.

 

RE5 picks up on an interesting note, with series veteran Chris Redfield back as the main character with the lovely Sheva Alomar as his trusty sidekick. Before I go any further, I have to give a shout out to whoever modeled the Sheva character, because honestly, she is the most gorgeous video game character ever created. That being said, as an AI partner, she doesn’t do a half bad job either. While her looks don’t necessarily match her artificial intelligence, she is a worthy addition to the Resident Evil franchise and I hope to see more of her in future iterations. This brings me to the point of co-operative play, which, if I dare say it, is on par if not better than Gears of War’s co-op system. You can give your AI partner (or human buddy) weapons, ammo, herbs, etc. until your micromanaging desires are satisfied. The environments in the game are designed around the idea of co-op, and the level design comes through in spades with multiple vantage points and enough locations to create some strategic chokepoints with a friend.

 

                                                          Sheva is the ultimate video game babe.

 

It’s in RE5’s fantastic level design that the game is open to tons of replayability. Unlike Dead Space, I felt the desire to go through the game’s diverse stages more than once willingly, rather than just to grab some ammo or gold before quitting back to the main menu. Every chapter has a unique look and feel, and the enemies are varied enough to keep things fresh throughout the 10-12 hour storyline. While it may be easy to take a look at those numbers and say: “Why the hell is this game worth my hard-earned $60?” those are numbers that, unless you absolutely can’t stand the game after your first playthrough, will undoubtedly increase exponentially. Once RE5 gets its hooks in you, you WILL be addicted. Whether it’s the sweet, updated Mercenaries mode (online, too by the way!), the insane amount of collectibles waiting to be unlocked, or the addictiveness of upgrading all your weapons to their maximum, RE5 gives you a lot to do with your free time. Plus, the recently announced Versus mode is on its way, but whether or not it will be entertaining or a complete mess has yet to be determined. Still, it’s nice that Capcom is looking to expand the game beyond its initial installment.

 

                                                        You will play this game over and over again. 

 

Each of the stages is gorgeously rendered, as is the standard for the rest of the game. Character models are outstanding, weapons are detailed down to the slide release mechanism, and the animations are damn near flawless. Aside from the repetitive death animations for the Majini and Chris' weak attempt at a curbstomp, I found every single reload, punch, kick, and location-based hit animation to be so insanely satisfying that I would catch myself wasting one or two rounds just to see Chris load new shells into his S75 sniper rifle.

If that last sentence makes you recoil in disgust as your inner survival-horror buff screams about the lack of ammo in the game, it’s time to put that inner monster to rest. RE5 is an action game through and through, with tinges of survival horror spread throughout the campaign. To some, this is a step too far for the series, and for others who found RE4 a welcome change, it’s a welcome step forward. Co-operative play also dumbs down the horror of the game considerably, as going through the game with a buddy makes moments that were designed to be scary instead action-packed and frenetic, and based on your gaming preferences, this is either a good thing, or a bad thing. If you’re more of the action gamer, this will feel right at home with you, but if you get nostalgic when you think about the static camera angles and dramatic, blood-soaked corridors of Resident Evil 1 and 2, this will sound like nails on a chalkboard. I happen to be the former, and enjoyed every moment of my time running through the game with a human partner. To be perfectly honest, I have never played the game start to finish with the AI, because I feel that if you have a buddy who owns this game, you shouldn’t even bother with the AI, especially on the harder difficulties when coordination and ammo management is key. This is a game that is MEANT to be played online with a friend (don’t bother with the split-screen, it’s pretty ugly and the impact of the game takes a significant downturn with so much black, empty space on-screen).

Resident Evil 5 is not without its flaws though. The game has a few problems that ultimately hold it back from being of the same caliber as Resident Evil 4. For one, quite honestly the most disappointing thing about RE5 is the removal of the charismatic merchant from RE4. Instead, the inventory management and weapon purchasing are done in a much less integrated fashion, with a simple, sterile menu. Another thing about RE5 that was a bit disappointing was the lack of QTE (quick-time events) in the cutscenes. There are only a handful of these such events in RE5, but in RE4, there were some cutscenes that were chockfull of them. A small complaint, but a complaint nonetheless. Finally, although one of the final bosses is one of my favorite bosses of all time, RE4 had more varied and interesting big bads. That’s not to say that RE5’s bosses aren’t fun to fight or interesting, but they do lack some of the punch of RE4’s epic battles.

 

                                                   Chainsaw man is back, and even more pissed off. 

 

Resident Evil 5 is a fantastic game all around. It’s one of the best co-op experiences since Left 4 Dead and delivers an action-packed singleplayer mode that makes it shine brighter than any other game released this year. Not only does it carry the Resident Evil franchise in a bold new direction with its fantastic presentation and evolution into the action genre, but it manages to straddle the line between maintaining the winning gameplay of RE4 and making enough changes to keep the experience fresh and exciting. While it’s not as groundbreaking as its predecessor was, it doesn’t need to be in order for it to stand on its own merits as a successful and highly enjoyable game. Trust me, if you’re a Resident Evil or action fan and you can accept the game’s controls for what they are, you will find a highly polished, infinitely replayable game that shouldn’t be missed.

 

Score Breakdown (Out of 10):

Presentation: Resident Evil 5 delivers a highly polished experience that ties up a number of loose plot ties as well as introduces a few new ones. It’s a shame there’s no merchant anymore. (9.5)

Graphics: “Wow” sums up RE5 appropriately. From fantastically rendered environments to highly detailed character models and animations, Resident Evil 5 looks absolutely gorgeous. (10)

Sound: The soundtrack is great, and the weapons sound appropriately punchy. The voice acting is for the most part very solid, but there are a few lines here and there that are a little lame. (9.2)

Gameplay: A few refinements to the RE4 control scheme make RE5 handle better than its predecessor, while still maintaining the classic stop and shoot gameplay that works so well. (9.5)

Lasting Appeal: Between the heaps of collectibles, Mercenaries, and tough but reasonable achievements, you’ll be playing Resident Evil 5 for quite awhile. (9.0)

Overall: Resident Evil 5 delivers an experience that absolutely shouldn’t be missed by fans of the franchise and action buffs who love to shoot not-quite zombies.

 

Final Score:  9.3

 

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