The sixth sequential installment(don’t forget Resident Evil 0) in the Resident Evil franchise reunites players with survivor, and protagonist, Chris Redfield. The last time players took control of Chris in the Resident Evil universe was when it was first released on Playstation in 1996. Since the first R.E. Chris really has been missing in action in this world of zombies.
Now, in his long awaited return, Chris Redfield travels to South Africa for the B.S.A.A (Bio-Terrorism Security Assessment Alliance). He arrives in the town of Kijuju, where he meets up with his new partner Sheva Alomar, who is playable in the co-op modes. They are sent into the town to investigate and stop a biological weapons deal. Upon investigation you notice something is wrong while just walking through the town to your first destination point. Only a few minutes into the game, and you start getting attacked, it becomes obvious that the villagers of the town and local areas are infected with the parasite from the previous game (Resident Evil 4), and turned into Majini from the infection. Chris soon comes to realize that all the incidents happening in Kijuju are far too relevant to his past to be mere occurrences. As Chris and Sheva descend into the carnage and chaos erupting in Kijuju, they also dig deeper into Chris’s past and the horror of things to come in everyones future.
The gameplay is pretty smooth, fun and easy to pick up, especially when compared to the previous Resident Evil games.
With the progression in controls and gameplay that Capcom has made over the years in the Resident Evil series, it was sad to see them take a step back with taking out the ability to walk around while aiming. Another feature, or I should say feeling, Capcom failed to achieve was the feeling of being overwhelmed, having to run from a mass amount of zombies because you had one full clip in your pistol, and another half clip in your inventory. Or needing to quickly find a house to take refuge in to heal before taking on the infected again. R.E. 5 left me feeling that it was more an action adventure game with zombie like creature in it, than an actual horror survival game about zombies.
This title offers hours of replayability with letting you replay levels on harder difficulties, without losing the wealth or cache of weapons you’ve accumulated through your first run through of the game. This feature makes it a lot easier for those gamers who need their 1000 gamerscore from the game. Most of the achievements in this game are collectables, like treasures, gems, eggs (yes, eggs) and models, which can be purchased from the main screen options with BP (Battle Points) you earn at the end of each level. The other achievements consist of special trick shots or attacks, and of course, everyone’s favorite, level and difficulty completion.
The main feature of the game is its multiplayer co-op story option which will let the second player take over the controls of Sheva. This was the first time Capcom has done this with any of its Resident Evil games and was a real treat for the fans of the series and new comers alike. Another treat that Capcom put in for its fans was the classic Resident Evil Mercenaries mini-game which takes the player into a small open area taken from an area in each level you play through the game. The objective of this mini-game is to run through the given area, gaining points for killing, and surviving, round after round of oncoming hordes of infected, till you meet the bitter end, or your given time runs out. Certain actions and pickups can extend your time allowing you to get more points.
The voice acting in the game was great although, like a lot of games that I play, when the mouth doesn’t match up with
what is being said in the C.G.I cut scenes, I feel like I’m watching a 1980’s English dubbed kung-fu flick; thank God I love those types of movies. The one thing to watch out for audio wise in this game is the “call for help” button, which is a great idea to have in a co-op game like this, but it can become overly annoying quickly when abused by the players or if you leave the computer downed.
Resident Evil 5 for what it is was a fun game that me and my friends enjoyed for hours on end. I feel that I enjoyed this game a lot and got my money’s worth for buying it when it first came out. That said, I do have one problem with the game which I find happens in ongoing series a lot, and that is as the series goes on it starts to lose its roots somehow to the originals which made the series in the first place. Resident Evil 5 is a great game, with an awesome story, and should be a part of any zombie fanatic gamer’s or Biohazard(Resident Evil) fan’s collection. The only thing I find sad is that something felt like it was missing from the game to make it a true successor to its former counter parts in the Resident Evil series.
Pros:
- One of the best games for Story Co-op
- Main Villain (No spoilers, sorry)
- Hours of Replayability
Cons:
- Where are all the zombies?
- “WHY CAN’T I WALK AROUND WHILE TRYING TO SHOOT?!?!”
- No I will not help you up, stop hitting the “help” button for five seconds, and I might
Score: 4/5
so in the first paragraph there is an inaccuracy.
“The last time players took control of Chris in the Resident Evil universe was when it was first released on Playstation in 1996. Since the first R.E.”
You also play as Chris in the second half of Resident Evil Code Veronica.
another thing i would like to mention is that this is really the seventh installment not the sixth because you have yet again forgotten Resident Evil Code Veronica.
also R.E. 5 takes place in Africa not South America.
and another thing. capcom did not “take a step back with taking out the ability to walk around while aiming.” as that feature has never been in a title release of the series.
Please fact check before posting.