GamerNode: Reviews - Resident Evil 5

Resident Evil 5

• Resident Evil 5
• PlayStation 3
• Capcom
• Capcom
• March 13th, 2009

Resident Evil 5 has some unquestionably ENORMOUS shoes to fill. Following Resident Evil 4, a game that redefined the Resident Evil series and was widely touted as one of the greatest achievements in game development for its time (still the 12th best game of all time on GameRankings), expectations have been almost unfairly high for the 5th... uh... 15th entry into the franchise. To say that the game has not lived up to the legacy of its forebears, then, is not so much a letdown as it is an inevitability... and a statement of the simple, nigh unavoidable truth. Regardless of these unattainable expectations, however, RE5 is still a fine gaming experience.

Resident Evil 5 expands upon the more action-oriented and less creep-around-corners gameplay style of RE4, casting players as veteran Chris Redfield, star of RE1, and newcomer Sheva Alomar in a cooperative adventure into the heart of Africa, where they will uncover the origins of the Umbrella Corporation's evil, zombie-producing experiments and plans for world domination. The storyline isn't likely to win any awards for creativity, but Resident Evil fans will enjoy the many references to prior RE games, as well as the inclusion of some very well-known characters.

New to the Resident Evil universe is Sheva, Chris' ever-present partner throughout the game's biologically altered festivities. A second player can take control of Sheva at any time, making RE5 the first non-spinoff title in the series that can be played cooperatively from start to finish, online or locally. It's exactly what fans have been waiting for, and is an immensely enjoyable way to experience the game. Carefully coordinated teamwork, good communication, and trust in one's partner are all vital parts of success during much of the mission, with key moments requiring players to perform special "partner moves" and to take on different roles in order to survive.

Unfortunately, this also means that the solo RE5 player will be plagued by an obviously-less-than-human, AI-controlled, hip-swaying sidekick who all too frequently does her best to ruin the gameplay experience. From charging into the open during a careful sniping session and alerting everyone of the team's presence, to knocking enemies out of the player's sights at the worst possible moments, to picking up all of wrong items, her presence is less a help than a hinderance, and I personally would have preferred to have just left her in the car. What I did instead was strip her of all her weapons and load her up with as many first aid items as possible, thus keeping her out of my way but still putting her to good use. A simpler solution to her frustrating default behavior would have been to set "attack reaction" to "yes," an option that nicely regulates the willful lady's actions.

Enemy AI, and the enemies in general, leave something to be desired, as well. Somehow, the cognizant, semi-intelligent, communicative, and therefore frightening Ganados of RE4 have been replaced by similar, yet far less clever and resourceful waves of a different group of indigenous people, the Majini. The trademark vocalizations of the previous game's enemies have been minimized in RE5, and players will be hard-pressed to see anything more than drone-like advancement on Chris and Sheva in melee combat situations, although gun-toting enemies become more plentiful and strategic as the game progresses. There is a fairly diverse selection of baddies in RE5, ranging from the simple parasite victims wielding a variety of weapons, to mutated bio experiments gone wrong, to outright monsters, although the breadth of this cast doesn't match that of RE4. Especially disappointing are the boss characters, who show a lesser degree of creativity in their design, their characterization, and the way in which players eliminate them (expect far fewer context-sensitive button prompts this time around).

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