The series that made the survival horror genre popular returns with another change to the format. Resi 4 brought a new third-person perspective to the zombie fighting mix and now Resi 5 brings co-op to the table.
Survivor from the original Resident Evil (known as Biohazard in other regions) Chris Redfield returns, and is joined by new character Sheva Alomar, both members of the B.S.A.A. (the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance) on the hunt for shady dealings involving biological weapons. Your mission along with partner Sheva Alomar is to apprehend Ricardo Irving, who is attempting to sell viruses on the black market. The story takes place in the fictional African region of Kijuju where Chris and Sheva will come up against hordes of ‘infected’ locals, other nasties and maybe a few returning characters...
Like Resi 4 the game adopts a third person viewpoint and the same controls, with the inclusion of right analog stick aiming. Left trigger readies your weapon and you aim using the right analog stick. You can’t run and gun at the same time. I find it to be a bit of a double-edged sword really, while it adds a lot of tension not being able to move while a load of ‘infected’ are coming at you it also feels very dated and unnatural not being able to strafe or step back and fire. I personally didn’t mind in the slightest but at the same time will be very surprised if the controls stay the same for the inevitable Resi 6.
The inventory access feels cumbersome, while 4 items can be moved to the up, down, left and right on the D-pad, another 5 items are only accessible from the inventory. It’s easy to access items in quiet periods between combat but can get tricky in heated situations. Melee moves also return, if you shoot someone in the leg for example, he/she will be stunned and you can roll up for a uppercut, sending them flying and doing some good damage. A ‘cover’ mechanic also appears in the later part of the game but I can’t say I used it much.
The whole game is playable co-op online or split screen. You’ll have to share all the drops left by ‘infected’ and found in containers, so you’ll be seeing the inventory a fair bit, simple as long as you’re not hounded by ‘infected’. The online co-op plays fantastically as if you were in the same room. Some sections of the game require you to split up while one covers the other so you’ll have to help or rely on your friend or AI to do those sections. This is much easier in co-op - while playing on single player you do get the feeling this would be a lot better with a buddy. This is because Sheva’s AI can be a bit ropey at times, blocking line of sight and not getting out of sticky situations, but on the whole it works is pretty well.
The game is well paced and is broken down to some shooting, a bit more shooting, a cut scene maybe with a ‘quick time event‘(so don’t put down the controller) and some great looking, if fairly easy bosses, then some more shooting. The enemies are great too. You will be a bit anxious when the larger guys just aren’t going down and are swinging for you. The game also does a great job at dishing out new weapons every now and then as you progress. You’ll stumble across SMGs, rifles, shotguns and the Magnum. Once found, the weapon can then be purchased in the pre-game/mission shop so you and your partner can have the same weapons. Most weapons can be upgraded for extra firepower, ammo capacity, reload speed and other bonus attributes. Once the game is completed you’ll have the chance to play the Mercenaries mode where you and a friend can compete for high scores adding further longevity to the game.
Visually this game is a treat for your eyes. My co-op buddy and me were constantly commenting on how good the game looks, and this doesn’t happen often. The character models are super detailed and are really well animated. Bosses look incredible as do the environments and effects. The voice acting is well done and, as always in Resi games, the music is great and really adds to the tension.
Overall Resident Evil 5 is enjoyable from start to finish even with out-dated controls. It’s fantastic looking, full of surprising elements, has a full co-op mode and a lot of replayability, with high scores, unlockables and the Mercenaries game. Is it much different from Resi 4? It’s certainly more so than Gears 1 and 2 were. A ‘Must Buy’ in my book.
|
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
