Resident Evil 5 Review

By Joe Dwyer     3/19/09 7:00pm

Capcom definitely had its work cut out when it announced a sequel to Resident Evil 4, the critically acclaimed 2005 bestseller. The game was such a departure from previous titles in Capcom's beloved Resident Evil franchise in terms of pacing, gameplay and plot that it seemed like a completely new experience, and gamers ate it up. Resident Evil 5 may play like Resident Evil 4 with a new paintjob, with several elements that have been copied over from its predecessor, save for a few major changes, but that works just fine.The game continues the patchwork canon of the venerable survival-horror franchise with players stepping into the shoes of Chris Redfield, who has traveled to Africa to investigate reports of bioterrorist activity. Aiding him on his mission is Sheva Alomar, a native of the region who also works for the same anti-terrorist organization as Chris. What they discover goes far beyond the black-market weapons deal in the game's fictional Kijuju region: Umbrella and Wesker are back with a vengeance and, as always, it is up to the good guys to save the world from undead, tentacled destruction.

Thrill-seeking fans looking for a horrorfest are going to be disappointed, however. Resident Evil 5 places the focus firmly on action and gunplay and uses increasingly life-threatening environments and enemies to ratchet up the tension and keep the adrenaline pumping. It lacks the gloom, doom and isolation of Resident Evil 4, but when you consider the fact that most of Resident Evil 5 occurs during the day, this shouldn't come as a surprise. But that's not to say the game isn't fun. Few things in life are more satisfying than using a sawed-off shotgun to forcibly remove a zombie's cranium. Doing it with a buddy is even more fun. Resident Evil 5's main draw is its cooperative gameplay, which expands upon the teamwork segments introduced in Resident Evil 4.

Portions of Resident Evil 4 had the main character, Leon, escorting and defending the president's kidnapped daughter through hostile areas. While she was essentially zombie bait, the daughter could help Leon solve puzzles or reach otherwise inaccessible areas, forcing players to rely on her to progress. In Resident Evil 5 Sheva is much more helpful: She can provide covering fire for Chris, heal him when he's dying or come to the rescue when pinned by a zombie. Chris can also do the same for Sheva, which provides an interesting dynamic for players: Do they give her good weapons so she can defend herself, or do they just use her to haul around all the crap they can't fit into their inventory? Of course, should you decide to buddy up with another human player (and you should), these problems are irrelevant.

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Co-op elements are also used creatively in several boss battles, where one person will have to draw off the boss so the other will have a clear shot or stand by a switch to flip it at the right time while the other lures the boss into a trap. More parts like this scattered throughout the game would have been nice; certain elements - like making every single switch in the game have two handles - seem tacked on for the sake of saying "Hey, look! You're working together now!" Resident Evil 5's replay value is exceptionally high, with a plethora of bonus content to unlock, upgrade and discover beyond the first playthrough. You can't even play the game's addictive multiplayer mode, Mercenaries, until you beat the story once. Some of the stuff, like action figures of every character in the game, is more for completionists, but things like the bonus weapons and infinite ammo mode will make any gamer smile at the thought of replaying the story with an infinite supply of rockets. The game also has Achievements and Trophies for the respective platforms, so get to work padding your Gamerscore.

Overall, Resident Evil 5 is an amazing single-player experience that is made even better by seamless local and online drop-in/drop-out cooperative play and tons of extra content to invite multiple playthroughs. The graphics are beautiful, the action is frantic and the game just flat-out rocks.

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