Resident Evil 4 is a landmark in modern video games. It popularised the over
the shoulder third person genre, giving birth to Devil May Cry and influencing
popular games like Gears of War and Dead Space. It moved the Resident
Evil/Biohazard series forward and made survival horror fun all over again.
Now the long awaited and hyped sequel is finally here and does this game top
it's famous predecessor? My answer is no and heres why. This game never set out
to top the last one but rather to polish and improve it. Early trailers just
like with Resident Evil 4 showed a much darker and scarier game. Some may be
disappointed that this game isn't scary at all, save some atmospheric moments in
a dark tunnel. Resident Evil 5 doesn't try to be a survival horror but instead
more of a survival shooter and that's how they evolve the series.
The story continues directly from the main series but it may be disappointing
to only see a few characters return. The storyline is simple enough that a
newcomer will understand; it's got terrorists, infections, monsters, a badass
villain and gorgeous babes. Think of it as a dumb action movie like 24 crossing
28 Weeks Later and a Steven Segal flick; nothing more nothing less so don't
expect a game that tells you the meaning of life. The dialogue is rather silly
and predictable, previous games did have cheesy one liners; so bad its good; but
this game's dialogue is just pure stupid at times. Voice acting comes off with
highs and lows but not too bad. You can really tell Capcom wanted Hollywood type
cutscenes and that's exactly what you get, fast paced with action movie camera
angles. There's some pretty epic matrix-like fight scenes which you
occasionally have to participate in with quick time events, yes they have
returned so make sure you don't take your hand off the controller during
cutscenes. The music I have to say is pretty awesome and far better than
previous entries. Graphics are pretty amazing although I found actual gameplay
looking better than the cutscenes. Overall the presentation is solid but not too
groundbreaking.
Gameplay might be an issue with some people, it's exactly the same as
Resident Evil 4 with added functions and controls. This might push a few people
away because you need to stop to shoot, reload and call your partner. This is a
co-op game and I recommend playing with a mate but it doesn't necessarily make
the game easier due to issues with changing weapons and equipment. The AI can
vary, it's great at saving your ass in tight situations when you're nearing
death or need to heal. Apart from that it just seems to waste ammo most of the
time and you are restricted to 9 item spaces which is accessed in real time
which I argue is a wrong move because it proves to be more troublesome than
increase tension. The merchant we love from Resi4 is gone, instead a store menu
will come up every time you start a game or restart after dying.
There was a time when people found this game racist, I don't agree with this
but I do think they should've kept the village with native Africans only
instead of adding middle easterns and a random blonde chick? I can't help but
compare this game to Metal Gear Solid 4, there are moments that are taken
straight from Metal Gear and it just felt unoriginal.
It's hard to truly like this game when it abandons the elements which made
Resident Evil what it is but if you liked Resident Evil 4 or action shooters
then definitely check this game out. Forget about the older games and survival
horror you will find yourself playing Resident Evil 5 over and over again with
continuous unlockables satisfying your thirst. So stop whining that
it's different and enjoy this awesome action shooter for what it is.