Resident Evil 5 - Review

"Total. Global. Saturation." – A review of Resident Evil 5. 

If you've read my previous Resident Evil reviews, you'll know I love this franchise. I love the atmosphere, I love how cheesy the voice acting can be, I love the story telling. Surely, then, Resident Evil 5 would be no different?

Sadly, it's as bad as people say it is.

Released in 2009 by Capcom, Resident Evil 5 marked a shift in the series, as it introduced cooperative gameplay. Now sure, I did have fun playing this through with a friend, but it just didn't feel like Resident Evil; this was a disappointing FPS game which completely lost the feel of the franchise. It was darker – gone was the cheesy voice acting and eerie feel, in was fast-paced combat which did nothing for me.

Set in the fictional African region of Kijuju, Resident Evil 5 follows Chris Redfield and his new partner, Sheva Alomar, as they investigate reports of bio-organic weapons and a sinister new virus outbreak. The story has themes of betrayal, bioterrorism, and the deepening threat posed by Albert Wesker, delivering a story which should have really kept me engaged, but just… didn't.

We don’t even have the traditional zombies this time, but instead have infected Majini, which are smart and aggressive, as well as executioners and bio-weapons. You need quick thinking to get past these enemies, so I can't say there's a lack of a challenge, but the tension just isn't there for me.

The cooperative mode allows you to play with a friend split screen, and it's all gunplay, upgrade systems for weapons and a lot of action. The controls are pretty good to be fair and it’s not that the action is bad – it's just not what I'm looking for in this franchise.

The locations at least aren't bad. Sun-baked villages abandoned factories and underground labs would have made great horror environments had the game had any form of tension, but instead I felt compelled to rush through each area.

The QTEs and AI aspects of this game aren't great either. Resident Evil 5 was a risk, and one for me that didn't pay off. There is a story, but it takes a back seat in favour of action, the enemies are diverse but there's no real tension, and the locations are eerie, but you don't have the time to explore them. If you enjoy a good FPS than maybe, you'll enjoy this – but sadly it wasn't for me.

Written by Tam Page

Posted by Mr. Tomney

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