Review of Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 5
By: Capcom Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 392
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Pretty cool
On: 2010-08-26I purchased this game a few days ago..and it was alright..i havent played any other RE: besides the second one for the psone so constrols were kinda unfamiliar to me..but one you get the hang of them its a pretty good game with a good story
I love this game!
On: 2010-08-23Ok i love RE anything and this game didnt dissapoint me at all.
PROS:
Graphics are amazing
Having a partner makes things a little easier
Merc is awesome
CONS:
Sheva can be a pain sometimes
Not being able to shoot and run
Description could be better. I didn't want the GREATEST HITS version.
On: 2010-08-23So I ordered from amazon because the description showed the NON-Greatest Hits version. But, I was sent the greatest hits version. I planned on paying a few extra dollars to have the original case. But, amazon and the sellers inadequate description made it so i got the greatest hits version anyways. Dear amazon/seller, please specify if its a greatest hits for the sake of collectors!!! This cost 24 dollars total. I could have gone to hastings/best buy/ game stop and gotten the same exact game for 19.99 without having to wait a week. Kind of weak.
Co-op heaven!
On: 2010-08-23My wife and I bought this game several months ago and we have played it almost every night since. It is that fun and addicting! You can tell this game was designed for co-op play with 2 players. Although you can certainly play it in single player mode with no problem--the computer will simply play the second character for you. This was our first "shooter" game and it took two evenings of playing to get used to the controls to the point where we could aim and fire the weapons fairly well. If youre not an experienced gamer youll probably be frustrated by continuously dying the first couple hours you play until you get the hang of how to use your weapons. Persist past this initial difficulty and you will love this game. It has 4 difficulty levels, so as your skill increases you can put it on harder levels and still have a fun challenge. Basically, your first time through the game will probably take you several days as you take on a chapter or two per day. The computer saves your progress as you beat each chapter. This way you can either go back and play any chapter youve already beaten or else continue the story and go on to the next one. The game has lots of "unlockable" content as well as "downloadable" content if your game console is hooked into the internet: additional costumes for the characters, mini-games within the main game, etc. Once you complete the entire game once, you unlock a mini-game called "The Mercenaries" which is a short (from 2 - 7 minutes)and very intense game where you are in a confined area swarming with zombies. Your goal is to not get killed while killing as many of them as possible before time is up. This, again, can be played either single player or co-op with a partner. Its fun but also difficult and frantic. Also, once you beat the game once you can play through again in single player mode as either of the two characters, whereas before that you can only play as Chris, the male character. The game has lots of weapons (handguns, shotguns, rifles, machine guns and others . . .) that are found as you play through the game. One of the addicting things is trying to collect enough money (in the game you find gems and sacks of gold) which you trade in to upgrade weapons. Fully upgraded weapons can have unlimited ammunition. Replaying your favorite chapters with infinite ammo on your favorite weapons is a lot of fun. After youve played through the main game and gotten tired of it you can play the Mercenaries game mentioned earlier or even download mini-games from the internet for a small fee. There is a downloadable game called "Desperate Escape" which is just like the main RE5 game but with two different characters and it is great fun. Well worth the cost. The only negative I can think of is that since the game is violent and somewhat graphic, you cant play it when younger kids are around. We wait until our daughter is asleep before playing!
Sucks
On: 2010-08-20The game play is just being an adventure game no horror what so ever! Controls are bad the Game need a face lift in writing and more horror the Graphics are 100% great. but dont waste your time buying the game rent it!!!
Resident Evil 4 vs. 5
On: 2010-07-26Having never played any of the Resident Evil games prior to the fourth installment on the PS2, I cant say how this game measures up the other games. That said, I found it a worthy sequel to its immediate predecessor. For anyone who played Resi 4 and loved it (like myself), I will tell you how this game measures up.
1) Graphics - Improved. As expected, this game makes fantastic use of the 360s (PS3s) graphic abilities to deliver a gorgeous looking game. That said, you can definitely see a similarity between this game and its predecessor. Despite the improved textures, it has the same feel to it as the last one. In fact, I suspect that Capcom used the same engine to make both games. Something about the camera and movement style just seems very reminiscent of 4.
2) Environments - Cool, but less memorable and genre appropriate than 4s. This game takes place somewhere in West Africa. And while some of the environments are very cool, and theyre all gorgeous, most of them dont really feed into the horror aspect of the game. First of all, more than half of the game takes place in broad daylight, which really detracts from the horror of fighting zombies. Most of the environments are more open than the ones in 4. In fact, the entire atmosphere of the game feels a lot less isolated than the dark, ominous, Spanish village from Resident Evil 4. There also felt like there was a greater sense of continuity between levels in 4. There were levels by a dark swampy lake, in a rustic Spanish village, and in a med-evil castle; but they all felt like they were part of the same world. Some levels in this game really feel out of place. For example, two levels in the game take place in these ancient underground Mayan-looking ruins. Apart from the fact that there are no ancient ruins anywhere in Africa, these levels had a completely different feel to them than the rest of the game. Picture going through a modern African village, a diamond mine, a tribal camp by a lake, and then winding up in an Indiana Jones-esque cave.
3) Partner System - Resident Evil 5 introduces the partner system. Your partner Sheva, an attractive light-skinned African woman, can be controlled by either AI or a second player through XBOX live or split screen, and adds another fun dimension to the game. Sheva, as well as being nice to look at, is a very useful companion with a surprisingly intuitive AI. Unlike Ashley, the useless idiot-girl who follows you around for part of Resi 4, Sheva can actually pull her own weight, and occasionally even save your ass. You can only give her very basic commands like "Cover Me", "Attack", and "Pick Up This Item", but shes still useful. It would have been nice if they had given you the ability to prioritize which weapons she uses, but I suppose that would have been asking a bit much. The partner mechanic is used in various ways which I wont spoil for you except to say its cool. That said, having someone with you at all times (even if they are automated), really does detract from the horror of the game.
4) Inventory System - They scrapped the briefcase inventory Leon used in Resi 4 and replaced it with a pocket system you access in real time. Chris and Sheva each have a 3x3 square to arrange items into. This means each person can only carry nine items. This adds a degree of realism (if such a term is applicable to a game about zombies) and difficulty to the game. Accessing your inventory in real time means that you have to rearrange your inventory on the fly. This can really get you into trouble as you have to go fumble through your inventory to whip out that grenade just in time to save yourself a beheading by a chainsaw-wielding lunatic. Having limited space also means making tough decisions about what weapons and items each person should carry. Only having enough room for a rifle means giving Sheva the spare rounds, forcing you to trade with her when you need to reload. Dont have enough room for a Magnum and a Grenade Launcher? Give one to Sheva and swap out as the situation demands. This forces you to to remember who is carrying what and make preparations in between fights. The extra difficulty introduced by the new inventory system is offset slightly by the new merchant system. They enigmatic, trenchcoat-wearing, blue-torch hauling, hobo merchant from Resi 4 is gone; so you no longer have to find him every time you need a weapon upgrade or a first aid spray. Instead, you can make purchases any time you find a checkpoint, which are fairly often.
5) Weapons - Better, shiner, and more plentiful. The weapons in this game are awesome. There are a greater variety of weapons to choose from overall, and the game still provides you with several different options based on your combat style. Like to carefully aim between each shot? Theres still a powerful, slow, handgun like the old red9. Like to throw away bullets like candy? Theres a gun for you too.
6) Enemies - Very similar. The enemies in this game are known as the Majini. They are Africans infected with a different version of the Las Plagas parasite from Resident Evil 4. As such they behave much the same way as the ganados from the previous game. In fact, some of the enemies are so alike that I think Capcom just recycled the same sprites from Resi 4 and re-skinned them as Africans. Remember that big fat guy with the beret and the Gatling gun? Guess what? Hes back, and despite being black now, he still looks and acts almost exactly the same. Shame on you Capcom, you lazy bastards. Change the skin tone and add angry Spanish screaming, and a lot of the enemies are identical. That isnt to say there arent some cool new additions, like the mutated tribal Africans that have grown ten feet tall, the mutated experiment goat monsters that crawl up the walls, or the hideous mantis things that can impale you with their scythe arms. There are also some really kick-ass boss battles in this game.
7) Plot - Dumb and predictable. But then so was Resi 4s. The characters are somewhat likable, in a laughably formulaic and stereotypical way. Chris is the classic action hero; stoic and collected and brave and dumb and nowhere near as scared as he should be. Sheva the trusty sidekick, always there to lend a helping hand and the occasional useless comment. Wesker is the obligatory villain with a god complex, a douchy haircut, and an trenchcoat he stole from Morpheus. Bottom line, the plot is stupid, but you really dont play this game for the plot. I guess I should point out here that this franchise really has no right to call itself "survival horror" anymore. What few frighting aspects there were to Resi 4 are completely gone now. Its a straight up action game. A very cool action game, but an action game nonetheless.
8) Mercenaries - Finally, the most awesome mini-game ever is back and better than ever. The joy of zombie genocide is just as fun as ever. And there are even more characters, stages, and weapons to play with than in the previous game. You can even play the game with a partner online or splitscreen, which is just retarded fun. If you play this on 360, I highly recommend supplying your own tunes while you play with the custom soundtrack feature. Theres nothing more fun than slaughtering the undead horde while your favorite rock band or gangster rapper supplies the aggression.
Summary: A worthy sequel to Resident Evil 4 that ditches the horror elements in favor of slick, gorgeous, violence. Utilizes effective partner and inventory systems to create a fun and challenging experience. If you liked Resident Evil 4, you will like Resident Evil 5.
Awesome!
On: 2010-06-27since i recieve the product i enjoy it the game i love it , ships really fast!! thumbs up
I love this game sooo much!
On: 2010-05-08This game is a masterpeice to me. It has some amazing graphics compared to other 360 games, the voice acting is great and the enviorment is beautiful! Even if your just running thourgh the sewers, there is something strangly calming and peacful to Me about this game, Its not scary AT ALL, but its still wonderful. I enjoyed replaying the levels with Chris and Sheva, and just fell in love with Sheva Alomor. Its so good to see a Resident evil game that finally has an African American Woman, a gorgeous one with a awsome accent at that, and best of all, She DOESNT die at the end of the game! Verses mode is alot of fun and Weskers leather costum is amazing, probobly the best thing hes ever worn. I highly recommend this game.
Where Have All the Zombies Gone?
On: 2010-05-05Resident Evil 5 for the Xbox360 takes the winning revamped formula of RE:4 and dilutes it a bit. Chris Redfield(RE:1/Code Veronica) returns to finally do away with arch villain Albert Wesker for good. Like Leon Kennedy taking on the "non-zombies" of Spain in RE:4, Redfield takes on "non-zombies" in Africa. The graphics are superb and the majority of the gameplay elements from RE:4 are found in this game, like the over the shoulder camera angle, collecting money and tons of ammo,upgrading your weapons and cinematic cut scenes which you get involve by pressing certain button combinations. You also have a female partner, Sheva, who plays along side you and a 2nd player can control her to make the adventure a little easier. While RE:4 & 5 are very similar, I just didnt quite enjoy 5 as much. It may be because RE:4 had some creepy moments, even though the survival-horror aspect was pretty much non-existent. It was just darker to me, especially the village and castle areas. RE:5 is not a bad game and im not sayin you shouldnt try it, but its such a far cry from the early titles.
Great game-but just can't quite compare to R.E. 4
On: 2010-03-19Though not quite fair, Its really difficult to judge Resident Evil 5 on its own merits and not draw comparisons to the masterpiece that was Resident Evil 4. R.E. 5 still holds its own as a terrific game with amazing graphics, a great pair of characters in Chris and Sheva, huge boss battles, incredibly tense moments, powerful weapons and a smoother, more streamlined way of managing your inventory. So why is it that R.E. 4 still seem like the better game?
I hate to knock such an obviously brilliant A+ game, but I cant help feeling that this game seemed just the slightest bit bland compared to its predecessor. Perhaps 4 just set the bar too high? R.E. 5 is still a great play-through, but it doesnt seem to add a whole lot thats new (other than a couple of open field chases). There were just so many brilliantly memorable moments in R.E. 4 that unfortunately seem to have no equivalent here. Once I finished the game, there really werent a lot of memorable things about the experience that remained with me. (Other than the countless annoying Wesker battles-JUST DIE ALREADY!!!)
Dont get me wrong, R.E. 5 is still an instant classic and an A+ game all the way-its just interesting to me that even with better graphics, more action, etc.-Id still rather go back and play R.E. 4 again. Sheva is a nice (and gorgeous) addition to the series though. Chris is pretty cool too-though hes still no Leon.
Not as good as the other Resident Evil games
On: 2010-03-12This game isnt anything like the previous Resident Evil titles. There is no suspense; the weapons arent fun to use; it looks like a million other games out there. I used to like the way that youd creep around a desolate dark area and sneak up on zombies in the previous versions of the game. This one takes place in broad daylight in the Middle East. It got bored with it after a few hours.
Amazing graphics + tons of fun = a great game
On: 2010-03-04RE5 is one of the most fun games that Ive played in recent memory. The game is well thought out and developed. Unlike other similar shooters, RE5 does not get repetitive. There are different gameplay activities throughout to spice things up.
The graphics might be the best that Ive seen in any game. I would often just stop mid-level and look around. The attention to detail in impeccable.
Add a great plot and replayability and this might be the best game of 2009 and one of the best for the last few years.
A brilliant 5th installment
On: 2010-03-04Story wise its not the best of the series, but not really the worst either. Graphics are beautiful, game play is fun and the co-op mode is a little addictive. A decent challenge, without the frustration that you typically get from COD or Halo on the hardest settings on your first run through. Even if youve never played a Resident Evil game, its worth taking a look at.
Okay
On: 2010-03-01I did not really like this game, I found the camera strange and cumbersome.
Resident Evil 4 is a much more fun game.
Intense fun
On: 2010-02-27This game is a ton of fun. I pulled an all-nighter playing this game with a friend and we were amazed by how fast time went by. Initially we tried to play on the normal difficulty setting, but we found that to be more difficult than expected. If you arent an experienced gamer then you may want to start on an easier difficulty. I tend to play too occasionally to acquire the necessary skill to start on the hardest levels of play, so it is important to know your gamer skill. Once you find the right difficulty level to fit your gamer skill the game is incredibly enjoyable, especially if playing with a partner. Great co-op game, I highly recommend it.
Best in the series, save for legnth
On: 2010-02-27If only it were longer...
Anyways, did you like re4? Same game with some slight improvements. The only downgrade is the addition of a partner, but they did really good to make sure that she isnt a problem, although, she doesnt really help much either. There are only about 2 points in the game where it becomes an issue at all.
Multiplayer on this game works really well. They added a multiplayer versus mode too, but its only so-so. Easy game to get 1000 gamerscore on, which I did within a week of constant play. The game was over too quick though.
Awesome Co op Game.
On: 2010-02-27I have only played the Co op part of this game but love it. Graphics are awesome. Gameplay is way fun and replayability is high. Great Great Game.
Too hard.
On: 2010-02-24Ive played all the resident evil games except this one because I couldnt get past the first battle in the first chapter. Way too many enemies so I put the game away. Its really too bad they changed RE from the original way it used to be, with the slow zombies and the mansion and all. In my opinion this isnt resident evil, its just kept that title for marketing purposes.
So much fun, it's scary!
On: 2010-02-22I forget how much I paid for this game and at the time, it did not matter. I had just moved to a new city and really needed something to do on the weekends. This game was/is the perfect release.
Whats great about this game? First of all, the graphics. This is something that has been bragged about before and rightly deserves its place on the mantel of impressive. Nearly a year later and I am still impressed with this games graphics and the fluidity of its play.
A problem for a lot of people when it comes to this game is the way that game play is executed, in an awkward mix of 1st/3rd person, but after surviving your first zombie mob, you get to used to this detail.
My problems with the earlier RE games was that I always found myself out of ammo, having to fight my way through with a knife, which would take literally 10 minutes to kill anything. This game has done a good job of keeping you stocked on what you need, but not to the point of being over stocked, with ammo to burn. Its really just enough to get you by and challenge you.
The one element of this game that I never found interesting was the weapons upgrades. I beat the entire game with the first weapons that I picked up and I just upgraded them all the way through, rather than finding a new gun and having to waste money upgrading it. Plus, towards the end, you get magnums, grenade launchers, and upgrading your pistol or shotgun becomes a distant thought.
The nice thing about the zombies in this game is that unlike the Left 4 Dead series, these Zombies actually become more intense as the game progresses. Adopting armor, weapons, and new breads as time continues. Fighting the bosses is the most annoying part of this game. In other games, I have looked forward to boss battles. Here, they are annoying and what it takes to defeat them is repetitive. Its walking the maps and finding you and your partner in the middle of an ambush that makes this game so much fun.
love this game!!
On: 2010-02-19Resident Evil 5, another great game created by Capcom, provides an entertaining adventure of killing zombies. The first time I played this game on the Xbox 360 console, I absolutely loved it. The controls make it very easy to maneuver the character, Chris Redfield. I love the variety of weapons to choose from in this game. Another thing I love about this game is the graphics. Everything looks realistic which makes it feel like youre actually in the game. The long length of the game provides hours worth of entertainment. Even after finishing the game, there are many other missions to complete. The extensive length makes this game worth every penny. (snd)
Great RE addition to franchise!
On: 2010-02-01This is a great game! I was skeptical at first because everyone complained about your partners AI. She is clumsy at times but not to the degree reviewers made her sound. Not as great a game as RE4, but very close! I bought it during the Black Friday deals for $19! Well worth the money! Even worth the price its selling for now! If youre a big RE fan, youll really enjoy it.
Ok Game in the series
On: 2010-01-30I am a big fan of the series and was a little disappointed in this one. I really dont like that they have gotten away from the original zombie creepy mansion type play. I actually like the camera angels in part one and two. Good game for what it is but if you are a fan of the series I think it is very disappointing.
Resident Evil 5 X-Box
On: 2010-01-21Im not an X-BOX 360 person, Im a Wii Instead. But I borrowed my brothers console and bought this game. It took a while to figure out the controls and buttons. But once You get the hang of it, It is really fun. It is just a bit getting used to if you are not an X-box 360 person. Overall, The game is great! I like the freedom of moving where ever I chose with out the the computer take over. It is also great that when you are being attacked, the game tells you which buttons to push. That way you can break free. Just like RE-4 You have to break stuff to find items. But Items also glows so you can find it easily as well. I enjoyed it and let my daughter play in a CO-OP (2 player) with me and she had a great time. This game has a bit of strong language, so you may want to keep that in mind. Overall, it is really fun and challenging game.
This game was horrible.
On: 2010-01-11This game was absolutely horrible. I loved Resident Evil 4, but RE5 is a real let down. The controls are horrible, managing inventory is hopeless, and its a pain navigating the levels because Chris Redfield cant maneuver around obstacles that a ten-year-old child would have no problem hopping over. To make it worse Sheva follows you around. I swear she must be clinically retarded. She wastes all your stuff, but thats only when she isnt too busy getting thrown into a volcano. Whenever I would line up a head shot she would shoot the enemy in the stomach so that it writhes back in pain, which would cause me to miss. The voice acting is also amazingly horrible --I mean that literally: I was AMAZED at how awful the dialogue was. I dont really care about voice acting in a video game, but these people werent even trying. One of the villains actually talked like one of those squeaky "Guys and Dolls" hooligan extras. All the characters were cliched, and I didnt care for any of them. There was way too much Matrix-style bullet dodging in the cut scenes, too. And there were way too many cut scenes in the first place. In the middle of a huge fight there would be a cut scene to introduce new enemies coming into the room, which does nothing but disorient you. The boss battles were gimmicky, and theres a lot of pointless button mashing. Theres nothing scary either. Its not scary at all. I could go on for ever about how awful this game is. If you want a cool 3rd person shooter for the XBOX get Dead Space.
Resident Evil 5 Rocks!!!!
On: 2010-01-10Im a die-hard fan. My son and I play this one for hours. (bonding experience...ha...ha..) Chris and Sheva are very life-like and theyre definitely more interactive than ever before. It is a super gamer must have. Love this game. I wish it was a bit more colorful, but other than that, it is an awesome addition to the series. Can you please send me number 6.
Resident Evil 5
On: 2010-01-08I havent played Resident Evil since the Playstation, so when I received this as an Xmas gift from my fiance I was very surprised. The horror of RE is gone! :( It takes place in Africa and it is much more military oriented than the other games. There are some gross things because you are fighting off creatures that are a bio hazard after all, but nothing "scary" in the game at all! I mean come on, zombies on motorcycles?
I do like the fact though that you can find treasures and sell them. Ammo and health are plentiful and the story is very interesting.
My fiance and I finished this game in about a weeks time, but only on Amateur so as far as replay value goes, theres tons more to do...unlocking action figures, etc. He is a fan of the shoot em up type games but I love RPGs and platformers, so without him I would have never made it through the game lol.
Great game to play co-op.
On: 2009-12-28This game is a lot of fun.. if you play it co-op. I wouldnt have bothered playing this game if I didnt have someone to play co-op with. The computer AI is just really dumb. Sometimes itll stand there and not shoot. Other times itll watch you be trapped by a zombie and hot help you. But if you have someone playing with you, it just makes this game a lot of fun.
The controls are similar to other RE games. I dont exactly like them, but I knew what I was getting in to. The graphics and cut scenes are pretty good too. And the variety in levels was pretty fun. I liked some of the scenes where you have to just mash certain buttons at the right time. It added a little variety in the game style. The boss fights were pretty fun too and were unique.
There are a few things I didnt like about this.
1. Constant loading screens. Be sure to copy this onto your hard drive. Itll make the load screens bearable... otherwise theyre quite annoying.
2. Its not that scary. I was expecting to be scared a lot more when playing this game, but it just wasnt that scary. It was mainly running through and just killing zombies.
3. Difficulty doesnt scale that well as you get better weapons. On our first play through the game was pretty challenging, but then we beat it and went onto the higher difficulty and it was just too easy.
Even with those negatives, I beat the game 3 times and did 90% of the achievements. Overall, if you have a friend to play with, I would pick up this game (especially if you can get it for $20-25). If you dont have someone to play with, there are better games to spend your time on.
From a long-time and still current fan of the Resident Evil franchise...
On: 2009-12-18Id like to preface by saying that Ive played every other Resident Evil game, including some of the ports, and the remake. Since Resident Evil 4, followers of the "survival horror" franchise have understood the departure of sorts from the isolated environment and slow moving zombies, however that hasnt stopped most of us from going "Where are the zombies?!" Resident Evil 5 follows suit, perhaps a little too closely, to that of Resident Evil 4 by making drone-like locals the main enemy of the game. The Majini are essentially Ganados, in fact, they possess a more advanced form of the Las Plagas. And while in Resident Evil 4, the idea of "pod people" may have seemed refreshing, and it was, in Resident Evil 5 it felt like Capcom was really trying to milk it. Resident Evil will always be a survival horror game, and people will go to it expecting unique puzzles solved in the dark, and that one zombie hidden in the closet; unfortunately, Resident Evil 5 didnt quite deliver on that note.
Playing through Resident Evil 5 on the X-Box 360 was enjoyable for the most part. The game play came across as very "Gears of War-ish" so I was constantly wishing I could move and shoot at the same time--unfortunately, that is a mechanic the series has yet to attain. The most "revolutionary" mechanic to the series is the no-pause inventory screen--I think from almost any angle you can look at it, the concept made the game attain a new level of tension. No longer can you quickly pause a screen and mix your herbs, or just take a moment to pick a new weapon. RE5 forces you to come prepared, or die trying. Of course it also made it easier to pick the wrong thing when trying to access the inventory in a stressful situation, or at least moving the items around the 3x3 box in order to quick-access an item via the d-pad. It made for an interesting experience in the long run. The controls itself were simple enough, and shouldnt be a problem with anyone who has basic hand-eye-coordination. They were far from innovative, but even farther from "clunky". One of my favorite mechanic additions was the close-quarters combat; though it was restricted the button-prompting use, it added a much needed element to the game. Some of the neatest ways to defeat a foe or boss was to use combat instead of guns, simply because it looked that much cooler.
Co-op. What was only hinted at in Resident Evil 0, RE5 delivers in a well done way (perhaps, too well done?) I found this game best suited for 2 players, and never found playing with the computer adequate (although this is most likely a personal preference). Simply, this game breathes much better when 2 individuals play it, whether thats side by side or over X-Box Live.
Playability is phenomenal, at least a degree better than in Resident Evil 4. If nothing else, Resident Evil has evolved into a more enjoyable experience over the long term. Beating the game with different weapons, on different difficulties is no longer as boorish as it once was, when the only goal was an "infinite rocket launcher". And whats better is the continued use of "Mercenaries Mode", which allows players to play a "time trial" game where the goal is to get the most points before time runs out, all while avoiding death. For myself and the friend who spent countless hours playing with me, this was the highlight for us. What makes this so great is the selection of characters, both for their costumes and weapon selection. Definitely a good reason to keep this game on your shelf, rather than selling it back or merely renting it.
The storyline was wonderful, as was the cast of characters in it. The flashbacks were great and the "surprise blast from the past" was, well, a surprise. I wont delve into any specifics as I dont want to spoil anything, but the overall creativity of this games direction was fantastic. However, I only have one issue with the choices they made: Weskers behavior. Its well documented in the series that he is a mastermind, plotting from the start, yet loses his cool in the end. I wont say much, to avoid spoilers, but for those of you who have played the game Im sure you understand my meaning. One of Weskers defining traits is that he takes everything in stride, yet somehow, the events of RE5 force him to succumb to his more human side and he uses the Uroboros to alter himself. Why do I have a complaint about this? Because ever since I found out in Code Veronica that he had been exposed to the virus, Ive always wondered what his Tyrant form would look like--playing Umbrella Chronicles for the Wii made this curiosity even stronger, and I was somewhat disgusted when Capcom just made him a combination of Krauser from RE4 and every other boss in RE5, aesthetically. Which brings me to another complaint: The bosses of RE5 ALL LOOK ALIKE. The Uroboros does not make you special. IT is special. Unlike the T or G Virus, it does not mutate the individual to reflect the individual, it simply overcomes the individual altogether. This was disappointing as fighting each boss felt the same. One humongous, black writhing pile of goop and tentacles after the other. The ending of the game was also rather lack luster, and as much as Id want them to produce the next installment, I have a hard time thinking of what they would accomplish with doing so.
My last words will be on an aspect Ive always enjoyed in the games, and have noticed a dwindling utilization of: the documents. I always liked to find the diary of this or that scientist in RE1 and immerse myself in the fiction of it, but in RE5 documents are not in the same vein. They are casually strewn about pieces to click on, things you could ignore and still accomplish your primary goals. This, coupled with the fact that the majority of the documents were incredibly long and a bit on the boorish, technical/science-side, they lacked the flavor of previous documents in the various other games, even the really scientific ones which used to be fascinating.
I gave the game a four out of five because while I loved it, it was still far from revolutionary, the sort of revolution a game ought to experience after being around for as long as Resident Evil has been. There really is no reason not to own this game if you love the series or enjoy playing similarly crafted games on the X-Box 360.
Thought They Couldn't Get You in Daylight
On: 2009-12-15Being a fan of the Resident Evil series, a four year wait for the newest installment really dried my patience out. Understandably costive time and care went into the process to include Resident Evil in the run of next generation games for xbox 360, and ps3. With that said, Resident Evil is a survival-horror game that features a completely cooperative campaign mode, and a secondary arcade mode `mercenaries. Available, for a fee to download on whichever platform you wish to pick this game up on , is a versus multiplayer mode.
Resident Evil 5 follows closely to the overhauled gameplay the fourth game brought. The overhaul to many was a make or break deal, though many critics (including myself) have felt this to renew the series, and bring it into a different light. The change has a lot to do with movement, featuring a third person over the shoulder view. Alongside of that is the emphasis on collecting guns and upgrading them, no longer is it a struggle to maintain ammunition in case of a close encounter. This alone departs the game further from its supposed `survival horror genre, nearing it to the action shooters like 2008s Army of Two.
The game takes place in Africa, where youll be taking on the role of Chris Redfield (one of the main characters from the original title) who is now a member of an agency known as the BSAA. Well I should say initially youll be taking on the role of Chris, as a new character to the series Sheva Alomar (another BSAA operative) is also available for both single player and co-op. Though the game has been out since last spring, Im opting not to spoil any of the story, I will say a few characters from the original trilogy reprise there roles (whether it be through cinemas, or flashbacks there are indeed a few).
Graphically the game is up to par with many next gen titles, colors bloom and pop. For some odd reason a greenish hue hazes many of the darker colors in the game. The constant daylight doesnt add to the fear so much as the atmosphere. The locations are pretty interesting, mines, shanty towns, safari terrain etc. To be honest, I didnt really find any spot noteworthy in the game for horror. Sound wise effects are pretty standard, some gun shots will echo, explosions make use of a good subwoofer etc. Hearing the enemy before seeing them is always helpful, but a musical cue should be able to alert one of imposing doom. Voice acting is classic Resident Evil dialogue, pretentious and often times comical. I will say this one still has an in-depth plot, I will continue to say its not a very good one though.
An armory of weapons are at your disposal; pistols, sub machine guns, sniper rifles, assault rifles, various grenades and of course a combat knife. Your inventory on the other hand has been scaled down, to emphasize cooperation with a partner they kept the game going in real time, so no more using the inventory screen as a secondary pause. To gain such riches one will have to keep an eye out for treasures they will glisten and are much easier to locate this time around. Each treasure is worth a different amount, and cannot be combined to create a more stunning unique item like in the previous game. Treasures can be a gemstone or objects similar to what youd find at an archeological site.
Enemies will often use whatever may lay around depending on the location this could go from a intimidating pitchfork to a terrifying stick of dynamite. The enemy AI (artificial intelligence) isnt the greatest, but they know how to pose a threat. They will duck, climb, alert others of intrusion, anything to make your stay in there territory a nightmare. How you react and how to disperse ammo is up to you, a few different buildings to enter, and alternative routes add to replay value.
Ultimately the first run through on this game is the most memorable, your weaponry acquired through out the game is forwarded to your next run through, making things a bit easier (a harder `professional ` mode will also be available to bump your game up). This game makes for a great buy if your a completionist, the weapons all have stats capable of increasing, and a museum like bonus adds bonus unlockable figurines to view. The game makes use of chapters, so if youd like to repeat a certain segment check the available chapters you have unlocked and have fun. Any cinema that has been viewed within campaign can now be viewed in the menus. Loading screens usually have blots of information of the Resident Evil timeline. The bosses faced in the game are kind of a let down though a few are entertaining. Dont expect the boss battle variety of previous games, as a majority of them in this title all have something in common.
Horror is almost non existent, campaign has been greatly shortened from Resident Evil 4s mammoth duration. In terms of Resident Evil the game has taken a leap of faith in technological advancements, but unsatisfying fell short of expectations with nearly everything feeling more dulled down. So on its own the game is (to me) a 4 out of 5, and is an obvious recommendation. On behalf of the other Resident Evil titles and how well it stacked against them though, Id have to give 3 ½ out of 5. If I could make a quick recommendation here, it would be to simply rent this game and play through it with a friend. If you enjoy it and/but want more horror try out Dead Space another good rental.
Resident V for XBox 360
On: 2009-12-12It`s easy to play and you can spend some time to finish it. I liked it.
Best game i have played so far
On: 2009-12-12The best game i have played so far. I actaully bought xbox 360 to play this game and it was worth it. AND the biggest plus is that i played this game in Co-op mode with my best friend online who lives in another state. couldnt get any better.
Good graphics- little else
On: 2009-11-30I have played most of the Resident Evil Series and this one seems to be stuck in the 90s when it comes to gameplay. The graphics are really good. The character control is outdated and clunky. The character control was so bad that I had to start a new game on amature just to proceed. In retrospect I wouldnt have bought this game but only rented it.
Resident Evil 5 (XBOX 360)
On: 2009-10-23Resident Evil 5 is another solid title in the series, although the chapter system does make it feel a little unlike the older ones. The story is great, and the fact that you can play through it co-op is a plus, there is also a ton of re-playability. The versus mode (400 MS point DLC) is decent fun, with only a few minor things that bring down the gameplay. All in all a great game.
Definately a multiplayer game.
On: 2009-10-22RE5 the best in its franchise? Yes, I think so. Its not a scary, make you jump out of your seat like the first two liked to be. But if you grab a buddy both of you play its alot of fun. Or, if you cough up the 13 bux for the online play create or join a game and play with someone online. I hardly ever played single player, tho its the exact same game. But I think thats because the partner AI doesnt perform well enough compared to a real person.
Overal its still a great game, I loved playing it with my friends.
A great 2 player game
On: 2009-10-12Im not going to be like many other Resident Evil nerds and bash this game. My friend and I have thoroughly enjoyed this awesome game.
- Graphics and sound are amazing.
- There is a huge assortment of cool weapons which are upgradeable.
- This game is a long satisfying adventure from start to finish.
- Beat it on professional and you will be a War Hero!
Different, but still Evil. :)
On: 2009-10-11The zombies are long gone, but the Lickers are back! This game is a great new installment for the RE franchise. The co-op feature is nice, and the ally AI works well enough (although it is rather wasteful of ammo). And Wesker is brought back more powerful than ever.
RADICAL DEPARTURE FROM THE SERIES
On: 2009-10-06Just wrote this to tell people that might be negatively presuaded, this is a GREAT game. Best graphics ive seen on the xbox 360, period. Blasting Majini (NOT ZOMBIES!!) feels great. Replay value is through the roof, with the Mercenaries survival mode, 4 difficulty settings, and Online Versus mode (available on XBOX marketplace for about $5).
Just letting you guys writing 1 and 2 star reviews know, THIS ISNT SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE PAST REs. STOP COMPARING THEM.
If you are looking for more of a "horror" experience, this isnt the game for you.
Action Gamers rejoice. Fans of the series should stay true and cop this, but DO NOT expect a re-hash of previous REs, even RE4. This is a RADICAL DEPARTURE from the series, as was said by CAPCOM before the demo even previewed.
Great Game
On: 2009-10-06Really fun game to play. Not all that challenging, especially if you start on a lower level and work you way up.
RE 5 too bad
On: 2009-10-05RE5 was a real let down, I have played every re game made and this one is very bad, how bad I just stopped playing the game. When they changed from having a save room, came up with the so call new save system RE hasent been the same. I didnt like this game.
RE 5
On: 2009-09-27Resident Evil 5 is much more action than horror,not like the other games in the RE library.RE 5 takes place in Africa were Chris Redfield looks for answers with his new partner Sheva Alomar.The graphics are very detailed with backgrounds and dust swirling look amazing.The music really isnt that horror filled with the rest of the RE titles.The controls are just about the same as RE4 you still cant shoot and move at the same time,making you vulnerable to get hit.The AI partner dies more than you will, making you start the level all over again,something I did not like.She waste a lot of ammo which is not really all that necessary.But it has co-op where you and a friend can play as either Chris or Sheva making the game a lot better.After you finish the game they have a Mercenaries mode where you have to kill as much infected as you can in the amount of time given on the screen.I give this game a 3 in fun because I thought they would improve the controls from RE4,not much horror,and the the AI is slow.But overall its a 4 because the graphics,levels,Mercs mode,and co-op.
Awesome game but DLC should have been in the game
On: 2009-09-22I thought this game was awesome. I played it on normal but the only way to play on the hardest setting is to play the game on hard. The good thing is that you can replay any mission on any setting and your stats will determin how many points you get in the end. The points you earn could unlock the figures (acheivement related), Other outfits to play in the game (acheivement related), muliplayer characters (acheivements related) and unlited ammo for a gun that you have fully upgraded. You can replay missions that have good items in the beggenning and just restart the mission to collect more items. The co-op is is even better due to the AI parter being slow in reviving me when im injured and the time it takes for me to die is about 2 seconds on professional difficulty. I recomend a good parter and to stay close. The next piece of advice is you beat the game in under 5 hours (I think it was) to unlock unlimited ammo for the rocket launcher. As i said you can re-do specific mission to beat the time you had before and it all counts for the overall game as well as using your ugraded weapons. Its not really that hard and when you play the game on professional, its a breez, rocket launch all the bosses and any big group of zombies.
I never plaid any of the other Res Evils but i like how you can upgrade your weapons in between the missions.
The multiplayer should have already been added in the game since their is a similar version of it already in the game.
Awesome gameplay and good replay value
Collection your thing
On: 2009-09-18A FPS maybe, it seems more of a puzzle solver to me. You have to find everything, from guns to bullets to herbs to treasure and emblems. I havent even finished the first level, but then I am more of a straight forward give me a gun and let me shoot something type of player. If you like solving puzzles and collecting things you will probably like this one. If you prefer to play a FPS, this is probably not for you.
From Survival Horror to Action Adventure.
On: 2009-09-15Great, finish it and youll love the extras. Not really a Survival Horror title, but more of an Action Adventure. The gameplay mechanic is much like RE 4 but honestly not as good. Still good, though, which shows you just how great RE 4 was. Resident Evil games have always had great graphics. RE 5 has the best so far. Single play is great fun except you play with a partner (sexy gal called Sheva). You can customize how she will react to Chris Redfield (the main character), but sometimes she will use up your ammo or get in the way or just get killed, and if she dies then Game Over. If you use her to carry extra items and heal you then youre OK. Also remember to heal her too. That will help your game. After you beat the game you can play solo. Loads of fun. As in all other RE games, if you cant take em down then run for the nearest exit!
Resident Evil 5 - PS3 game
On: 2009-09-08While some people did not like this addition to the RE world, i loved this game. The updated graphics and controls made the game enjoyable and engaging. i LOVED the fact that you were now able to play multiplayer through out the whole game (perhaps the best feature).
The cinematics and music were highly enjoyable. The action was frenetic as you now have to organise your inventory while in game, share items, work in tandem with your partner and look for ways to use the environment to your advantage. While the most enjoyable aspect of the game was the co-op, the single player was still fun and there are HEAPS of things to unlock.
Following more in the footsteps of RE 4 than the original RE games, this game has more action and less exploring/backtracking. A different style of game play, i still found it highly enjoyable.
NOt like the other RE's
On: 2009-09-06If your like me and played resident evil 1 2 and 3 and the rest. your probably wondering about what happened to being scared. The whole game feels like a shooter not a survor horror. DOnt get me wrong the game is good. If you played re4, the re5 controls take a little time to get used to. The game is overall great but its NOT SCARY. Ots just a shooter. occaionally you will die( in the beggining. The only thing that makes this game good is the versus. BUt you have to pay for it in the playstation store. The last boss could have been much much better. he is too weak. The game isnt that hard to beat. Overall the game is great the campaign is long and worth playing. BUt once again capcom should go back to making resident evil scary again. IF your thinking about buying this game you should buy it. Great game!
Unfortunate Diversion from Franchise
On: 2009-09-04I have played Resident Evil games since the first one came out for the first Playstation. While every new iteration had something new or unique about it, they all maintained the sense of "survival horror." Sadly, it seems that Resident Evil 5 has given up what made the Resident Evil franchise so compelling, the horror.
While the game looks great and you can tell a lot of effort went into the production, I think the game took too much influence from 3rd person action games like Gears of War. Gears is first and foremost an action game, and the control scheme and camera angle works perfectly for it. In RE5, the developers seemed to try and hitch a ride on Gears successful action theme, but this has only served to almost eliminate entirely the survival horror aspect of the game itself. I think the camera angle is a big reason for this as no longer are you really wondering what is around the corner until you get there. Also, the more action oriented controls and the decision by the developers to force you to kill every zombie instead of conserving ammo by running around them, makes the game too action centric. Part of the horror of the original was the limited controls and ammo, and while they do limit ammo in the game, it is not as much an issue as it was before.
Kill Majini, Go To Next Level...Kill Majini, Go To Next Level...Kill Maj...Well, You Get The Idea
On: 2009-09-03Bummer! This is the THIRD game in a row thats let me down. Is it a coincidence theyre all Japanese 3rd Person Shooters (MGS4, Lost Planet, RE5)...And 2 of them are from Capcom? Youd think by the time a game series gets to number "5", all the good stuff would be kept and the bad stuff wouldve been eliminated. Well, it didnt work this time with the Resident Evil franchise...
First off, Ive never used the term BORING in reviewing a PS3 shooter/action game (unless referring to cut scenes). The GAMEPLAY of RE5 is the part thats actually BORING! The root of the problem is the enemy because theres not much variety. Theyre "Majini"...Theyre ALL freakin Majini. Theres Majini in the town of Kijuju...Majini in the Train Station...In the Savanna, the Marshlands, the Oil Field, etc, etc. You see the SAME Zombied-out Freaks EVERYWHERE and they either charge you, shoot flames at you or try to chop your head off with a chainsaw. Thats pretty much all there is to it! And after youve faced them for a few levels, it gets OLD & TIRED real quick! In fact, only after you reach Ch 5 (of 6 Chapters) do you start seeing Lickers and a couple of other enemy types. This is not at all what I expected when I saw that awesome RE5 TV commercial (which looked much more terrifying than the game itself). And youll notice the description on Amazon starts off, "Tackle a horror-filled mission as Chris Redfield..." Well, Ive taken on infant diaper-changing missions that were more filled with "horror" than this game! The first 3 chapters all take place outside on sun-drenched days and you ALWAYS KNOW when Majini are on the way because they either play a cut scene of them coming or start playing "scary" music or you hear them roaring like lions. In other words, theres very little suspense...
I also dont see how ANYONE could possibly prefer the convoluted targeting and shooting mechanics of this game. Its one thing to deal with it because you have no choice...But who could PREFER this mess? Youre above and to the right of Redfields shoulder looking towards him...Hes pointing the gun and laser sight to his right. Every time I try to just target and shoot a Majini, even if hes only 5 freakin feet in front of Redfield, I feel like Im trying to bank the 8-Ball off the left rail into the right corner pocket! Is that supposed to feel "natural"? I wanted to see just how practical this is in real life. So I took my Glock to the range the other day and stuck my arms as far as I could down and to the left of my body while keeping both hands firmly on the gun (so as not to lose a thumb when firing)...Then I "aimed" my laser sight to the right (as Redfield does) to put it on target. Now I dont recommend anyone do this, but if you do (and you dont kill anyone with your shot or get thrown off the range), youll experience just how RIDICULOUS it truly is to try and AIM & SHOOT a gun like this, even in a video game. Of course, if you could take a FIRST PERSON view with a shotgun, any Majini within 10 ft is easily toast...But with RE5s funky aiming mechanics, its actually possible to shoot that same shotgun and completely MISS that target 10 ft in front of Redfield! Like everybody else I had to deal with this targeting system, but I absolutely DESPISE it! This had to be designed by someone who has NEVER AIMED & FIRED A REAL GUN...
Another thing that makes no sense whatsoever to me is why a game that so proudly shows its two primary characters sporting guns on the game cover would ever be STINGY with ammo? WTH?!? You have to do A LOT of shooting to survive in this game...And most of the time 3 of the 4 or so guns Im packing are ALREADY EMPTY while Sheva keeps yelling, "I need ammo!". Well, of course you do. Perhaps if you didnt keep firing away like your daddy owns the ammo factory you wouldnt keep eating it up like Ms. Pac-Man. I dont even HAVE any ammo for you...So just take this Stun Rod and shut the hell up, OK?
WHY OH WHY is lack of ammo even a problem in this game? I mean, you pay thousands & thousands of $$$ to upgrade weapons, then you have nothing to put in them?!? At first I thought it was just me...I had over 30,000 dollars (or currency equiv) and went into the BUY section (cant miss it since it pops up everytime you clear a level or get killed) looking for ammo. What? You CANT BUY AMMO in this game? WTH is with THAT? Then I found it WASNT just me. I went to my Google toolbar and started typing "can you buy ammo" and the toolbar filled in the rest with THREE of the 5 suggestions being some variation of "RE5 or Resident Evil 5"...I kid you not. So it wasnt just me...It was nearly EVERYBODY that plays this game and the search engine knew what I was going to ask before I could even ask it! I started reading elaborate plans for "farming" ammo. At first I was intrigued...Then it occured to me, ***Just how ASININE is it for PLAYERS to have to resort to farming ammo in a shooter game when the DEVELOPERS HAVE FAILED to put adequate supplies of ammo in the game in the first place?!?***
Its a rhetorical question, but the answer is still obvious: Its an absolute CLUSTER SCREW-UP to have players farming ammo or walking around with empty weapons in a shooter-type game! To add insult to injury, the game even suggests via popup that you CONSERVE AMMO by taking on the Majini with hand-to-hand combat...Really, Im NOT making this stuff up!! Its just UNFORGIVABLE for developers of a shooter game to INTENTIONALLY place inadequate amounts of ammo throughout the game, prevent you from buying any more and then TAUNT YOU to conserve what little ammo you have. It frankly DEFIES LOGIC!! I prefer to have ammo falling out of my pockets so I can concentrate on other things in the game besides a "running out of ammo" complex...And at a time when people are wearing surgical masks to avoid getting the Bird Flu & Swine Flu, does it really make a lot of sense to go rushing up into the faces of these virus-infected zombies for a little hand-to-hand? After all, THEY were exposed to the virus and they dont look so good...
Then there are the stupid control issues. When Redfield targets a Majini his feet are nailed to the floor. Nothing quite like a little immobility when Majini are charging you! Also when targeting an enemy, it can take Redfield a good 5 sec to turn around and check his 6:00. And perhaps the most ridiculous of all, Redfield is shooting the approaching Majini and if his magazine runs out, he automatically goes through the re-load process...This means he cant run or melee or for goodness sake even DEFEND HIMSELF until the re-load is complete. Again, just WHO is developing these game controls?!? The targeting was developed by someone whos never shot a gun...And Id like to see who would stand flat-footed in front of a Zombified chainsaw-wielding Freak and just casually re-load their weapon. These controls are just not practical and not what anyone would do in any of these situations. I dont like unrealistic video game controls and I also dont like having to fight the controller throughout the game!
Of course RE5 is a Run&Gun type game, contrary to what you may have heard...Its just a "different" kind of Run&Gun. Instead of running FORWARD and shooting like you normally would, youll find yourself turning around, running AWAY FROM Majini and bosses, stopping, turning back around and shooting. This tactic is frequently necessary to make up for the above control deficiences, the hit or miss aiming system and constantly needing to re-load or switch an empty for a loaded weapon. Youll also need to do this whenever you pull up your inventory, since the game doesnt pause. In trying to understand WHY these ammo & control issues werent "corrected" before the games release, Ive read where theyre BY DESIGN to create more "tension" for the player. While the goal is desirable, I found these things just created repeated FRUSTRATION during my play.
The inventory system also stinks. For example, just how crazy is this: You have an empty grenade launcher. So you buy either exp or acid rounds for it (the only ammo you CAN buy in the game). The game automatically puts them in the L2 Inventory next to Treasures...But if you forget this, then youll start the next level with a still empty grenade launcher even if you bought 4 boxes! So press "O" to exit "BUY" and select "Organize" and toggle down to the L2 Inventory slot to get them. Then it asks, "Chris or Sheva"? So you pick Chris and they go up into an empty slot. Then you have to toggle up and select them again and if you choose "Equip", he just walks around carrying a box of grenade launcher rounds. So you choose "Combine" then you have to toggle over and select the Grenade Launcher JUST TO GET THE FREAKIN GRENADE LAUNCHER ROUNDS YOU JUST PURCHASED INTO THE EMPTY GRENADE LAUNCHER YOURE CARRYING!! Could it be more difficult? Youll also experience how quickly 9 + 9 inventory slots fill up when youre playing...And they mostly fill up with useless EMPTY weapons, not ammo.
I see no reason to go much further. Im obviously quite disappointed. However, I will mention something about the graphics. Everyone raves about the graphics of RE5, but there seems to be a strange "metallic glow" to everything, everywhere in this game combined with a nearly complete ABSENCE OF COLOR. Even skin tones are weird looking. Im not saying the graphics are horrible because they arent...But its like someone said, "Just make everything shiny looking and everybody will love it!" So they got out their Shiny Pens and went to town with them...Maybe its my imagination or my TV or even the graphics engine. Whatever it is, it distracted me to the point of people and environments looking hokey and not real, and it frequently reminded me that I was playing a video game. Just look outside your window and youll see how the Real World has so much MORE COLOR than this game.
Overall, Ive concluded that Japanese-designed 3rd person shooters are simply NOT FOR ME! Give me a scope or iron sight, a FIRST person view and too much ammo to carry it all. When developers start using tricks and gimmicks to limit player involvement (like the ginormously long cut scenes and button prompts in the final 2 action scenes of MGS4 and the manic button-mashing prompts in the final boss battle of RE5) and designing intentionally clumsy controls (to artificially create "tension" that the game itself fails to produce) and coding in scarce ammo (that forces players to resort to time-consuming work-arounds like ammo farming), then its pretty clear to me that there are still too many game developers in the marketplace. Sure, these 4th and 5th in a series games will sell millions of copies, with many going to loyal followers of each series...But I dont take too kindly to developers thinking they know whats best for me when I enter their gaming environment and FORCING their view of this on me with a bunch of hard code. This is such a 180 degree turn from the wide open sandbox environment of games like GTA4 where the developers basically say, "Here are the keys...Take it for a spin and HAVE FUN!" That kind of DEVELOPER ATTITUDE towards the GAMER simply makes for a SUPERIOR and MORE ENJOYABLE gaming experience...
One of the best games of the year!
On: 2009-09-01In a fictional town in Africa, Chris Redfield is on a mission as he joins up with sexy South African mercanary Sheva as they join forces together to find out that a small village has been infected by a mutant virus creatings mutants and zombie-like people made by a secret corporation as they must find it before it gets out everywhere in Africa and the world.
Brilliant installment of the awesome RE series takes the series into a whole different level much like the kickass part 4. I like how you can play 2 player which is a first time for a RE game and of course it has that "Gears of War" style of sharing weapons and healing each other during fighting including switching each other. And like the fourth installment you can break anything and you can get whatever there is like bullets, money and valuable stuff to sell. Theres also some optional On-line co-op play with some doding at times during battles, so far its a great fun game that every fan of RE must play.
Highly recommended! but be warned, this one is the goriest installment yet.
Not ''Horror'' but it is ''Survival''.
On: 2009-08-26I hear Resident Evil 4 and 5 get a lot of criticism for not being scary, the fact is that the survival horror genre has gone about as far as it can go now and Capcom Knows it. The new direction Resident Evil has taken is probably the wisest one to take since the games have hardly changed since RE2. I think the new more playable , fun , less puzzle-driven style theyve chosen is great.
Alot of people act like RE5 isnt nearly as good as RE4 because there are more differences between 3 & 4 and not alot has changed between 4 & 5. RE5 has tweaked and polished everything that RE4 already did very well , so by that logic it has to be a little bit better.
Controls. First of all the strafe ability is a let down , its great they thought of it but it just isnt fast enough. Everybody let on like you could play this game like it was Gears of War [which was inspired in part by RE4]but it realy doesnt work well with the overall control layout. This isnt a huge deal thanks to the RE4 layout thats available but it would have been great to take on the Majini like Marcus Fenix instead of a forklift ,but whatever. The controls are great for a Resident Evil game and the hot button weapon switch was a much needed improvment. Overall the game contols better than any other RE before it.
Visuals. Capcom, Xbox 360 enough said no?
Audio. The sound effects are top notch all the way. The weapons sound real the shouts are creepy and the music fits the scene and at times is pretty cool[the first fight with Wesker is realy cool].The voice acting is REALY good now too, thank god.
Replay Value. This game has plenty to keep you busy it takes about 8-9 hours to beat it the first time and if you rush through it you can beat it in 4 hours. That doesnt sound like much I know but with 4 difficulty levels, lots of treasure to find, tons of bonus features to buy, and not mention the fun to be had just playing the game over and over were looking at about 60+ hours of play before you get bored. The Mercenaries minigame is also back to keep challenging the hard asses too. The level select was a very nice touch thanks Capcom!
The only bad thing about this game is how the enemys are so much more agile than you are. It makes it more intense and difficult and thats good, but after about the third playthrough it gets extremely annoying watching them dodge your headshots by milimeters.
Overall:4.9 of 5 stars.
Controls:4-5...Not great but better than theyve done in the series.
Visuals:5-5...Near perfect save for some lipsyncing issues.
Audio:5-5...Your stereo system will thank you.
Replay Value:5-5...More games need this kind of replay , playing a game you can beat in 4 hours for over 60 hours is pretty good by todays standards.
What happened to my Resident Evil?
On: 2009-08-08After finishing Resident Evil 5, I couldnt help but feel a little bit cheated. I think most people who were around to play the first Resident Evil when it was new will probably agree with me. While Resident Evil 5 looks great, has good controls, and lasts over 10 hours (for most people), it is a serious departure from the RE games before it. And not in a good way.
As others have mentioned, this game is indeed an action packed experience that gives you little chance to breathe. The game starts off slowly, but picks up momentum quickly, and maintains interesting set pieces and graphics that really flow nicely. What bugged me most about it was its complete lack of suspense. Every RE game before this one made an effort to build a mood and tone that kept you on your toes. Not so here. The most effective scene in this game is the very first one where Chris and Sheva are walking through the town, and all the townsfolk are glaring back through dark, yellow eyes. Its creepy, and a very good way to start. Unfortunately, the rest of the game features countless dudes running from around corners acting as shotgun fodder. There is very little challenge in this game, and the A.I. is completely dumb. And where the hell are the zombies?? Arent zombies what Resident Evil is about? Ive never been a fan of the "zombies" that run around corners and use weapons to attack. When someone is running at you with a chainsaw and a bag over his head, he ceases to be a zombie; he is a crazy motherfer with a chainsaw and a bag over his head. Big difference. Zombies are slow, meandering lumps of flesh that have no means to attack you other than their dead meathooks. I guess I blame the film 28 Days Later for the newer and improved zombie, but I prefer the classic George Romero zombie.
But again, there is no suspense at all in this game, its all about shooting as many people as you can. Which can be fine, but in a RE game it is not acceptable. And when did Chris Redfield start lifting weights? He looks like some ahole who just stumbled out of the fitness club. His pumped up meathead look seemed to be an attempt to make this installment a war game only, skimping on the horror.
Which leads me to my next gripe. The story in this game is AWFUL. I mean, really bad. And the cliches were absolutely astounding. When are game developers going to stop resting on their laurels and deliver a well-written game? After playing games like Metal Gear Solid 4, the story in Resident Evil 5 is insulting to my intelligence. Lines like "welcome to the party", or "so glad you could make it", or "I will destroy you!", or "this is for our fallen comrades!", or.....I could go on and on here, and Resident Evil 5 has them all. The story and dialog is laughable to say the least.
But, I suspect people find the true value of this game in its online content. I dont really play online, so Im leaving my review to the one player experience only.
Despite these gripes, the game is still a playable experience. I finished the game which says I enjoyed it enough to stick through it. But only barely. Honestly, there is nothing wrong with the gameplay of RE5, but fundamentally this game misses the mark. To me, Resident Evil 5 is akin to taking the Final Fantasy series and turning it into a first person shooter game. Capcom took the things we all love about the RE series and erased them with bits of other action games.
I would not recommend this game to people who love the RE series. They skimp on the horror, and beef up the action. And with 360 games out there like Gears Of War and Halo 3, you can buy much better action games than this. I really hope Capcom goes back to what made Resident Evil good in the first place....SURVIVAL HORROR.
Rocket Launcher + Infinite Ammo + Bikini Girl = Awesome!
On: 2009-08-05From PS to DC to GC, Ive played all the major Resident Evil games. This is the first one that hooked me enough to play through to the end, and then kept me playing.
I beat the game in 11 hours. Turned on infinite ammo. Did a bunch of speed-runs through levels to get the total time to 4 hours. Which unlocked the rocket launcher with infinite ammo. Then I collected all the emblems to unlock the tribal bikini costume for the hot girl. Then I played through the game again in Awesome Mode.
Yes, the storytelling is still rediculous, the dialogue bad, the voice acting weak, but I can forgive all that in a video game.
The graphics are relitively great. I have a 50" panasonic plasma G10. A lot of xbox360 games have graphics flaws that leap out of the screen, pop-in, and clipping, etc... (Mass Effect for example can really get ugly at 50") Everything is magnified on a good HDTV. Resident Evil 5 seems very solid graphically compared to most xbox360 games. I like the art, I respect the tech. I give the development team credit for that.
Online play is fun too. But your enjoyment might vary.
NOTE: I docked one star because of historical in-authenticity. Ive seen national geographic and know that historical tribal costumes for hot girls were short loincloths, and that they didnt wear tops. In RE5, they PG-13d the tribal costume, so I 4-stard my review.
My guys LOVE this game
On: 2009-07-31It is really action packed.I watch while they play and its like an action movie.
GREAT GAME!!! Whats with all the bad reviews????
On: 2009-07-26Ok, The Bad reviews coupled with the fact that I am poor it took me a little longer than most to get this game. I Played the Demo and Right away I could tell the graphics were top notch but it did seem diffrent than previous RES.
I just recently Played and beat the game and I loved it.
Anyone who complains about the controls on this game is probaly just not very good at playing video games because they were simple. The Computer AI was never a problem only a couple times did I ever have any problem with it. So again people who are complaing about the computer AI most likely just suck at video games and wanted someone or something to blame it on.
The Storyline while not awe inspiring is pretty decent. The gameplay is Fast and smooth unlike alot of the earlier Resident Evils. Also another thing I Like about this game is you dont have to spend hours backtracking and running back and fourth through mansions looking for a key here to go unlock a door to find another key to go unlock a door to find another key and so on and so on. I loved the old resident evils but just all that running back and fourth is finally over with.
I really liked the upgradeable weapon system.
Lastly I know alot of people are saying how much they missed the puzzles. COME ON PEOPLE. Its not as if previous RE puzzles were SO GREAT. I mean how many times can you go around pushing a little statue to a certain part of the floor before it becomes lame.
RE4 was a great game and so is this.
For people who Don;t like this game you need to learn how to play!!!
fun game but way to short with little replay value
On: 2009-07-21While I was playing this game it was a blast. Especially with online co op mode. I played this game so much for a few days. It was great. But after having beat the game in just about 14 hours I was very sad and ended up returning this game to costco. It was fun but not for 14 hours. Your spending about [...] bucks an hour to play and beat this game.... just rent it.
RE5 action game
On: 2009-07-18This is a direct sequel to RE4 it uses almost the same mechanics and controls as RE4, the games is focus on action, you fight against multiple enemies at a time, but the puzzles are gone. Graphics and sound are flawless, controls are responsive. You have 4 difficulties in the game but the game is not that hard. when you play by yourself your partners AI is not that good but if you play with someone else it helps a lot.
I highly recommend this games is one of the best out theres, but is not a traditional resident evil this one is focus on action.
Excellent Game
On: 2009-07-10This game is excellent. The cooperative way this one done 100 % in order that both players are employed at equipment(team).
Rent this game, save your money
On: 2009-07-05Resident Evil 4 was a revolutionary game that changed not just survival horror, but action/adventure games in general. The over-the-shoulder perspective is now a staple in the action genre, plus the game was so well designed, it is one of the few games that keeps bringing me back after the initial sparkle wears off.
Resident Evil 5 borrows heavily from Resident Evil 4. Having said that, comparison is inevitable. And initially, it seems like more of the same good stuff. But is it really?
The first difference thats gonna hit you in the graphics. Yes. Theyre gorgeous. You will find yourself spending time in each level just marveling at the details and effects.
Along with the improved graphics, the combat is also sped up a little bit and the game is perfectly paced. The action is fast and fun, and brings back the Resident Evil 4 feel pretty well. The gameplay alone makes it worthy of a rental. Resident Evil 5 also introduces Co-op gameplay where a friend assumes the role of Sheva Alomar, partner to the main character, Chris Redfield. Co-op is implemented well and is fun to play with a friend online or on the same screen. But thats where the good ends.
The game is short. Itll take you 10 hours to beat the game, maybe 12 if you are the exploring type. The game is not designed as well as Resident Evil 4; without going into too much detail, you will only have reason to play the game through twice before its just no fun anymore. Besides the combat, you will partake is some excruciatingly easy puzzles, in which you are basically hand-fed the solutions to. Bosses are easy as well. Everything feels very dumbed down compared to Resident Evil 4. Even the inventory system has been re-designed to make it simpler for the player.
One of the things that made Resident Evil 4 so intense was the fact that the player was always low on ammo and tight on space. Battles had to be meticulously planned in the inventory and since ammo was sparse, the player had to be crafty. That was fun. But in Resident Evil 5, you are never really strapped for ammo, and you can almost always use your partner as a pack mule. It changes the game mechanic, making it much less interesting.
Speaking of intense, one of the things about Resident Evil 4 that made it so intense was the fact that it was truly scary and maintained a sense of horror and suspense. It made the game immursive; you really felt like you were alone in the dark. In Resident Evil 5, you are neither. Thanks to your partner and the sunny African setting, youll never be alone or in the dark. Horror has left the game in Resident Evil 5, and with it went an undeniable sense of charm and excitement that is woefully missed.
Because that sense of Horror is absent and the game is more action oriented now, it seems kind of strange that the developers stuck with the setup where the player cannot walk and shoot at the same time. I know other reviewers address this all too often and to be honest, it is the most minor of my complaints in my opinion. Nevertheless, it is still worth noting.
This is not to say it is impossible to have fun in Resident Evil 5. It is a perfect rental, because it can be beaten quickly and once it is beaten, there is not much worth-while to return to. Id say definitely find a way to play it, like co-op-ing it at a friends house, because the first time is a blast. Otherwise, Id stick to Resident Evil 4. But trust me, you dont want to be the loser who actually paid full admission while the disc sits on the shelf collecting dust for years to come.
RENT IT. 3 stars out of 5.
Pains me to say it, but . . .
On: 2009-07-04This is not a great game. Its not even a good game -- just a solidly mediocre one. And who has the time and money for mediocre games? After the towering glory that was Resident Evil 4, I anticipated a nigh religious gaming experience, and that was what I should have gotten. And yeah, before you get all "you expect too much" on me, Ill tell you this: if you dont expect a *hellaciously* good time from entertainment software that runs fifty-to-sixty bucks a pop, youre either eating dodo sandwiches and blowing your nose on Franklins, or youre waaaaay too easy to please.
Okay, before I go into my grievances, here are some positives: I like the basic zombie shooting, punching and kicking. The two-player mode is a terrific thing to put in an RE game, and the ability to revive your dying partner if you reach him/her before he/she sinks to the ground is really cool and dramatic. Firefights with gun-wielding soldier zombies later in the game are often fun -- I was surprised at that, actually. The female characters are really cute, and it was good to see Jill Valentine again (though I dont like how they narrowed down the womanly hips she sported in the Gamecube Resident Evil remake).
Now my grievances: Most of the environments are boring, confusing, and dont usually support the gameplay mechanics very well -- it seems like theyre either too big or too small. With the exception of one in which you help Jill out whilst avoiding an invincible Wesker, the boss battles are all phoned in, the big, wriggly snake beast encounters being some of the lamest. All the characters are as *blaaah* as they come, personality-wise; they just say the same dumb, flat things over and over and over again, things like "I should have killed you years ago, pesky, foolish hero!" and "Hey partner, were partners to the very end, right partner?" and "What are you talking about villain? Youre mad, mad I say!" Its alright to say stuff like that here and there in any action game (or movie, for that matter), but not all the rootin tootin time! And why did they turn Chris into such a roid monster? Sure, he was a big, tough guy in the other games, but jeeez! And one last thing: the African setting wasnt exploited to even near its full atmospheric potential (unlike RE4, which takes place in rural Spain and has European gothic fLaYvA to the MAX).
Dont tell me this game is at least as good as RE4, because it aint. I went back and immediately replayed it after beating RE5, and it is just so much better. Better gameplay, better graphics (yeah I said it, alright; theyre not as shiny and hi-res, but they ARE better), better characters, better story . . . its just better. Buy that, if you dont have it.
Wait for this to hit the bargain bin before buying.
On: 2009-06-28This game is worth about 20 dollars. The controls are awkward. The camera is flaky at times. The unnecessarily prolonged and repetitive boss battles are very annoying they are extremely easy and just requires you to perform the same sequence of actions for what seems like hours. One of the most annoying aspects of the game is the pseudo cut scenes.. Right when you think you are watching a non interactive cut scene... BAM you better press a button or you die. Very annoying but you get used to it. The game has its good points though, the visual are good and the story is nice.
Another point I would like to make is how TERRIBLE the friendly A.I. is. Although it is better then other games, sometimes your partners actions leaving you questioning if this is supposed to be a punishment for choosing to play by yourself. I would not recommend attempting this solo. I did complete the game solo, I would warn against it. Unless of course you are a masochist like me.
Save your money, get something else instead.
a really good resident evil game
On: 2009-06-23i would give this game a 10 out of 10 has good graphics and gameplay but not so much a horror game more of a action game.
Fun Gaming
On: 2009-06-10bought this so my sister and i would have something to play on xbox when i got home from college. even she loves it.
Among the best for Xbox360 today
On: 2009-06-09Many Resident Evil fans saw a drastic change in style and gameplay when RE4 was released for Gamecube and later for the Wii. So it stands to reason that the sequel for a new generation of consoles would continue that upward trend that has been established. It does.
Start up Resident Evil 5 and the first thing youll notice is the amazing graphics. The character and environment detail are among the best availible for 360 today. Rather than feeling like youre in a restrictive space, you do feel like youre walking through a realistic setting.
The over-the-shoulder style first seen in RE4 is brought back again. And for a pleasing change of pace, your partner Sheva is actually helpful rather than a child you need to babysit. She does have a tentancy to waste ammo on enemies, but for the most part, Sheva can really help you out of a bind sometimes and also gives you ammo if youre ever in need.
The game is challenging, but not to the point the it decreases the level of enjoyment. A major difference between RE4 and the sequel is that RE5 is a very progressive game and rarely has you double back and return to ground youve already covered. This makes for less time spent finding key cards and trying to unlock doors. The story unfolds like a well written movie and forces you to guess as to how the game/movie will end.
This may be one of the best games available for Xbox 360 today. The game offers a lot of gameplay hours and plenty of replay value. Pick up a copy of this game!
Very Cool Game
On: 2009-06-08This is probably the first time I really played the Resident evil Series. I was pleasently suprised. Very cool game overall but there are many things they could have done better or improved. First of all this game doesnt come with any multiplayer aspect out of the box. You need to spend an additional 400 points to add the multiplayer. The game does come with the co-op capability out of the box. The multiplayer adds support for a total of 4 players. If you finish the game you can unlock the mercernaries mode which is really cool where you get to battle zombies for points and credit on your own or with a friend. The controls for the game could have been done much better very hard to fumble around and change weapons and change inventory when being attacked. Also this game is 1080i not 1080p so thats another downside. Overall I really enjoyed this game.
The game we've been waiting for.
On: 2009-06-08It took long enough for Capcom to finally give us Resident Evil 5 and for the most part it was worth the wait. This game is a lot like RE4, with some of the boards looking a lot like ones from RE4. They changed the way you access your items, doing it in real time instead of pausing the action while you switch guns or heal yourself. Another addition is using the D pad as a quick select for your weapons or items. One of the things I didnt care for about this game was the length of it as it felt really short. The story was okay and kind of picks up from the older games with some of the characters weve seen before but wasnt very elaborate. What I havent liked about the two latest games is since theyve changed the camera angle to where its following the character the game has become very linear instead of open like in the previous games. They also seem to focus only on the action and killing baddies, which is cool, but one of the staples of the RE series were the puzzles and it would be good to see some of that come back. The game was good though and has some of the hardest bosses youll ever fight.
Resident Evil in a Doom/Quake Mode
On: 2009-06-07Excellent Game, this Resident Evil blends with the Doom/Quake game and is wickedly great with the graphics. Best game out there if you are into this type genre.
RE5 gets 5 stars!
On: 2009-06-07This game was very much similar to Resident Evil 4 in graphics, weapon usage, maneuvering of the characters, and fast pacing of the story line. I played in Coop mode and every chapter was challenging and worth the cost of this game. Great ending, and I cant wait for RE 6!
Fear?
On: 2009-05-31Fear? phwa not in this game. Thats what i love about it i hated RE4 when id get scared to death. This game is not scary at all its just plain fun. There are lots of weapons to choose from and yes you can still upgrade your guns which is nice. Best of all Co-op my brother bought this game and i played through by myself 2 times Normal and Veteran and now i went through on Normal and Veteran with my brother and starting Professional mode. Like i said this game is amazing. Some of the best graphics ive seen. Also when you beat the game you get Mercenaries mode and if you beat it under 5 hours you unlock Infinite Rocket Launchers which is AWESOME especially for bosses. 1 hit kills.
Overall I recommend this to any RE Fans and also people that have never played a RE game.
Am I Playing Resident Evil???
On: 2009-05-28The worst parts of this game are:
1. The fact that its all in the daytime with no scary elements like fog.
2. The fact that this Sheva chick is in the game and in the way. I constantly bump into her as I run through a tight doorway. She is on my back like a bodyguard. Why did they have to add her?
3. The view is bad. It seems like Im too close to the TV. Also Chris is on the left side of the screen instead of centered like all the rest of the Resident Evils. I feel disadvantaged as zombies on the left seem to pop up like Im missing a left eye or something.
Thats it...Im not going to do the good parts because the bad outweighs them.
Cmon Capcom...Redo this Nightmare!
Lost its roots from the rest of the series
On: 2009-05-23I found RE5 to be a huge let down from the rest of the RE games in the series. Capcom really slipped on this latest version. This game had alot of potential to be a really great horror flick, but failed miserably at being scary. As alot of other RE fans have mentioned, RE5 is missing substance. The following reasons are why I gave RE5 a bad rating. Theres more reasons why this game doesnt meet RE standards, but I listed my biggest concerns.
1. Camera angle - Unlike other REs this game seems to borrow its camera views from games like gears of war. I dont believe the camera angle fully captures the action of the game. It misses out on the feeling of the other RE games. RE5 almost appears as another title separate from the rest of the RE series.
2. Button configuration - The combination of buttons the gamer has to press in order to execute a move is initially difficult to adapt to. RE5 has an unorthodox button layout which doesnt follow the pattern of the rest of the REs.
3. Surprise/horror factor - If RE5 was someones introduction to the RE series, they would most likely be deterred from enjoying the rest of the RE games. RE5 fails to build on tension that gives the gamer the sense of horror or the suspense of being frightened. The game takes place under daylight, and is mostly in areas out in the open so it is easy to fend yourself from enemies.
4. Game play - Once you play the game youll know what alot of other fans are mentioning about. The AI in RE5 is just terrible, as the gamer has to protect the computer during the whole duration of the game and supply it with ammo/life only to have it wasted. Not to mention the real time menu option in addition to the loss of save rooms accompanied by the typewriter for saving. Capcom waited long to make this game and made it ridiculous. RE5 is not as (if not) replayable as its other counterparts.
5. Creativity - Bosses in RE5 just appear and have no attachment to the RE storyline. RE5 borrows 80% (if not more) of its material from RE4 its predecessor. Rather than building on RE4, RE5 replicates some of the same enemies/bosses. Overall, the were no bosses that made me think "whos nightmare did this guy come from." Put simply, when I play a RE game I expect to see creepy zombies eating on people like the very first zombie you see in RE1 and mutated creatures that follow you around like the mutant that had the one eye on his arm with the huge claw from RE2 or the phantom tyrant from RE3. Whatever happened to the strange mutations that the viruses caused, besides the parasites? Capcom should consider about remaking this game because it ruins the reputation of the whole RE line.
Just a quick review.
On: 2009-05-19This is a great game. The graphics are amazing, the gameplay itself is very engrossing, and the story is entertaining. There are those times where you think "Well, you could take some action right now and cut out a large section of the game" but thats a common thread amongst nearly all games.
Again, this is a great game. I wont say that its better than two-time Game of the Year and RE5s successor, Resident Evil 4, but its definitely a game thats worth a purchase if youre a fan of the series.
GREAT GAME
On: 2009-05-14Im not usually a game player and when it came to resident evil games i would just watch my cousin play em so i could see the storyline. Welll it was not the case with this one. I played as a two player with my husband and LOVED IT!!!!!!! We already beat it and im eager for them to bring out another one. My only main problem was that when you aim your gun to shoot you cant move anywhere but eventually i got the hang of it(after dying MANY times lol) and everything else more than made up for it. Its worth the [...] bucks!
It'd be nice if...
On: 2009-05-12Itd be nice if there was a first-person view. Running is sometimes challenging and it sucks that you cant move if you have your weapon out. Also, if one can play online with someone, it would seem plausible that you could just play the game with two people on the same system...but you cant. You can only do two people in online co-op or system-link.
The game is a lot of fun, I wish the inventory was bigger, but overall, Ill still continue to play and enjoy the game.
Quick review
On: 2009-05-11Resident Evil 5 ought to be a better game than it is. Theres really nothing terribly wrong with it except for a severe case of lack of originality. Whenever its not being a souped-up clone of Resident Evil 4, its too busy being a knock-off of Gears of War. RE5 is more like Gears of War with a Resident Evil skin, an action game that takes the pull in this direction that RE4 started and runs with it.
To many players, I expect this will be a good thing. The game is practically groomed to appeal to the stereotypical Halo / Gears loving Xbox 360 player, right down to the Live enabled co-op play as Chris and Sheva. You cant get a true single player experience in RE5, whether playing co-op or solo youre going to be saddled with Sheva either way. Unlike Ashley, who mainly stayed out of the way and rarely took damage, Shevas a partner and plays like someone who just picked up the controller for the first time.
Set Sheva to cover and shell use nothing but her handgun, ignoring all her bigger weapons in favor of taking potshots at enemies until she runs out of bullets. She rarely ever goes for critical shots or finishing moves when theyre down, instead preferring to shoot for their chests until they finally stop moving. Set her to attack and shell use her best weapon, at the expense of making herself the biggest target possible. Either way, she wont even consider using grenades, proximity mines, or so on. The best she can manage is to be a decent white mage with a collection of herbs.
Sheva doesnt break the game, but she doesnt add the charm that Ashley did to RE4. At worst shell be minorly annoying, at best shes slightly helpful. Playing with a friend can actually be quite fun however, and the hotseat joining really makes this more accessable. Furthing the accessability, RE5 is extremely linear. Gone are the typewriter save points (which I didnt mind) and limited ink ribbons (which I hated completely), and in their place is a automatic checkpoint and save system much more inline with other 360 action titles.
I have my complaints about the severe dumbing down of RE5 to appeal to the masses - the inventory management is a joke, the weapon upgrades are less than stellar, and the environments offer extremely little to explore - but overall RE5 still manages to be a fun game. Its short, straightforward, and rips off Gears of War in a great many aspects, but if you liked the action spin of the RE series that began with RE4, then I think its safe to say that RE5 should at least be considered.
Resident Evil goes action with mixed results
On: 2009-05-09I remember playing the first Resident Evil game so many years ago. It was a perfect combination of action, scares, and puzzles, leaving you wondering what would be behind the next turn, and if you would survive. Many sequels and spin-offs later, RE5 makes an attempt to reinvent the series, with both satisfying and disappointing results.
You play as Christ Redfield of RE fame. Joining your BSAA team is Sheva, who can be controlled by the game AI or another person. The plot is standard RE stuff. Chris gets to an area in Africa, and zombie/mutants appear. Without proper backup, Christ and Sheva begin to attack the hordes ahead of them. Fans of the RE series will pick up on some of the previous lore, but having played or beaten any other RE game is not necessary.
Fans of the early game series will notice almost immediately that RE5 is not an "action-horror" game. It is a full blown action game. If RE4 and Gears of War had a child, it would be this game. What does that mean? You get top notch visuals similar to RE4, a plot that ties into the RE world, and action that is not longer scary. Part of the entire RE series was making the next room frightening, as you never knew what was ahead. There were puzzles everywhere, and the lack of ammo made any opponent a threat. This is not the case anymore, but it doesnt make this a bad game...
What I like:
+ The graphics are great. Not the best ever, as Gears of War 2 and Resistance 2 have upped the bar, but the visuals are great. Enemies have an awesome look to them, and environments are realistic and varied.
+ The game AI is decent, and will help you out more than some other games. This is true most of the time (see later).
+ Co-op is awesome, and makes teams work together. Lack of ammo and health items help create tension for two people.
+ Boss fights are as over the top as you remember. Fighting something 10 times your size still feels terrifying. These fights happen at appropriate times, and give great closure to levels.
+ There are extras to find in the game, leading to photo galleries and more. It gives the game extra playability for fans of RE.
What I dont like:
- This is an action game. Gone are the puzzles and scares of previous RE5 games. I remember old RE games where the "chess key" unlocked a door leading to the "lighter" used to burn paintings to get the "bronze owl", etc.. While cheesy, that was part of the appeal. You wont find any puzzle aspects here, just a 3rd person action game.
- Your characters cannot move and shoot at the same time. They must plant down and fire. It makes the game a bit clunky as you run to the next area, hold it down like a shooting gallery, then move on. Not as exciting as it could have been.
- The AI tends to overuse ammo and health items. It would be nice to have settings on item usage, but Sheva will blow through rounds quickly, and will heal you when you dont need to be.
Overall, I enjoyed RE5, but it wasnt at all what I wanted from the franchise. I wanted terror and suspense, and I got an action game. Depending on what kind of games you like, this might be for you. I beat it and sold it, so I would recommend this game as a weekend rental, and not a must buy.
Resident Evil 5 or 4 continued???
On: 2009-05-09Resident Evil 5
So this game was a good game. It had everything I loved from the 4th game. But thats also a problem. I waited I dont know how many YEARS for this game and to me it seems like RE4 just with different characters and setting. It uses the same zombie and pretty much the same bosses. Now of course it has better graphics, great sound. Its a next gen game. I would hope it has those. I played through it, and I did enjoy it though. Was disappointed at some parts of it. I just miss the horror part. RE2 had me through almost the hole game. This one, not so much. Yes there were some shocking parts but it just doesnt have the RE feel that got me into the series. I will of course recommend it to Action/Shooter game fans and RE fans. Next time, if there is, lets either make new enemies, or just go back to mindless zombies. Also maybe walking while shooting. I dunno, thats been in most shooter games for a long time now. Was it worth the wait, yes it was, but could it have been better. yes it could have.
GREAT ACTION GAME, Horror, not so much...
On: 2009-05-09Resident Evil 5 is a prettier version of Resident Evil 4 with more emphasis on cooperative play. Its part shooting gallery and part action film, but its about as scary as a Die Hard Movie.
Concept: 9/10
Chris Redfield is back and this time he has a sexy gun toting partner named Sheva. You can play Coop with a friend on split screen, or over Xbox Live, or the AI can control Sheva. Chris and Shevas military mission becomes personal when they find out Weskers experiments killed thousands.
Story 7/10
The weakest part of the game is the story. Its well told. The cutscenes are expertly acted, animated, and rendered. There are optional files that the player can read at their leisure about the experiments that turned people into blood frenzied zombies. But its Wesker... AGAIN. I feel like Ive been killing Wesker for 15 years now. I really wish Capcom would come up with a new story instead of recycling the same story in different settings.
Graphics 10/10
The graphics are outstanding! Hordes of zombies charge at you through the dusty roads of a shanty town. Dynamic explosions and blur effects fill the screen! The characters look great! The camera work in the cutscenes is top notch. The visual effects highlight the action! Graphics cant get much better than this!
Gameplay 8/10
The gameplay is the same as Resident Evil 4, but some finesse has been added. You aim and shoot at hordes of zombies, while trying to conserve ammo. You can also try and make the most of your environment by using hazards and obstacles to your advantage. Because the new additions to the series focus on Cooperative Gameplay, you can combo attacks with your partner. If they shoot a zombie, the zombie performs its hit animation and that allows you to attack it with a devastating punch or kick. Two Players can work together to take out a group of zombies and conserve a lot of ammo if they coordinate their attacks well. This level of precision gameplay really encourages Players to work as a well-oiled machine.
Levels 10/10
The Levels in Resident Evil 5 are outstanding! Theyre varied, theyre beautiful, and theyre designed to prevent you from getting lost. From shanty towns, to ancient ruins, to scientific laboratories, the level progression makes you feel like youre progressing through an exciting story. There are vehicle chase sequences, fun puzzles, frantic battles, and epic boss fights. Strategically placed landmarks and objective markers always point you in the right direction, so you never feel lost or frustrated.
You are graded on your performance in the levels, based on deaths, accuracy, kills, and time. You can replay levels to stockpile items, cash, or to improve your grade. At the end of each level or after a continue, you can manage your inventory by buying new items, upgrading weapons, or storing items in a virtual locker.
AI 8/10
Sheva is great most of the time. She saves your life quite a bit, but she also uses healing objects a little too fast. She can hold her own in a fight and you can give her commands like COVER (conservative mode) or ATTACK (use more ammo). Shes really great at gathering items while youre fighting or exploring. At any time, you can ask her to give you one of her items or give her some of yours, too. There are a few parts of the game where Sheva can get insta-killed (especially in the beginning), causing you to start the level over, but its not her fault. Its more of a gameplay issue rather than an AI issue.
The enemy AI is good, not great. The enemies are pretty convincing as enraged zombies, but there are times when they get hung up on corners or walk in circles. If your glass is half-full, you can imagine that theyre just acting more zombie-like.
Sound 9/10
The voice acting, SFX, and Music are all very good. If you want to get the most out of this game, playing it in surround sound will put you in the center of the action!
Interface 8/10
Both Chris and Sheva have 3x3 Square inventories and you can hotkey the 2,4,6,8 positions by pressing up, left, right, and down on the D-pad. Everything takes up 1 space, whether its a weapon, ammo, or a healing item. The inventory management works well almost all of the time. The downside is when you and Sheva only have 1 space each and you find a Red Herb and a Green Herb. You literally have to do this in real time:
Pick up Red Herb (if you pick up Green first Sheva may use it), Call Sheva, Give her the Red Herb, Pick Up the Green Herb, Exchange an item with Sheva to get the Red Herb, Highlight the Red Herb, Combine it with the Green Herb. Doing this while youre being attacked can get annoying. The other reason why this is annoying is that Red Herbs can only be combined with Green Herbs... so why isnt it automated?! Does the game really need me to play inventory micromanager for 30 seconds to make a healing item?! How does this enrich my gameplay experience?!
Areas Needing Improvement (aside from the Inventory)
If you hold the Left Trigger to aim your weapon, you cant move... not even a little bit and this gets really annoying. You have to turn around, run 2 steps, then turn around again, if you want to step back and fire. This and the Inventory Issues feel restricting for the sake of being restricting.
Also, to slash with the Knife, you have to hold LB, and then press RT to slash the knife. You can only do 1 thing with the Knife, so why cant I just press LB?!
Overall Resident Evil 5 is a great single player or cooperative action game. It deserves to be in your Xbox 360 collection. But horror fans should understand that this is not a suspenseful horror game. Its an exciting action game with big explosions, a hail of gunfire, and witty banter. Even the soundtrack is more befitting of an action game than a horror game.
The game is rated M for Violence, Gore, and Language.
Buy it if you loved Resident Evil 4, you want a Great 2-Player Game, you can appreciate a great graphics, or youre a fan of action-packed-actiony-action and you need to kill Wesker just one more time.
If youre looking for a horror game, Silent Hill: Homecoming, Dead Space, and even Gears of War 2 are scarier.
As Scary as a Bruce Willis Movie
On: 2009-05-09Resident Evil 5 is a prettier version of Resident Evil 4 with more emphasis on cooperative play. Its part shooting gallery and part action film, but its about as scary as a Die Hard Movie.
Concept: 9/10
Chris Redfield is back and this time he has a sexy gun toting partner named Sheva. You can play Coop with a friend on split screen, or over Xbox Live, or the AI can control Sheva. Chris and Shevas military mission becomes personal when they find out Weskers experiments killed thousands.
Story 7/10
The weakest part of the game is the story. Its well told. The cutscenes are expertly acted, animated, and rendered. There are optional files that the player can read at their leisure about the experiments that turned people into blood frenzied zombies. But its Wesker... AGAIN. I feel like Ive been killing Wesker for 15 years now. I really wish Capcom would come up with a new story instead of recycling the same story in different settings.
Graphics 10/10
The graphics are outstanding! Hordes of zombies charge at you through the dusty roads of a shanty town. Dynamic explosions and blur effects fill the screen! The characters look great! The camera work in the cutscenes is top notch. The visual effects highlight the action! Graphics cant get much better than this!
Gameplay 8/10
The gameplay is the same as Resident Evil 4, but some finesse has been added. You aim and shoot at hordes of zombies, while trying to conserve ammo. You can also try and make the most of your environment by using hazards and obstacles to your advantage. Because the new additions to the series focus on Cooperative Gameplay, you can combo attacks with your partner. If they shoot a zombie, the zombie performs its hit animation and that allows you to attack it with a devastating punch or kick. Two Players can work together to take out a group of zombies and conserve a lot of ammo if they coordinate their attacks well. This level of precision gameplay really encourages Players to work as a well-oiled machine.
Levels 10/10
The Levels in Resident Evil 5 are outstanding! Theyre varied, theyre beautiful, and theyre designed to prevent you from getting lost. From shanty towns, to ancient ruins, to scientific laboratories, the level progression makes you feel like youre progressing through an exciting story. There are vehicle chase sequences, fun puzzles, frantic battles, and epic boss fights. Strategically placed landmarks and objective markers always point you in the right direction, so you never feel lost or frustrated.
You are graded on your performance in the levels, based on deaths, accuracy, kills, and time. You can replay levels to stockpile items, cash, or to improve your grade. At the end of each level or after a continue, you can manage your inventory by buying new items, upgrading weapons, or storing items in a virtual locker.
AI 8/10
Sheva is great most of the time. She saves your life quite a bit, but she also uses healing objects a little too fast. She can hold her own in a fight and you can give her commands like COVER (conservative mode) or ATTACK (use more ammo). Shes really great at gathering items while youre fighting or exploring. At any time, you can ask her to give you one of her items or give her some of yours, too. There are a few parts of the game where Sheva can get insta-killed (especially in the beginning), causing you to start the level over, but its not her fault. Its more of a gameplay issue rather than an AI issue.
The enemy AI is good, not great. The enemies are pretty convincing as enraged zombies, but there are times when they get hung up on corners or walk in circles. If your glass is half-full, you can imagine that theyre just acting more zombie-like.
Sound 9/10
The voice acting, SFX, and Music are all very good. If you want to get the most out of this game, playing it in surround sound will put you in the center of the action!
Interface 8/10
Both Chris and Sheva have 3x3 Square inventories and you can hotkey the 2,4,6,8 positions by pressing up, left, right, and down on the D-pad. Everything takes up 1 space, whether its a weapon, ammo, or a healing item. The inventory management works well almost all of the time. The downside is when you and Sheva only have 1 space each and you find a Red Herb and a Green Herb. You literally have to do this in real time:
Pick up Red Herb (if you pick up Green first Sheva may use it), Call Sheva, Give her the Red Herb, Pick Up the Green Herb, Exchange an item with Sheva to get the Red Herb, Highlight the Red Herb, Combine it with the Green Herb. Doing this while youre being attacked can get annoying. The other reason why this is annoying is that Red Herbs can only be combined with Green Herbs... so why isnt it automated?! Does the game really need me to play inventory micromanager for 30 seconds to make a healing item?! How does this enrich my gameplay experience?!
Areas Needing Improvement (aside from the Inventory)
If you hold the Left Trigger to aim your weapon, you cant move... not even a little bit and this gets really annoying. You have to turn around, run 2 steps, then turn around again, if you want to step back and fire. This and the Inventory Issues feel restricting for the sake of being restricting.
Also, to slash with the Knife, you have to hold LB, and then press RT to slash the knife. You can only do 1 thing with the Knife, so why cant I just press LB?!
Overall Resident Evil 5 is a great single player or cooperative action game. It deserves to be in your Xbox 360 collection. But horror fans should understand that this is not a suspenseful horror game. Its an exciting action game with big explosions, a hail of gunfire, and witty banter. Even the soundtrack is more befitting of an action game than a horror game.
The game is rated M for Violence, Gore, and Language.
Buy it if you loved Resident Evil 4, you want a Great 2-Player Game, you can appreciate a great graphics, or youre a fan of action-packed-actiony-action and you need to kill Wesker just one more time.
If youre looking for a horror game, Silent Hill: Homecoming and even Gears of War 2 are scarier.
Great game for someone new to Resident Evil
On: 2009-05-08I have been a PC gamer most of my life and recently got a Xbox and picked up RE5. I have had little experience with the earlier parts of the series but had a lot of fun with this game.
Wanted to like it.....
On: 2009-05-07I wanted so badly to like RE5 as it was one of the games I was Most looking to play for some time now, sadly enough I can not possibly give this game a high review simply due to its overwhelming flaws.
On the positive side the game looks great, story line is good enough to be a RE game but the game is all over the place as to what it wants to be. There are levels that I felt like I was playing RE and then there were other levels I felt as if I was playing Tomb Raider, or another random action game. As for enemies in the game while there were a few eye catching bosses and fights nothing was really remarkable and the majority of the bosses have a "shoot me here spot" which is easily identified.
The absolute worst part of the game is Sheeva, if you are playing the game single player and not co op I swear she eats your ammo and power ups, constantly gets in your way and when you absolutely need her to do something even as simple as go get an item and bring it to you it seems to take her a lifetime to do it, those who have beaten the game surely most know what I am talking about, and her character is just annoying with her lines (well every character seemed to be in this game especially neo from the matrix.....I mean Wesker).
If your a fan of the series its worth a play, if you are a fan of the old school puzzle style RE games stay far away as there are hardly any puzzles to be had in this game.
RE4 Was AWESOME....oh wait this is a review for RE5
On: 2009-05-06Resident Evil 4 was fantastic. It had better gameplay, amazing graphic, a hokey story, terrible dialogue...but it was fun.
Resident Evil 5 somehow takes all the good elements of Resident Evil 4, throws in a hot teammate, makes the game shorter, and manages to make one giant fail fest.
This game is not fun. Getting through tasks is arduous. Your teammate, if played by the AI is dumb as a post. The whole notion of having to stand still to fire your gun in an attempt to create tension is outdated and dodgy.
The graphics are gorgeous however, the attention to detail on character builds in great, however you quickly realize that you are only fighting 5 or 6 incredibly gorgeous characters. Then it gets old.
Buy it used.
Great addition to the Resident Evil franchise and SO much fun!!!
On: 2009-05-05Ive been a fan of the Resident Evil games since the very first one. I even bought a gamecube just to play Resident Evil 4. At any rate, I LOVE Resident Evil 5. Its so much fun and has so many achievements and unlockables that you can play it over and over without getting bored. Its not as creepy as its predecessors, but I love the edition of Sheva and the co-op play! I love playing this game online with my friends. Only downfall is that the versus mode shouldve come standard with the game. Other than that I highly recommend this game!!
Must Buy Game
On: 2009-05-04Forget any assertions that Co-Op takes something away from Resident Evil 5. Ive played through this game 4 times now. Ive played with my Girlfriend, Numerous friends and people online. This game is amazing. The graphics are some of the best this generation and the game gets better the more you play it. Youll be pulling headshots for days. Do not miss.
Diet Resident Evil 4
On: 2009-05-04Resident Evil 4 was a masterpiece. A perfect - well crafted - masterpiece. Resident Evil 5...is just okay.
Dont misunderstand; I didnt hate this game. The story was captivating, and playing with a friend was a lot of fun. It just seems to me like the people who made this game would want it to exceed its predecessor. Instead it felt like they went out of their way to add nothing to the experience, and in the process, even took a few things away.
Firstly, There is no merchant this time around. In Resident Evil 4 you would encounter a merchant from time to time and would be able to buy and upgrade weapons in the levels. That isnt the case here. Youd better stock up on everything you need before the missions begin, because that is the one and only time you will ever be able to do it.
But even stocking up has been downgraded it seems. In RE4 you were eventually able to buy a bigger case to hold more items, guns, ammo, etc. Again, that isnt the case in RE5. You are given nine item slots and thats it. Now granted its nine slots per person which essentially means eighteen; but you have to switch items back and forth with your partner rather than being able to access them whenever you want.
And god help you if you need to exchange items in battle as opening your cases, weapon changes and item switches are done in real time! This is again in contrast to RE4 where the game would pause when you opened your case. I guess they wanted to make it seem more realistic this time around, but cmon; its a video game! I cant organize inventory and fight Zombies at the same friggin time!
And guess what else you cant do at the same time? Run and shoot. You have to stay in one place in order to unload on your enemies. This is the same as in RE4, but in that game the mechanic blended well with the game play. I cant quite put my finger on it yet, but something about this "run or shoot but not both" seemed to clash in RE5. After all the advances made in games since 2005, youd think theyd try to improve on this.
The long levels and puzzle solving from RE4 also seem to have been stripped this time around. It takes almost no time at all to get through a stage and all the while it feels like the game is throwing the same bad guys at you over and over again. There is almost no variety in the game play or in your opponents.
Now lets talk about the setting. For the most part, it sucks. RE4 was set in Spain and was centered around a lot of dingy towns, eerie castles and creepy dungeons. RE5 is almost all outdoors in a "may as well be anywhere" barren landscape. I cant believe no one (at least not to my knowledge) has commented on this yet, but this is supposed to be a survival horror game. So why is almost every stage in broad-friggin-daylight? You just wanna give Chris and Sheva a vat of sun screen half the time! They eventually get it right in the later levels, but for the most part the levels are the exact opposite of creepy.
I know it seems like Ive complained a lot thus far, but in truth, the game isnt terrible. The graphics are absolutely amazing, the game is fun to play with a friend and there is lots and lots of Wesker; and lets face it, Wesker rules!
You are going to want to play with a friend by the way! Either that or find someone online to help you out. The A.I for Sheva is the worst Ive seen in any game. If the object of this game was to wonder around where you arent suppose to be, not give me the items I need when I need them, and shoot all over creation at everything except the enemy then it would have been a smashing success. Unfortunately this is a recipe for throwing the whole console out the window.
I know a lot of Wii owners were disappointed that this game wasnt coming to their console. If its any consolation to them; they arent missing much. To reiterate, I didnt hate the game, I just didnt think it was very good. About the best I can say about it is that it inspired me to play Resident Evil 4 again. I guess thats something anyway.
Co-op is fun...
On: 2009-05-04I actually only bought this game to play with my brother. I will eventually get around to playing it by myself but Im not use to playing this type of game. It tends to be quite fast paced. I can say that I do hate the quicktime events. Those truly suck.
A two star game at worst, four star at best
On: 2009-05-04By now youve probably made up your mind on whether you like the game or not. Yes, the graphics are good; yes, there are quick time events; yes, there are rail shooting moments; and most importantly, yes, the controls suck.
This game cannot be reviewed properly without mentioning the controls no matter how often fans try to dismiss it by saying none of the RE series allows you to run and shoot, or that they dont want another third person shooter like gears of war or that it adds to the suspense. Flatout, there is no reason to justify having flawed controls and any of them are just poor excuses to have it developed properly. Ive adapted to the controls, but no matter how good you get there are just gameplay aspects that are negatively affected. An example of what they had to do to compensate for these poor controls is to dumb down the AI. The "zombies" will either walk towards you or run to you and stop within 5 feet so you can can blast them with your guns. Same goes for the bosses who will wait in front of you for a few seconds before attacking each successive time. So I found myself running past them and around them...not too frightening. These are the same "zombies" who can ride motorcycles and drive speed boats. (I wont even get into the inventory management, but just know it gets annoying at moments.)
So even with this qualifier, I still give it 4 stars. Ive played the first 2 REs so I do enjoy the series. It wont be for everyone though so if the camera angle (think Dark Sector/Dead Space but worse) and controls really bother you, then do yourself a favor and stay away.
Resurrecting the dead.....sort of
On: 2009-05-03This was a game that was either hit or miss or so I thought. It falls spmewhere in between. The graphics are beautiful and as smooth as I have seen on any next gen game. The detail uses the full power of the 360 and the result is impressive. However there are some glichs along the way. They are few and far between but we have come expect such things to be corrected by now. Example. When you shoot a zombie and he falls against a wall and half of his body dissppears into the wall and the other half lays there continoulsy twitching. Maybe I am knit picking but come on. This is a glich that should have been delt wih years ago. The camera sometimes seems to working againts you. I know this series is not known for it great control scheme but why not improve this instead of using a technology that is 15 years old. The story is kind of confussing as well. Why are we in Africa? How did the virus get there? Dont get me wrong, this is a good game if your a fan of the series.There are plenty of the same cliches and gameplay here that fans boys will love. For me, I am just looking for something new and different. RE5 is not much different from the original and follows the same tried old story. Maybe it is time we give this franchise its last rites.
A++++++++++++
On: 2009-05-02I love this game. Got a good price for it too. it has everything i like in first person shooters: blood, gore, good story, cool weapons. The only complaint i have is not being able to move if you are aiming your gun.
Great game!
On: 2009-05-01Very well made game, excellent graphics and warranted fun. Huge monsters that seems impossible to defeat but then you realize that they are more big than lethal. 100% recommended for everyone who likes this game style.
A Visceral Balls to the Wall Battle
On: 2009-05-01The whole time, this visceral action game grabbed me by the balls and didnt let up. At times I dreaded turning the corner, and other times I was so hopped up on adrenaline I couldnt be scared. The boss battles have improved from the hard as hell to the fun and innovative. I really enjoyed this game, and the last boss game me fits. Good luck on that one.
A good solid coop
On: 2009-05-01I did not play RE4 and to be honest the last title I played was on the PS1. I found that getting back into the series was fun but a tad bit disappointed that the game was not horror title. The well lit African environment really doesnt project the horror movie feel. You can anticipate most of the enemys appearances and they dont seem very frightening when you are packing heavy firepower. It drops the ball in the horror department but makes for a good action game, especially when played with a human partner. Customized inventories allow players to develop roles and tactics as they find themselves usually outnumbered. The game also tosses in mandatory coop scenarios better played with human players (EX: One fights, while the other provides light). The game offers a good list of weapons, upgrades and unlockables. I didnt expect a good amount of replay in this action title but gunning for points and money will allow for new weapons and elements in the game. If you and a buddy are looking for a good solid coop, RE5 is the way to go.
wow
On: 2009-04-30This game is a must buy though some parts of the actual game play sucks like the inventory,the dumb zombies,and controls can get hard to master,but the game is so beautiful to see and tons of action make the game a must have.GET IT ALREADY.
Terrible fighting/controls
On: 2009-04-30This game could have been great. What killed it is the fact that YOU CANNOT MOVE WHILE YOU FIGHT. I think the developer did this on purpose to give the enemies an advantage over the player. No excuse for this. I do like that it has co-op, and the situations it throws you into are interesting. Since they made the fighting a chore, and not enjoyable I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS GAME. Save your money, and find a better game.
OMG
On: 2009-04-30So damn good just get it, rent it,or steal it ,well dont do that but you must play this game.
Freaking awesome
On: 2009-04-30Great game ,the graphics will blow ur mind there are so detail that its like ur there in the action.acting in the game is good but in some parts its just plain stupid,lots of weapons,but the zombies are to easy to beat,overall stop reading and get it already.
Great Co-op action!
On: 2009-04-27For Resident Evils first foray into Co-op play it is a great one, they do a good job of encouraging teamwork and having puzzles work from a two player perspective. The combat can be frustrating at times, but just remember that RE games are Survival Horror Puzzle games, not shooters and then the strange combat mechanics make a lot more sense. Overall this is the best Resident Evil I have played since 1 and 2.
Great game but feels dated..
On: 2009-04-25Resident Evil 4 came out back in 2004 and that felt awesome. This game is still good but after playing Dead Space this feels kind of boring at times. Not as good of a story and the A.I. is[...]. If you liked Resident Evil 4 pick this up it is still a lot of fun. Dont play this by yourself!
Excellent
On: 2009-04-25I love this game.. If you own both consoles, this is the version to choose..
Short compared to the others, but a lot more features.
On: 2009-04-21The fast paced action makes not only the story, but the strategy required to complete it worth playing. Its nowhere near as long as other games you could buy, but it makes up for that with the fact that there are about 500000 unlockables, and theres always something new for you to use or try on the next run. Unlike most games, the achievements are always fun to get (like getting a headshot when the enemy is in the air), so even after youve gotten everything else, you still have the achievement hunting to rely on for fun. Trust me though, theres more than enough content to try and unlock that you wont be falling back on achievements any time soon.
horror action
On: 2009-04-21I have been a resident evil fan since the first title came out on 1995 and I believe the secong installment is been the best after all those year .but now with this resident evil 5 the fun beging again for residen evil fans .it has what it take single player and on-line as well , from 1 to 10 I give it 9-1/2 over all score .
the only complaint I have is the caracter movement. sometimes is too slow to turn around to escape from some dangerous situations but that is nor big deal .I recomended this game .
Amazing!
On: 2009-04-17I was looking forward to this game since RE 4 and I when the release date kept getting delayed I was heartbroken. I picked it up on the release date and sadly beat it the same day which was not what I expected at all. But even though its very short and somewhat to easy I loved it. It fills in the Chris story and something youll be happy to see happens. If youre a fan of the series I highly recommend this game!
Sweet game.
On: 2009-04-16Awesome game. I just took it for what it was and enjoyed it. Ive enjoyed every Resident Evil game, at least in the main series.
none
On: 2009-04-16Though Resident Evil 5 lacks that terror caused by the licker you once expected from a R.E. game the change in the gameplay makes it a totally different game and cant be compared to its predecessors. The only exception to this is R.E. 4 and 5 surpasses it emensely (sp?) anyway. I love it!
Non your typical Zombie Action game
On: 2009-04-16FOR XBOX 360 VERSION:
So let me begin by stating that this is MUCH different than other Resident Evil games, while still delivering the same quality story. Now I loved the original Resident Evil games, but this is my favorite. Especially after 4 which was in my opinion drawn out. Now while this game may lack dark creepy and cheap scares where things jump out, they changed pace by having FAST and strong enemies. The suspense is conveyed over a more action paced story and gameplay as opposed to fighting some slow dredging zombies and then spending hours searching for keys or solving puzzles. This game is good and very fun. Playing online with a friend is even more fun, as it allows players to use their own inventory items/profile associated content for gameplay as opposed to limiting their equipment to the hosts content. Split screen is a slight downfall because of the weird offset split screen set up, but this is likely done to maintain aspect ratio. The game encourages you to replay it over and over, and its actually rewarding to do so. Typically right after completing the game most players will immediately start a new game with their upgraded weapons to wreak havoc on some zombies. This game is certainly worth buying and replaying. You wont regret it.
Great game
On: 2009-04-16RE5 is a great game but does not last long because of the lack of a good multiplayer game mode. But does have significant replay ability due to wanting to beat it on professional.
This game sucks
On: 2009-04-14Save your money. This is by far the worst game I think I have played out of the entire series. I will try to be specific in my critique to avoid any misconceptions. 1)The view sucks 2)Your partner is extrememly annoying and grabby with items that waste space 3)It takes forever to navigate through items to try to get to a heal when you are fighting and not to mention they dont stack......The game play overall is just terrible. I wish I had not dropped $60 for this turd and and if I could I would give it a negative review. Why...is really all I can say...to every aspect of the game....why even bother....By the way, you are going to get extrememly angry fighting the end boss...trust me, I just gave up trying
What happened to the puzzles? What happened to Survival Horror? What a joke....
On: 2009-04-13I rarely write reviews but I had to write something about this atrocious game. I loved the Resident Evil games of past where you had to not only fight your way through a scary and intense plot but use your mind to solve puzzles and make progress. With RE5 there are no puzzles, the plot is thin at best, its not scary and the controls are terrible. What Capcom did with RE5 is turn the survival horror game into a first-person shooter with terrible controls and sell the game by its graphics. Imagine playing Halo or Resistance with RE5 controls and you would want to shoot yourself as its impossible to do anything! In addition, you get this stupid sidekick that uses all your ammo and health and gets in the way so many times that you wish you could just shoot her. I got so frustrated with the controls and gameplay that I nearly threw my controller through the window and that was the last I played this annoying, frustrating game! After Street Fighter 4 came out I really thought Capcom was doing the right thing by going back in time and creating what was best about the Street Fighter series and this has turned out to be a great game. Too bad they didnt use the same logic and intuition when creating RE5 but instead went some bizarre route by going to Africa and throwing a thousand zombies at you and all you have is this stupid little gun, an inept partner, terrible controls and a horrific plot...no pun intended! I was looking forward to this game for the past couple of years and was thoroughly disappointed. Dont waste your money and time buying this game! I sure hope Capcom reads all of these negative reviews so that if they create a sixth title, they go back to the basics which is what they did with Street Fighter 4 and that was a success.
Looooooove it!
On: 2009-04-13Single Player Mode or Multi-Player Mode, decisions, decisions.
Ive been a fan of the Resident Evil series from the start; this one takes the cake. The controls take a hot minute to get used to, but once you get them down youre golden.
I found the different multi-player options enjoyable and also made the game easier to play (first three levels in no time at all).
Highly recommended. :oD
A good game that definitely deserves a rental, but nothing more
On: 2009-04-13Sadly, this game does not live up to its legendary name. Resident Evil 5 is definitely a fun experience, though it is nothing that hasnt been done before. Fans of the series surely have already purchased their copy by now, and wont be wasting time reading about what other people. For everyone else, heres my review.
Its not like RE5 is not a good game, because it certainly is. The combat can be satisfying, depending on which guns you have access to. The graphics are some of the best on any console. The sound is above average, and the story can be fun, even though it is very "over-the-top". The big addition to this game is a co-op partner, which either can be computer controlled or controlled by a friend (or stranger) via split-screen or over Xbox Live. Co-op play is definitely recommended, and can actually be a very fun time.
Why did the game only receive a 3 out of 5 rating? Everything Ive said thus far has been positive, so whats not to like? Well, its not technically the game, just the design choices and the history of the series, as it is a sequel (of a sequel, of a sequel...). What made the previous installments of the game so great was the horror aspect of the game. RE was the main contributor to the formation of the Survival Horror genre. The title of the genre really says it all; games about fighting to survive, while dealing with horrific and terrifying events and enemies. RE5 has kind of (maybe unintentionally) steered away from anything close to Survival Horror. While a main goal is survival, what games that involve guns dont involve survival? So that means that this game must be scary, right? Not at all. With the inclusion of a co-op partner, an African setting (mostly in broad daylight), this game is anything from scary. What the developers decided to do, to create some kind of intensity, was limit the players movement while shooting. This was used in the critically acclaimed Resident Evil 4, four years ago. While it can create stressful situations in the game, it is all for the wrong reasons. It also creates other problems within the game. It would be understandable to use this form of control with a game that is scary, as seen in RE4, but this game has more creepy/weird going for it then scary. RE5 is definitely more of an action/shooter then anything, so limiting the controls just makes the game feel like an uneven mix of two genres. The game would have been much better if they stuck to one genre, but sadly they did not. Also, Capcom has "added" DLC which adds multiplayer to the game, but the games controls make it seem awkward and essentially the 400 mp charge "$5" is for an unlock key for content that is already present on the disc.
3 out of 5 in my eyes definitely deserves a rental. The game can be fun (even more with a friend), as the game has it moments and some of the cutscenes are so outrageous they are fun to watch (although for the wrong reasons). Rent this game before you buy, it might save you $60 which you could use toward a game like Fallout 3 (hint hint).
Big letdown after what RE4 accomplished
On: 2009-04-11the primary problem with this game: its about half - and i repeat - HALF - as long as Resident Evil 4 was. RE4=18-24 hours. RE5=8-12 hours. theres not much of an excuse for that. the gameplay is changed very little. aiming and general controls still handle great, but you still cant shoot and walk at the same time.
Resident Evil 4 set a new bar for survival horror games, and action games in general. it was one of the greatest games of its time and will be remembered as such. Resident Evil 5, on the other hand, falls into mediocrityfor the majority of the overly short adventure.
far too little new mechanics were introduced to make this rise above its action counterparts, which is truly a shame given the series track record. a fullfilling single player campaign is also lost with sub par AI on your parter. luckily they made up for it with online/offline co op with frantic intensity that rivals Left 4 Dead. fantastic visual and audio quality are the most redeeming factors in this package. as far as gameplay, its worth a single playthrough, which can be done in a rental. as with Left 4 Dead, theres just not enough content to justify $60. either rent it or wait for a price drop.
I am a big fan of this series...
On: 2009-04-09This game is awesome! So much replay value, I cant even believe it. I love this series but this is the first game I have played through multiple times. The co-op is just freaking awesome, playing with my buddy has never been like this. The game could be a little longer but I mean, when you are playing through it multiple times it really doesnt matter.
I dont know if it is just me but this is nothing like the original, and I kinda miss the original type of game. This game, however, is just as awesome in a completly different way. The co-op is what makes this game great!
A must buy if you ask me! If you own a 360 you need Halo, Gears, CoD modern warfare and Resident evil 5
Resident Evil delves deeper into action territory
On: 2009-04-07We finally get a Resident Evil game for the next generation, only its an action game? In a strange twist, Capcom decided to go the Gears of War route and the end result is the new Resident Evil installation, which plays out more like a straight up third person shooter rather than a survival horror game. In fact there is really nothing much that fits into the survival horror theme at all. Sure, there are infected people to kill, and there are giant beast bosses and other crazy things along the way, but nothing makes you jump, nothing scares you.
Resident Evil 5 follows in Resident Evil 4s footsteps, and at times can feel like an extension of RE4. This is not a bad thing, as RE4 is widely considered to be the best Resident Evil game ever made.
Resident Evil 5 is quite the straight forward shooter, with a few caveats. The in game menu is in real time, there is no pausing to grab an item from your inventory. Nope. You have to grab that medical spray can while the hordes of infected swarm around you. Thankfully you can map certain items to the directional pad, making for quick weapon/item switching on the fly.
First off, Resident Evil 5 is the best looking game on the Xbox 360 and PS3 at the moment. It tops every other game in terms of visuals, and even edges above Gears of War in some respects. Realistic detail is everywhere, from the environments, clothes and skin. Animations are smooth and realistic. The environments are range from small desert shanty towns to underground caverns and temples, and each level looks absolutely gorgeous. The character models are insanely detailed and very lifelike. All in all a very impressive graphics package.
One amazing new feature in Resident Evil 5 is the Co-op mode. You and a friend, or you and the computer can play together, and there are even melee combos and group QTEs throughout the game to keep the Co-Op useful. Also, your new A.I (or player) controlled partner Sheva tosses you ammo and health when she feels you need it. The A.I controlled Sheva can get a little too health and ammo happy, but its a nice feature.
Story wise, Resident Evil 5 fits into the cannon somewhere, its not really important, but it involves another company and some infected folk. Thats all you really need to know, oh and make sure to conserve ammo! While ammo drops are fairly common, you can run into the occasional dry area, and be forced to use your knife or the shock rod. The weapons are your standard variety: shotguns, machine guns, hand guns, rifle, rocket launcher, grenade launcher, grenades of all kinds. They all serve you well and are a blast to use.
Each time you boot up the game to resume your place in the story you will be prompted to either manage your inventory, buy weapons and sell valuables found in the campaign, or upgrade your weapons. This mini store is a really cool addition to the game and upgrading your weapons is always fun.
The game play can get rather intense as well, at times there will be up to ten infected stalking you, some with weapons of all kinds, others charging at full speed. These arent your typical zombies, they can use weapons, move fast, ride motorcycles, and do all sorts of things.
A couple of issues arise, you cannot reload or shoot while moving, which is kind of lame but does make sense in a sort of risk vs reward sort of way. Kind of like the real time inventory menu.
A mercenaries mode, a bonus menu and all sorts of unlockables add some replay value, but there is no multiplayer so to speak. Recently Capcom released a download that unlocks a multiplayer variant on your game disc, but you have to pay for it. This is a really cheap shot on gamers, and I think its kind of lame to have to pay for something thats already on the disc.
Multiplayer ramblings aside, Resident Evil 5 is an awesome next generation representation of the Resident Evil franchise, with stunning graphics, intense game play and a semi replayable package.
4/5
Great Game, But DLC IS A RIPOFF!!! VERSUS IS ALREADY ON THE GAME!
On: 2009-04-07Resident Evil 5 keeps on par with previous REs, but CAPCOM has taken DLC to an all-time low. INCLUDED in the game, as in, you bought it, threw it in your console and loaded it up, IS THE VERSUS MODE. Yet, CAPCOM decided that you have to download a patch that allows you to UNLOCK the content for $5!
Capcom attempted to justify their action by saying the versus mode was not a concept buyers were expecting, and therefore should be charged more in order to enjoy it. Next, Capcom spoke of the need to maintain their servers and bandwidth for this new mode and thus required additional monetary compensation.
The first point is pathetic and enraging: By saying this, should we just expect that from each game we buy, anything we do not expect or know about, we should be prepared to purchase it in addition to the hefty $60 we spend per game? If that is the case, Id be spending $60 for a brief unrevealing synopsis and a few game mechanics!
The second point, while initially possessing at least some degree of merit, is still enraging to the Xbox Live community, who already pay an annual rate of $50 in order to enjoy the benefits of SERVERS! Sony on the other hand requires game developers to pay in towards servers and bandwidths in order to maintain a free online gaming community.
Xbox does not, instead giving greater service to gamers by having it come at a price.
In short, CAPCOM is milking free money off innocent gamers (especially xbox owners) for content ALREADY INCLUDED IN THE GAME!
Make a stand. VERSUS SHOULD BE FREE. TELL CAPCOM. WITHOUT THE GAMER, A developer is nothing, and Capcom needs to make this content available for free.
Mediocre, shallow, uninspiring
On: 2009-04-06Resident Evil 5 is a third person shooter with a sprinkling of horror added to it to be able to use the Resident Evil name. The game takes place in Africa where a pair of protagonists are attempting to stop some kind of sinister scheme that involves turning people into ultra-violent zombie-like creatures. Youll battle a few different kinds of enemies using a wide variety of mostly the same feeling guns. Youll also battle awkward controls, a limiting inventory, a crappy checkpoint/save system, and boredom. Lastly, youll run into too many "boss" fights that are exercises in repetition and frustration. The entire game is a battle, but not in the sense that many are probably expecting.
Resident Evil 5 takes some of the elements of horror-survival such as: crappy inventory management and awkward controls, and integrates them with nearly endless ammo supply (conveniently dropped by most bad guys) and a weapon upgrade system. Sounds like a weird combination, and it is.
Early on the game feels sort of horror-y as you dont really know what is happening, your weapons are weak, and the environments are claustrophobic. As the game progresses youll quickly realize that the variety in enemies is not that great and that you can upgrade your weapons, fairly rapidly, to substantial levels. Yes, you do feel horror when dealing with certain enemies -- because some are ridiculously tough (like the dogs or the lickers) and can be a pain to contend with as your controls are not overly conducive to coping with anything near and not directly in front of you.
Later on in the game it becomes a really poorly designed third person shooter with an irritatingly lame attempt at a cover system. Nothing like zombie soldiers with guns. Lame. I wont even get started on the absurdly monotonous "quicktime" button mashing sequences. Who thought this garbage was good, and why is there so much of it in this game? Those sequences remind me of Jericho... and that was probably the worst game Ive ever played on the 360.
As the game progresses you will gain access to a wide variety of weapons. If you have been upgrading you wont see much point in switching over to a new weapon which is not upgraded. Most of the guns feel basically the same, with minor differences. Grenades are kind of a hassle, the proximity mines are cool if you dont mind lots of running around, the grenade launcher isnt bad (but strangely flies really slowly), but mostly it all feels the same. I found no reason to switch to a "new" version of a weapon I currently had because my upgraded one wailed on the new version.
The inventory system is quirky, and clunky. I couldnt find a way to remove ammo from a weapon (if you want to empty one to switch to another) and I couldnt find a way to split up stacked items. Lets say you have five grenades, and you want to split them between you and Sheva (who doesnt seem to use them, anyhow) -- you cant. You can only move five at a time. Same thing with ammo.
Some maps are interesting and seem to have a lot of space to move around, and others are dull and very rail like. At first I was wooed by the shanty towns of Africa, but once you get indoors the maps just kind of fall flat. The factory maps are just plain irritating -- I wont ruin it for you, Ill let you experience those gems for yourself.
The story itself is very trite and generic. The plot "twists" are so cliche that they dont even surprise you. The cinematics (acting, and animations) are something that you have to suffer through -- perhaps that is why they call it a horror game. I dread when I have to watch a cut scene and groan at the stale lines and over the top delivery.
All in all, Id say that this game is a dud. It wasnt bad, but it wasnt good. It was just kind of... ehh... I say this being a fan of the originals, but also judging the game based on its own merits. With the exception of certain characters and little bits and pieces, this is hardly a Resident Evil game. It could have been named something else, with the characters named something else, and nobody would have thought it was related at all. Normally if a game is good I feel compelled to play it through like some ravenous cookie monster tearing into a box of cookies... not so with this. I can barely suppress the apathy long enough to play through until the next stage so I can actually save my progress.
Another unfortunate flop in a lengthening series of lackluster $59.99 games.
The Bar Has Been Raised...Again!
On: 2009-04-05This game is so good, it made me a Resident Evil fan.
Ive never really liked the Resident Evil series. The dubbing wasnt particularly good, the characters werent very compelling, and the scares...Im fond of running and gunning, not sitting around waiting for the scary monster to jump out and eat me. Resident Evil never offered the kind of zombie-blasting experience I craved...until now.
Resident Evil 5 has a plot, but who cares about the plot? Its all about Chris Redfield and his superhot female companion, Sheva Alomar, blasting zombies away. Oh sure, there are nuances here and there: the zombies arent really undead but infected with weird worm-like parasites, the zombies move fast, theyre smart enough to drive vehicles and fire weapons, and oh yeah...the majority of them are Africans.
Whether or not this matters to you depends primarily on your discomfort level with a white guy attacking red-eyed Africans with a machete and stealing their gold. Yes, the zombies actually drop gold. My suspicion is that most gamers simply dont care, because the bad guys are zombies and thus fit into the same category as orcs in fantasy - faceless villains to be defeated in great swaths of destruction.
The problem is that Resident Evils graphics are now so good that it looks like the real thing--if the real thing was villages filled with rotting animal carcasses and glowing red-eyed zombies. In fantasy gaming, we dont have a real orc to compare our opponents to. This is the burden of Resident Evils hyper-realistic modern gaming environment.
If you actually play the game, its clear that there is not an intentional bias against Africans. There are African military allies who are just as empowered as the zombies are moving targets. And Sheva is from the region, although shes admittedly lighter skinned than many of the other African characters.
Resident Evil isnt above breaking the rules to keep horror top of mind. Chris and Sheva cant simply run-and-gun. They have to stop and aim, which gives zombies plenty of time to sneak up behind them. Inventory is limited, ensuring that you will frequently run out of ammunition. There are cinematic sequences that have nothing to do with shooting in which you simply die if you screw up, like giant man-eating crocodiles and chainsaw wielding zombies.
Although Sheva is in the game regardless of whether or not you play-cop, the co-op mode elevates Resident Evil 5 from a beautiful but standard zombie shooter to an awesome gaming experience. The game has mechanics to specifically encourage teamwork, ensuring that you come to the rescue of Sheva when shes grappled by a zombie, heal each other when youre hurt, or hurl the (presumably) lighter Sheva up on rooftops. Who says having an attractive female companion doesnt have its perks?
Resident Evil 5 has a limited cover system, awkward reloading, and an aggravating inventory system. But that just heightens the tension. The zombie co-op bar has been raised...again!
Control scheme is as horrible as ever
On: 2009-04-05Look, its a game --- its supposed to be fun to play --- this is not. The horrible control scheme was utterly outdated when it came out in RE4 and feels even worse now. (Yes, I said it, RE4 is a completely terrible game. Play Gears or Halo --- etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. --- and tell me that you prefer clunkiness of the entire RE series). There were rumblings that there would be control alternatives for this one --- no dice. The fact that they considered alternative schemes shows that they know that the controls need improvement --- to put it mildly --- or at the very least that there are a lot of gamers who hate their controls --- but, in the end, their bottom line was obviously more important than pleasing discerning gamers or creating a truly great game. For many of us the poor controls are absolutely a deal breaker. This is an insult.
By Far the Worst Resident Evil game in the Series
On: 2009-04-05This game is a mockery to the Resident Evil name. It wasnt even close when you compare this game to Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil Zero, Resident Evil Code Veronica. The scare factor just wasnt there. I found the game shallow, slow, boring and a little racist I mean the Caucasian guys shooting the African American zombies is in my opinion uncalled for on so many levels. at least even it out throw in an equal amount of both races on both sides. I just didnt get this one is all and I cant believe how highly everyone has been rating it..... its not that good..... Let me tell you all that this was the first Resident Evil game I didnt finish, so that is saying a lot.
If judged just on "being fun" RE 5 prevails!
On: 2009-04-03RE is a series that at times Ive danced with and at other moments Ive tried to avoid like the T-virus. I never was a huge fan of the first RE but RE 2 and RE 3 Nemesis held my fascination and scared the crap out of me though I was not the best at playing them. By code name Veronica I was tired of the bad controls and "same old puzzle schemes".
Luckily capcom must have had some mind reading psychics because with RE 4 the game play was fine tuned to perfection, the environments were made fun to explore, and the over the shoulder perspective and laser scope ensured even novices could jump right in and have a fun time! The only qualm I had with RE 4 is it seemed a bit disconnected from the other games with its las plagos plot. Yet most of us got so much enjoyment out of the game we did not care.
So here is RE 5. Everyone had high expectations for it. Some even thought it was going to bring another revolution to the series like RE 4 did. The first thing Ill say is RE 5 does a great job of combining what we liked about RE 4 and fusing it with a story-line that is actually tied to the RE mythos. The fact you are Chris Red-field who has flash backs about fighting Wesker with Jill Valentine should be testament you are in familiar territory and for the most part it is great to be back!
However before I go on I should tell you this is not a revolution in the series. RE 5 is very much like RE 4 as far as game play, camera, and creature designs are concerned. While there are nuances later on devoted more to the old school fans (lickers anyone?) this is akin to playing RE 4 in Africa. So for those of you that expected RE 5 to be the next Gears of war 2 or wanted another re-haul you may find yourselves disappointed.
This poses a question I would ask you though. If every game in the series is a "revolution" and completely changes all the ground work laid before it is there a big risk in losing what we the fans love about the series? Personally I expected RE 5 to be very similar to RE 4. I did not expect it to go so far off the beaten path I did not know what the heck I was playing.
A lot of the complaints people give RE 5 can be easily rectified. For example if you dislike the control scheme there is a menu to customize the game functions more to your liking. If Sheva is constantly dying it is due to the fact you are either a. Not providing her with enough weapons or b. not upgrading her weapons. RE 5 is not about being a selfish miser. If you put everything you have into improving Chris but leave Sheva Alomar by the way side you will suffer for it. Both of these characters are equal in importance not only to the story line but also to the actual missions. I suggest improving them both on equal terms.
This brings me to the next topic. Many believe that because Sheva is with Chris and combat capable it kills the suspense. While that is true in mild regards it creates a whole new tension of not only having to worry about yourself but also be concerned about your partner. If either of you die the game ends. I found this can invoke its own type of anxiety and apprehension.
The bottom line is the reason RE 5 is not as scary to us action/horror junkies is because we have been playing these types of games for a LONG TIME. We cannot expect to have that same amount of wonderment, awe, and dread for RE that we did when we were much younger. As time goes on things become more predictable. Theres no getting around that.
So what is the story? A new strand of Las plagos have infected a fictional city of Africa. Sheva has personal stakes in it because her people are being oppressed and experimented on due to the greed of the Umbrella cooperation and Chris is part of a new group that cracks down on biological terrorism. I would say more about "awesome cameos" but that is spoiler classified information.
Another concerned the fans might have is "are the boss fights fun?" I suppose that depends on what you expect. I did enjoy having to incinerate the first swarming larvae boss by trapping it in an industrial flame thrower room . It was interesting to lay proximity minds to paralyze the next vampire bat headed boss that had a abdomen more like a caterpillar. Only its inner thorax was a vulnerable point. Blasting away the el gigante with the big guns mounted on an over turned truck was not truly challenging but it was very satisfying. Like-wise the "button time sequences" are not too unforgiving and the vehicle stage in which I mowed down enraged biker minions in hot pursuit was a hoot! Admittedly I have fought harder RE bosses and a few which were more interesting but overall your encounters will still get your pulse pounding and bring a masochistic smile to your face!
The enemy roster is more of the same but also has been tweaked. Some las plagos parasites can now fly by beating their bat like wings against the air and the chainsaw massacre sac headed executioners make a return. Defeating even the basic horrors in RE requires brains. For example the chainsaw executioner is highly immune to pain. Simply unloading your bullets into him is ineffective unless you also throw in powerful close range melee attacks. Infected dogs will literally jump at your face if given the opportunity so now you have to throw them off you or get mauled.Fortunately Chris and Sheva have a variety of close quarter throws, kicks, knifing slashes, and elbow maneuvers so though you are only human at least you are not completely pathetic once you hear that all too familiar "click,click,click" after you pull out your favorite fire arm only to discover it is 100% empty.
The "item market" makes a return. You can buy healing supplies, upgrade weapons, and purchase new side arms and protective vestments. Sadly "the stranger" is not to be seen and your actions are done from a menu between chapters or when you die.
So what of the environments? The truth is though the areas are engaging and fun they are also much more linear. They are not as expansive as the huge castle in RE 4 . My favorite place was the swamp in which you got to ride around in a fan boat while visiting different huts to collect pieces of a door crest. One could make the argument encountering tribals with spears and giant masks in a murky marsh land is unrealistic or uses blatant stereotypes but honestly do any of us think all that when we are in the thick of shooting angry hordes and running for our lives?
Next I have heard this game is accused of using racial stereotypes. The thing is you are "the heroes" out to destroy the greedy cooperation exploiting Africa. Sheeva herself is African and Joshua her best friend and trainer is black + has a Jamaican accent. In the first city there were white infected people mixed with the darker skinned infected people so I did not see any subversive racial under tones. My only criticism is Sheevas skin could have been just a little darker. To me she looks more Hispanic or Brazilian. (Not thats bad) Its true you meet "tribals" later on that don the usual spear and giant mask cliches but these are simply variants of the shield wielding robed clergy men Leon faced in RE 4. Besides there ARE still tribes in Africa that DO cling to a simpler more spiritual way of life. The thing is this is "fiction" my friends. Take it for what it is and do not read too deeply into it!
The last thing I will mention is that there is co-op. I dont know about you but for me that is "revolutionary" for an RE game considering they have been single player up until this point. If Shevas ai is giving you a lot of trouble simply have your buddy drop into her shoes! This can be done online or on the couch next to you.
In closing RE 5 is everything "I" expected it to be. While its shorter than RE 4 which went through a few expansions later on it is still a rip roaring good time and now you can experience it all with a friend!
Pros
+Gorgeous graphics
+A story that ties into the RE mythos.
+Familiar villains
+ Sheva is hot and a great heroine. Dont be hatin!
+More of what we loved about RE 4.
+Co-op play
+ New enemy types have been added and a few "classics" make a return!
Cons
-The scare is gone because face it us RE fans are jaded. We know what to expect. Horror movie shock tactics dont make us jump anymore.
-The environments are more linear so there is less to explore
-While its good to burrow some things from RE 4 you will get deja vu a lot. There was a marsh land village section that reminded me of the one in RE 4 only "re-skinned" to look African.
-The quick button press sequences are unnecessary. For friggin sakes just give Sheva and Chris a dodge button! The tougher enemies would be hard to evade regardless.
Excellent and addicting co-op shooter.
On: 2009-04-03Originally I was not going to play the game, but my roommate bought the game, and a 360 to play it on. I couldnt turn down some co-op fun, and I had heard the game is a blast in co-op. It has both split screen and Xbox live co-op. This is one of the most fun games I have played all year.
The Control Scheme
Going in to RE5, my expectations were very low. I had played the demo, and I was extremely annoyed with the movement scheme and difficulty of the game. Your AI partner seemed to get in the way and the inability to move and shoot was frustrating.
After playing the game through once, I dont mind the controls at all. Someone else mentioned that Chris walks with his gun out during cut-scenes (which you cant do in game) which is kind of odd, but I dont think it fundamentally hurt the game. Many people will complain about the controls, but I think they are missing the point. RE5 would not work if you could move and shoot. There would be less tension in the game. If you could just slowly back away while firing, I dont think any zombies would ever reach you. The game would be broken if they had this control scheme. Of course, the developers could have built a new control/weapons scheme from the ground up, and then balance the game around that.. but they didnt. They went with the tried and true RE4 control scheme. And it works again as it did there
Inventory/Items
The game also has a deep system of unlockable extras (guns/costumes/unlimited ammo/figurines, etc). Going through the campaign and upgrading your weapons is quite satisfying. It is annoying that you cannot buy ammo, but if you are conservative you should never run completely out.
One of the gripes I have is how constricting the guns/ammo system is in the game. You no longer have the "magic briefcase" of weapons, but 9 slots to put items. This is a necessary change because you cannot pause the action in a co-op game to fiddle with your briefcase. The new inventory keeps the action speedy as well, since it doesnt pause the game to switch weapons. But, all of your items sit together, and things dont stack very well. Often-times you find yourself passing over useful items because your inventory is full. A good solution would be to allow you to equip armor in seperate slots, and seperate guns/ammo and healing items into 2 different inventories.
The Final Word
I would highly recommend this game to Resident Evil fans, as it is a solid entry in the series. I would also recommend the game to people as a great game to play co-operatively with a friend. (I know I am going to pick up my own copy to take home to play with my brother over easter.)
I went from hatred of the controls and game, to loving it and recommending it to others. Thanks to the depth of the unlockables, I want to play through the game again. There is a lot of replayability to be had here. The game has some minor issues, but overall it is a really fun and rewarding gaming experience. I would urge you to at least try a co-op session over a weekend with a friend. I am sure you will love it.
I wasn't wowed like I was with RE4
On: 2009-04-02I was licking my chops over RE5 ever since I beat RE4 a few years ago. I assumed that like RE4, RE5 would be a huge step forward for the series and genre. I was wrong. My main complaint is that the game just isnt exciting. And it isnt original. Some of the characters in RE4 were creative, scary, and well-placed in the game. Remember all of those different religious zombies that attack you? Or how about that masked, wolverine-like creature? Both the gameplay and charaters contributed to making RE4 a great game for me. RE5s characters arent really exciting, original, or scary. The bosses are creative-looking, but are just big ugly creatures. And theyre not scary. The inventory system is a serious issue. When you pull it up, the game doesnt stop. Try to discard an item mid-game. Try to pull out a grenade. The interface is annoying. Oh, and this Sheva character is not a good addition. I wouldnt mind her popping up once in a while, but she takes all of fun out of the game, shooting half of the zombies and doing half of the stuff I wanted to do. And characters aside, the levels -- the maps -- look like theyre recycled from RE4. Even some of the characters too. That said, Im still playing the bonus game (Mercenaries). Its not as fun as Mercenaries from RE4. Try playing split-screen with a friend. The gameplay slows down to a crawl! In the age of PS3s, Wiis, and Xbox 360s, sluggish gameplay just isnt acceptable. The game is fun, but dont expect any of the magic that we got in RE4.
Average Evil 5
On: 2009-04-02There is nothing scary about this game. I did not jump once. It is similar to Gears of War without good controls. In fact, the controls on this game are very very very frustrating. So is the inventory system. The graphics are great and so are the cut scenes but that does not make this game a must play. The game is set up to be played multiple times to take advantage of the unlocks. I do not think I can stand to play this game again. It is just not fun to play. I suggest getting this used or as a Platinum Hit or skip it. You did not miss much.
Major disappointment
On: 2009-04-01I was looking forward to this game after the great experience of RE4, and wow what a disappointment. Beyond pretty graphics, this game is terrible. The controls are horrible, movement is frustrating, and the inventory system is ridiculously restrictive and difficult to utilize in-game. The partner AI is atrocious: Sheva wastes ammo, stays 2 inches from you breathing down your neck and getting in your way, and shoots you in the back as often as she shoots enemies. Worse than all of these problems is that the gameplay is just not fun. You have to press a button to do anything and everything, and levels are short and linear. I could go on but if all the other non-fanboy reviews havent changed your mind then go ahead and blow the $60 on this game.
People say "you have to play it the way the developers meant it to be played", which is ridiculous because the developers should make a game that is fun for us to play; we shouldnt give up all expectations in order to fulfill the developers vision of what an exciting, interesting, and fun game should be.
Pleasantly Surprised
On: 2009-03-31When I originally heard that Resident Evil 5 would not feature an updated control mechanic I have to admit I was very disappointed and apprehensive about investing in what I assumed would be Resident Evil 4 with a boob job. Well, after playing through this one a couple times I have to admit I was very wrong. I know people continue to review this title harshly based solely on the way the controls are setup ... dont buy into it. The entire game is setup to function WITH the controls. At no time did I feel inadequate in terms of what needed to be accomplished to progress through the game based on the controls. Yes, the controls are similar to RE4, but not an exact duplicate unless youre brain dead enough to use the RE4 controller scheme thats offered in the game. Make sure you use one of the control schemes that allow you to strafe as this small addition is a big improvement over RE4. The controls also felt much more responsive and tight than RE4 - aiming and looking around just felt easier (excluding the extremely easy aiming of the Wii version of the game).
The one gripe I do have with this game is the addition of a computer controlled character if you choose to run through the game solo. Some boss battles were made much more frustrating and difficult just b/c you have this moron to look after. The final boss and his ability to hit you and your partner with insta-death is brought to mind .... at times I found that the computer relied more on me than me on it.
The complaint concerning the computer running through ammo hurriedly is true ... in a way. This can be easily fixed if you keep the computer on the COVER command rather than the ATTACK command at all times. In addition, give the computer a rifle, this will hinder his/her ability to run out of ammo so quickly. At no time, however, did I find ammo to be a hinderance, its actually very plentiful and I found myself storing a nice supply between levels so long as I kept the fully-automatic weapons and RARE ammo (magnum, grenade launcher, ect.) out of the computers hands.
The graphics, music, story-line, ect. are all top-notch, as is expected from the Resident Evil "video-game" franchise. No points lost in that department.
Not Horror, But AMAZING game
On: 2009-03-31Alright, in order to best summarize this game, I should probably break it down to serve the game some justice...
Graphics: 10/10
Absolutely amazing, whether in broad daylight fighting the Executioner (a giant axe-weilding zombie),or in pitch darkness using a lantern to see the zombie hordes, the graphics are just beautiful, living up to both the PS3s and the Xbox 360s standards.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): 9/10
Lets kickoff with Sheva, your partner along the journey. She is definetly a god-send to RE5, but can have her problems.
Pros:
+ She is never far behind you
+ She gives you ammo that she doesnt need based off the weapons in your inventory
+ She heals you when the game senses you have low health (provided she has a herb, the main way of healing)
+ Has an "Attack" mode, where she runs recklessly around killing zombies.
Has a "Cover" mode, where you meet a more caution-oriented sheva, conserving valuable ammo.
Cons:
- Rarely aims for the head, and is quick to waste valuable ammo
- Is quick to use up herbs, even if your above 70% health
- Is slow to help you when grappled by a zombie, even if shes right there
- Dont assume shes got your back... chances are, she doesnt.
- Specific to the "Caves" level, she seems hesitant with the lantern
Next, is the zombies; boy do we wish Sheva had this kind of intelligence. Frankly, I would be searching hard for bad things to say about the enemy AI, other than they are slow to react when you are near, but sometimes this is actually PROGRAMMED!!! For example, the harder the difficulty, the less preparation time the zombie carrying a chainsaw above his head will take when near you before cutting you in half. The RE5 team programmed an IN-GAME difficulty switch, depending on how your doing with your enemies. For example, if your doing really well on Amateur (the easiest difficulty), but maybe a little less than average on Normal, you could actually end up with the same difficulty, thus always providing a challenge.
Gameplay: 9/10
The controls are similar to RE4, with a few minor improvements. At first they ae hard to grasp, and a new player to Resident Evil will struggle with the first couple levels. My only concern, in addition to the complexity of the controls, your character lacks the ability to walk and shoot. Although it adds to tention, it just feels cheap, and I feel ripped off as a gamer. As for enemy spawns, I have no complaints. Everything runs smoothly, zombies arent appearing out of thin air (although itll feel like it) like weve seen in Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon. Lastly, lets talk about the zombies reation to bullets. Obviosly, they dont like to be shot at and wll respond in rage once they recover from the wound. Interestingly as well, they also have animations and actions depending on where you shoot them. Say i were to shoot a zombie in his weapon heand. He will drop the weapon and grip his hand in agony. Sometimes a shot to a body part will allow chris and sheva to use a context sensitive move, conserving ammo and dealing massive damage. The only reason I marked this off one is because of the controls.
Replay Value: 10/10
There are many great games with impressive single player and multi-player, but lack replay value. Fortunately, RE5 is not one of those games. With additional mission modes, costumes, Acheivements/Trophys, unlockable weapons, and countless bonus features, this is a game worth owning. If I use too many more words, Ill kill the effect, so Ill just leave it at that!
Story: 8/10
This story starts off just like all other horror games... WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON!?!? I wont spoil it, but the story is best around the mid-game, when your still left guessing, but arent completely uninformed. Unfortunately, towards the end of the game, youve already guessed whos in the mysterious mask, whos the main problem, and how its going to end. My other problem is the final boss. I must have killed him on 4 different occasions, and HES STILL COMING BACK!!! Overall, the story was intense, but predictable.
So Is It A Horror?
It seemed to me that CAPCOMs idea of horror is throwing together a whole bunch of blood, gore, and zombies.If your opinion of a survival horror matches this, then have a jolly old time changing underwear, but for me, with the exception of a couple select chapters, was unpreturbed.And in order to satiate my horror needs, bought Left 4 Dead. So is it scary? Thats for you to decide.
In conclusion, with grea graphics and gameplay, this game deserves to be honored with 5 stars, and re-defines action games (in a good way). But if your looking for a horror, and your not easily scared, game like Silent Hill, Left 4 Dead, and Dead Space might be the ones for you.
Best Regards!
Horrible! Run Away Run Away!
On: 2009-03-28This is one of the worst games Ive ever played and Ive had the misfortune of playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the original Xbox.
Quick check whats good about this game, the idea. Whats decent about this game, the sound and the graphics. Whats bad about this game, everything else. The controls are horribly clunky, the melee attack is more powerful than bullets(but at least you have forearms the size of Buicks), a cutscene every 2 seconds, you get the worlds wimpiest gun on a mission against zombies and megazombies and they have successfully created the worlds most idiotic and annoying assistant. About the 300th time she told me to be careful and then ran in front of me and just stood there, I was ready to shoot her and then myself. She has apparently never recovered from an earlier blow to the head. This game does inspire terror, it has scared me away from ever wanting to buy another resident evil game and to run over to where they are selling Dead Space, or any other game for that matter! Ill play Dead Space over, its a much better horror shooter. Buy Dead Space, not this steaming pile of goo.
Long live Halo and Gears of War!
GREAT GAME
On: 2009-03-28This is another well done resident evil game. Its basically the same as resident evil 4 with the game play and all. Im going to do pros and cons
Pros
Graphics are amazing. They are the best that Ive every seen. They really capture the aspect of the game. Good improvement from RE4.
Game play is still fun with aiming first and then shooting. Not hard to get use to and easy to to use.
Lots of action. This game wont make you keep walking without anything to do but give you so much action you could want.
Cons
The girl is kinda annoying. You cant leave her side or she will die and you fail the level but she does help you some
Ammo feels scarce so you have to use it wisely and not use all of it
Lost the horror feeling and moved to an action typed game. Nothing that will leave you suspenseful
These are just tiny little cons that wont take down the rating
So overall great game and you should go and click buy game and you wont regret it
This is one amazing game...but...
On: 2009-03-27RE5 is an awesome game. However, it doesnt quite measure up to RE4.
*spoilers*
Things I like: The graphics are amazing. Being able to switch weapons without pausing and going into the inventory is a very good feature. You can still upgrade weapons which is a plus, and there is usually plenty of ammo to be found. Its a really fun game to play.
Things I dont like: This game just isnt as edge of the seat scary as RE4. The enemies arent that tough to kill and you dont have to strategize like you did in RE4 when there is a big group to kill. There arent as many tense moments in this game. I miss the merchant from RE4, along with the ability to combine treasures to get more money - that added a good stategy element to RE4. I also dont like how there arent really any difficult decisions you have to make. For instance...in RE4, there was one part where you could take the left road and fight a ton of enemies, or take the right road and fight a giant. It made for a more challenging game experience. The last thing, is you have to play with Sheva, and she is worthless. She wastes ammo and most of the time just stands around.
But, as a stand alone game, RE5 is an awesome game. It just doesnt compare with RE4.
This game was just a lesson in frustration, try the demo first to see if you like it
On: 2009-03-26Most XBOX users are used to controls that were developed with halo and have now pretty much carried over to most games on the market. Move with left stick, look with the right. Well, this game is a blast to the (frustrating) past. You move around with one stick, then have to hold a button in order to switch to aim mode (which takes a whole second), and you use the same stick now to aim, while you stand still and get beat up by zombies. It takes a few seconds just to shoot a guy standing 6 inches in front of you. Dont even get me started with the horrible AI your partner has...
I think fans of the franchise will love this game, controls are similar to the (4 year old) resident evil 4 game. For someone new to the series, I urge you to try the demo before forking a lot of money at this game. If you can get used to the controls, its a decent game (not great), and pretty short, but getting used to those controls can be torture.
Resident Evil 5: 10 Things to Know
On: 2009-03-25I just beat Resident Evil 5 for the Xbox 360, so I decided to post a review of the game. Here are ten important things you need to know:
1. Graphics - RE5s graphics are amazing, and they are some of the best youll find on a console. They are sharp, the characters are highly detailed, and the lighting makes the environments really stand out and feel real. The cut scenes appear to ramp up the contrast and brightness more than necessary, but thats no big deal.
2. Controls - I embraced RE4s control scheme, but the same scheme today feels a bit outdated. You still cannot walk with your gun or knife ready. The developers say it is more realistic this way, but even in cut scenes Chris walks with his gun pointed forward. And now that I think about it, why cant I simply walk up and punch or kick someone? Why must I wait for them to be stunned?
3. Sound - A lot of the sounds including the music are very similar to RE4, which is a good thing. It helps make the game keep familiar. I noticed nothing about the sound to complain about, except that it often wasnt creepy enough.
4. Co-op - Some of the best fun I had with RE4 was getting together with friends and watching each other play through parts of the game. With RE5, we can now play together. Awesome! One problem with co-op is the fact you cant give weapons to your partner. That doesnt make any sense at all. Also, watch out when using an AI partner for Sheva. She sometimes wastes ammo, refuses to use her powerful weapons, heals you unnecessarily, and dashes off. Surprisingly though, she isnt bad enough to ruin the game.
5. Items - All items have been needlessly streamlined. The weapons are less complex, there are no more combinable treasures, and yellow herbs are nowhere to be found. Also, you can buy items anytime between chapters. I liked the merchant in RE4, but hes gone this time around. So who are you buying items from? Apparently, just a menu system. Also, RE5 redesigned the item management system in order to make it more realistic than RE4. I like how it no longer takes me out of the game, but sometimes it is hard to use. The fast equip feature via the D-pad is greatly appreciated, but it doesnt make up for the fact that the process of trading and stacking items can be cumbersome and illogical.
6. Horror - RE5s biggest issue is the fact it continues the series trend of removing all aspects of "horror" from the survival horror genre. In fact, I would just call RE5 an action game with elements of adventure. There is rarely any suspense, the action is almost nonstop, and many of the potentially scary settings occur in daylight. The slogan for this game is "Fear you cant forget." Its more like "Fear youll never notice."
7. Bosses - Simply put, the boss fights in this game are not as original or exciting as RE4s boss fights. Most are easy, unvaried, and unnoteworthy. Some of the boss fights dont even feel like fights, but mere struggles instead.
8. Puzzles - Unfortunately, RE5 offers virtually zero puzzles. Theres not even the task of combining treasure. If youre ever confused about anything, Sheva will tell you what to do. The only thing remotely close to a puzzle is finding the blue BSAA emblems. Shooting them is a cool way to unlock bonus features. It makes you pay much more attention to your surroundings and get immersed in the environment.
9. Saving - I like being able to save my game at various points, and I like being able to start a brand new game, but these features are gone. RE5 keeps track of all items and money you have so that to play previous chapters, you always bring your latest gear. It almost makes it too easy. I miss the typewriters.
10. Charm - RE5 lacks a lot of the charm found in RE4. Chris is almost emotionless, whereas Leon was witty and classy. The quick time events in RE5 are overdone and predictable, whereas in RE4 they were fun and surprising. The only character with real "character" in RE5 is Irving. It seemed the whole cast of RE4 stood out.
Conclusion
Resident Evil 5 is a short, fun action game, but it lacks a lot of what made its predecessor so great. The only improvements are the graphics and the addition of multiplayer. The rest of the changes negatively impact the overall fun of the game. Still, it is a fun game, and I recommend it for any Resident Evil fan or those who are looking for a good action game.
mediocre arcade game
On: 2009-03-24this game only carries the resident evil name cause its nothing like the previous resident evil games. I know its hard to make a survival horror game after Dead Space but they could at least tried.this feels like a arcade game.
Decent action game, terrible survival horror game
On: 2009-03-24Not every game can be a paradigm-shifting masterpiece. After years of trying to perfect Resident Evil 4 (including at least two completely scrapped attempts), it hit the Gamecube like a storm and completely changed how people viewed the venerable survival horror series. It was as perfect a game as Ive seen recently, with amazing pacing, the perfect meaty length, intense action sequences and enough horror to still call it a horror game. In an ironic twist, Gears of War took inspiration from Resident Evil 4 and now Capcom returns the favor by taking some inspiration from Gears of War for Resident Evil 5. Unfortunately, they didnt take it far enough.
If I had to sum up my Resident Evil 5 experience in a few words, Id say it was frustrating, exciting, annoying, action-packed, thrilling and ultimately a little bit unsatisfying. If RE4 threw out the entire kitchen but kept the sink (the horror), RE5 ditches the sink entirely. And thats where my problems come in.
Before I get too far ahead, the story is probably the weakest part, unfortunately. As convoluted and B-grade as it is, part of my love for the RE series stems from the stories. Here we have Chris Redford and his partner Sheva, members of the BSAA, who are in Africa trying to track down a man named Irving. Of course, the area they go into is swarming with a new form of Plagas-infected townspeople and Chris has ulterior motives in going to Africa that ties into his backstory. The story is kind of a mess and is easily the weakest in the series. The best part comes at the end as it brings closure to some story fragments started way back in 1998.
A lot of people complain about the controls. While the emphasis on action seems counter-balanced by the stiff controls, its the same control scheme used in RE4. And thats fine with me, for the most part. The further reliance on action does tend to add some aggravating moments but I honestly didnt realize there was a control problem through most of the game. The action sequences run from very good to just decent, with a few set pieces that really deserve attention. And of course the boss fights are hugely over-the-top and add some of the best moments of the game in terms of variety.
No, my biggest grief with the game is that it feels like a strange alien copy of a series Ive loved for over 10 years. Wheres the horror, I kept asking myself. Where are the scares? I would have been satisifed with a cheap window-shattering scare by the time the game was over. Everything just felt so...run of the mill. Most of the great parts of Resident Evil 4 were recycled. The beginning sequence where youre chased around for a time, moving quietly to avoid detection, QTEs, fights against giant rejects from Lord of the Rings...it all felt so familiar. And it doesnt do much much to push the genre forward.
If anything, it takes a few steps back. I love co-op as much as the next gamer, but horror is based about feelings of isolation and its hard to have that feeling when not only is there another person with you, but it seems as if at any time, the cavalry can arrive to shoot missiles and provide backup. Playing through the game with a real person is a fine and fun experience, but a lot of people will be forced to play with the sometimes good A.I. partner and thats a shame.
Sheva, as controlled by the computer, does an adequate job most of the time. Shes a rapid healer and isnt selfish with ammo. But she also is guided by AI principles and does some absolutely stupid things at the worst possible time. Like jumping off a cliff and running back, through the final boss who insta-kills her (and ends your game). Try having that happen to you three or four times. I have never been so frustrated at a game, but when death is sometimes predetermined based on the whims of your partner and not actual skill, my frustration meter goes through the roof.
Overall, I enjoyed my ten (definitely not the 17 of RE4) hours spent in Resident Evil 5s twisted world. It provided enough variety and fun to warrant a couple play throughs, especially with a human partner. However, I never got the giddy feeling I felt playing Resident Evil, RE2 or RE4. Id definitely recommend giving it a go because it does offer some great moments toward the end of the story and surprised me with how it ended, but dont go in with the same expectations of RE4. Heres hoping that Resident Evil 6, with its proposed "complete reboot," puts the kitchen sink back in.
Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On: 2009-03-24If you liked RE4 than you will love this game, amazing graphics,great game play,and a good challenge if you like survival horrors than you should pick this up.
After four long years, the evil is back
On: 2009-03-24Thirteen years ago, the first Resident Evil was released, and despite its confusing controls, frustrating gameplay, and horrendous voice acting, it quickly became the number one survival horror series. Nine years later, after many sequels, some of them non-canon, or not having anything to do with the main story, RE4 was released for the Gamecube, with a complete revamp of the gameplay. Gone were the complex puzzles, tank controls, and the zombies, but it was replaced by a fast-paced shooter that was fun to play over and over again. Now that the sequel has arrived, is it a worthy counterpart to RE4 and a great way to finish off the series?
GRAPHICS: RE5 shows the beauty that the 360/PS3 is capable of. Beautifully designed character models and detailed monsters and enemies, along with amazing shadow effects, lighting, and an environment make it the best looking Resident Evil yet.
MUSIC: RE5 contains a score written as if it were a Hollywood movie. But like movie music, it melds into the picture itself, not making you notice it much.
VOICE ACTING: Yeah, weve gone a long way from the ear-grating voices of the original, when people were grateful to even have voice acting in games. The RE series has had a problem with keeping their voice actors for returning characters (especially Wesker. That confuses me, because why would you NOT want to return to voice a character as awesome as him? Id voice him for free,) so all the returning characters have new voices, which to say are well-done.
STORY: Since the game wraps up the series, there are not many plot twists (the identity of that masked person was obvious) or anything long-lasting introduced, but its climatic nevertheless, explaining the origin of Wesker, the intentions of Umbrella, and the aftermath of RE4. There are files on the major characters, explaining them in detail, as well as a long timeline of the series up to RE4.
RE veteran Chris Redfield returns for the first time since Code Veronica, now an agent of the group BSAA. Along with his new partner, an African native named Sheva, he searches Africa to uncover the latest biohazard threat, as well as searching for his old partner, Jill Valentine. There he faces new threats, as well as an old nemesis.
GAMEPLAY: The gameplay is similar to RE4, but with a few new additions. You play as Chris, and Sheva fights with him, controlled by either AI or another player. Some people have complained about her, but I found her to be a nice addition, even though she can sometimes be dumb and get killed by an enemy, and if she dies, you die. But other than that, she does help to take out enemies, and she heals you whenever youre in dire straits. Herbs heal both characters, by the way, and yellow herbs are absent. Youll also need to save each other from enemies, and when youre on very low health, youll be incapacitated and will die unless your partner saves you, which sucks if youre separated. Like RE4, there are reaction commands in fighting and in cutscenes.
Like RE4, you can collect treasures and gold and use it to buy items and weapons, but this time, the merchant is gone, sadly. Now you just buy and sell items when you die or when you progress to the next chapter. Kind of generic, but oh well. There are six chapters, with three parts in them. So while the game is short, it has replay value, as you can choose any chapter you want, to either replay on a different difficulty, get a better ranking, which helps to buy goodies such as costumes and trophies, or find and shoot the hidden BSAA emblems, which unlock said goodies. Mercenaries mode also returns.
ACHIEVEMENTS: Most of these 50 achievements are easy to get, such as beating the game and its chapters, saving your partner so many times, or killing a bunch of enemies a certain way, but others are a bit more difficult, such as shooting an enemy in the head when its in the air, which I did, but I didnt get the achievement. Some of them have odd names, such as Masters of Removing, an inside joke to the infamous Master of unlocking quote from the first game, and theres even an achievement named after a Metallica song. You probably wont get them all in the first playthrough.
BUY: Its a must if you are a Resident Evil fan. I mean, weve waited four years to see how it all ends, so be a part of it. Theres also a special edition if you feel like shelling a few more dollars for some extra stuff.
great!
On: 2009-03-23shipping was faster than expected.Game is awesome.My only complaint is that I wish it was longer.
Great co-op game!
On: 2009-03-23Have not played any of the Resident Evil games since Resident evil 2 on the PS1 but after playing this one I might have to go back and play the versions I missed as this is a GREAT game I have only played the co-op with my son, Ive not tried one player it may not be as good. Its not as scary as the older versions but its still very intence. I did not find the game short at all it was longer than I expected. Cant wait for RE6.
Amazing
On: 2009-03-23Better than RE4? yes, and thats because this is a different type of RE adventure built off of the RE4 engine, This is the more balls out survive or be killed kicked up 3 notches version of RE4. And I have to say its the most engaging RE game ive ever played. I started at 5 its now 10. It really sucks you in... fast. And the graphics, o wow, they are so prettied up and shiny polished, its amazing that technology is so advanced. Yes, the it really is the best looking game ive ever seen. And its so much fun, the weapons inventory system shouldve probably been left alone, and it can get insanely difficult sometimes, but this will be the one you;ll remember. Better than RE4? Yes, mostly because its built off of it. And mostly because this is the stragihtforward jump right into non stop action that I know Ive a least been waiting for. 60 dollars well spent, and its been a while since I could say that for any thing Halo 3. Buy This And Turn The Lights Out!!!
A more than worthy follow-up to Resident Evil 4
On: 2009-03-23When Resident Evil 4 was released back in 2005, it was exactly what Capcoms beloved survival horror series needed: a kick in the tail. Completely overhauling the series archaic controls and trite puzzles, Resident Evil 4 ended up being one of the absolute best action games to ever see the light of day. Now Resident Evil 5 is finally here, and from a technical standpoint, the game is a sight to behold. These may be in fact the best graphics to be seen in any game on the market today, with beautifully rendered visuals that are simply eye-popping. The core mechanics from Resident Evil 4 remain intact here, as you play as RE1 hero Chris Redfield and new character Sheva; both of whom are investigating the African nation of Kijuju, and eventually are faced with hordes of infected villagers, mutants, monsters, and other nasties, including good ol Wesker. The game is loaded with enough balanced moments of action and tension, and having a partner only makes things even better. Seriously, adding a partner opens up some new dimensions to the gameplay that helped make RE4 so good, using teamwork to take down the baddies and watch each others backs as well, which simply just makes the game more fun. The only true flaws of Resident Evil 5 lie in its online capabilities. Online co-op has its share of problems, including not being able to exchange weapons with a teammate, as well as having to wait for the host to restart from a previous checkpoint or get to a new one before jumping into the action. Still, flaws aside, Resident Evil 5 is a sheer blast of an action game and a more than worthy follow-up to Resident Evil 4. It isnt perfect and doesnt leave the lasting impression that RE4 did, but it remains a stunning technical achievement that delivers the goods, and with the promise that Capcom will be re-vitalizing the series once again in the next installment, the best may very well be yet to come.
Great Graphics weak Controls
On: 2009-03-22Ok so i was really hyped upon reading all the reviews before the game came out so i was first in line to buy it. My first impression was that the graphics were awesome! The contorls such as camera views and moving your character around was stupid. You cant just run up and punch a zombie and the knife you use only has one motion with a forward slash. The shooting part was weak. Overall i did not like this game and sold it after only having it for two days. I think it was hyped up a little to much.
Coop fun!
On: 2009-03-22This game is the most coop fun Ive had with a friend. Its not scary, it is suspenseful and exciting. Graphics and game play are awesome.
WOW! Its hard to believe coop play can be this good. This is truly a good time to own a gaming system. Dead Space trumps all other games on scary! Resident Evil 5 trumps all games on Coop! If you have a friend to play coop with, this game is a no brainier. TO BE PLAYED WITH A FRIEND! (Its awesome solo also)...
Resident Evil 5: Live up to the name?
On: 2009-03-21I picked up Resident Evil 5 the day it came out and played it late into the night. I finished the game a few days later playing a couple hours a day.
I hate to compare games to others in the series but always find myself doing this.
Resident Evil 5 is a great game. The graphics are beautiful, the gameplay has some new elements but just enough of the same from Resident Evil 4 to be comfortable and easy to learn. But there seems to be something missing from RE5. That certain something that Resident Evil games have that makes us hungry to play them. Oh yes...
HORROR!!!!!
Resident Evil 5 has almost no horror elements in it. The Resident Evil series is known for its cheap shot scares that get a quick jump and its eerie music and scenery. Resident Evil 4 was a great leap from what other games in the series were, but retained that element of fear that Resident Evil has through the course of its gameplay. Resident Evil 5 is more of an action based game than it is horror. It almost seems from playing RE5 that they re-did a lot of things before finishing the project. We all know RE5 had pushed its release date back and that a lot of the art and in game photos look nothing like the finish product. Leaving me to believe RE5 went through many changes before its release.
Asside from its differences from the classic Resident Evil feel, RE5 is definately a great action packed thriller worth your time and money.
Here are the pros and cons
Pro:
1. Great graphics. Similar in gameplay to the graphics of RE4, only with better lighting affects and clipping with the animations. It looked good on my 52 inch HD.
2. Wide variety of weapons. Not huge, but definately a larger variety than the previous installment. I always had beef that RE4 only had a TMP rather than an assault rifle like RE5 now has. I also enjoyed the proximity mines and the increase in the knifes usefulness.
3. Two player. I am very happy that RE5 broke the single player barrier in now allowing two people on one system to play the game coopertively. The single player version with the computer controled parter is swell as well. A lot better AI than others say I never had many troubles with Sheva save for a couple non serious ones.
4. This game is much brighter than previous Resident Evil games. While this is good it can also be bad in taking away the creepyness of the game. But in this instance the brightness of the game while being outside really highlights the backgrounds and earthtones of the environment.
5. I liked the health boost. When your health runs out you either cannot fight, or just lay on the ground. Your partner helps you to your feet and what looks like injecting you with morphine or something. ( my thought) I enjoyed this imensly as a lot of the bosses hit hard if you couldnt push a button fast enough to duck.
Con:
1. Although I said the grpahics were great they are a few steps away from being superb. When RE4 was released the graphics were a milstone. RE5 with it beautiful scenary just sorta seemed like a bruhsed up version of RE4s grpahics engine. I was also not impressed with the cut scene movies overall the grpahics do work and do not take away from the gaming expeience. We all know graphics do not make a game great.
2. While there was a wide variety of weapons it seemed they were just an extension of what was already available in RE4. Your handhun, shotgun, and sniper rifle are upgraded in power and replaced three times. The introduction of two more machine guns is great but the formula of weapons remain the same save for the introduction of mines and grenade launcher with the cool freeze rounds. I was slightly disappointed there wasnt an even larger arsenal.
3. I liked the two player aspect but I noticed Sheva seemed to favor using her handgun unless she used up its ammo. She also uses her ammo very quickly. I found myself giving all the handgun ammo I picked up to her while I used the machine gun and shotgun the most.
4. The game is very bright. I played it on a 52 inch HDTV and some areas were pretty bright, it made seeing your laser targeting difficult. This also took out a lot the dark scary aspects that RE4 had. While not a huge disappointed a let down all the same.
5. I was disappointed the yellow herb did not return. (ups your hp capacity) I always enjoyed finding the yellow/gold herb that increased the health bar. Although this was replaced by a partner help/dying action that gave you a boost after loosing all health to fight a bit longer before hurt again.
Overall I gave this game four stars because of its amount of cons. Please dont think this game is bad this gamer in itself is excellent and is definately worth its weight in gold and effort to play. However this game did not make it to five stars because in my opinion only took the series into a new level of storyline, not grpahics or gameplay. Allthough graphics and gameplay are improved they do not make up for the fact there increased efectiveness belittles the concept of Resident Evil being a survival horror game.
Take my review with a grain of salt and judge this game on your own.
-Mike
nice big step
On: 2009-03-21I REMEMBER PLAYING RESIDENT EVIL BACK ON THE PS1. IVE GOT TO SAY RESIDENT EVIL 5 IS A NICE BIG STEP. EVEN WHEN RESIDENT EVIL 4 CAME OUT THINGS WERE CHANGING A BIT. LESS FREAKY BUT MUCH MORE ACTION. RESIDENT EVIL 5 IS ALOT LIKE RE4. YOU ARE CHRIS REDFIELD THAT GOES TO AFRICA. THE PEOPLE ARE ALOT LIKE THE PEOPLE FROM 4 AS FAR AS WHAT THEY DO TO YOU AND HOW THEY WANT TO ATTACK YOU. GRAPHICS ARE AMAZING. THE SHOOTING IF VERY SHARP SHOOTING. THE CONTROL SYSTEM IS JUST LIKE HOW YOU WOULD PLAY RESIDENT EVIL 4. THE CUT SCENES ARE VERY SICK. PLEASE BUY THIS GAME.
Great, but..
On: 2009-03-21Of course its a great game. My only major complaint is they took the hugely FUN inventory system of RE4 and turned it into something akin to, ugg, housework.
I think CAPCOM should release an update that PAUSES the game when inventory is open.
Great Addition To The Series, But Lacking In Some Ways.
On: 2009-03-21First off does this feel like a RE game? Well the answer is yes and no. When you start out the game driving through the flat desert plains of Africa it feels more like Far Cry then RE, once you enter the small village look around and get right into the action it does have a nice atmosphere, but not the overall creep, and unerving one that weve all come to know and love. The first thing youll notice about the game are the Gears of War type visauls via Chris Redfield and his bulging biceps and even the way he holds his gun and kicks open a door which btw they took directly from Gears. Your surroundings are untterly beautiful with this being some of the best graphics youll see on any game this year. Now onto the gameplay. Well its the typical point and shoot, run and gun down the zombie gameplay you had with RE4 which in my opinion can never be touched. RE5 gameplay is much the same but a bit sloppier mainly because of your new partnet that follows you around like a little lost puppy. Dont get me wrong she comes in "very" handy in moments where your out numbered but can be a royal pain in the butt when it comes to making her pick up ammo, or making her get out of the way in certain tight areas. Also youll notice there is a new stomp feature once the zombie hits the ground your given the option to kick it while its down, this obviously inspired by "Dead Space" but not nearly as affective seeing the the zombies head doesnt crush, he simply dies. Also there is a good touch of the game "Dark Sector" which in my opinion plays out a lot better control wise than RE5, when you play youll just sense it. The new cover system is "ok" it does work but you very seldom ever really need it.
Sound wise the game is pretty basic the locals scream in a foreign language, dogs howl with broke open faces, and demon reptiles screach at you from the skies, enemies are all unique and bosses seem old yet new. The dialogue is the usual cheesy cut scene RE hooply, and the story well is just basic and kind of cliche. So with all this being said why do i give it a 4? Well this is the first RE game to grace a console in about 4 years or so and ive played RE4 to death so it does seem fresh and it is a lot of fun even if its not what i expected after many delays and controversy over the subject matter. By the way ive never read one article or seen one youtube video of ANYBODY claiming this game is racist. Matter of fact a young tall black boy stood behind me at gamestop at midnight for its release and we talked about the demo and how we thought it was ok and hoped the game was better, so hmm guess not everyone if anyone thinks the game is racist. So why this isnt going to be up for game of the year,(maybe sales wise) like i said its a nice new addition to the series even if it does lack that creepy, mansion, graveyard, dark forest material that we all wanted. So if you want by it, i think anyone will be taken in by the visuals alone and still get addicted to the great gameplay and staying alive that RE5 does have to offer. Dispite some of the bad RE5 does have some very "tense" moments and is worth of picking up a copy for various reasons.
Not true to the series, but fantastically fun!
On: 2009-03-20Ive been looking forward to RE5 since I found out it was coming out, which was over a year ago. I played through RE4 probably 7 or so times and loved the game, so needless to say I had somewhat high expectations for this installment.
First, let me say that the addition of a teammate is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that it adds a whole new dimension to the game, Sheva is pretty adept at killing bad guys and 99% of the time games are cooler in co-op. When the AI controls your teammate its a bit clumsy. The accuracy is spot on but they can get in the way, block your view, etc. Having a friend as your partner is fantastic though.
The curse comes in the fact that games are simply NOT as scary when you have a partner, thats part of the fear effect of the RE series, youre by yourself. Even RE4, while you had Ashley, she couldnt fight and dies easily.
This is not a typical RE game, it isnt scary at all. Theres a part or two thats disturbing, but nothing to make you jump out of your chair. Personally though I really like that, Im not big into horror games/movies.
The graphics are fantastic, the music is pretty good, and the sound effects for the weapons and explosions are decent. The controls, what many call outdated and difficult in the demo, really werent too bad, they fit the game well. Everyone wants to run and gun, but the enemies dont really attack you in a way that makes run and gun necessary. Later in the game theres a really basic cover system ala. Rainbow 6: Vegas and GoW, although its pretty basic and you can beat the game without using it Im sure.
Overall I really liked the game, although I must admit I like the first four chapters (really the first two) alot more than the last two. They built the game up so much about being in Africa and such but alot of the game might as well be anywhere as it all looks the same, Resident Evil 4 has the same problem. It started out as a little village setting and turned into a secret military facility type place. They should have worked with the African setting a little more in my opinion. The first 2 chapters are so great, running from street to street through a city, they should have used that setting more.
The weapons for the most part seem balanced (minus the machine guns), although I wish it was more difficult to acquire some of them, maybe make repeat playthroughs necessary. The machine guns are the one weapon I never seemed to use. The damage is really low and you blow through ammo like its hotcakes. The need to beef the MGs up and give the player a reason to use them. Also, in several classes of weapons there seems to be one stand out contender that is easily "the best." For me its the P226 pistol, the M3 shotgun, the AK-74 MG. All have much higher damage than the next closest, although they all lack the perks that some of the other guns have (critical hits, penetration, spread distance). Id actually like to see even greater differing attributes for the guns, in the end it doesnt really matter what pistol/shotgun/MG/Sniper rifle you have for any situation because theyll all work, make it so that some are obviously better for certain times.
Also, theres an exploit that you can use that is intended Im sure, but needs to be removed. You can load a game, quit, and save any items you pick up. Whats wrong with that? There are several places in the game where Id load, there would be TONS of ammo right in front of me, quit, save weapons, rinse, repeat. I did it because I kept running short on ammo...isnt that sort of the trademark RE style? You never have enough ammo? Well, now I have alot more than enough...
Theres a decent spread of enemies in the game, although some are simply fodder and others are annoyingly tough. Like, out of nowhere in chapter 6 they intruduce a new type of enemy with no real story on what they are so youre not really prepared. Some of the bosses are overly easy, others are pretty annoying, to avoid any spoilers Ill leave it at that. The boss of the game wasnt hard, figuring out how to fight him was difficult for me though.
**Spoiler**
Wesker coming back was neat, but hes transformed from a miscontent normal Joe in the 1st game to a superhuman ninja from space. The same thing with Jill, in the original RE shes a "barely hanging in there" cop, now shes using karate and all sorts of stuff...and shes blonde? What the heck? Why not leave her as the short haired-beret wearing cop whos the "master of lockpicking?" Bring back a somewhat believeble enemy/scenario and a somewhat normal plot.
**End Spoiler**
Im not exactly sure what the purpose of the bulletproof vest and melee armor are as I seemed to take the exact same amount of damage whether I was wearing it or not. Maybe its just my imagination...
I played the game by myself the first time through, although I really wish Id had a teammate, it would have been more fun. The one random person I play with online though was silent and he just ran from place to place...might as well have an AI teammate who actually helps. The benefit of playing by myself is that I got to go at my own pace, and I did so. I didnt rush at all, I went very slow, tried to collect alot of stuff (although I only found 6 BSAA badges!), tried to get as many treasures as I could. Then I played through it again with a friend and it was MUCH more enjoyable.
One gripe, once you upgrade your weapons you have the option to use unlimited ammo, it sucks ALL the fun out of the game. Ive got a fully upgraded magnum and 95% of the enemies in the game are dead in 1/2 shots with a gun that fires 2 times a second and doesnt have to be reloaded (that will penetrate as well).
I played through Mercenaries. Its a nice twist, sort of a cross between The Club and Horde mode on GoW. Its a survival setup, but you want to kill alot along the way. Playing solo is downright hard, playing with a teammate (even an averge teammate) makes a HUGE difference. Guy who joined my game was pretty nice, he and I beat every level pretty quickly with an A ranking. We had to repeat a few of em, but for the most part it wasnt very difficult, I kinda wish theyd boost the difficulty. The only difference between A and S in Mercenaries is how you chain the kill streaks together, by the end of either of them youre pretty much out of guys to kill (once you break 100K or so that is). Same thing applies here, some characters are very good, some are a bit crappy.
Overall I enjoyed the game enough to call it a "good purchase" for sure, and with the coming competitive multiplayer itll add some fun to the game later, although the fact that Capcom is charging for it is outrageous. Ive played through the game about 3 times now, and Ill probably do so again on Professional mode.
I give it an 8.5/10
A NEW Generation Of RE.
On: 2009-03-20I am still playing my RE 5 and after awhile playing I felt that I should come on here and add my review. I was really excited when I found out RE 5 was coming out. Now the test was playing it and seeing for myself how much its improved since RE 4. One thing I am disappointed about is the music. RE games then were all about the really scary back ground music it made the game more deep and had you thinking anything is going to come right around the corner and jump at you. Sadly, the music lacks in the game and sounds more up beat action moment then scary and suspense. The controls were a bit difficult for me at first just like anybody but its amazing that they tend to use every single button possible on the paddle making it twice as difficult. The graphics are are really good. The monsters were a bit over done. In previous games all it took was a simple tyrant to scare the heck out of you. In this game they go way beyond in making different creatures with names you cant even say right in english. They made it more into a theatre production then a RE game. Having a partner is not all that bad and actually works in this game but wish she wouldnt use up so much ammo. All in all I am going to say this is a fun game and I am glad they are revamping the games and making them so the new generations can enjoy this excellent storyline.
Not As Good As Number 4 But Awesome Nonetheless
On: 2009-03-19Resident Evil 5 is a really great game with intense action and edge of your seat game play. The game is not as great as Resident Evil 4 but it is still a lot of fun and worth the asking price.
Resident Evil 5 takes place in Africa and centers around Chris Redfield from the original Resident Evil, this time with a partner named Sheva. Chris investigation leads him to to discover that the area is infested with people who are behaving erratically and want to kill both Chris and Sheva.
The game takes you around Africas oil fields, plains, marshes, and other areas in attempt to discover what is causing these people to act the way and put an end to it.
Graphically, the game is very stunning. Obviously, the game designers worked very very hard on creating a game with very realistic characters, believable environments, and disgustingly real looking creatures and enemies. As for the violence, the game is disgusting in a great way! It is very satisfying to release a full clip of machine gun ammo right into a zombies head and watching it explode into thousands of skull bits, chunks, and blood. Stomping enemies heads into the ground, shooting them off platforms and into crocodile infested waters to watch them be eaten, and even trapping an enemy in a foundry like room with twin flamethrowers charring him to bits. Everything looks great aside from the text which because of some bright environments, I find hard to read. All in all, the graphics are great to look at and really enrich the game play.
Musically, the game music and sound effects are pretty damn creepy. When no enemies are around ambient music fills the speakers making you wonder what horrible creature might be right around the corner. In high action sequences and boss fights the music picks up and really keeps you on the edge of your seat. Especially the music that plays in tight environments when zombies are closing in on you.As for sound effects, the guns, bullets, screaming of enemies and effects of the boats, water, and fire sound really great as well. The voice acting is good but nothing really to write home about. Overall the music builds up the tension in the game and adds to the enjoyment overall.
Now for the game play. The game play centers around Chris and Sheva going through an area, killing zombies along the way and getting past locked doors or impassible objects by minor puzzle solving or having one character turn a crank or object while your character either defends or turns the object to open the door. The enemies are aplenty and quiet moments in resident evil 5 are few. Sheva acts as a secondary fighter for Chris as she moved independently providing backup, healing and other various tasks. Sheva comes with two weapons at the beginning, but you can also buy weapons for her to use at her disposal. Her AI can be frustrating at times but is overall not too bad. She does come in handy at bringing you back to life in single player with a handy herb or providing backup shots at the enemies. Sometimes due to a limited inventory of only 9 items to be held per character, sometimes Sheva will take ammo that you need and put it in her gun leaving you defenseless which can be annoying. At the end of levels, gold and treasure that you found during the level can be sold and used to buy or upgrade weapons to be used in the next level. Many people may be turned off of this game for the reason that while shooting, your character cannot move, but I feel that not being able to move makes you choose your shot wisely, because if you miss, frequently, zombies will be after you quickly causing a lot of damage to your character. The boss fights are huge and impressive with a really hideous enemy to fight and dispose of in an interesting way. One enemy you face turns into a Kraken of sorts and uses its many tentacles to attack you while on a boat in the water. This battle was pretty awesome because several gattling guns are available to you and Sheva in which you must blast away at his tongue while avoiding his mouth and tentacles which try to crush you. Many times you as a player must push certain buttons in particular to dodge an attack or obstacle. For example on another boat riding scene, you must hit a certain button to duck to avoid hitting your upper body into a low bar across a bridge. Overall the game play is fun and exciting including a lot of action a a few short puzzles.
Resident Evil 5 is a really fun game with a lot of pros, however falls short in that sometimes the scariness of the game is downplayed due to the fact that you have a partner and the areas are more open with brighter environments. But the game play is fun and the graphics are probably the best Ive ever seen. I would highly suggest playing this game even if you didnt enjoy any of the resident evil game before number 4.
Great game overall
On: 2009-03-19RE5 is a great game all around. Lot of people are complaining that its not like other RE games. Anyone who did some research on this game before it launched knew what they were getting. Im perfectly fine with the way RE5 plays. Great graphics, good storyline, fun boss fights, cool weapons, and I think its the best co-op game to come out in a long time. I highly recommend playing through the game with another person. Not quite as fun with a computer person by your side. RE fan or not you will enjoy this game, and for those who keep crying its not like the other RE games go and play the old ones then if thats what you want from a game but dont diss this excellent game cause its not what you want it to be.
One of the best games I've ever played!!!
On: 2009-03-18Amazing graphics, great co-op play, and boss fights galore! RE5 has made its way into my heart as one of my all time favorite video games ever. The game plays at its best when youre with a friend-either split screen or online. And the AI can handle its own if youre playing alone. Another thing that makes RE5 so great is that you can switch the control settings to play like RE4-making it so much easier for those of us who are already used to those controls. But what makes RE5 so much fun is what happens AFTER you beat the game. You unlock Mercenaries. And unlike RE4-there are EIGHT stages that you can unlock and chose from. Let me tell you, there is nothing cooler than seeing CHRIS and WESKER working...TOGETHER to kill tons of infected. <-Epic Moment
Good Game
On: 2009-03-18I enjoy playing Resident Evil 5. I still havent finished the game. The graphics are amazing and there is a lot of action. Co-op function is pretty cool. The controls were difficult to control at first, but you get used to it after a few hours. The learning curve is similar to Mass Effect and GTA IV.
I wasnt expecting a jaw dropping story or plot, its a video game and dialog gets lost in translation. As long as the characters and voice acting dont annoy me, Im pretty happy. Im also not rating this game based on feelings of nostalgia from the earlier Resident Evil games.
Fun, guns, zombies and monsters...
On: 2009-03-18I came into this game with no preconceived notions about what it should be. I had never played any of the other Resident Evil games, I had simply played the demo for this game and enjoyed it. That being said, if you play the demo on Xbox Live and like it you will most likely enjoy the full game. Its basically the same thing with a good deal of replay value if youre like me and want to unlock all of the guns and extras in the game. The controls take some getting used to at first, but after a short while you should feel pretty comfortable with them.
All in all RE5 is a solid game that I find to be a lot of fun.
Best 360 game ive played yet
On: 2009-03-18It seems that all of the negative reviews that have been posted here have 1 of 2 things in common. They either A.) were expecting a survival horror game (which doesnt make sense if you played RE4, or B.) they did not like the fact that you cant run and shoot. Well in response to these let me say, this game took what RE4 did and improved upon it. It may not be a survival horror ala the original RE games, but it is one of, if not THE, best action game ive played on 360. No , you can not run and shoot, but by doing this, it creates a sense of urgency and tension that is constantly there. It makes you stay on the edge of your seat. This is only enhanced by the fact that now when accessing your inventory, the action does not pause, keeping the tension high.
I admit, the controls might take some getting used to if you never played RE4, but once you have them you wont be able to put this game down. The graphics are amazing, the sound is equally impressive when played on a good set up.
There are only 2 draw back from this game that I can think of. The first is that Sheva, your partner, can sometimes get in the way, or consume ammo too quickly. This can be annoying at times, but it never hinders the gameplay. The second is that when playing co-op on the same TV, the screen set up is very odd, as it does not utilize the full screen, this effect is very odd and annoying at first. you do get past it, but it is still annoying none the less.
I can not emphasize enough how good this game is when played 2 player. It is so much fun to run into hordes of zombies with a friend and start blasting heads. The action is even more intense when you can see zombies sneaking up behind your partner and you shoot them just in time. this game was meant to be played this way, single player is still amazing, but multiplayer is so much fun.
Other than a few minor flaws, I cant really fault this game. It has plenty of things to do even once youve beaten it, you can replay with all guns and ammo, and weapon upgrades, and there is a mercinaries mode that is unlocked once you beat it as well. I have to say, this is probably the best game I have yet to play on the 360 (although i still havent played gears 2).
In short, its well worth the money, all you have to do is be ready to play an action game, and not a survival horror, or a typical shooter.
beautiful game, loads of fun
On: 2009-03-18The graphics are amazing and if you take the time to explore the world youre in you find a lot of hidden treasures... especially in water!
If youre a fan of the RE series, this is a no-brainer (its funny b/c its a zombie game).
Im usually more of a first-person shooter fan, but this third-person shooter is a lot of fun with a few minor annoyances. I dont like having my view blocked by my character, which it sometimes is, but thats the third-person deal. I dont like that you cant shoot and walk at the same time, but thats a RE trademark almost, so that is forgiven.
Its a blast with a friend since the AI for your partner is a little wasteful with ammo, but there are ways to get around that.
Overall a great game that is as stunning to watch as it is to play
Tell me it isn't true!
On: 2009-03-17Resident Evil 5 had to be my most anticipated video game relase in a very long time. Too bad I was greatly disapointed with it...
This isnt to say that the game is absolutely horrible, it just doesnt live up to the expectations I, and many others had.
My biggest problem with the game is the actual gameplay. Resident Evil 4s gameplay, while far from perfect, was forgiveable because it was a HUGE improvement over all the previous entries in the series (and yes, I have played the ALL). Resident Evil 5s? Not so much. In fact, if memory serves me right, the controls are exactly the same. The inability to move while shooting or using your knife is completely ridiculous and unnecessary. And would it have absolutely killed the development team to put a little more ammo in the game? These things DO NOT make for a more fun, intense, scary game, they make for an incredibly frustrating and unenjoyable one! And speaking of scary, arent Resident Evil games supposed to be at least a little bit scary? Because this one is not.
How about the co-op gameplay? Well, I wish I could tell you how it is, but contrary to popular belief some people still enjoy a deep, solid, single player experience in a game! I am one of those people. I dont really have a friend who is into gaming, and I dont care to play with a stranger over Xbox-Live. I cant help but feel Capcom left people like me in the dust. Sure, you can still play the game with an AI Sheva, but this hinders the experience even further. She goes through ammo WAAAY to fast, which is a huge problem due to the incredible lack of it, and she does the same with health items. I can respect what Capcom was trying to do, but I wish they would have had a single player option to play as either Chris or Sheva without the other one.
The game does have its strong points as well. The story and sound are very good, and the graphics are outstanding. Most of the "zombies" seem like they were just recycled from RE4, but the bosses are very inventive and cool. Although I havent beat the game yet, I have heard that there are plenty of unlockable items and game modes to keep playing the game long after you beat it. I know I shared my personal view as a single player on the co-op gameplay, but I suspect that the game would be a lot of fun for those who DO have someone to play it with.
After saying all of that, I would be lying if I said I didnt regret paying $59.99 to buy this game. It is a good enough game to warrant a rent, or maybe a buy later when you can get it used for a lot less money, but I dont think it is worth sixty bucks. I plan on finishing the game quickly, and selling it used right after so I can get as much of my money back as I can.
Team up against a new kind of horror
On: 2009-03-17You know, after awhile it does seem to sink in: I just dont get fan expectations. Theyll argue over anything and everything, no matter how tiny (the "Superman Returns" apparently got negative feedback because his cape was the wrong shade of red...ugh) or quite simply what was accepted once is renounced now. With Resident Evil 4, the series changed the trademark static camera angles and offered fully 3D environments and not only improved the series in every conceivable way, it was a kickass title to boot. So the disappointment fans and even reviewers feel about the latest entry is kind of baffling but then again the Remake was seen as an excellent addition to the franchise whereas the similar Resident Evil Zero, which also had an additional partner, was seen as stale. So after 4 years and endless amount of hype, does 5 prove to be the best Evil of them all?
Story: With Umbrella completely finished (seen in the Umbrella Chronicles Wii game), the biochemical terrorist attacks have surfaced still so the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance, or BSAA, is formed with 2 immediate recruits: Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, both survivors of Umbrella-related incidents. But when Jill is presumed dead after a mission yet no body is found, Chris heads to Africa to hunt for Irving whos started another terrorist action. Along with African BSAA agent Sheva Alomar, Chris will have to travel deep into the African countryside to get to the bottom of everything.
Graphics: Ill say it right up front: Resident Evil 5 is probably the most graphically stunning game available right now. Whereas Gears of War 2 is no slouch, everything you can think of and this game seems to have excelled: lighting, character animation and textures, special effects, the in-game cinematics and on and on. The amount of detail in each character can be seen in unlockable figurines which really hits its stride showcasing some of the boss fight creatures and seeing detail up close. I noticed a bit of screen tearing but honestly, I noticed it maybe once every couple of hours so hardly worth any concern.
Sound/Music: Ask anyone whos been playing Resident Evil games for years will know one thing: the voice acting has frequently been laughable. Even the remake had a couple of lines that were iffy. 5 improves on it and theres barely any lines or characters that make me go "ugh, back to normal"...well that is except for Irving, who is just bad. The music is also quite moody and really kicks into overdrive and makes bigger encounters like boss fights all the more epic. Essentially, this is a more cinematic Resident Evil. My one slight complaint? Not as awesome save room music.
Gameplay: We all know the complaints so might as well say them: tank controls, lack of strafe, no jump back and inability to move to different sides of cover...well okay thats a new feature but honestly it does get old which is a plus and an annoyance. At times it wouldve been great to roll backwards and shoot instead of quickturn, run, quickturn, shoot by which time, enemies probably are within 5-8 feet of you anyway. While Capcom says it adds to the tension, control-wise this is either one of those "well whatd you expect from an RE game?" things or "wish theyd finally change it". Honestly Im so used to the controls thanks to RE4 that I never cursed the game for not allowing me the ability to do something but that being said, wouldve been nice to add at least some features.
The big addition to 5 is co-op where youre rarely separated from your partner and even in the same room, theyre always somewhere nearby. This needs a fantastic AI however Sheva is adequate though not entirely flawless. Shell frequently shoot you in the back instead of relocating to the side, shell stand in front unlike Ashley who ducked or ran behind you and she has a habit of reloading at awful times (like right in front of a chainsaw-wielding dude), you cant plant her somewhere to provide cover fire and giving her a handgun is just bullet-wasting. However healing you tends to take top priority and shes a remarkably excellent shot with a rifle. Most will use her as a 2nd inventory trunk but in combat she works but then she frustrates.
This is where co-op mode comes in. With split-screen, system link and online, a buddy can play as Sheva which makes for a more tactical approach to fighting such as cover fire, distraction and the like. You can locate any chapter you want, specify the difficulty and even select the right country for a more quicker connection. Only problem is that its not like Gears of War 2 where you can select where in the level you want to start. Keep in mind, chapter completion achievements only popped up for me when I either single-play or co-op an entire level start to finish so you cant get halfway, hit save point before difficult part, and switch to co-op. So it wouldve been nice to say "find all chapter start" players instead of just being dropped randomly.
One thing that Resident Evil games frequently had was replay value which usually involved speed runs. Well while one exists, RE5 expands on this considerably, especially if you want to 1000/1000 this sucker. Basically theres figurines which you can access via chapter completion, BSAA medallions hidden in the game (similar to getting the Punisher handgun in RE4) or upgrading a weapon fully. Then theres unlockable costumes, infinite ammo, and the ever-popular Mercenaries mode. Lets just say for completionist people, RE5 will keep you very busy. Hopefully with DLC, they can add more character or stages to Mercenaries and make it even fatter but theres still plenty of stuff to do to keep you interested.
BTW, for the collectors edition: you get a BSAA patch for a jacket, a totally non-Chris Redfield look-alike figurine, a making-of disc and a Tricell messenger bag as well as a Africa-shaped pendant. For those who love to buy Collector/Limited editions just to have the biggest edition this isnt really an absolute must-have but its sure cool to have all these goodies.
Resident Evil 5 for me so far represents the last game for awhile that Id consider a day one purchase as others are simply "Ill check it out down the line" types. Its Game of the Year contender for me though so early in the year and with so many complainers, might not win but after the great Street Fighter IV, Capcom seem to be on a roll.
Great game with a few minor flaws.
On: 2009-03-17Alright, so many people take a biased approach when writing a game review. Many people say that the game was terrible because they dont like one little thing about it yet they still played it and while doing so, they liked it at some point. This game in particular is extremely fun and an excellent edition to any system. Im not going to get into a review of the game as to the story but I will say the positives and negatives to the game.
Positives:
- Excellent story line which has flashbacks to older stories. Very easy to follow and extremely good graphics.
- The weapons are varied greatly and the upgrading of weapons makes it fun and is an excellent edition as the game progresses. Reminds me of the upgrading feature in Army of Two.
- Gameplay is very cool. The graphics are amazing, especially in HD. The partner mode is very fun and gives the game an edge versus the older single player versions of Resident Evil.
- Story mode takes quite a bit of time to get through depending on difficulty, which is exactly what a game should be like. I played co-op with a friend and it took us almost 8 hours on normal. We were exploring everything in the game since there are different weapons and jewels and things to find. Also the levels are expansive and very detailed. I remember looking at a blood donor bag in this one level and it actually said "O pos". You really cant get more detailed than that.
- When you replay the game you keep your old weapons from your first play. Very cool idea, and doesnt make the play easier at all since the bullets are so limited in the beginning of the game.
- The enemies are extremely varied and very different from other games. This game does a good job creating new enemies.
- It is a completely different break from the old ones. Its not going to make you jump in your seat, but there are some intense spots. If your partner is dying, it could get intense for you to save him/her.
Negatives:
- The walking is a little choppy. If you are looking to the sides while walking you are walking sideways. This is a feature that has plagued all the Resident Evil games.
- Some of the bosses require tedious shooting and play. Some bosses require the same movements numerous times and that just gets annoying especially if you die. Yet the bosses are varied greatly and that doesnt necessarily mean that all are tedious.
- Some of the achievements seem almost impossible to get ever. One such thing is shooting one enemy in the head while he is jumping. The only problem is that you never know when they are jumping or sometimes you just dont have time to aim for the head.
- The aiming in the game is pretty good with the laser pointer, however, the distances make it fade out alot. If you are a stat freak and worried about how well you shoot accuracy wise, this could cause a few problems.
- The ammo for some guns like the magnum are too far and few between findings. Also the rocket launcher, as in most games only holds one RPG, which if fired leaves the gun to just sit in your inventory or be sold.
- The inventory capacity is very limited. You can only hold 9 items at once which doesnt leave much room for the vast different things you can hold.
- Some of the moves are the same throughout. If a zombie grabs you, it always appears to be the same looking scene.
So there are some of my opinions about the game. Note, like I said, this is a great game to get. I would imagine this game having great replay value - I just started my second story mode yesterday and there are so many things that I missed the first time around. Also, the game graphics are so nice to see and refreshing each level. There doesnt seems to be many copied areas of the game that looks like the previous level. For the price, I would say that this game is worth it since sometimes you get a game and then realize it was a complete mistake and isnt how you thought it would be. This game is better than my expectations and the demo helped me test before buying. I hope this helped someone. Good luck.
Good graphics....terrible controls & camera
On: 2009-03-17the only good thing I can say about this game are that the graphics are fantastic, clearly the best the series has ever seen, theres rich detail almost everywhere you look and you can tell the developers put a lot of time and effort into making the game look pretty and not much time anywhere else.
First of all you cant move and shoot at the same time, if you have to pull up your gun and aim you stop in your tracks. It makes it really difficult to kill all the zombies when they start pouring in a room, you have to run around to find a clear spot and pull up your weapon or else they will grab you.
I also found the camera angles really clunky, if you turn to run the camera constantly reorients itself away from the action and you cant tell where the attackers are coming from resulting in many frustrating uneccesary deaths.
Also for some reason if you play co-op on the same screen the split doesnt cover the entire screen, blacking out the right side on the top player and left side on the bottom player resulting in some stupid distracting checkerboard pattern, and no option to turn this off???? I paid for a big screen tv I want to use the whole screen
Another major problem I found is that the inventory selection takes waaayyyy too long, if you need to change a weapon or use a grenade you have to hit Y, ( you can run while doing this either), hit left and right to highlight the item you want, hit X to select it then another menu pops up and you have to scroll through it the select whether you want to Equip, Combine it, Give it to your partner or discard it. That is like 5 button presses, if you need something fast and its life or death tough luck, youll never have time to dig it out of your inventory.
Bottom Line: play the demo, or rent it before you buy this one.
Best game on the 360 so far.
On: 2009-03-17After seeing some poor reviews for RE 5, I felt Compelled to write a short review of my own. Ill keep it simple, this game is possibly the best game Ive ever played. I will say its the best game on the 360 so far. Its visually stunning and the gameplay is outstanding. It is not boring as some other reviewers mentioned. It is alot like Resident Evil 4, so if you enjoyed that one then this is no doubt a game that you should add to your collection. RE 5 is too good, and thats the only thing wrong with this game.
Awesome!!!
On: 2009-03-17What is with these reviews? If you liked RE4 youll like RE5, bottom line. Its got better controls, and stunning visuals. I love it. I beat it and cannot wait to beat it again.
A good game, but nothing compared to the greatness of RE4!
On: 2009-03-17Well, first off, Resident Evil 5 is a good game that introduces some new concepts. I have beaten RE5 so this is a complete review.
Pros:
New Co-op game mechanic.
Great Graphics.
Excellence Sound.
Good weapons upgrade system.
Brings the Resident Evil genre to the masses. (This is a con in my opinion).
Cons:
Very short Resident Evil game; probably the shortest one ever. 10 Hours?
Not a very good story.
Very easy to beat.
Recycled Bosses from RE 4.
Not really intense or creepy. (RE4 was very intense and creepy).
The game has to be played with Sheva, love her or hate her.
Simplifies Resident Evil and turns it into an action/3rd person/ shooter.
This game removes the true Resident Evil persona.
While this is a great game in its own right, this is not quite the game i was expecting. This game is basically a watered down version of Re4 with some new features. I thought this was a really good game as far as games go, but it is not a true Resident Evil game. Capcom clearly is trying with RE5 to bring the series to everyone. Love or hate Capcom for this, but they want more money. Overall, a pretty dang good game, but it does not measure up to the greatness of RE4.
The bottom line:
I recommend that everyone plays this game, but i recommend it be as a rental. After you beat you will probably not want to go through it again other than to obtain more weapon upgrades or to play with a friend. This is a well-made game as far as games go, but this is no longer really a Resident Evil game. If you loved RE4 like i did you will quickly realize how truly great RE 4 was. I believe this game is about half as long as RE4 was and has about a third of the bosses as Re4. This game deserves to be played, but only as a rental!!
Very disappointing.
On: 2009-03-16My wife and I are both big-time gamers. Her favorite game of all time is Resident Evil 4. The sole reason we bought an Xbox 360 was because we read that Resident Evil 5 would be coming out on it. So we bought the 360...and then we waited...for years. Resident Evil 4 is rightly hailed as one of the best games of the last generation of systems and also as one of the best horror/survival games of all time. Now that the wait is FINALLY over...Resident Evil 5 is, to be honest, a let down. Unfortunately its more of a remake than a true sequel. Though the graphics are obviously better than part 4, the game play is worse. Some of the controls are clunky, such as trying to run and turn at the same time, etc. The aiming leaves a lot to be desired as well. Like Gears of War 2, it severely suffers by not letting the player, well, play. Playtime is brief, cut short all too frequently by endless (and boring) cut scenes. (Programmers I feel are growing far too fond of cut scenes.) You finish a brief and easy level, have to watch a cut scene, have to wait for the game to load, have to go through the odd "buy, organize, ready" screen (what happened to the cool merchant? "Ive got some goooood things for sale straanger!"), have to wait for the game to load and then have to watch another boring cut scene. This brings up another gripe: the plot is not nearly as compelling and interesting as part 4. Where part 4 was about a 9 out of 10 on the creepy factor, part 5 is about a 2. What took Capcom soooooo long to get this game out when its really just a ripoff of part 4? Part 4 was ground breaking. This ones just a carbon copy.
They don't make em like the old days
On: 2009-03-16I remember when I was younger going to my friends house and putting on Resident Evil (1,2,3) the GOOD ones. After RE3 it went downhill. I remember getting the crap scared out of me when I was being chased by all sorts of stuff and having that creepy music playing. Not anymore. This is more of a run-n-gun that involves no thinking skill. I liked solving puzzles in the old ones and wondering wtf I was supposed to do next. In RE5 its all straight forward. Even the story is lame. I miss being in creepy houses and streets. Now you get to be in Africa in the broad daylight. Ohhh so scary! I dont think I have had one thing jump out at me through this whole game and Im at chapter 5-1. Theres 6 chapters. The monsters are ok-unique. But they arnt anything special. The old monsters were a lot scarier and the graphics were even worse! In RE5 the graphics are far more superior and it doesnt even do the game any justice or help at all. Atleast in my opinion. Not a buy, only a rental. If they make RE6, I beg its not like RE4/5. I beg them not to screw that up again.
Resident Evil in Name Only
On: 2009-03-16Remember when Resident Evil games used to be scary? I do, but its been a long time. As an avid fan, I once believed that the series couldnt exist without zombies. With the debut of RE4, however, that notion was erased...well, mostly. While it did not contain the scary atmosphere and puzzles that were present in past entries in the series, it did manage to retain some of the survival horror elements that made the series popular, while changing the formula up a bit with more action and a terrific combat system. With the approaching release of RE5, I eagerly watched trailer after trailer and became even more excited when I learned that Albert Wesker would be returning. Then, early reviews and hands-on impressions began surfacing on the web, stating that RE5 was the exact, same game as RE4, with better graphics. Well, this news didnt entirely disappoint me, especially given how much I thoroughly enjoyed RE4 (especially the Wii Edition).
When the game arrived, I immediately bought it, hoping to finally see the grand return of Chris and Wesker, my two favorite characters of the series, and take part in yet another survival horror experience. Now, three days after purchasing it, I can say that this is, without a doubt, my least favorite entry in the entire series...except for maybe those Gun Survivor spin-offs. The simplest way I can say this is that, if youre not an avid RE fan and want a fast-paced shooter fix, you may enjoy this game; but if youre like me and want a game that stays mostly true to the series, youll probably be disappointed. This is not a survival horror game; it is an action shooter experience, plain and simple. However, even looking at it as a third-person shooter, it has some really irritating flaws. For one thing, your partners AI is useless at times and nearly unbearable at others. She is of absolutely no help and more often gets in the way. Also, the inventory system has taken a major backstep. Unlike every past game, entering the inventories of both characters occurs in real time, meaning that, if you want to change weapons or use an herb and an enemy is attacking you, he will still be attacking you, while youre in your inventory screen. I dont know if the developers were trying to be clever, but this change becomes extremely frustrating.
As for the story and its relation to past RE games, there are so many plot holes and contradicting details, you may wonder if Capcom is intentionally trying to confuse players. While RE4 did not have a whole lot to do with the overall story arc of the series, this one does, or at least it tries to. And that leads me to the characters of the story. From what I can tell, this games Chris and Wesker are not the same Chris and Wesker I saw or heard in any of the older games. Wesker is no longer the cool, intelligent, shadowy character he used to be; he has now become a generic, I-am-a-god-so-bow-before-me villain. As for the two, main protagonists, Chris and Sheva are not likeable, in the least. The other, side characters are not any better; they are all two-dimensional and without any personality at all.
In all, I would not recommend this game for people, who are eagerly anticipating a true return to the Resident Evil franchise. If you enjoy non-sensical stories and over-the-top action, then you might find this to be of your liking, but I, for one, was left wondering what happened to one of my favorite video game series of all time. I sincerely hope that Capcom does not intend to continue "evolving" the series in this fashion and, instead, returns to the roots of what made it so appealing in the first place: survival horror.
Pure co-op fun
On: 2009-03-16Resident Evil 5 is a great success as a co-op game. Capcom placed a bunch of restrictions with the intent of forcing the players to work together. It works beautifully when you have a human partner, but can be frustrating with the AI partner.
Limited inventory
Each player only has 9 inventory spots. That means you cant carry every type of gun on your own. There are pistols, shotguns, machine guns, rifles, and a few other weapons. By limiting inventory space, it forces each player to specialize in 2 or 3 weapons, making each player better suited for certain situations, and vulnerable to others. It promotes communicating with your partner to whip out the shotgun for a cluster of zombies, or using a rifle to pick off one ranged baddie.
Limited ammo
Ammo is scarce. This again promotes the idea of each character specializing in a weapon, because there isnt enough ammo for the both of you to use the same type of gun. Each type of gun is balanced and useful, so everyone can still contribute.
No run and gun
You cant run and shoot at the same time. This gives the game a more deliberate pace, and encourages well placed shots. You can also melee enemies that are stunned from shots to the arm, leg or head. In general, the combat is varied enough between gunning, punching, explosives, and running around in panic that it stays fun.
All these factors enhance the gameplay when you have another person to play with, but become frustrating in single player. The AI will chew through ammo, and youll want more types of guns to handle situations yourself. Also the controls are pretty complicated, so there is a learning curve.
On the other hand, the game is beautiful to look at, and excellently paced. There is an ebb and flow between quiet, disturbing areas to swarming packs of enemies. It all translates into escalating tension.
The set pieces and bosses are a joy to play through. They are like puzzles wrapped in mangled flesh and teeth. Its a blast to devise plans while weaving through hoards of zombies. Definitely buy this game if you have someone to play it with.
Long...or...SHORT
On: 2009-03-16This game is very fun. But anyone can beat it in 1 or 2 days. Its not a traditional Resident Evil game. Things have changed. The Zombies are more intelligent and guess what...They can talk, shoot, just about anything. Are they still zombies...nope. The end comes at you faster than you might expect. I bought it on Friday night and ended on Sunday afternoon. There will be a patch. A patching of a sorts to fight ones comrades. Fun and bumming at the same time. Things graphically look great. Mobility is flustering at times. The game play, all in all, is a cinema walk threw. Have a great time playing it.
GREAT GAME BEST PLAYED CO-OP!!!!
On: 2009-03-16Like many, I played through the demo multiple times before this game came out and bought it the day it was released. My buddy and I have been playing it together on XBOX live the past few days and I have to say it is simply nothing less than a gaming masterpiece. Capcom did a great job with this one and it makes me even more excited for DEADRISING 2. DEADRISING is still my favorite 360 game but RE5 is right up there with it. That being said, Gears 2 is a very good game but I think RE5 is more polished and refined. DEAD SPACE is one of my favorite games of all time as well although RE5 trumps it with the co-op feature, which is a blast. All in all, an excellent game that deserves to be at least a contender for game of the year.
Gears of War meets RE 4
On: 2009-03-16RE5 takes place in Africa when Chris Redfield is sent on an assignment to find some guy named Irving for an unexplained reason and meets up with his partner Sheva Alomar. While going through on their mission, they get more than what they bargined for.
It was hard to make an introduction because frankly, im not really sure if there was a story to this game. You spend about half of the game looking for the aforementioned man Irving and when you finally do catch up to him, Chris just decides that hes going to go looking for JIll. Why you ask? "She was my partner" as Chris would say it, and he says this too many times when it really isnt even a good reason. Towards the 3rd half of the game you start having more random characters, companies and locations thrown at you for almost no apprant reason and the only way you could understand most of this is if you read the files you get while playing through the game because the game itself assumes that you already know everything.
A new feature in this game is the AI partner and like most people, im going to have to agree on Shevas annoyance. To make it simpler ill put it in list form
- Constantly varies from being helpful to stupid as a brick
- Sometimes can pull off nice shots while other times she will waste ammo. There was one point where she picked up some ammo and started randomly firing when there was no enemies in the hallway i just cleared out.
- Will constantly take anything on the ground unless your standing next to it
- Will use healing items at wrong times, id rather use something that heals me all the way when im about to die, not when my health is half empty
- Will die every chance she gets. There was one part where i had to take out a mounted machine gun and instead of staying behind cover, she fealt the need to have her entire body exposed so the turret could constantly put an entire clip in her face every 3 seconds.
I could go on but you should get the point by now.
A better title for this game would be RE 4.5 because its basically the same exact game (which is good because thats how a sequel should be, only improved) down to the point of how the game is set-up. The first 3rd is the best, second 3rd sucks while the final 3rd was good. Another thing in this game is the inclusion of quick time events. For those that dont know, a quick time event is when during the middle of a cutscene or boss fight(and occationally doing a puzzle), you will be prompted to press a specific button within a matter of seconds where-upon failing to do so results in extreme damage or almost all of the time, instant death. Nobody liked them in RE4 so i dont understand why theyre back. Also snakesn hiding in barrels were also incredibly annoying in RE4 and for some reason, theyre back in this game as well when they shouldnt be.
Some of the enemies and bosses were just brutal as well and ill just name a few so you get the idea. At around chapter 3, the game introduces the blue village majini who are basically like the regular ones, only tougher. Now every group of enemies has a specific special enemy,(IE chainsaw for regulars) the one for the blue majini being a large hulking guy that carries a giant mace made of spikes and skull while wearing a helemt so comically large that it covers nearly half of his body. This enemy is so strong that at one time, i shot 6 grenades at it with my grenade launcher and he still managed to live. Another annoying enemy is a large bug creature code named a reaper. Not only does it take alot of ammo to kill it, but you have to wait for its weakspots to appear. It also does alot of damage and also has the ability to kill you in one hit, something you cant even dodge as well. Since most of the bosses were annoying, the only one i can really pick out for being a complete ***** to kill was the Uroboros 2 fight. Basically, the only way to kill it is to constantly catch it on fire and then shoot its weak points, however the chances of the acctual spot you need to hit to come out is rare, in fact i dont think i ever saw its true weak spot when i died to it about 10 times. Each time when i fought it, i used the following items: 5 flame rounds loaded into my grenade launcher, 5 incendiary grenades, all 3 flamable tanks in the room, the flamethrower itself constant times, and about a ton of lead shot at it. Did it ever die? NO. I was forced to kill it finally with the RPG (instant kill) because the thing just would not die.
Your probably wondering why i mentioned gears of war in the title by now, well thats because in the final 3rd of the game, youll spend most of your time hiding behind cover and shooting things while taking rediculous amounts of damage from bullets(2-3 shots took off 3/4ths of my health) which only really serves to show us how back any 3rd person shooter like gears would suck if a health system was implemented into it.
My reccomendation, rent the game. If youve played and loved RE4 then its a definate buy. If your new to the series, rent it, have a buddy do the same thing and play some co-op because the experience is so much better without having to babysit an AI that cant think for itself half of the time.
Disappointing
On: 2009-03-16I have been a long time Resident Evil fan. I have played most of the titles in the franchise and I have to say, RE5 is a low point.
Graphically, its one of the most impressive games Ive played. But all of the visual richness and detail cant cover the fact that this is a boring game. RE5 lacks any of the creepy atmosphere or scary moments that made it predecessors famous. The horror survival concept is completely removed as this game is reduced to nothing more than a straight-on shooter. And among shooters, RE5 is a bad one. As I played through the game, I kept think "Ive seen this somewhere before." Thats because most of RE5s chapters and sequences feel like theyve been stolen from other games -- from "Half Life 2" to "Halo" to even "Tomb Raider," RE5 is filled with stale, borrowed game play ideas. And some of these ideas feel so forced, that the game play just comes across as messy. Stitched together by a paper-thin plot (even by Resident Evil standards), you often dont know where youre going, what you are supposed to do, or what you are even trying to accomplish in the first place. And when the game is all said and done, at is obnoxiously short. When I put $60 dollars down for a game, I expect more than one days entertainment.
Some of other reviews here have mentioned the PS3 controls for RE5 make more sense. I cant say whether thats true or not, but they certainly are awkward on the Xbox. I found myself wasting a lot of precious ammo or even dying by fumbling with the controls. And nothing will take me out of the game experience faster than having to concentrate on the controller and try to figure out what button I should be pushing. Game controls should be intuitive and for RE5, they just arent.
And then theres your partner. Throughout the entire game, youre tether to Sheva Alomar as a playing partner. This proves problematic for two reasons. First is the reduced scare factor. Facing the monsters in this game just doesnt feel as scary knowing that someone is covering your back. Which brings me to problem number two: having a partner covering you wouldnt be so bad, if her AI was so god-awful and inconsistent. I found that a lot of lives, supplies and ammo were wasted because of Shevas AI.
So in short -- bad controls, unoriginal game play and horrible partner AI make this a boring and disappoint installment of the Resident Evil franchise. If youre on the fence about this game, dont waste your money.
can anyone say short???
On: 2009-03-16I beat this game in a day!!! I was expecting alot more for my 60 bucks. I was really excited about this game and had it paid off preordered and everything, only to be disappointed on how short it was. Other than that the game is pretty awesome.
Sometimes what you fear the most is the fear you can't forget
On: 2009-03-15Thirteen years ago, Resident Evil cemented itself as a pivotal title in the survival horror genre. After years of sequels, spin-offs, and certain imitators, Resident Evil 5 is here, like it or not. The story takes place a decade after the disastrous outbreak in Raccoon City. The Umbrella Corporation no longer exists, but the damage has been done. Not taking any chances of another biological incident, world governments have formed the BSAA (Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance). Chris Redfield, now an agent for the BSAA, is sent to Africa to investigate a possible attack. If youve played Resident Evil 1 & 4, you know that it starts off as a routine mission that quickly becomes a nightmare. To start off, a lot of the mechanics are similar to the fourth game in many aspects from the over-the-shoulder camera angle to the combat system. The merchant is gone, and now you buy, sell, organize, and upgrade in a black market screen that pops up after you die, restart, or finish a chapter. One thing thats also new is co-op where a second player can join in and play as Chriss new partner Sheva Alomar online or offline in the room with you. Although Ive not played single player, word is its very crucial to find a second player for co-op, otherwise single will be a chore with the partner AI not being very reliable. The game also features beautiful graphics, unbelievable enemies, and certain characters fans should be familiar with which keep it all very interesting. For those commenting on the controls, this is not Call Of Duty or Gears Of War where you can run and shoot. Not saying those games are bad, I love them. But this is Resident Evil, the stand and shoot aspect of the controls have actually been around since the first game. Anybody complaining has probably never played a Resident Evil game. One thing is kind of a pain is the inventory screen which does not pause the action when you open it. However, this was in Dead Space as well, so I shouldnt complain because thats a great game. Nothing here should turn you off from giving this a try. Anybody looking for a great followup to Resident Evil 4 should be pleased.
Resident evil 5 is awesome!!!
On: 2009-03-15I didnt know the xbox was capable of this level of graphics! Absolutely stunning visuals! Great gameplay, I really enjoy playing co-op with a friend. My only con is that it could be a little more scary.
One major flaw can destroy an entire game
On: 2009-03-15And Resident Evil 5s flaw is - your partner; she dies, your game is over, what a joke. The LEAST they could have done was given you an option to NOT have her with you.
Resident Evil 4: masterpiece, Resident Evil 5: total failure.
Not scary...at all.
On: 2009-03-15I bought a 360 for this. It couldnt be less scary. Ive put only a few hours into it, but I havent jumped once. Its lost that RE edge.
I still prefer RE 4
On: 2009-03-15This was an okay game. I beat it in a day, and it was short. Chris redfield and shava explor africa as it is being over runed by people with virses. Just because this game was based in africa, doesnt mean its a racist game. Which some people might think of it that way. When shava dies Game Over, and she usually gets in the way at times, but she can be a big help too.
The graphics are amazingly realistic, and the weapons are great too. I just didnt realy to much care for the story though. Wessker is bad a$$ in this game. Easpeacially at the end. This was an okay game, RE 4 is still a classic. Rent this game. Its not really worth $60.00.
Awsome game
On: 2009-03-15This is a awsome RE game. RE4 was my favorite, with its amazing graphics and hitech effects. This brings back RE4s uniqe graphics and gameplay. The co-op is fun too, so is the storyline and weapons. The graphics is amazingly realistic. The gameplay is nice too, and the cutscenes are beautiful.
This is a fun game. I will recommend this game to anyone. Including RE fans.
The Greatest Game Series Releases Another Great One
On: 2009-03-14I got this game just yesterday and have found myself wowed and amazed at how stunning the graphics and game play of this newest release truly is. The first is that if youve played RE4 the controls for arming, targeting, and firing are almost the same is the previous game which makes it a little easier, and the second is that unlike the said RE4 you actually have a partner Sheva Alomar that helps you out in problematic unlike Ashley Graham(RE4). The camera angle is also just like RE4 which looks over the shoulder of the character Chris Redfield when moving, running, or shooting. The enemies are also as you probably guessed similar to the zombie like creatures of RE4 with the alien like heads popping out of certain infected people when you shoot them. The extras are many and itll take a while I think for anyone to unlock them all, heres a little fun thing as well unlike RE4 this game saves in chapters that allow you to play any level you have finished again and again if you wish, you can also view the video cutscenes from levels youve also finished in the extra menu area. So for all Resident Evil Gaming fans rejoice as this newest game has finally come for us to enjoy...
Resident Evil 5 is the Best!!!
On: 2009-03-14I dont understand why so many people keep talking negatively about RE 5. Ive played all the RE games, as well as read all the books by S.D. Perry, and have come to love RE5 the most! Dont get me wrong, RE4 has been my favorite game for years, but 5 easily rose to the top.
There are many awesome reasons why I like this game so much. First of all, the graphics are phenomenal! The best Ive seen in any game, hands down!
Secondly, RE games have always had great storylines that suck you into the game, and RE5 continues that legacy beautifully.
Third, it takes a lot of strategy to kill enemies efficiently. You cant just run through the whole game and kill off each zombie in two shots. Its not a "shoot em up" kind of game. You have to utilize not just your gun, but your knife and melee attacks as well. By doing this, you end up using two bullets to take down a zombie, instead of 6-8.
Forth, everywhere you walk, whether there are zombies or not, you have to constantly be aware of your surroundings. Doing this will save your life on many occasions! It keeps you on your toes and greatly enhances the game experience!
Fifth, RE5 is one scary game! A lot of people will say that it isnt scary, and that its more of an action game than survival horror. I suppose this would be true if you just powered your way through the game and didnt think much about the story itself. But for me, I get really into the game by putting myself in the characters shoes. I cant imagine being attacked by infected people that want nothing more than to dig their teeth into my flesh! And lets not forget the dogs! The dogs have always been the scariest part of the RE series for me, and they really go all out in this game!
I have no complaints about RE5! The makers improved everything they needed to improve from RE4. If they did anymore, it would have been too much. The controls were perfect! Ive played a lot of shooter games with different control types, and it honestly took me 15 minutes to get used to the RE5 controls and theyre now my favorite! It feels more like aiming and pulling the trigger of an actual gun than any other control type! It feels more natural than clicking "A" or "X" to fire your weapon, like in other games.
To sum it up, RE5, in my opinion, is the BEST game ever made!!! It has an AMAZING storyline, it takes a lot of strategy and smarts, has outstanding controls, and it makes you jump on many occasions! Its easily a 10/10 for me! A must have for any true RE or shooter game fan!
Playstation 3 is Way better!
On: 2009-03-14seen it and played it on both. the home system is way better!!! plus we have are own HOME space for resident evil 5!! trade it in for the ps3 version its way better :}
Immediately Disappointing . . .
On: 2009-03-14I really enjoyed RE4 and had high hopes for RE5, though the few reviews Id read so far were mixed. Prior reviews are correct in that the graphics are quite good, and the game *looks* great. That is, until you start trying to play. I gave it an honest effort during about an hour of acclimation, but I can tell - to my dismay - the game isnt going to grow on me.
Mostly its to do with the movement of the character. First, I dont mind a third person shooter (though prefer FPS), but the main character just takes up way too much real estate on the screen. It hinders feeling like you can really take a good look around. Second, the camera angles seem a little wonky at times, like when the character is going up or down an incline. But the way this game throws zombies at you, with the limitations on camera angle and visibility, its really unacceptable to be fixed in place to either shoot or reload. Rather than add to the urgency of the game it detracts from it - one does not feel the excitement that comes with having to flee while attacking.
The game is pretty, but character mobility is really hampered. If anyone wants a cheaper copy than retail, mines on half.com as we speak.
Fear the Daylight, Mirrors, Crocodiles, Zombies on Bikes, and More Mirrors!!
On: 2009-03-14To me, Resident Evil 4 was a VERY different detour from your usual Resident Evil game. For one, the gameplay was entirely redesigned to have the camera fixed right behind the character to provide a third-first-person viewpoint that was later adapted in Dead Space, Gears of War, and the soon-to-be Ghostbusters film. The largest detour from the Resident Evil franchise was the change in gameplay and story from just zombie horror survival to arcade action to not-so-zombiesque baddies anymore. It was bold and, to a very large extent, sucessfull. Resident Evil 5 continues this trend but to new heights.
"RE5" continues in this year, 2009, where RE1 protagonist Chris Redfield returns as an agent for a generic agency combating bioweapon terrorism around the globe. His newest adventure brings him to Africa, where he joins up with somewhat a sexy sidekick, whose chest seems to get bigger with every cut scene. Along the way, you loose lots of friends, combat weirder and weirder enemies, emotional and not-so heartwretching monologues when someone all but gives up, and the voice acting with the signature Resident Evil cliches and catch phrases ("Be careful") along the way. It may be cheesy, but its Resident Evil cheesy so they can get away with it as they pull it off sucessfully.
Difficulty
Now, lemme just come out and say this is NOT a game for newbies and it is at the same time. The thing with Resident Evil 5 (and 4 subsequently) is that the first time through is ALWAYS the hardest as youre stuck with basic level equipment that seem to have as much an effect on the enemies as harsh language, which doesnt even phase the 13-year old German kids that seem to loiter on Xbox Live. The difficulty seems to be offset as in the very beginning as my co-op parter (who we will not name because he is my little brother Chris) and I subsequently had our backsides handed to us when a bunch of baddies stormed a structure we were held up in... at the beginning of the game. What is really ironic is that once you discover that youre supposed to run away from the structure and take cover elsewhere, they then have tutorial pamphlets spread throughout, as if that last part was supposed to be easy.
You are literally expected to be an expert almost right away, which is a bad assumption on Capcoms part as they are seemingly relying solely on the fanbase to support sales; a precarious notion in marketing. However, once we got past figuring out the controls, the game got too easy as we discovered simple ways to stop even the largest of hordes and toughests of enemies.
It probably doesnt help that the enemy AI is as dumb as... well, organized zombie mobs. Hordes will just attack en masse regardless of obstacles and be perfect targets for grenades or proxemity mines, which I had WAAAY too much fun with. Another strategy to save ammo was to stand in front of a window and continually slice the oncoming enemies with the knife; they will be too stupid to throw objects and keep trying to scale the window. Bosses will fixiate on one person and continually chase that person until they hit them, allowing the other player to just stand in a corner and take pot shots with the magnum or sniper rifle.
Fortunately, your partners AI is not all that dumb although you cant exactly strategize with them. Rainbow Six had great options for tactics that RE5 shouldve implemented including voice-commands through a headset.
Story
The Resident Evil franchise, or dynasty as it is now, is not without its cliches and signature catch phrases (and partially illustrated before). Capcom still has to discover how to make twists less predictable. The woman in the hood?! I want to know what idiot did NOT see that coming. Seriously.
The voice acting, however, was an improvement. It wasnt the typical "no, dont go through that door" monotone voice acting that plagues the video game industry (Im looking at you House of the Dead 2). The accents were well done and the actors/actresses seemed to actually study their lines before reading them. Kudos.
Visuals
OK, this is not the Playstation 3 but not all of us gamers can justify spending a few hundred more on a glorified Blu-ray player. Nonetheless, the textures and beautifully rendered as you can see the individual indentations on Chris outfit as well as the blades of grass on the landscape. The face animations almost go word for word with the dialogue but not quite yet. The reloading animations are almost flawless as they are true-to-life.
Sound and Music
Whoever did the music did a fine job unlike whoever did the weird music in RE4. Electric sounds were still the dominate musical preference but the classical underscore blended well with each situation. The sounds of the weapons, environment, and so forth were also well done. They were so well done that I barely noticed them since my subconscious registered them as background noise. It wasnt until my brother and I were sniping targets that we took notice of the ambiant noise.
Gameplay
Here is where nearly all my complaints reside, but first some praise. The interface is somewhat improved and a lot more face paced. Switching between weapons is a LOT easier with the inventory system but that is also the source of some big problems. The inventory system utilizes a 9-node slot system that runs in real time; which means when youre trying to acess an item, the game is still going. Fortunately, if you organize the items in a d-pad like pattern you can access the items anytime by pressing the corresponding button on the d-pad. However, this can only be organized between levels in the organization menu. Capcom also improved the melee knife as it actually does damage this time and has a decent range. Still, it should only be used when all else fails... or youre camping at a window *evil Bender laugh*.
One of my largest beefs is the aiming and reloading. You move at a very slow and cumbersome pace when aiming and the sensitivity CAN NOT be adjusted. This makes taking cover and picking out targets a LOT harder. Also, when youre reloading you cannot move NOR can you halt reloading to move. This means when youre reloading and you see an enemy about to deal a fatal blow, youre screwed and can only watch the horror. This caused me to die several times.
My next beef are some of the obstacles; two to be precise. The first are the crocodiles, which only appear when youre really close and will kill you in one hit. Hate them... hate them so much, but not as much as the killer mirrors (youll know when you seem them. They hit almost without warning and are REALLY annoying since you cant shoot them out. However, they are most annoying when you enter a room and need to adjust them. This is one of the few puzzles and the one that irritates me the most since it was too easy to kill your partner, necessitating they take cover while another does all the work.
My biggest beef is the split-screen... WTF? I thought widescreen bars were annoying on a standard screen but THIS is ridiculous. They actually make the split-screen size smaller, place the first player one in the top right corner and the 2nd player on in the bottom left corner and black in the non-used space. If you do not have a big screen TV, this will be a huge pain and can NOT be adjusted. This shouldve been optional.
All in all, RE5 is an amazing game but lacks in several areas in gameplay and was designed with veteran gamers in mind. Overall, an 88%.
-2% for predictability
-3% for lousy split-screen for co-op.
-5% for poor inventory interface
-2% for lousy aiming
Everything I Expected (and Wanted)
On: 2009-03-14Im a huge fan of Resident Evil 4 and Dead Space, so needless to say Ive been waiting for this game for a long time. Ive played about 3 hours so far and Im blown away! The graphics and sound are outstanding. The controls take a little getting used to, but its a rewarding experience. A triple-A release and a must buy!
Better than RE4?, well...
On: 2009-03-14RE4 was a staggering reboot for the ailing franchise; it discarded Res Evils traditionally clunky controls and scaled back the puzzles in favour of rapid-fire action against far faster and more aggressive enemies than ever before, all wrapped up in amazingly detailed visuals. More than just being the pinnacle of the RE franchise, many people consider RE4 as being among a small handful of the best titles created for the last generation. RE5 has a handful of problems, and is nowhere near in the same league as RE4 in terms of all-time classics, but it does provide a suitably similar mix of exciting action, along with some utterly gorgeous visuals.
Two-player co-op can be played either online, over system link or split-screen. Its great to see Capcom supporting such a wide range of options for the co-op mode. While the general exploration and blasting of monsters plays out very similarly to RE4, the environments have been expanded a little, with many more split paths to give each player enough elbow room to fight. There are some great moments where one player can stun an enemy with a headshot, while the other rushes in and smashes them with a melee attack. Its even possible to link melee attacks together, so one players punch will send an enemy stumbling back, then the other players kick knocks them to the ground.
RE5 also adds a minor improvement to the movement controls. RE4s quasi twin-stick movement has been upgraded to todays standard twin-stick turning while walking control system. For some odd reason though, turning with the right stick is disable when youre running. As youd expect though, your feet are still nailed to the floor while shooting, to retain the usual Res Evil tension. As youve probably gathered, RE5 mirrors the gameplay of RE4 very closely, but this can be both a blessing and a curse. As in RE4 youll spend the bulk of your time dispatching monsters and scouring the environments for ammo and treasure. You still collect treasure from corpses, cupboards, crates and by shooting it off walls. You still spend it on upgrading the same damage, reload speed and capacity characteristics of a very similar range of pistols, shotguns and machineguns. Youre still forced to waste a lot of cash upgrading early weapons, only to have to sell them back for a fraction of the price when the better weapons are unlocked.
In lots of ways its a good thing that RE5 sticks closely to RE4s brilliant template, but in other ways its a shame its progressed so little. A lot has happened in the games industry over the past four years and RE5 does feel dated as a result. It sure doesnt look dated, because the graphics look incredible, but it feels old. Other than the co-op mode and a couple of very minor tweaks here and there, the gameplay is identical to 2005s RE4.
Best game on Xbox and PS3!!!!
On: 2009-03-14This is the best looking game next to gears of war series. This game looks almost real at times. Im simply impressed! This game is what next gen is about. Im a hard guy to please and I say this game is so unbelievable! The time and effort put into this game is really shown with its depth. This feaking game looks so good...its the best looking console game so far. Its one of the funnest as well. Gear of war is number 1 of course, but it terms of graphics..this game rules. In terms of fun its 2nd to GOW, but its one of the best games out now. The ps3 version is the same. I have both systems, dont let anyone tell one is better than other. The only thing that is different is the control scheme. I also chose to get xbox version because it has achievements. The game is a must own for everyone. Anyone who doesnt like this game is retarded. This the 1st game in my mind actually worth 60.00. You will 15hrs or more of play. Believe me, I know, I played it 16 hrs straight in coop with friend. Its the best looking game on consoles and almost as fun as Gears..but its in the same ranking.
A game split between genres.
On: 2009-03-14One of the most highly anticipated releases for the Xbox 360 features the return of ex-STARS member,Chris Redfield. Now a member of a Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance, Chris travels to the nation of Kijuju to investigate a mysterious zombifying virus that is mutating all the villagers into grotesque blood hungry monsters. But Chris has a partner with him, Sheva Alomar, and she will be with you the entire mission. RE5s Co dependency feature adds a new twist to this classic series. She is here to help you, but you must also aid her. When she is weak, you must heal her, maintain ammo, and watch for her safety. But unlike the useless aid you got in RE4, Sheva Alomar will watch your back as well. I kinda liked this feature...it added an element to the game that really makes the series more intense.
The graphics are some of the best around...with the high-definition and painstaking details with awesome cut scenes, RE5 definitely has a more mature feel to the game. Gone are the cartoonish scare tactics from earlier games in the series...so no real scare moments in this one. The cut scenes also have an interactive feature that makes them some of the most memorable moments in the game. The levels may seem to stray from the series but trust me, they deliver a level a realism that has been missing from the series. The boss battles are everything you would expect from the franchise: over-sized creations that require some thought to wear them down before finishing them off.
But RE5 is not perfect. It has long and numerous load screens, the fighting still seems a bit off (especially knife fights) and the game seems to stray too far from its roots. RE5 feels and plays more like a Tomb Raider game, than a horror filled adventure. Yet, while the game does feel like it is unable to decide which genre it wants to be in, it is a fun game, and I guess that is most important.
A game split between genres
On: 2009-03-14One of the most highly anticipated releases for the Playstation 3 features the return of ex-STARS member,Chris Redfield. Now a member of a Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance, Chris travels to the nation of Kijuju to investigate a mysterious zombifying virus that is mutating all the villagers into grotesque blood hungry monsters. But Chris has a partner with him, Sheva Alomar, and she will be with you the entire mission. RE5s Co dependency feature adds a new twist to this classic series. She is here to help you, but you must also aid her. When she is weak, you must heal her, maintain ammo, and watch for her safety. But unlike the useless aid you got in RE4, Sheva Alomar will watch your back as well. I kinda liked this feature...it added an element to the game that really makes the series more intense.
The graphics are some of the best around...with the high-definition and painstaking details with awesome cut scenes, RE5 definitely has a more mature feel to the game. Gone are the cartoonish scare tactics from earlier games in the series...so no real scare moments in this one. The cut scenes also have an interactive feature that makes them some of the most memorable moments in the game. The levels may seem to stray from the series but trust me, they deliver a level a realism that has been missing from the series. The boss battles are everything you would expect from the franchise: over-sized creations that require some thought to wear them down before finishing them off.
But RE5 is not perfect. It has long and numerous load screens, the fighting still seems a bit off (especially knife fights) and the game seems to stray too far from its roots. RE5 feels and plays more like a Tomb Raider game, than a horror filled adventure. Yet, while the game does feel like it is unable to decide which genre it wants to be in, it is a fun game, and I guess that is most important.
Outstanding game, some minor disk read issues
On: 2009-03-13I got this game last night and was blown away by the attention to detail that capcom put into it. The graphics are absolutely amazing, you can see the flies buzzing around a rotting corpse. Play control is a little bit easier than it was in 4, but still takes some getting used to after playing standard third person shooters. From what I have seen with the story so far, it is deffinately up to par.
The only issue i have had is that my x-box doesnt like to read the disk sometimes when i first load the game. may just be the copy i have.
One of the best games on the 360.
On: 2009-03-13This is one of the best games on the x-box 360. The graphics are amazing. The story if incredible. And the game play is fun and there is a lot to the game. If you liked the other RE games then you have to play this one!
HYPED UP TRASH
On: 2009-03-13The demo was all I needed to play to determine that this game is garbage. From the slow, sluggish controls and elephant-like movement of the characters to the hilarious "starvin marvin" chainsaw guy, this game must be some kind of joke. Resident evil 4 was one of my top 3 favorite games of all time, as well as a huge success worldwide.
Its obvious that they were just trying to re-create resident evil 4, only in Africa this time instead of Europe, and with ethnic characters to try and reach out to the areas of the market that they may have missed with RE4. The result is a glitch-ridden disaster that is as boring as it is difficult to control. Its about as entertaining as wathcing one of those ads for the christian childrens fund.
Gorgeous, but be Patient!
On: 2009-03-13Reviews are opinions other people have about a certain items or products. This one will be no different, however I urge you to try this game for yourself...even if its just a rent. You may dislike somethings, but at least you wont miss an excellent game altogether!
I must say the visuals are absolutely mind blowing! The dust and particles blowing in the wind and around the shantys is downright
amazing. This brings me to my first category:
Graphics/Visuals: (A+) If your a fan of COD4/5 photo realistic environments, RE5 is going to blow you away! The details in everything from the small puddles of water to the wood grain on doors and planks honestly takes you right into the game! The blood, and liquid properties of things are spot on, and really take gaming to a new level! If your into stunning graphics or need something new to show off that HDTV, this game will sell it!
Sounds/Surround: (A+) This is one of my favorite new features of "next gen" games, the surround sound is so important and just adds that level of realism, especially in games like RE! The crunching of sand under your feet, the banging of angry zombies on wooden doors, your partner opening up a fully automatic weapon behind you in the distance...all promise to keep you playing on the edge of your seat! I was very impressed with the sound of this game, hearing hordes of zombies coming right at you (front speakers) and the loud shout of your comrade telling you to "watch out" (rear speakers) all of this combined with snarling zombies, and random 9mm rounds popping...incredible!
Gameplay: (A) Okay I broke this down into two sections multiplayer co-op(MP), and single player campaign(SP)
MP-Playing RE5 co-op with a buddy is something that has never been done before in a RE game, and believe me it is an excellent addition! Having to help a real person playing along side you and vice versa is nerve racking, hearing your friend yelling into the mic "hey I got 3 more coming on my right can you get em" is just something you dont get when the AI player cries for help. Its so nice, helping each other and actually talking about solutions, and what way to go next...however its a double edge sword. (read SP)
SP-While playing with a buddy is awesome, SP has some perks also. Youll be controlling Chris, while Sheva is computer controlled (for the most part) The real bonus to SP campaign is Sheva talks and gives you little "hints" as to whats next. I found it kinda nice at certain points of the game where your just completely turned around with no clue where to go. Personally for me though if you got the internet, and a buddy with RE5...go with the CO-OP, the end experience is hard to beat!
Controls (B/C) This depends on what kinda games your used to. If you find yourself playing strictly first person shooters (CoD, Halo) this game WILL take some getting used to. Its a slower paced action than your used to seeing in FPS games, but if you have the patience to learn your gonna be in for a surprise. You can not reload or shoot while moving, which many people have complained about. While this is frustrating at times (namely when a mob of zombies is headed your way and your mp5 is dry) it adds to the urgency of the moment! Make sure your gun is always reloaded and get some distance between you and the enemy (remember that spade shovel they got reaches a lot farther than your knife also) Watch your partners back and hope for the same from them and I promise you will have a great time with this game.
All in all I give this game a 9.2/10 with the controls being the only thing you need to get used to, but not a deal breaker, or a reason to overlook this amazingly well told story.
Enjoy!
Get it on the PS3!
On: 2009-03-13This is one of those must-have games, and while its the first RE game to grace the Xbox 360, and that may be somewhat of a "novelty", its still a classic Playstation game. Certain limitations exist on the Xbox version:
Only supports 1080i
Only supports 5.1 surround
Controls are WIERD
Bottom line, get the PS3 version for a better experience.
Can't tell a game by its cover
On: 2009-03-13Why not take it a step further from reviewing games having only just playing them for a couple hours. Lets rate a game by its cover. First off, on the cover, Chris and Sheva should be switching places so we can see Shevas cleavage. But looking at the back cover, under the Mature rating, it does not include sexuality. So that would make sense that Chris is in the forefront. Now I must say, and Im no, what do you call it, fanboy(I think you have to be under 12 with pimples to be a fanboy), the cover for the PS3 looks much better than the Xbox 360. Oh wait, my bad, I have not opened the game and the wrapping makes the cover look all shiny and bright. Ok, I take that back, it looks the same as the 360. Sticking with the visuals. On the back cover it reads "Intense visuals so real, you wont be able to forget them." Since I dont have to face fear alone, why would I want to remember them. That is a big thumbs down for me, I give the graphics a one star. Now I hear a lot of complaints about the control, especially with those who played the demo. Now I have not even played the demo, let alone, unwrapped RE5, but the game feels pretty good in my hand, Im able to flip it over and back over again with no problem. However, the game slipped from my hands and fell when my hands got a little sweaty. Again, like the graphis, I have to contribute that to the plastic wrapping. I give the controls a 4 stars. The fun factor gets a 1 star as the excitement of my purchase has worn off after reading the back cover twice now. I dont know about you, but are you aware that this game has blood and gore, intense violence, and strong language? As far as bringing down the rating, Dont worry, after the hundreds of ratings, mine will not matter. Ill update my rating after I have played the game for one hour. Ill then provide another review once I finish the game. As for those on the fence on which system to buy it on, I would wait for it to come out on the WIIIII!!! I have an insider scoop from a fanboy that it is coming out on the Wii on 4/1/09 and will also have Sheva wearing a G-sting. Now dont be hating on me 360 fanboys as according to the Mature rating, you must be 17+ to play this game.
Best Played on 360.
On: 2009-03-13This game uses full-on 4x multisampling anti-aliasing on Xbox 360, while using only 2x Quincunx technique on PS3. This means that the 360 has clearer visuals and the PS3 version is blurry.
Framerate is superior on the 360 version. Firstly, it drops far fewer frames than the PS3 code, and secondly, the response from the controls is significantly crisper, particularly when the environments are chockfull of opponents.
Watch the comparison video here.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/face-off-resident-evil-5-article
360 is by far better.
A Remarkable Addition to a Great Series
On: 2009-03-13Pros:
+Stellar graphics
+Really Fantastic Gameplay
+An easy to follow and absorbing story
+All around good sound and music
+For Resident Evil, the voice acting is all right
+Cooperative play is done really well
Cons:
-Limited Inventory is kind of a pain
-A more subjective con: Some Resident Evil fans might not like that the game focuses a lot more on action rather than on horror. There are still some gruesome moments, but you wont be scared or put on edge in many moments through the game. This will be an experience that changes from gamer to gamer
When Resident Evil 4 dropped down in 2005, it was hailed as an instant classic and often goes down as one of the greatest games ever made. With that reputation Resident Evil 5 has a lot to live up to. After four years in development, Resident Evil 5 is finally ready for its outing. There are some things to note, however, such as the idea that much of the horror is gone. So you probably wont be scared at any point while playing the game, but you will definitely be thrilled and youll have a lot of fun.
Resident Evil 5 sports a story which continues the conspiracy and most of it happens to be presented very well. The game is absolutely gorgeous looking in every way and runs consistently. The voice acting, for the most part, is pretty good. For many Resident Evil fans who can still remember the bad voice acting of the first one, its nice to see just how far the series has come. Does Resident Evil 5s gameplay live up to its graphics and sound? Yes. The gameplay is perhaps the games strongest suit.
A lot of the gameplay is similar to Resident Evil 4 in terms of its shooting mechanics. If you mastered the fourth installment, youll be set to tackle what lies ahead here. The controls are easy to get acquainted with. Youve got a large assortment of guns, even though you wont start with a good haul. Along those lines youve still got a trusty knife at your side thats a lot easier to use. As you gun down most of the evils that await you, youll also notice that when they stumble you can approach them and a button prompt will pop up letting you perform special attacks. It helps if you want to conserve ammo.
Conserving ammo might not be a problem, however. For what its worth, theres quite a bit of it, not to mention some of your enemies might drop more. Youll be charged by hordes of bad guys all at once and have to take them on. Those who struggled with Resident Evil 4 might be surprised to find that the difficulty in fifth installment has been toned down considerably. You can absorb a bit more damage than you could before, and healing items restore are also a lot more plentiful along with ammo. This doesnt mean the game is entirely easier, just a bit more inviting.
Whats new for everyone, however, is the co-op mode and having a partner by your side. Playing co-op is a very fun, very exhilarating experience. No matter how you slice it the game is more fun with a friend. It can also be done online. It might seem gimmicky at first, but it all works out really well. There are moments where youll be split up and have to send one partner somewhere while another provides cover fire, but for the most part, youll be sticking together. It all comes together and works really well. Youll want to get a friend and play together whenever you can.
If you feel like going at it alone, however, the AI will happily control the other character. In many games when the words "AI" and "Partner" come up it usually spells disaster... but this isnt so in Resident Evil 5. Youll control Chris in the single player experience, but Sheva will be alright in holding her own in many instances. She shoots and dodges enemies fairly well. In short, you shouldnt have to babysit her. This doesnt make the AI perfect. While she isnt useless in a fight you might notice that Sheva goes through ammo quite fast, sometimes even shooting enemies that arent fully within reach. Theres also not a whole lot of commands you give your partner either. Youll also find yourself having to organize her inventory. Constantly. Its not a bummer to play on single player, but some of it can feel like a chore.
There are two things that might make gameplay take a little getting used to. The first is the menu system. It is now in real time. You only get nine spaces (eighteen, if you count your partner), and it never expands. Also, you cant move while the menu is open--despite it being in real time. This makes it hard to access healing items in the middle of a fight. However, Capcom has remedied this by having the directional pad be shortcut keys, which helps things along. One thing that might not seem as good is that you cant move while you shoot. Some argue if you could do this then Resident Evil 5 just wouldnt feel like Resident Evil. I can accept that, but some might not like the idea that in thirteen years Resident Evil still makes you stand perfectly still to raise your weapon. Its a minor complaint, however, as youll rarely be so over taken that you should have to run and gun anyway. Besides that, the game is still easy despite this, it is obviously a design that Capcom intentionally left unchanged. Youll notice that while you cant move while you shoot, enemies are more than willing to slow down to give you a moment to aim. Nevertheless, theres an intensity to the gameplay that feels perfect. Its a lot of fun to play. You cant move while you shoot, but the lack of being able to do so never really presents itself as a problem. All this amounts to some pretty exciting gameplay. Theres never a dull moment. And when the action slows down its only a matter of time before it picks up again.
If there was anything that truly might upset some fans, it would be that the horror element of the games is just about completely gone. Youll more than likely never be scared. There are a lot of thrilling moments, well designed enemies, bosses and level designs, but some might not like that Resident Evil 5 turns its back on horror almost entirely. Youll find some gruesome things, and plenty of blood and gore, but dont expect to be frightened by anything the game throws at you.
Other than that, Resident Evil 5 is a solid game, in part because its just amazingly fun to play. The fact that you can now go about it with a friend makes it much more exciting. It might not be scary, but at least its still fun.
