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Review
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 Resident
Evil 5 (Playstation 3)
Capcom's long-running survival
horror franchise gets another solid installment with the release of
Resident Evil 5. Featuring stunning, photo-realistic graphics,
impressively smooth gameplay as well as online modes and co-op missions,
it offers a challenging, immersive experience. This edition stars Chris
Redfield and his new partner Shiva Alomar. This introduces a new dynamic
into the game where you work together as you battle the zombie hordes in
Africa. RE5's visual flair is incredible and its cinematic approach is
smooth and polished. It's gameplay is also faster than previous titles,
with a faster pace and more gunplay owing more to RE 4 than earlier
installments. It represents another solid installment in the series,
offering a pleasing mix of old and new elements that bring the series to
the HD era without losing its essential appeal. |
It's fitting that the series that almost
single-handedly invented the survival horror genre nearly 15 years ago
would reinvent, or reanimate, itself for the HD era without losing the
things players have loved about the series. Fans of the previous Resident
Evil titles should pretty much know what to expect by now. While the game
delivers most of the chills and thrills you've come to expect, there are a
few interesting changes and surprises around that help to keep things
fresh. As the action in Resident Evil 5 begins, you find yourself
investigating a new outbreak of the deadly virus in a remote section of
Africa. As Chris Redfield, you've seen this before - the shadow of
Umbrella Corporation looms overhead. In the earliest stages, you witness
the beginning of a new outbreak of the virus as innocent villagers are
transformed into hideous undead monsters. This plot should sound familiar
enough to Resident Evil veterans. However, there's a twist this time
around. Instead of battling the zombie hordes alone, you're joined in the
action by a partner named Shiva Alomar who's both smart and aggressive.
Unlike the previous games, where the sidekicks merely acted as eye candy
and had minimal impact on the play, Shiva takes a more active role during
the mission. It's safe to say that without her, you'd have no chance at
all. Her presence changes your strategy and approach in a number of key
ways, most of which improve the gameplay and make it more interesting
throughout. Initially, the action plays similarly, except you can now
trade and exchange items with your partner. This comes in handy when you
want to stockpile weapons, ammo and herbs. As you progress through your
missions, Shiva will also come to your aid if you run into trouble. For
example, she'll give you a health booster shot if you're running low on
energy. She'll also shoot and target enemies nearby. On the other hand,
you also have to keep an eye on her as well, since she can take damage as
well. If she loses all her health and dies, the action comes to an end, so
you have to guard her as well. This co-operation extends to other sections
of the game as well, you can use the two characters to traverse gaps, make
co-operative jumps and use other techniques. This gives RE5 a different
feel than other games and lets you feel like you're not just looking out
for yourself. The game's puzzles have also been adjusted to this new
structure. In one section, you might want to have Shiva run ahead and
unlock a door while you stay behind. Another area has you guarding her,
protecting her from zombie attacks as you wait on the other side of a
building. There are numerous weapons, such as shotguns and sniper rifles
that you can use to attack the enemies. This would seem to give you an
immediate advantage, and in the early stages it seems to work. However,
later on you'll face off against more dangerous opponents who are just as
good as you are when it comes to gunplay, so you'll need to be careful.
Like many of the previous games, there are different types of enemies
you'll face off against. Initially, the standard zombies are fairly easy
to pick off thanks to their predictable movements and low bullet
threshold. Later on, you'll face off against more dangerous foes who'll
attack you relentlessly and aren't as easily stopped by a few shots. These
include some fairly intimidating boss characters who are almost relentless
in their attacks and who aren't vulnerable except for certain weapons.
 Most
of RE5 takes place in real-time and the controls and interface in these
section is fairly simple to understand and use. The action takes place
from a semi-third person viewpoint where the camera is positioned above
your shoulder. Movement is performed by using the analog pad, while
holding down makes your character sprint. Weapons can be equipped from the
main menu and one in your hand, you press the shift button to aim and
fire. Most of the weapons have laser sights which makes it easy to pick
off opponents. You can use the menu system to call up your inventory and
can trade items, share objects and even request your partner's inventory
as well. This makes for a fairly intuitive system and while the interface
isn't as smooth or visceral as a true FPS, Resident Evil 5's approach
makes the combat much simpler than previous games. In addition to the
action sequences, there are several cut-scenes where you need to press
buttons in quick succession to perform moves. This is one of the few areas
of RE5 that isn't implemented as smoothly as it could have been, making
these sequences choppy reminders of the limitations seen in older RE
titles. Despite this, the game is for the most part quite good in terms of
balance and pacing. There's a good mix of action and puzzles and as in the
previous RE titles, you'll find numerous items by exploring, finding
hidden crates and locating items within. However, this time around, your
partner will scoop up items along the way, too. This makes a bit of
competitiveness in the game that can be a bit annoying. Previous titles
prided themselves on giving you limited weapons, but the approach was
modified with the more action oriented RE4. The fifth game takes this one
step further, with a catch. There's abundant ammo to be found, but since
you have to split it between two main characters, you still need to be
careful and not shoot blindly. In addition to objects you find during the
game, you can also purchase additional things from the shop between
rounds, with everything from guns to herbs and first aid spray available.
This means you shouldn't hesitate to grab any gold you see along the way.
There are other things to aid you on your quest, such as calling out to
Shiva for direction and information during the game. The single-player
mode also gives you a map which you can use to point you in the right
direction. This time around, you can also use your navigation maps to
locate your partner in case you get split up, which can be an invaluable
aid, since you sometimes can look to Shiva to point you in the right
direction if you get lost. While the previous games relied heavily on
finding ribbons and typewriters to save your progress, RE 5 seems to have
ditched this mode entirely and instead uses a more transparent auto-save
system which allows you to progress through with little problem. The
frequent save points in the game mean you won't spend a lot of time
backtracking. This auto-save system makes RE5's gameplay more enjoyable
and while making for a smoother flowing experience.
 Despite
taking place in sun-drenched deserts and cities of Africa, Resident Evil 5
is still able to create a palpable sense of fear and dread. An impressive
level of visual detail is evident throughout the game, with outstanding
character design, smooth flowing animation and realistic environments
transporting players into a forbidding world. Excellent character models
make you feel like you're controlling real people, and the zombies move at
you with unexpected speed and menace, giving you little breathing room. As
you'd expect, there are many areas in the game that will shock you with
their brutality and gore. RE 5's soundtrack fits the bleak mood perfectly,
and there's abundant voice-overs and acting that are well done, propelling
the storyline forward without being excessively cheesy or distraction.
When they're running at you full-force, the zombies themselves look evil
and possessed and the game's overall feel is one of constantly being on
the run from a dangerous force that's becoming ever more powerful and
insidious. The best parts of RE5 are the ones where you and Shiva find
yourselves surrounded by seemingly endless waves of zombies and need all
your persistence and skill to survive, usually by the skin of your teeth,
only to stagger into the next confrontation. This gives Resident Evil 5 a
constant sense of tension and fear. One of the more interesting
achievements in the game is the sense of teamwork it creates. This is
especially true when you see your partner under attack, where your first
instinct is to jump right in and save her, regardless of the consequences.
This creates an exceptionally interesting dynamic that sets the game apart
from the older RE titles, while also giving you motivation to keep going.
The storyline itself is fairly interesting and there are many mysteries
and surprises lurking behind every corner. While doesn't completely
reinvent the basic play mechanics, the use of co-operative techniques
gives Resident Evil 5 a unique feel. It helps to immerse you deeper into
the action because you end up caring about not just your own survival, but
Shiva's as well. Its this sense of truly having a partner in the action
that makes the game feel compelling and alive. Between its stunning and
occasionally dark visuals, exciting combat sequences and interesting
storyline, Resident Evil 5 creates an immersive and interesting world to
explore that's simultaneously beautiful and terrifying. It's a solid
installment in the franchise that offers new elements while offering the
thrills and chills players have come to expect from this long running
series.
- Michael Palisano
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