Resident Evil 5: The review that took way too long for me to get to writing
I finished the single player campaign of Resident Evil 5 quite a while ago. However I did not write my review because I wanted to play the multiplayer component as well. This past weekend I finally forced myself to sit down and play the multiplayer. So the question now is does RE5 help to advance the franchise or does it set it back.
In the story mode the player takes control of former S.T.A.R.S. member Chris Redfield, who is now a member of the BSAA (Bio-terrorism Security Assessment Alliance). Chris has been sent to Africa to apprehend a terrorist, Ricardo Irving, that has been rumored to be selling viruses on the black market. Needless to say things don't go smoothly. Chris is partnered with Sheva Alomar another BSAA operative as he tries to capture Irving. In the process they discovers the origins of the T-virus as well as the mastermind behind this incident in Africa.
The story for the most part is pretty predictable but it works well to add to the lore of the Resident Evil universe. It gives a lot of background information about the umbrella corporation. Even better during the loading screen it tries to give the player a timeline of the events of the games. However the timeline information during the screens are in no particular order so it's not as helpful as it could have been. But the story will please fans of the series because it offers some closure to some issues. However this is capcom and that closure can never be certain. If aren't at all familiar with the resident evil lore the story will be lost on you. So if you haven't followed the story thus far but still plan to play RE5 do yourself a favor and familiarize yourself with the story.
The game plays like Resident Evil 4. The controls are even similar. So if you played RE4 you will be able to grab the controller and feel right at home. The only major difference is the change in inventory management, which isn't really too hard to get used to. The quick time events from RE4 are also brought over however they are far less frequent. But there is nothing quite as elaborate as the Krauser fight from RE4, which I happen to have a love/hate relationship with; that is the fight not the game which I actually really enjoyed playing. But I digress.
RE5 introduces co-op play, which is not optional. When there is no human player to play Sheva she is controlled by a really weak AI. I have written about the terrible AI in my look at the RE5 demo a few entries back so for more of my rant on the terrible AI just go back and check out that psuedo review. They did not make any improvements since then. Capcom did fix an issue that was in the review version of the game given, which was namely that AI sheva would not combine things. In the finished version of the game she can. The co-op however is fun when played with another human.
For a game like Resident Evil the main draw is not an online multiplayer option but rather the progression of the lore. So as I've already made clear playing the multiplayer was more like a chore. The campaign co-op is passable but completely unnecessary. It is hard to join a game and really isn't much fun when you do get in. However when you beat the game you unlock "The mercenaries," which is a game mode where you try to kill as many infected as possible in a certain time limit. This mode can be played online as well with one other person. This mode unlike the campaign can be quite fun and addictive. I believe next week Capcom plans to release a multiplayer addition to the game, which will cost $4.99 on PSN. I do not plan to purchase it but it might make multiplayer more intriguing. I would have liked to see more unlockable modes rather than what seems like a lazy tacked on multiplayer option.
Which leads me to my qualms with the game. There are very few worthwhile unlockables. You can unlock "figures" by finding BSAA symbols through out the game and shooting them. But the figures are pretty lame. They are just rotatable sprites of in game enemies and characters. There are unlockable costumes and of course the only worthwhile unlockable "the mercenaties" game mode. After beating the game you can play through it again as Sheva but this adds nothing to the gameplay. She plays exactly like Chris. There are really not many things that will add replay value to the game once the single player is done. The campaign is also rather short clocking in at around 9 hours or so maybe even less.
Capcom put out a functional and for the most part enjoyable and meaningful Resident Evil game. However they took no risks. The game is RE4 with a new story and shinier graphics. There is no innovation here unless you want to count the annoying co-op gameplay.
Resident Evil 5 is a must buy if you're a fan of the series. However because of it's short single player length and little to no replay value for anyone else it's hard to recommend buying it but definitely worth a rental. It is a good game.
I would give Resident Evil 5 a 8/10.
In the story mode the player takes control of former S.T.A.R.S. member Chris Redfield, who is now a member of the BSAA (Bio-terrorism Security Assessment Alliance). Chris has been sent to Africa to apprehend a terrorist, Ricardo Irving, that has been rumored to be selling viruses on the black market. Needless to say things don't go smoothly. Chris is partnered with Sheva Alomar another BSAA operative as he tries to capture Irving. In the process they discovers the origins of the T-virus as well as the mastermind behind this incident in Africa.
The story for the most part is pretty predictable but it works well to add to the lore of the Resident Evil universe. It gives a lot of background information about the umbrella corporation. Even better during the loading screen it tries to give the player a timeline of the events of the games. However the timeline information during the screens are in no particular order so it's not as helpful as it could have been. But the story will please fans of the series because it offers some closure to some issues. However this is capcom and that closure can never be certain. If aren't at all familiar with the resident evil lore the story will be lost on you. So if you haven't followed the story thus far but still plan to play RE5 do yourself a favor and familiarize yourself with the story.
The game plays like Resident Evil 4. The controls are even similar. So if you played RE4 you will be able to grab the controller and feel right at home. The only major difference is the change in inventory management, which isn't really too hard to get used to. The quick time events from RE4 are also brought over however they are far less frequent. But there is nothing quite as elaborate as the Krauser fight from RE4, which I happen to have a love/hate relationship with; that is the fight not the game which I actually really enjoyed playing. But I digress.
RE5 introduces co-op play, which is not optional. When there is no human player to play Sheva she is controlled by a really weak AI. I have written about the terrible AI in my look at the RE5 demo a few entries back so for more of my rant on the terrible AI just go back and check out that psuedo review. They did not make any improvements since then. Capcom did fix an issue that was in the review version of the game given, which was namely that AI sheva would not combine things. In the finished version of the game she can. The co-op however is fun when played with another human.
For a game like Resident Evil the main draw is not an online multiplayer option but rather the progression of the lore. So as I've already made clear playing the multiplayer was more like a chore. The campaign co-op is passable but completely unnecessary. It is hard to join a game and really isn't much fun when you do get in. However when you beat the game you unlock "The mercenaries," which is a game mode where you try to kill as many infected as possible in a certain time limit. This mode can be played online as well with one other person. This mode unlike the campaign can be quite fun and addictive. I believe next week Capcom plans to release a multiplayer addition to the game, which will cost $4.99 on PSN. I do not plan to purchase it but it might make multiplayer more intriguing. I would have liked to see more unlockable modes rather than what seems like a lazy tacked on multiplayer option.
Which leads me to my qualms with the game. There are very few worthwhile unlockables. You can unlock "figures" by finding BSAA symbols through out the game and shooting them. But the figures are pretty lame. They are just rotatable sprites of in game enemies and characters. There are unlockable costumes and of course the only worthwhile unlockable "the mercenaties" game mode. After beating the game you can play through it again as Sheva but this adds nothing to the gameplay. She plays exactly like Chris. There are really not many things that will add replay value to the game once the single player is done. The campaign is also rather short clocking in at around 9 hours or so maybe even less.
Capcom put out a functional and for the most part enjoyable and meaningful Resident Evil game. However they took no risks. The game is RE4 with a new story and shinier graphics. There is no innovation here unless you want to count the annoying co-op gameplay.
Resident Evil 5 is a must buy if you're a fan of the series. However because of it's short single player length and little to no replay value for anyone else it's hard to recommend buying it but definitely worth a rental. It is a good game.
I would give Resident Evil 5 a 8/10.
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