Resident Evil 5 is one good-looking survivor horror game

(Capcom; PS3, Xbox 360; rated mature)

Ever since I first heard about Resident Evil 5 a year or so ago, I’ve been waiting for it, but not in the way that I do with most big titles though. That’s because I had lot of good experiences with the first three Resident Evil titles, and I spent a lot of time completing those games. When Resident Evil 4 was released, I played the hell out of it. But, to my astonishment, it blew. I couldn’t begin to tell you why, or what specific things bothered me, but there was something. Maybe the shock value had worn off, with the survival horror genre exploding due to the success of games like the first Resident Evil.

In Resident Evil 5, you play as Chris Redfield. If you’re a long-time Resident Evil fan, this makes you smile. You are teamed up with a partner in this game (yes, the whole game), making for great co-op action. Sheva is a woman you meet early on who saves your life and decides to be nosey and prod her way into your past. I almost forgot to mention you are in the Resident Evil universe’s version of Africa. Guess Capcom didn’t think being politically correct mattered much, seeing how every bad dude in this game is black.

From the very beginning of Resident Evil 5, I found things I disliked. The movement of your character is not very fluid and makes you feel robotic at times. The camera angles also constrict a lot of your vision due to Chris taking up most of the side of the screen. If only we had a lanky hero who would not take up so much space. I also didn’t like always having to drop what I’m doing to heal and save Sheva from death. But she does return the favour.

Now, don’t get me wrong; this game looks absolutely fantastic. Resident Evil 5 is probably one of the best looking games I’ve ever seen or played. The story is also very interesting, which makes putting up with some of the tiny issues more manageable. Also, ammo is scarce which makes this truly a solid survivor horror game (although it is odd that some baddies who have handheld weapons can drop ammo upon their demise). One cool thing that Capcom has added is when you start your game over (after beating it) you get to keep all the weapons you’ve collected.

Overall, I found Resident Evil 5 slightly disappointing in some respects, but very promising and overwhelming in others. I hope Capcom doesn’t give up on this genre anytime soon; there are a lot of crappy horror games (ahem, Alone in the Dark) coming out lately. Definitely pick up Resident Evil 5 and play through it once, twice, or thrice.