By Cody Webb
Back in 2005, there was a game that was completely changing everything about a well-known and well-loved series. The game was Resident Evil 4 and it amazed people, garnered many awards and proved that you can revive a series by giving it better controls and a better camera. Resident Evil 5 continues to expand where Resident Evil 4 left off and the developers at Capcom have outdone themselves again. As with all Resident Evil games, RE5 is rated M for blood, gore, and lots of zombie killing; and is available on the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3.
Chris Redfield, one of the protagonists from the original Resident Evil, finally returns to the spotlight as the main character. Now he’s working for a new agency and finds himself in Africa searching for leads into strange events. A local, Sheva Alomar, joins up with him at the beginning of the game and stays with him through the following events. Those of you who were annoyed by Ashley being a pathetic escort be at ease; Sheva can hold her own in a fight. And with that short introduction, the game thrusts you straight into a sun-drenched shanty town.
Make no mistake, RE5 is one of the best-looking games I’ve ever played. This beauty comes at a price, though, for it tends to overheat the Xbox quickly. Be warned if you plan on playing it for an extended period of time. The enviroments are amazingly detailed down to the last grain of dirt and the rust on the chainlink fences. The same goes for the bloody and dirty zombie-like men you’ll be fighting, along with some hideous abominations that’ll make you cringe when you see just how well-designed they are.
Combat has gotten even more brutal since RE4, since now Chris and Sheva can do more than just a simple kick when fighting the hordes of “Majini” chasing after them. You’ll be able to make them punch, kick, and there’s even a handy instant-kill move for when you knock an enemy down. Reaction commands return again, allowing you to avoid the more dangerous moves that a boss will throw at you and once again making sure that no cutscene is safe. Although you’ll get more of a warning when there are commands during a cutscene this time around.
The inventory system has also gone through another overhaul, this time combat still goes on while you have your inventory open (like in the Outbreak spin-off). However, now you can asign items to the D-pad so that you can switch between them with a simple press of a button. This is crucial, since ammo still tends to run out and you’ll find yourself needing to switch to another weapon in the middle of a fight. Inventory management has been simplified, as well, getting rid of having to figure out how much room you need to carry an item and such.
Resident Evil 5’s main draw is its brilliantly crafted co-op mode, where two players can tackle the story with one controlling Chris while the other controls Sheva. This brings RE5 to another level of fear, because now that you have another player there to watch your back, the game gets just a little bit harder. If one player dies, it’s all over, so teamwork is key to surviving. If you miss out on this, you’ve missed out on some truly stunning multiplayer fun. You can play co-op over Xbox Live or splitscreen, so there’s really no excuse for not being able to try it out.
The Resident Evil series has earned my respect time and time again, and this time is no exception. You can tell the series has come a long way and it’s hard to point out any flaws in it. I suppose if I had any gripes with the game it would be that Chris looks like he juiced up on steroids before the game started. You can overlook this, however, because it really doesn’t get in the way of enjoying this amazing experience.
If you’re a diehard fan of the RE series, I highly recommend you go out and play this game now. Even if you’re not a fan of the series, give this one a shot! You’ll be missing out if you don’t. Resident Evil 5 gets an A, now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got more zombie heads to bust.
