Having played the game on both the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 we have to say that the 360 controller fits the control scheme much better, with the more sensitive analog sticks making most movement/aiming easier. There is a good mix in level design and things to keep the gamer busy, from the normal search and rescue mission to the classic puzzles that RE fans will be happy to see. The game also includes a complete co-op experience (both online/offline) and multiple quick-time events that will mix-up the gameplay throughout the ten or so hours spent playing Resident Evil 5 the first time through. The game was created around a co-op foundation, which works much better in split-screen or over Xbox Live than with the computer controlled AI. While we don’t want to spoil anything story-wise we will say that the boss fights are some of the coolest seen in any RE game created thus far, and those are high comparisons.
As if that wasn’t enough Capcom recently announced the “versus” mode as future downloadable content (DLC), this multiplayer option will single-handedly increase the replay value of RE5 two or three times over. RE5 includes a great variety of weapons to bust zombies with and each one has an expansive upgrade system, which opens up the possibilities for how the title can be played (or replayed). Graphically Resident Evil 5 is one of those top-tier games on all next-generation consoles, every aspect of the title just screams polish and hard work. It’s obvious that the developers at Capcom knew what they needed to create and because of that the immersion that RE5 pulls gamers into is simply horrifying. Each level of the African setting is rich with detail and has lighting effects that help catapult it into the “show-off” category. The story is told from a number of different CG movies and in-game text/voice sequences, keeping the overall feel and mood of the Resident Evil franchise throughout. Each and every character model features such an insane amount of details that we found ourselves pausing the game just to checkout all the different minute aspects that the creators included. Because the game was developed for a next-gen audio/video setup we can only advise everyone to use a HD television and 5.1 systems to take full advantage of what Resident Evil 5 has to offer.
To be completely honest we have to say that coming into this review we really wanted to love the game, it being one of our most anticipated titles of 2009 there was nowhere RE5 could go but down. Thankfully it lived up to each and every expectation we had created for it and there are only a few complaints to make. Some of the co-op AI is a bit whacky but can be forgiven thanks to the multiple gameplay options provided to gamers (online/offline) and the control scheme that Capcom chose will feel awkward for Gears of War or Call of Duty fans. As long as the gamers who pick up Resident Evil 5 understand what the title is supposed to be (a mix of action and horror elements) these decisions will make perfect sense. At the end of the day Resident Evil 5 was one hell of a great/scary experience and all of the fantastic elements easily made up for anything negative the critics can come up with. It has multiple different modes for countless hours of replay time (story, co-op, versus, survival, etc.), which is great considering some may see the single player experience as being a bit short. We are excited to see what Capcom does with the future of the series but for now we advise everyone to go out and pick up a copy of Resident Evil 5, turn off the lights and be ready to experience third-person survival horror at it’s best. After beating the game every way possible in each and every mode (in co-op and on the solo) we can honestly say that we want more, more zombie killing please?
