The hype that followed Resident Evil 5’s announcement was overwhelming. It was understandable as its predecessor is widely regarded as not just the best of the series, but one of the best games of all time. So how exactly were Capcom, without the help of mastermind Shinji Mikami, going to top RE4? Well, they haven’t. But they’ve done a fantastic job with number 5, making it a worthy addition to any horror or Resident Evil fan.
Resident Evil 5 is set just over 10 years after the original game, this time following the story of Chris Redfield – also from the original. With the pharmaceutical enterprise Umbrella now finished, their Biological Weapons (B.O.W’s) have been sold on the black market. Under-developed countries have started to suffer from such weapons, so the newly constructed Bio-terrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA), which Chris now works for, go into such countries to help. Now Chris has been sent to Kijuju, a small part of Africa, to investigate B.O.W. activity only to find a greater horror waiting for him.
Same Franchise, New Gameplay
For the mission, Chris is partnered with Sheva Alomar. A first for the main series, the game features co-op play – Sheva can either be controlled via the game or be controlled by a friend, offline or online. This has been one of the biggest upsets for fans – Resident Evil is a game to play alone rather with a partner.
But Capcom have put a lot of thought and effort into the co-op and it works really well. Players going in alone will find the AI controlled Sheva to be remarkably clever. She can assist with health situations straight away, while still being able to hold her own in a fight. But don't expect her to help on the Professional setting - more often than not, she won't help even if she's standing nearby.
What also sets this game apart from its predecessors is that it’s played in the daytime – all of the others, bar the beginning of RE4, have been at night. Believe it or not, this works quite well. In fact, half of the time when it’s set in the day, players will actually be in a dark building. The daytime setting does not reduce the intensity, and only makes the day as horrifying as night.
Too Much Action, Not Enough Horror
In terms of gameplay it’s almost exactly like RE4, with some alterations. RE5, however, is more about action than horror. The item screen doesn’t pause the game, so enemies can still attack while weapons are being sorted, which will put people off. There’s a limited amount of space too, so it makes the game more strategic. Items can only be moved to different slots once a chapter is completed or after death.
The upgrade system from RE4 is still intact, just without the merchant. There is less treasure, and the gold found from boxes and enemies is substantially less than RE4, so upgrading all the weapons (and there’s a lot of them) may take a while.
In many aspects this is just RE4 with shinier graphics. It’s not as good but it’s still a fantastic game, from the heart pounding action to the brilliant Mercenaries mode. The co-op mode may put off old fans, but every franchise needs to try something new in order to survive. Capcom have tried something different and it’s paid off in a great way. It's no Resident Evil 4, though,
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