Resident Evil 5

Well this is embarrassing I saved but never posted my Review on Resident Evil 5! So here it is!

Resident Evil 5:

Everyone who’s anyone will have heard it, if you haven’t heard about it either in the papers/radio with its bad press about racism or the massive billboards and posters that litter our streets and highways then you probably don’t go out much or you don’t have any eyes or ears. So I’m guessing you guys want to know what I think? Well it was ok, the game itself is pretty solid, and it will take you a good 15 hours or less to complete depending on your skill level. The story is of course the run of the mill action flick, and the graphics aren’t too shabby either. But I know you guys want to know in detail about the game, so like usual I’ll split my review up into categories from gameplay right down to the graphics.

Graphics:

Ok so everyone has been raging on how amazing the graphics are, but if Metal gear Solid 4 and Resident Evil 5 had a fight, Old Snake would put Chris Redfield into hospital. The Playstation 3 can just handle more and of course this game isn’t true HD due to it having to work on both an X-Box 360 and a Playstation 3. This isn’t to say that the graphics suck, they don’t, it’s just that they could have been better that what was advertised. The layout of the graphics is the thing that gets me, I mean Jesus Christ. I understood that Resident Evil 4 pretty much had to be laid out in a grid system much like the Tomb Raider series but for fuck sake, you’d think on a next gen console they’d make the environmental graphics more interactive, you character moves so stiffly it’s like controlling a tank, I thought those controls were gone with the days of the PS2 and the Gamecube? This is a fucking next gen console, as an audience we should have the right to expect more, and expect the best, but it just comes to such a disheartenment that the graphics are so limited and stiff compared to some other games where graphical and environmental elements are so fun, and draw you into the game, rather than taking you out of it. I suppose that this is also a gameplay complaint, but fuck it.
Another major complaint is how fucking lazy Capcom care with coming up with new and original enemy animations. You can pretty much see that Capcom have just lifted the enemy animations from Resident Evil 4 and just smacked them into Resident Evil 5. It’s just a shame that a new system wasn’t implemented like a ragdoll physics engine. I mean they’re making Resident Evil 5, yeah, Resident Evil fucking 5. This is one of the most important franchises of the gaming industry, and they just take Resident Evil 4, and build it around that? I’m not badmouthing RE4 either, it’s just that RE5 is on the Playstation fucking 3 and it pisses me off.
Another slight annoyance, I suppose it could also be put under story though but WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH CHRIS REDFIELD? I mean he must have had a steroid addiction between Code veronica and now because Fuck a Duck, he’s arms a larger than Rambo’s! Just what the fuck were Capcom thinking?! Is this the role model Capcom think is a good thing to follow “Hey kids do steroids, look like a freak! Then you too can be this cool!” Does anyone remember when Resident Evil was about average guys getting into situations which were almost impossible to survive? Well now it doesn’t matter because you know that Chris can handle himself, he’s a fucking tank! I wonder if that’s why he handles like one?

So the graphics look pretty, but they could have been better, I’m going to have to give the graphics an 8/10.

Gameplay:

Ok this is where the game lacks most substance. First of all the game pretty much handles like Resident Evil 4. You may be asking why that’s a bad thing? Well we’re dealing with gameplay which worked on the previous generation, but with new physics engines being invited and games like Tomb Raider: Underworld and Dead Space just getting the gameplay right in factors of flow and ease of use I just can’t give this high marks, if and when you get used to the tank like controls you can breeze through the game, especially with the piss poor A.I of the enemies, although that’s balanced out with the piss poor A.I of your supporting character in single player mode, but more on that later.
The game really only starts to shine with its extras and collectables. By playing certain modes, and collecting a certain amount of points won during each chapter you can unlock anything from Unlimited Ammo and extra weapons all the way to collectable character models and character bios, but I haven’t even mentioned the best part of the game: The Mercenaries. This game really does stand out, it’s intense and takes a long time to master the only complaint I have is the sheer lack of unlock able characters: All we have is Sheva, Chris, Jill and Wesker all of which can be unlocked over and over again with different costumes and Weapons. I’m sorry but this again shows Capcom’s lazy side: Where’s the fucking variety? I mean Resident Evil 4 had HUNK from Resident Evil 2, where’s he or other characters from previous Resident Evil? Where’s the love Capcom?

Ok now you remember I mentioned the AI of your partner? Yeah well IT’S HORRID! First of all the AI partner is extremely health conscious and cannot for the life of them judge when it’s the right time to use them. Your AI character always, ALWAYS uses up ammo faster than Stallone I swear it. I gave Sheva a full magazine once and the next 3 seconds it was gone, some magic trick huh? The AI is bound to run into trouble and only hides when you hide, and then they start fucking with your inventory, I’ve spent many times during gameplay just shouting at the television to tell my AI character to stop fucking giving me ammo I don’t even need, and taking away the ammo you do. It’s just fucking moronic. That’s why Capcom enabled online co-op, but unless you have a decent broadband connection, in which if you aren’t someone who plays online games 24/7, then again you’re fucked unless you live in the US or Korea or even Japan. However if your connection does last out online co-op and two player split screen can be awfully fun, and the main game actually (dare I say?) seems fun and enjoyable, instead of being so frustrating you feel like drilling a hole into your skull for entertainment, as at least that isn’t as painful as the horrid AI and the out-dated control scheme.

Oh and one more thing: The Inventory system: Let’s explain it. Ok you have hotkeys on the up, down, left and right on the D-Pad, but you also have non hotkeyable items in the other spaces like so: There has been so man times I needed to hotkey an item not placed in the up down left right on the D-Pad and it has cost me my life. This has to be the second most frustrating thing about this game, I just hope for Capcom’s sake that they change the gameplay for the reboot/sequel Resident Evil 6 rumoured to be set in London.

So overall the gameplay isn’t bad, it just isn’t as good as say Dead Space (one of the greatest Survival Horrors in my opinion). Capcom have tried to create tension and suspense in an action game by giving us awkward control, which isn’t the way a horror game should be built. I’m all up for challenges, but not challenges with having to wrestle with my PS3 controller. The things that really save this game is the wonderfully tense and fun mercenaries and the trinkets that any old school Resi fan will smile at. Altogether the Gameplay gets an above average 6.7/10

Story:

Ok I’m going to cut straight to the chase here. The story is better than RE4, the voice acting is a LOT better. BUT it still doesn’t mean it was good. I have seen bricks more interesting than Chris Redfield, and the storyline toward the end made me want to hit myself repeatedly with a frying pan; because at least I’d lose less brain cells that way! The story was trying to be “too epic” but it just ended up epically failing on all levels. You see Konami manage to come up with crazy stories, but manage to put so much intelligence into their scripts it’s extremely hard not to become engrossed in their 20 minute+ cut scenes. Resident Evil 5 tried to do what Metal gear Solid 4 (and generally all the MGS games) does and just fell flat on its face.

The story is just an average kind of mad scientist destroying the world, good guy stopping him explosions here and there blah blah blah. 5/10

So all in all Resident Evil 5 really deserves two scores: if you haven’t played Resident Evil yet, I’d recommend you get a Wii or a Gamecube and play Resident Evil Remake and Resident Evil 4 first, because I think this game does make a decent action game, and it’s definitely worth adding to your games collection, but you may prefer the older ones, and it’s worth checking them out before you play this one. For you guys who haven’t played a Resident Evil title yet I give this game a 7/10

For those who are hardcore fans of the series you’ll probably only want to get this for the “story” and to add to your collection. It’s a real shame, Resident Evil 5 (despite being an action game rather than a Horror game) had great promise, it’s surprisingly addictive, and I must admit is a slight guilty pleasure. BUT with it’s gameplay flaws and unintelligent, average story it really dragged the game down for me: 6/10