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| Game Details | Released
13 March 2009 | | Format
PC, Xbox 360, PS3 | | Developer
Capcom |
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Resident Evil 5
 Review
In many ways, Resident Evil 5 feels like a ‘greatest hits’ spanning the series’ 13 years of terror. As well as marking the return of Chris Redfield – a key player in the first adventure back in 1996 – and featuring the playful balance of indoor and outdoor locations that characterised the PlayStation sequels, RE5 is also peppered with the genuinely distressing movie sequences that punctuated Code Veronica and team-based challenges that defined Outbreak, all wrapped in the glorious visuals and intuitive controls that helped reboot the franchise in Resident Evil 4. In short, for anyone who spent their formative console years up to their neck in zombie guts, man-eating moths and betentacled horrors, RE5 is a sublime joy.
Like its hallowed predecessor, RE5 plays fast and loose with the series’ conventions, shifting the action from the familiar streets of an American city to an African landscape of crumbling villages, barren countryside and twisting shanty towns, once again breathing new life into the familiar franchise. But while the new setting is a major departure for the series – and has been a heated source of banter on fan forums – what sets this adventure apart from its forebears is its double-headed action.
While alternative characters have always been a part of Resident Evil, RE5 goes a step further by having a computer-controlled companion by your side at all times, in turn bringing new possibilities to the action; as well as lending a helping hand during gun battles – and being a constant source of frustration when you have to step in and save your partner from being eaten alive – the addition of a second character allows for new co-operative moves and two-person challenges, whether it be giving your friend a leg-up to climb over walls, keeping zombies at bay while your accomplice barricades open doors, or picking off distant enemies with a sniper rifle as your companion uses a handgun to perforate nearby monsters.
But while the new co-op gameplay is fun while playing alone – and your computer-controlled companion does a reasonable job of looking after herself while you get on with the important business of monster mashing – where the dual gameplay really comes into its own is online, allowing a second player to remotely join the adventure and share the horror. And like a George A Romero zombie flick where the human drama of survivors working together to overcome overwhelming odds is just as important as the shocks and gore, having a living partner by your side makes for a much more gripping experience, forcing players to look after each other and watch each other’s back, rather than being solely driven by a greedy sense of self-preservation.
Aside from its two-headed set-up, RE5 is largely business as usual, with puzzle solving, tense combat and ammunition preservation forming the backbone of the action. Destructible environments that allow enemies to smash through walls, smarter monsters who’ll use flanking techniques to corner you and tighter camera angles that add a fresh sense of claustrophobia go a long way freshening the experience, but RE5’s greatest triumph is taking a beloved franchise and polishing it to within an inch of its life, in turn producing 2009’s first killer game and a title that will delight habitual gorehounds and newcomers alike.
Reviewer: David McComb
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Average user rating for Resident Evil 5
| Resident Evil 5 | | | Boring ... Read More
| | | MovieWatcher45 About me | | 03:09, 15 August 2009 | Report This Post | |
| | | | good | | | I liked the game, but controls are just res 4! to me this is res 4, but in HD, not a bad thing, but i feel like ive done this all before! ... Read More
| | | munky22 About me | | 14:57, 08 July 2009 | Report This Post | |
| | | | good | | | I liked the game, but controls are just res 4! to me this is res 4, but in HD, not a bad thing, but i feel like ive done this all before! ... Read More
| | | munky22 About me | | 14:57, 08 July 2009 | Report This Post | |
| | | | Poor | | | After RE4 I was expecting all the stops to be pulled out. As it is the game is shorter and easier than its illustrious predecessor. The boss battles are good but too easy and there is no real sense of fear. ... Read More
| | | ovverbruv About me | | 18:59, 10 May 2009 | Report This Post | |
| | | | terrific stuff | | | gorgeous graphics, intense and satisfying gunplay, online and splitscreen co-op - what more could you ask for?
Not that single player isn't great either, your computer controlled companion is by no means a burden and has some of the best AI I've seen in a game. The new setting and the team based action are a nice change and unlike RE4 the game includes a chapter select so you can go back and play your favourite bits again!
It's no longer that scary, but it is intense. A bloody, tense, superbly... Read More
| | | jomo999 About me | | 00:28, 02 May 2009 | Report This Post | |
| | | | RE: RESIDENT EVIL 5/ A missed opportunity. | | only other res game i've played was ResE 4...was one of the best games i've played, and compared to that 5 was a let down, first time i played it was with a mate playin co-op an we completed with 21 hours game time, not impressed
was a bit annoyed at the fact that they hyped the game with its light an dark elements (goin into an out of buildings) which was very well done...but only for pretty much the first level
an the big axe dude was no where neare as frightning as when you runnin rou... Read More
| | | steflon About me | | 17:46, 29 April 2009 | Report This Post | |
| | | | RESIDENT EVIL 5/ A missed opportunity. | | | Let me start by saying, i have been playing the Resi Evil games since 1998, my favourite of the bunch is RESIDENT EVIL 2,(great advert for the game directed by zombie maestro ROMERO himself)
The films are utter shit though, ignore them as they have no real relation to the games franchise. Resident Evil 4 was a brilliant game, However RESIDENT EVIL 5 just feels like a rehash of the fourth game, it seems so last gen, compared to LEFT 4 DEAD, Resident Evil 5 Seems flat as a fart, it just never rea... Read More
| | | Horrorguru About me | | 19:03, 16 April 2009 | Report This Post | |
| | | | RE: Resident Evil 5 | | | I have to say I don't agree with Resi 5 getting a five star.
Now don't get me wrong I really so enjoy the game, but it really doesn't live up to the hype. It seems resident evil is getting back into a trend. The reason Resident Evil 4 is considered to be amazing is because of how innovotive it was compared to the previous games, and sadly resident evil 5 does very little to raise the bar. But when a game is pretty much a spray painted resident evil 4, is there reason to complain?
Also... Read More
| | | crazyrockboy About me | | 18:38, 10 April 2009 | Report This Post | |
| | | | RE: Resident Evil 5 | | THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST ENJOYABLE GAMES I HAVE PLAYED AND ITS ABOUT TIME THEY TESTED THE SYSTEMS TO THEIR FULL ADVANTAGE (I MEAN THE PS3)THE IN GAME GRAPHICS ARE AS GOOD AS CUT SCENES AND ALL TOUGH RE5 IS SUPPOSE TO BE SCARY MOST OF IT IS SET IN THE DAY TIME WHAT WILL THEY DO NEXT (PROTO-TYPE)THE ONLY GAME TO WAIT FOR NOW
... Read More
| | | KESP About me | | 15:09, 24 March 2009 | Report This Post | |
| | | | RE: good game | | | (minor spoilers)
An inferior sequel to RE4 which had more memorable levels, characters, enemies, atmosphere... well everything really. Chris was usually, and still is pretty boring as a protagonist. That said this is a great game with highly detailed graphics especially later in, and immense replay value due to all the weapons and secrets, plus The Mercenaries mode which as even more characters and areas than before. They've improved the co-op since the demo a bit too which is just big enough... Read More
| | | rich About me | | 21:45, 14 March 2009 | Report This Post | |
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