Resident Evil 5

[Monk]

I heard it was essentially ResE 4 but in Africa.

Comfirm/Deny?

[frogbeastegg]

I've nearly finished it; 3 missions left to go. I keep going back to find more treasure so I can upgrade my guns, or try out new things. That aspect of the game is very addictive.

I'd say it starts out better than it ends; each area has been a little less fun than the one before it. The village in chapter 1 is my favourite, and chapter 5 was a dull slog. Chapter 6 had better be an improvement but from the opening minutes it does not look like it. It's become confused about what it's supposed to be, and has turned into Gears of Resident Evil - a cover based shooter. The majini have become uniformed machine gun totting soldiers which, aside from the red eyes and odd tentacle, would belong in any one of a billion games.

Resi 5 is the first title in the series I've liked. I hated all of the pre-resi 4 titles, didn't get on with resi 4, and the entire survival horror thing has never clicked with me. The following is strictly and totally IMO and I know a lot of people feel otherwise, but it's not scary, it's not a good story, it's not terribly atmospheric, it's not fun to play. It's just endless bad controls, bad camera angles, boring enemies, stupid puzzles (and I like puzzles in games!), annoying bosses, all rounded out by ear-grating voice acting and a plot and characters that I don't care in the least about. I remember a friend showed me the original resi and, far from finding it scary, I was laughing the entire time. Scary games just don't work on me; System Shock 2 and - in the opening 4 levels - Dead Space are the only ones which have.

Resi 5 somehow works. The controls are clunky but passable. The story is cheesy B-movie and knows it, and it's pulled off with style and a sly wink. It's no longer trying to be scary, so I no longer find it hilarious. The setting provides a lot of variety, and it's nice to be playing out in the sun for some of it. The gameplay itself is the largest change. Very little of the bullet scrounging that characterised previous titles; I find it's handled so well that I never do run out or build a huge stash. There's enough that I don't resent every bullet I fire, and not so much I can spray and pray. Ammo for the more powerful weapons is more restricted, so using them is a special occasion.

Best of all is the co-op. It's a blast. Standing back to back to fight off a horde intent on tearing you to shreds is awesome. I wouldn't have got the game if not for my boyfriend wanting to play it in co-op. We play split screen, and I wouldn't recommend trying that unless you have a fairly large TV. The game doesn't use all of the available space; it puts big black borders by the side of each player's section.

When played in singleplayer mode Sheva is controlled by AI, and it's the most impressive partner AI I have seen. She will do something dumb rarely, and uses more bullets than I'd like sometimes. Then I see her headshot 3 majini with 3 bullets when they're at a long distance, or she'll set some nearby ones up perfectly for me to melee them to death, or run in with a herb to save me when I'm cornered by a boss, and at those times all is forgiven. You've just got to put some thought into what inventory you give her, and swap her between attack and cover modes as the situation demands. I've given her a rifle and a machine gun; she's deadly with them. I'm impressed by the way in cover mode she will use that machine gun like it's a pistol; she doesn't even use small bursts of fire unless it's a tougher foe. I'm not sure how well she will do on veteran and professional modes. Given a weapon with unlimited ammo unlocked she should be ok.

There's so much to do in this game! Lots to find, loads to unlock, plenty to upgrade, speed runs, mercenary mode, 4 difficulties, all sorts. I expect to be playing for quite a while after I complete those final 3 levels today.

I heard it was essentially ResE 4 but in Africa.

Comfirm/Deny?

I didn't get very far in resi 4 so add salt as necessary. It's very similar overall, in that it's much more action based than previous games, and that you're supposed to target your bullets to set up melee attacks or buy breathing room so you can reposition yourself. It's different in that it's fully embraced the action and co-op side with features like being able to replay levels as many times as you want whenever you want. Guns, ammo and upgrades are universal for your profile, so that maxed out magnum from your easy run will be there on your veteran run unless you sell it. Another difference is that you're not alone for much of the game, and you're not stuck escorting a suicidal idiot programmed to do her best to get you a game over.

If you like resi 4 I don't see why you wouldn't like this, so long as you are ok with Sheva and the lack of trying to be scary. I'm going to give resi 4 another go when I'm bored with this, see if I get on with it better.