Monday, March 30, 2009

Resident Evil 5


The demo came out a few months before the game and like a child at christmas time I was pacing as it downloaded. I loved Resident evil 4 and played it until most of the characters were burned into my retinas. All I could here in my head was "what're ya buyin?? What're ya sellin'??"

Finally the demo came in and I dove into it like I was Scrooge McDuck in his money storage area. I was pleased that it was like RE4 however disappointed at the same time. Games really moved forward since the last game so my expectations were very high. The African setting was gorgeous to look at but wasn't great in terms of scares. I though "I'll just wait for the full game to come out and scare myself silly then."

The full game finally came out. I brought it home, ripped it out of it's package and played it like crazy. After the first playthrough it gives you the option of upgrading your weapons and buying infinate ammo. This brought me through to another playthrough, this time with my girlfriend on second player. The game was more pleasurable with a second person, as I didn't have to tell the AI constantly to wait, take cover, or stop picking up useless ammo. However making the game 2 player also makde the game a lot less frightening.

I love the resident Evil series, as it's the first series that really scared the crap out of me in a game. It seems to me as they're trying to move away from scares and make another action game to contend with Gears of War, Halo, Killzone. All fine games, but I want some horror and scares!


I'm not saying RE5 is bad it just doesn't "feel" like Resident Evil anymore.

Another comparison to the Gears of War franchise is Chris Redfield's steroid riddled body. Another thing to take away suspense and scares is to play with a friend that yells "ROID RAGE!!" every time you get into a heavy battle with zombies. (there should be an acheivement titled Roid Rage)


They also got rid of the merchant. Now everytime you die you can purchase weapons/manage your inventory. You only have so many slots in your main inventory so this can be a pain in the ass, however once you have infinate ammo for a weapon of your choice it doesn't matter how small the inventory is.
Overall I prefer Resident Evil 4 over this game. The 2 player is fun and addictive but it's missing out on creepy moments, good scares, and imaginative bosses. Even Wesker looks like Neo from the Matrix. Resident Evil 4 was able to be scary but also a great action game. This however has failed to be scary and is straight up action.

8/10

2 comments:

Loner Gamer said...

"Roid Rage" rofl. Indeed. Every time I play the game, my eyes would be fixed on Chris' inhumanly bulging biceps because I keep thinking that it could burst at any moment, spraying blood all over the screen, obscuring my view from shooting at the zomb-I mean-majinis.

Blake said...

I played the demo with a friend on co-op and both of us couldn't take the controls. Basically being a living Turret, doesn't appeal to me at all.

I will probable pick this game up when the new systems are on their way in, and I see this one in the bargain bin for $20.

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