Cue scary evil voice Resident Evil 5 Review

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Resident Evil 5 like its predecessors is marketed in the survival horror genre, a genre itself that seems to barely limp along. In the interest of full disclosure I’m not a long time fan of Resident Evil (hence forth RE). I did play RE4 on the Wii shortly after its release to that platform. And needless to say I liked it enough to pick up RE5 for PS3. But I avoided the B movies, didn’t play Umbrella Chronicles or go out of my way to pick up earlier titles in the series.

The events in RE5 take place after RE4 but the story is for the most part unrelated. You play Chris Redfield a bulked up BSAA agent (whatever that is) on a mission (to do something er other) in an African failed state but find yourself running around killing zombies. The game’s cinematic intro features Chris driving through the savanna in a humvee. He quickly meets a local agent, Sheva Alomar a gun toting babe who battles in a midriff top and tight pants. The plot here like the rest of this series is bad B movie cliché. My biggest beef is the use of the pseudoscience viral explanation to the zombie outbreak. In Japan, the series is named Biohazard which is a more apt name given the plot. However I would find an occult Lovecraft based explanation much more appealing. I know enough about viruses and parasites to know they don’t cause people to spontaneously grow into giant mutant beasts. In general, I tried to ignore the plot as best I could and focussed on the joy of shooting zombies called “Majini” in this iteration.

Controversy

Based on the game’s E3 trailer showing an animalistic zombie depiction of Africans some critics caused a bit of swirl with accusations of racism. Of course the counter argument is that the Spaniards in RE4 were depicted similarly with no racial intent. The game does depict violence and depravity stylized to the African setting. It’s unfortunate that violence and poverty have stigmatized our view of Africa such that some can’t look at a horror plot set there without suggesting it’s furthering stereotypes. Having played the game I can testify that there are characters both good and evil of various races.

Game Mechanics

RE5 like the other RE’s is 3rd person with an over the shoulder perspective. Unlike most games you can’t move and shoot at the same time. Instead you hold a button to enter a mode which allows your character to aim their equipped weapon, fire or reload. Aiming with all firearms is assisted by a laser scope. Locking player movement while shooting helps balance the games as the zombies tend to creep slowly towards you though once they get close they suddenly lurch. As a control system it works fairly well, though can be frustrating when enemies are directly in front or below as your body blocks your view. That frustration is compounded because their most deadly attacks generally involve grabbing a hold of you at close range.

There are six chapters. Each chapter has three parts. The game like RE4 starts with more rural zombies and moves towards militant machine gun toting zombies. As you progress, the game play is interrupted by various sometimes lengthy cut scenes which to make sure you’re paying attention requires you to mash an optimally timed button lest you’ll be treated to a cinematic snuff film rather than a harrowing escape. Most of the plot is conveyed that way, though there are also some logs to read along the way. Most chapters end with a colossal boss. The bosses are for the most part dispatched by using alternative weapons saving your regular ammo for the Majini. Unfortunately the bosses annoying feature some of the same “Hit X to Dodge” gameplay as the cut scenes.

Throughout the entire game Sheva is by your side. While your buddy is a babe, she’s an equal partner. Playing single player the AI controls her but unlike other games where the non-player friends leave all the heavy lifting to you Sheva is a good shot. If either of you is grabbed by a Majini the other can help if they’re close by. There are also various puzzles and obstacles where you must work together. When you are a blow before death you are unable to do anything but stagger until your partner revives you and if you or your partner die it forces a reload. The equality is even reflected in the inventory management which is set up so during play you give her items or request them from her.

There are occasionally items to interact with such as bookshelves to push in front of windows to block out the hoard, though there seemed to be noticeably less of that than RE4. Slain enemies leave behind loot. Crates, barrels and tables of fruit can be smashed to reveal ammo and money. Weapons can be found in cases scattered about. Treasure which can be sold is hidden and also given as a reward for defeating tougher foes. Unlike in RE4, treasures can’t be combined to add value. There are also green and red herbs about. Green can be taken as is to restore some health when combined with red it restores full health. In between chapters and before reloading after death you are able to manage your inventory. You can buy additional weapons (but not ammo), upgrade weapons, move items between Chris and Sheva, retrieve stowed items into your inventory or remove them for later, and sell treasure.

The inventory with its weapon upgrade system and the various unlockable content creates a meta-RPG element to the game. As your playing the single player game you’re actually unlocking chapters. For a given difficulty level, you can replay any chapter that you already completed and the next. Whichever you chose you always have your current inventory including weapons, healing agents, cash and treasure. At each checkpoint your inventory is saved. With each completed chapter you earn unlock points based on how well you did. In this way every time you play you are accumulating. After you complete the single player campaign your motivation to replay is to unlock the additional weapons and content. Most unlockables require a prerequisite conditions such as completely upgrade a certain weapon before you are able to spend your points to unlock it.

The most heinous game play sin occurs at the end. In an attempt not to reveal any spoilers I’ll just say this: you battle the same foe in a series of frustrating and nonsensical battles. Each requires a different strategy, and each feels like the end. It’s a terrible intense combination of the always ending story, repetition, the final beatdown and stupid plot syndrome.

Multiplayer

You can play the game networked with a friend controlling your partner. You can also play in open network mode allowing anyone to jump in and take control, though this can only occur at checkpoints. What’s really remarkable is no matter if your partner is AI or human the interface is the same in terms of giving and requesting items and other interactions. What is different is the inventory. You play with the stuff you’ve collected. If another player jumps in their inventory including treasure and cash comes with them. You can’t manipulate theirs and vice versa, though you can voluntarily give each other items.

In addition to the single player chapters, there is also mercenary mode which challenges the player to kill as many Majini as possible in a fixed amount of time. This mode can be played both single and with a partner.

Conclusion

The straight single player game is short, though the unlockables and multiplayer support adds in some replay value. When you start the game you are quickly thrown into the midst of a hoard of zombies with few weapons and little ammo. I really enjoy that gameplay. Unfortunately as you progress and pick up more weapons the initial survival vibe is lost. While the African setting is interesting it’s a step down from the creepy ambiance of RE4. While I did my best to avoid paying much attention to the storyline, the stupidity ramps up towards in the end and culminates in the three final frustrating battles against the same foe which alone knocks the rating down a letter. Yet still the solid zombie blasting action makes RE5 an enjoyable title.

Rating: C+

Merchandizing

If you need any more evidence that RE has become a mega franchise check out this merchandizing.