Resident Evil 5 Review: Hey! Why change the formula?

Mike Bantick
Sunday, 29 March 2009 10:41

Entertainment

Resident Evil 4 was a critically acclaimed, and high selling cross platform title for Capcom.  With RE5, the developer has chosen not to fiddle with the winning formula much at all.  Yes there is a new setting and some modern touches, but the RE structure remains.  And it is not for everyone.

Playing a Resident Evil game is an acquired taste, no more so than for a generation raised on set styles of first and third person perspective action games.

Resident Evil 5
	Developer	CAPCOM
	Publisher	THQ
	Rating	MA 15+
PS3, Reviewed on Xbox 360

For many used to the ever increasing pace of some action franchises, the sometimes stilted flow of a RE game may be a quick turn off.

Resident Evil 5 is now with us, and it is undeniably a RE game.  Though the story line is getting increasingly absurd, much of what has made the franchise one of video-game history’s icons remains. 

Let’s discuss what remains the same and what has changed since RE4; first up Chris Redfield returns from his parts in the original release and Code Veronica episodes of RE.  Redfield travels to an unidentified area in Africa to battle a new bioterrorism threat.   The dying embers of the former Umbrella Corporation are proving difficult to snuff out.

Redfield is seemingly up against a whole population of enemies.  These are not zombies, but ‘infected’.  Unfortunate locals that suddenly find themselves enraged by a parasite that inhabits their body, there is a little repetition in enemy models, but plenty of surprises as well.  It is a good mix that provides tension even when facing something seen before.

The landscape is beautifully rendered, with wonderful lighting that has you tasting the dusty urban streets, and smelling the rancid swamps of this latest RE episode.  Occasionally some screen-tear is evident, but in general, lighting and graphical fidelity is top-notch.

While we are on the presentation, special mention must go to the sometimes overlooked area of sound design.  Whether it is the only occasional sounds, muffled within an underground complex, or the full on blast of oratory experience during some monstrosity attack, RE 5’s audio is superb.

New to the game is your AI controlled buddy Sheva Alomar.  Alomar, like Alyx Vance in Halflife 2, is an intelligent, sassy sidekick who not only holds her own during combat, but comes to the aid of the player led Redfield on many occasions. 

The game has been built for two players, with some situations – they could be considered light puzzles, requiring both Redfield and Alomar to act independently in order to solve. 

RE 5 also provides a co-op mode, flavour of the modern-day release, where players can jump into Alomar’s boots if invited, or even if not invited, if the hosting player is open enough to allowing this to happen.  The AI Alomar is more than capable, but RE 5 offers a full co-op mix of friends, strangers or AI to complete the game. 

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