Resident Evil 5

James and I finally finished playing Resident Evil 5. This is the 5th installment of the Resident Evil series but I haven’t actually played any of the previous games. So I started this with a clean expectations and a pretty open mind. Of course, this didn’t help making the storyline any clearer. As I said in my review of Metal Gear Solid 4, there’s something about Japanese story lines that make them convoluted and, sometimes, even incomprehensible.

The biggest complaint most people have about the game is the control scheme. Frankly, I don’t know what’s the fuss. Initially, you do tend to struggle with the unusual scheme, e.g. you can’t shoot and run at the same time. However, within just a few hours, everything becomes second nature and you’ll be smoothly transitioning between running and shooting with no effort at all.

Once you’ve gotten past the controls, you have a pretty fun game, especially in co-op. This is not a survival horror game. This is a a shoot ‘em up! Whether you’re running around or riding a vehicle, you’re shooting and shooting a lot! And co-op means double the shooting! That’s with a whole arsenal of pistols (Beretta, USP, Magnum, Desert Eagle), shotguns, submachine guns (Skorpion, MP5, AK-47, SiG552), rifles (Dragunov, PSG1), grenade launchers (MGL,RPG), and even a flamethrower!

And at the receiving end are zombies and various monstrosities (usually bosses). An unusual thing about these zombies is that they don’t shuffle around moaning as we all know zombies do. Rather, they move around pretty quick, arm themselves to the teeth (think chainsaws and gatling guns), and even drive motorbikes and cars.

But co-op is not just about the shooting. It also means you have to cooperate with each other by doing actions that require two players, healing, and resuscitating each other. Move away from your partner and you’ll eventually end up dead. Your partner is definitely critical and preferably human. But if your buddy is not around, not to worry, the AI can manage albeit it can sometimes be irritatingly stupid.

And all these is with graphics and audio that can almost rival MGS4. It even fixes one quibble I have with MGS4: the weapons you carry actually show up as being carried. Well, at least the first three (knife, pistol, rifle/shotgun). Carry more than that and it magically disappears into, ostensibly, your pocket. Still, it’s good that the developers attempted to be realistic and a the same time fun. Definitely one of the best games on the PS3 and one that needs to be in your collection.

Rating: 5/5