The arrival of Resident Evil 5 was eagerly anticipated on Xbox 360. Personally I wasn’t sure what to expect after reading through various bad reviews that had been written based on the demo version, but I preordered it anyway. So, yet again we play as Chris Redfield (who seems to have undergone an extreme makeover) and this time we have been sent to Africa on an investigative mission to find out about the virus that is now spreading across the world, accompanied by our partner Sheva. Now this is a new addition to the Resident Evil games, I mean there was Ashley in Resident Evil 4 but we were supposed to protect her, Sheva is a little different. Many reviews have said she is annoying, however she actually isn’t that bad if you are playing on normal mode. On numerous occasions she has revived me and helped me kill larger groups of enemies…and hand her a rifle and boy does she use it well! However if you play on Veteran mode, yes she is pretty annoying is you give her a gun as all she does is waste ammo. The best thing to do is take her gun away and leave her with her knife (but now all she does is get in the way and keep dying meaning you have to keep reviving her with your first
aid sprays!!!) Even in the other modes she does get in the way sometimes, and it can be annoying when you are beating a boss and she goes and gets her head cut off but aside from that she can be quite helpful on your quest. Having a partner also means having double the inventory space as you have hers aswell. You can also exchange items between each other (eventhough she does tend to hog the ammo if you give her some!) With the new location and vast variety of enemies and bosses Resident Evil 5 is definitely a decent continuation from Resident Evil 4.
Graphics
Outstanding as usual, after all it is Resident Evil and when have graphics ever been a problem? The attention to detail is brilliant adding to the goriness and exciting atmosphere of the whole game.
Most Exciting Part
The bosses! They are a lot bigger and cleverer than previous bosses, making them more fun to kill. There are also plenty of new ways to kill them for example, using a proximity bomb or electric power box.
Least Exciting Part
Killing a boss can get repetitive as it usually takes quite a bit of effort and ammo!
Duration
Other Resident Evil games have lasted alot longer. I managed to complete Normal mode in just under 8 and a half hours and Veteran Mode in just under 14 hours and that was collecting all the items along the way and not just ploughing through the game. To be honest I think the game shoud've been made a little more complex to increase the longetivity.
Gameplay
Overall the gameplay is great, however there are a few flaws, which are annoying at first.
1. You can’t move whilst aiming, so it is slightly annoying when you have enemies all around you and you are trying to back away whilst shooting them.
2. The controls seem sluggish at first unless you use the quick turn button all the time.
3. The inventory is no longer a pause menu, so whilst you are equipping other guns or healing yourself enemies can still attack you and you can’t move.
4. During Co-op Mode with a friend the split screen is horizontal and slightly strange and annoying.
5. The transfering items feature is good overall but the only thing is you have to transfer all your ammo or nothing at all.
To be honest these things are rather minor though and over time you get used to them. Other than that the game play is exciting and fast paced. They have continued the QuickTime feature so during certain cut scenes you have to run and dodge certain things such as a collapsing cave. I am also glad they have removed some of the need for back tracking as they did in Resident Evil 4 so the game moves forward much quicker.
Value for money
Like all Xbox 360 games when they first come out they are quite expensive, however I believe this is one game that is well worth your money!
Good Points
- New enemies, which are a lot faster and clever (for example dive out the way or limbo if you aim at them and are too slow firing.) There is also a wide variety ranging from wild dogs, spiders, mutant villagers and giants…. and yes El Salvador is back with his chainsaw!
- Stunning graphics add to the atmosphere of the game.
- The addition of Sheva as your partner is useful to get you out of sticky situations.
- Less backtracking.
- New inventory is actually quite handy once you get used to it as it means you can equip weapons alot faster.
Bad Points
- Immovability whilst aiming.
- Partner can become a nuisance as she wastes a lot of ammo and healing items when you dont need to use them.
- You can only transfer alll or none of your ammo to Sheva and she doesn't always give you ammo when you need it either!
- The game seems to have also lost the Resident Evil spirit as it has developed. On PS1 I used to play the first games and would actually jump when the zombies came crashing through the window due to the eerie atmosphere, however Resident Evil 5 (and partly 4) have been developed to focus more on the gameplay rather than the fact Resident Evil is a horror game. To me I believe it has partly lost its unique flair and is beginning to feel like just another shooter.
Overall though this game is well worth a try, its fun and exciting and the graphics are great. What it may lose by lacking the Resident Evil spark it more than makes up for with the excellent gameplay and stunning settings. I give this game 9/10.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I like this review, it is set out in a very unusual but helpful way and has given me a few possible ideas to improve my own reviews. You clearly like the game yet give it a very balanced and fair review.
Jonny5sk 22.03.2009 21:19
Good review, espically for a first timer... well layed out and informative. Just some advice, because I was dying to do a review on this but, no Xbox 360. For more detailed review I would have added racist controversy and build up hype for the game, plus extras once you've completed. But, all in all, well done.... welcome to Ciao!
Logan33 19.03.2009 20:14
hiya, A great start with your reviews, put in as much detail as you can to get higher ratings and to get more people reading your reviews, make sure you read as many other reviews a possible. Hope that helps, Logan
The biohazard threat has not ended! Just when it seemed that the menace of Resident Evil ... more
had been destroyed, along comes a new terror to send shivers down player's spines. Chris Redfield, returning Resident Evil hero, has followed the path of the ev...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
The biohazard threat has not ended! Just when it seemed that the menace of Resident Evil ... more
had been destroyed, along comes a new terror to send shivers down player's spines. Chris Redfield, returning Resident Evil hero, has followed the path of the ev...
Postage & Packaging: £1.94 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Mar 19th, 2009
(Apr 13th, 2009)
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