The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Before I begin, there’s something I need to stress. Resident Evil games have you shooting zombies. Resident Evil 5 takes place in Africa, and with Africa comes a darker skinned zombie. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that having a white character almost exclusively shooting dark skinned people can bring forth certain thoughts to mind. However, there are some things you need to keep in mind when thinking about this game.

Zombies do not see color. They do not discriminate, and anyone can become a zombie. Zombies do not care what flesh they feed on, or what color their host is. Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, whatever – flesh is flesh, plain and simple. It is important that you view this game through this lens – the enemy here is the zombie and NOT the black man. However, if you still have a problem with playing as a white character that shoots black zombies, you can just stop reading right now. You will not enjoy this game. There, now I've just saved you from being offended and saved you $60.

So, if you're still reading, Resident Evil 5 is the 5th numbered installment the Resident Evil series (there's too many non-numbered sequels to count). The game follows a similar play style to that of Resident Evil 4, so if you enjoyed that then you'll probably enjoy this one too. For anyone who hasn't picked up a RE game in a while or those of you that are totally new to the series, this game is going to feel a lot different from past RE's and any other shooters you may have played.

Beginning with RE4, the series took a turn away from the survival/horror genre it was famous for towards a more action-oriented style of play, thus eliminating most of the horror elements. While the game still has its moments, don’t expect to feel the same kind of fear you felt in previous entries.

The story is your typical Resident Evil storyline – zombie virus infects an area and you're trying to find out what's going on. You take on the role of Chris Redfield, an agent with the BSAA (Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance), sent to “Kijuju”, a fictional area of Africa, to investigate a terrorist threat. Once in Africa, you meet your new partner, Sheva Alomar. As your partner, Sheva will not just help you fight the invading hordes of zombies, you'll also need her help to solve puzzles and complete special two-person objectives.

The game plays out in the third person, with an over-the-shoulder camera view that suits the more action-oriented play well. There’s a number of control schemes to choose from, including the classic RE4 controls to a more “Gears of War” style button layout. With whatever style you choose, you’re going to need some time to get used to it, as the controls can feel kind of wonky at first. This is mostly due to the fact that can't run when you shoot – a staple of the RE series.

However, what differentiates this game from most shooters is that you've got a serious lack of guns, ammunition, and places to put it all. The game gives both you and Sheva your own 9 spaces of inventory to hold guns, ammunition, and healing herbs. You access your inventory in real-time, so there’s no pausing the game for a breather while you exchange ammo with Sheva, or using an herb while figuring out an escape. While it can be annoying from time to time, it helps keep the flow of the game, constantly keeping you in the action.

All of these items can be found inside barrels, crates, and the corpses of slain enemies. But don't think that you'll find 100, 50, or even 20 rounds for any weapon in these places. Most of the time, you'll be lucky to find 10 handgun rounds or 5 shotgun shells. Also, since there are two of you, you'll have to divide up the scarcely placed ammo, having to decide who really needs to take what.

These limitations on game play lead to the real draw of the game - tension. These mechanics add tension, forcing you to conserve ammunition and pick your shots carefully. Not only that, but you’ll have to plan out your attack and escape carefully. Unlike most shooters, when you get into a confrontation in RE5 you feel that there's a very good chance you’ll be ripped to shreads. In most shooters, you blow through it like you're some god with a gun that laughs in the face of death. In RE5, it's more like you're pissing your pants at the face of death – and that's a kind of exciting feeling to have.

Fortunately, to help combat the pants-wetting, you're not just stuck with the guns that the game gives you when you start. Between levels, you enter into the “marketplace”, a screen that lets you organize your inventory, sell off any treasure/jewels you've found, and spend all the gold you've collected to purchase and upgrade weapons (Sorry RE4 fans, the mysterious vendor didn't make it to Africa). As you progress through the game, the marketplace is stocked with new weapons and items including pistols, shotguns, sub-machine guns.

Since the game gives you a partner, it’s almost a no-brainer that they’ve included both an online and offline cooperative mode for the game, which allows you or a friend to control Sheva through the entirety of the story mode. The co-op mode works well enough, but if you’re playing with someone who hasn’t played the game yet you’re going to have a difficult time getting through it, as the controls definitely need at least 15 to 30 minutes of getting used to before you dive to co-op play. After all, if just one of you dies, it’s game over for both of you.

Once you’ve completed the game you unlock Mercenary mode. Think of Mercenary mode as kind of a mini-game that allows you to play through special areas with a handful of guns and ammo, tasked with killing everything that moves within a specific time limit. Not only can you play these as Chris and Sheva, you can also play as a couple of secret characters. And, just like in the campaign, you have the option to play Mercenary mode with a friend.

Unfortunately, most of the game play can come off as kind of shallow and predictable. Almost every area has you doing the exact same thing – walking around until you hear the music start, killing everything in sight, and then listening for the music to stop to know you’ve killed everything. After that, you proceed to ransack the area destroying everything breakable in hopes of finding some ammo. Knowing when you will and won’t be attacked takes away from the surprise and suspense that have made the RE series so great.

Also, while the addition of a partner is great for co-op play, it does take away from the scare factor. Fighting alone filled you with a sense of fear in that it was all up to you to survive, and that one false move would lead to getting your eyes ripped out. Now that you have someone to cover your ass while you’re reloading, it just doesn’t feel the same.

It’s sad to say it, but the puzzles just aren’t what they used to be. Believe it or not, there used to be a time when solving puzzles was more prevalent than actual fighting. RE4 had a significant drop in the amount of puzzles to solve, and the drop in RE5 is even more. Not only are there less of them, the ones that they do include are so mind-numbingly simple that it’s almost insulting, and it kind of feels like a waste that they were included at all.

All things considered, RE5 is facing kind of an identity crisis. It still wants to remain faithful to previous entries with the inclusion of puzzles and the standstill shooting, but also wants to go more towards an action game with co-op and increased gunplay. So, if you’re going in expecting one or the other you’re going to be very disappointed. But, if you can embrace its unique style of game play you’ll be more than satisfied.