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Review: Resident Evil 5
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Like the controls, the camera system hasn’t moved on much, but in this case the shoulder-blade fetish presents all-new pleasures.
It has discovered a love for Chris, and the player happily follows. His arms are like thighs, the delicate curve of their triceps an object lesson in eroticism. He barks commands in a deep baritone, and even the humble egg is an exercise in seduction, smoothly cracked on his leg before being swallowed whole. Raw, naturally.
Presentation has moved on, however, with the game’s dramatic zoom, depth-of-field and perspective effects for melee moves, which communicate Chris’s punches as having the force of a steam hammer.
He’s not the only one who’s bulked up: the bio-organic weapons have been on a steak diet. Many enemies are beefier than those of RE4, but no longer feel as if they’re constructed from bone, blood, sinew and claw – especially when you’re repeatedly blasting their lumpen heads with a shotgun.
The only wars of attrition in previous games came against the odd Tyrant; in the latter stages here, they become pretty much par for the course. Most bosses are retrogressive and unsatisfying one-trick ponies, some being sad reappearances of RE bosses from time past, some simply over-spiced by the appearance of a special weapon to be rigidly used exclusively for their dispatching.
It’s here that the uneasiness lies in Resident Evil 5. Its focus on intense combat and set-pieces leaves little room for much of an atmosphere, and the promising mystery of its opening swiftly turns into fan-fondling, a stony-faced attempt to draw together disparate and nonsensical story threads from previous games that was doomed never to achieve coherence.
Capcom desperately needs a proper screenwriter or, failing that, one who can manage basic dialogue.
More than this, though, it’s the dearth of imagination that disappoints. It’s clear now just how confident and creative Resident Evil 4 was, designing enemies for particular set-pieces and then discarding them, tailoring its environments to both titillate and terrify, and always aware of its own B-movie nature in both scripting and shocks.
Resident Evil 5 doesn’t have much of this. And yet in its best moments the game is very, very good indeed – as good as Resident Evil 4. The basic combat, of resisting panic, picking targets and managing scant resources, is as finely tuned as ever, and its best levels are exquisitely crafted for open battles.
When the game has the confidence to simply put you in a layered, open environment and throw multiple enemy types into the mix, any problems disperse in the warm glow of gunfire and herbs.
Above all of this is the decision to make the game co-operative. With a human partner, especially one in the same room, Resident Evil 5 is raised from the status of merely good to great. Concerted fire destroying waves of monsters before they get close, harried pincer movements on the larger threats and last-gasp saves are all present and correct.
There could be a more elegant solution to resource-sharing than an unwieldy 9x9 box navigated by D-pad, and it’s certainly weird that you can shoot through each other, but these are minor grumbles concerning an inspired addition.
If only there were more new things to talk about. Resident Evil 4 was always going to be an albatross for its successors, but it’s the temerity with which Capcom treats it that’s really surprising. There’s so much reverential reuse of ideas, from basic combat to the big set-pieces, that it’s almost as if RE4 had a formula that could be copied.
Even if it did, a trick never looks quite as good the second time around. It’s not surprising that Resident Evil 5 was intimidated by its predecessor, and it’s not surprising that it believes imitation to be the most sincere form of flattery. It’s also not surprising that such reverence has created mechanical clichés, from barrels to chainsaws, as pervasive as item boxes ever were.
It’s not even surprising, despite all this, that Resident Evil 5 is a good game. The surprising, and sad, thing about Resident Evil 5 is that it feels old.
7/10
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Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court 30 Monmouth Street Bath, UK BA1 2BW
England and Wales company registration number 2008885
Resi 5 just seems a polished version of 4. And to be honest 4 wasnt no where near the best resi game there was. i always prefered the stranded in the middle of nowhere and making every bullet count for your survival. So basicly what survival horrors suposed to be about. Resi 1 was my favourite, you were in a mansion, no where to go and ammo was very limited, the ideal survival game. Never liked the over the shoulder camera either, just didnt set the right atmosphere.
Resident Evil 4 was one of the best games I've ever played. It was so good - at such a high level of production - it was actually difficult not to take the thing for granted because the mad level of quality was everywhere. Even in the bloody individual leaves on the trees you could see through your sniper scope.
I never bought 5. I'm a huge fan of Resi. I never completed the first one but got into it. I adored the second one. I never bought some of the ones after that because they were so rehashed, even though they were probably good. It's always been like that with Resi, some amazing, some good, some less appealing.
I didn't buy 5 because of the demo. On the demo, all the zombies saw my position, and I was instructed to stay alive until the chopper came. I climbed to the top of the level and just waited for 5 minutes. Occasionally, a slow, lumbering zombie, very sluggishly tried to mount the roof. I had an age to pick them off with one bullet. Crappy AI. That was it. I decided I didn't want this game. That, and the jerky, unrealistic Ai of the partner. Thing is, when I was younger, I always wondered how amazing a two-player Resident Evil would be. But it's clear now that this dynamic is too inaccessible. Finding a friend to play at the same time as you? Then playing some of the game without them? Screw that. And no real-life player means you have some dorky computer-controlled one.
I might still buy it anyway, but wasn't impressed on the first try.
Don't get me wrong I like this game BUT,
Who else gets the worst deja vu pangs ever when playing through RE5, there are certain locations on my first play through I had to double take at the box to make sure I had not put RE4 in, perhaps RE4 was set on the Spanish canary Islands which is pretty close to Africa.
I also feel that the loss of heat as a factor for Chris to take into consideration when engaging the Saddam look-alike Africans a shame.
Also the addition of sheeva allows wider scope for multiplayer but I feel she was just an add in to appease the stupid claims of racism & I personally feel it limits that feel of tension you get in your stomach that the previous games have had, as you are not alone it's not as scary and as sheeva is capable of advanced combat there isn't that element of protection that you had to have in RE4 with Ashley.
In regards to split screen on the Xbox 360: Wow holy frame rate drop batman!
In the mercenaries the first level, the frame rate gets unbearable when things get intense. I can't stand it when developers put in a mode in which the system can't handle.
Looking through the net regarding the race issues within the game i honestly think it's been blown well out of proportion.
There was no fuss when the gamer was shooting the heads off the Hispanics in RE4. The African American community need to get over themselves as some of them are digging up ambiguities over nothing.
It's a piece of interactive fiction...get over it. Especially N'Gai Croal.
It's a fair review, but is it a fair score? Dark Sector also received a score of 70/100, from Edge, and of course it is older and is reviewed in the context of its peers at the time but I've played both and Resi 5 is much, much better in my opinion.
I think it deserves more credit for the things it does right rather than being marked down for it's failings.
I agree with a lot of people that the content of Edge reviews are usually useful but the approach and tone can be really offputting. Quite frequently as a reader I sense an air of superiority and they have an aloofness and elitism that is difficult to enjoy reading.
Hence why I check online for reviews now rather than paying for the magazine.
Its a good review. Call a spade a spade - the controls are unwieldly. If you have been 'trained' by GoW, Halo etc. to use a set of control standards re-training yourself is asking a lot. Its like taking the basic narrative structure out from a film - if you do that you better be hell lot more innovative and have a great payout that makes people want to seek you out. Unfortunately the demo while gaining interest, at least for me, also turned me off enough to not get the game. It seemed really interesting I want to give it a shot but I can't overcome those controls. In a tough market like today thats bad business.
The controls have been bested elsewhere, this much is true, however, spend a little time with RE5 and you soon get back into the swing of things. I would have preferred more fluid controls, but the game works as it is. I'd also say that I know about three people who were all put off by the demo, but having played the full game now love it. Perhaps you should give it a go.
Completely 100 percent agreed. I was one of those put off by the awkward inital demo play thru.
Now im up to Chapter 3-3 and loving it. Honestly. I was ready to throw it in a bin after the demo, but you're shorting yourself if you dont at least try it from the beginning.
Graphics are amazing in Resident Evil 5!
Absolutley no doubt about it, Resident Evil 5 has by far the best graphics of any game released so far in 2009.
The co-op mode is the funnest part of 2009, and it demonstrates that the standards of the videogame industry in 2009 are so much higher than in the past.
zzzzzz
Is that really a constructive response to someone's comment? You may not agree with them, but if that's so present a counter argument, not some banal response such as this.
Personally, I wouldn't go so far as to say this is the best game of 2009 so far, but it is an entertaining game. It has flaws, certainly, but I'll happily overlook little issues for the sake of an enjoyable experience, especially one I can play co-operatively with friends.
I guess no one was really surprised at this. RE4 was always going to be hard to live up to and it feels like they got stuck making the decision between survival horror and action, and promptly fell short of expectations.
Those of you who have a copy of EDGE, 50 Cent Blood in the Sand also got a 7/10. Which, incidentally is the same as KZ2. Made me chuckle, that... Go Fiddy!
The RE5 demo stunned me with how average and clumsy it felt. I had played it online with a friend and we both railed against the demo and the awkward control scheme. A day later I played through it again on my own. Having adjusted to the controls, things went more smoothly but there was still something very lacking in the experience. It was hard to pinpoint at the time. Something about the demo felt dated, archaic.
If I was asked to extrapolate my experience of the RE5 demo to how the final game would turn out, it would read a lot like EDGE's review. The controls are serviceable, but when a game feels like it's trying to make a transition from survival horror to action-shooter, leaning more towards the survival horror side of the fence is not going to help your cause.
I think the demo turned alot of people off the game, which is a shame for Capcom. I was expecting more pitchforks to be raised after the 7/10 score but it's perhaps the demo ahd properly primed gamers' expectations for the final product.
I don't always like HOW Edge reviews are written... they sometimes read like college papers too eager to impress the English professor, but I value their unique perspective and tendency to avoid the cliched and mind-numbing marketing prose of most other game reviews.
I just beat Resident Evil 5 and it was well worth the time. I do take issue with the criticism of the game lacking innovation. I do not believe in innovation for the sake of innovation or progress for the sake progress. Being enjoyable is sufficient to interest me regardless of the amount of innovation.
I personally don't care for the cult-like worship of progress rampant among most game reviewers that mandate a game to be innovative to earn praise. It is foolish on many levels the least of which is that it assumes anybody who plays the current game has already played the previous installment. It takes no great imaginative leap to understand that many people are new to gaming and have never played Resident Evil 4 and thus (contrary to Edge's opinion) have not grown bored of the ideas introduced in the previous installment.
Not only does the misguided worship of innovation do no service to the those who do not know what is innovative and what is not, but more importantly it inaccurately assumes veteran gamers have grown bored with rehashed ideas by throwing out the possibility that some (if not many) who prefer the familiar.
Absolutely agree with all that, especially this:
"...I personally don't care for the cult-like worship of progress rampant among most game reviewers that mandate a game to be innovative to earn praise..."
Fantastic. I'd take a very highly-polished but perfectly unoriginal FPS, for instance, over an 'innovative' but bug-ridden and frankly risible attempt to 'advance the genre'. And god knows we've had so many of those lately. Seems to me RE5 has some sky-high production values, albeit minus a radical new direction in gameplay. But that'll do. I don't feel short-changed and I appreciate the level of detail in the game. At least I can see the multimillion budget on the screen every time I play.
The demo felt old and dated , even more so after playing the excellent dead space .Capcom have been very lazey to say the least and hence a game i have no interest in . ps i have a full friends list of mainly hardcore gamers (360) and only 2 people bought it , the demo put everyone else off it !!!.
Fair enough review,the mix of horror and action that make RE4 so great game(near to perfect) it is not work here,the thing that you can shoot and walk is silly,the game want to be 28 days latter,but the atmosphere fails.maybe after RE4 have to return in more adventures roots,more horror more puzzles.the co-op is a good idea by the way,maybe comes little late.but better late than ever,and around 2012 we'll be here again.
Completely disagree with the Edge review. The horror in this game comes from its depiction of the human body. This isn't RE4 on a "steak diet".... its RE4 kicked in the nuts, then given more HGH than Dwayne Chambers. The game is Cronenberg-esque in its portrayal of 'body-shock'. Chris is arguably just as chemically misshapen as the infected. And setting the game in bright sunlight shows off this freakshow fully. In fact Capcom should have kept the original Japanese title - "Biohazard" or "body-shock".
Any comparision of the combat system to gears is just idiotic. In RE5 the enemy dont have guns. U dont need concrete blocks to hide behind and u dont need "run and gun". Just stand ur ground, dont panic and manage the approach of the crowd with single shots. Enemies are not bullet sponges. Hit an enemy and they will react - giving u time. Then.... get to work with ur steriod powered straight-right (steam press). The relentless threat is the genius of the combat system. In gears u can hide behind some concrete, then go off for a dump without even having to pause the game.
This game wants to ridicule me. If I control the character, I can't move as soon as I raise my gun. During the game's cinematics THEY DO IT ALL THE TIME, RUN AIM AND SHOOT at the same time. Capcom obviously wants to knock me up with their BS so I love this abortion like a mother would.
It is a good game, but Dead Space was so much better every step of the way. I want to be overwhelmed by zombies, not the controls. If things get tough, I want to think "man, this is dangerous here". Instead I die because the controls are pitted against me and that is just cheap. It breaks the illusion of the game.
Hahaha...now Capcom doesn't have a series in the survival horror genre. This is a whole new other game than the survival horror Resident Evils because most of the original developers and conceptualist are in Platinum Games. Key people that lead through the evolution of the series reaching its pinnacle in Resident Evil 4, a game being copied by many successful new IPs in this generation. Resident Evil 5's developer tries to hide this fact by continuously throwing eye candy at the player.
"His arms are like thighs, the delicate curve of their triceps an object lesson in eroticism. He barks commands in a deep baritone, and even the humble egg is an exercise in seduction, smoothly cracked on his leg before being swallowed whole. Raw, naturally. "
Did I just read that...
Seems most reviews don't bother to mention the story and characters in RE5, including Edge. Maybe that's the point: The storyline is just weak. I don't like what they do to Wesker. Not because they kill him, but they turn him to be a corny baddy like Krauser. I always think Wesker is a provocative antagonist, composed and level-headed, who can employ the situation to do what he wants without being perceivable, and he observes his enemy well. However, he becomes an addled madman in this game, a dull bad boss that can be seen frequently in B or C movie. And Chris...still not much about him. The relationship between he and Jill is not new. When the very first RE game came out people were already guessing these two are more than colleagues, although I hoped their relationship could be more than that. Not just simple friends or lovers, but they share a bond that others don't have. I just don't think Jill is duty-bound from the beginning to end; maybe she had some struggle before she decided to follow Chris........lots of thoughts out there, but RE game never gives a hint about any of those. Characters are always just level cleaning tools, most of time full of cliche, and from time to time curse bad guys with each other. Does the story of an action-adventure game have to be this shallow? The worse thing is, the setting of the character and the story can't remain consistent. The character's appearance and the storyline are keeping being shaped to nowhere. They should use the same face model for characters, and fuse the story into the past series, not just create a new one to "add" on it. Luckily Chris's face remains "him", but Leon, Claire and Jill don't get this luck, and they keep throwing everything they learned from B movie into the game. Perhaps it's the best they can do for the story.
One thing consistently troubles me about this game, the inventory. In the demo I found it beyond unusable, and seeing as the ability to pause think and organise in resi 4 made it not only playable but encouraged creative tactics, I feel that the frenzy of combat would be come too much of an uphill struggle for me, when the game seems to be simply offering more
resi 4. But then I see a video with crocodiles, and tribal masked villagers and I think to myself, maybe i can get over the inventory after all. Now I just need to train someone up to play it with, online co-op is just not fun...
>> and seeing as the ability to pause think and organise in resi 4 made it not only playable but encouraged creative tactics
Well, is a zombie infestation, in the middle of a mob of killer mutants really the place to stop and think calmly about the situation?
The menu system is a conscious game play choice to emphasize the atmosphere of the game I figure.
Capcom has a history of games with a difficult learning curve, such as the Street Fighter series or Megaman bosses. But it's there because you will learn, improve, and overcome, there's growth in it.
Thank You Edge you've made my day :)
I'm just gonna wait until an RE title gets at least a 9 before revisiting it.
At the moment, nothing seems to come near to RE: Directors Cut -- though I've not played one since then... ¬_¬
AWESOMENESS.
Overall, a usual Edge review of the current era. Lots of talk but no substance to the review. I have played the game, and the feel of the controls and gameplay was far superior to that of Resident evil 4; alot faster and reserved, the combat was very satifying and the co-op element was different if not quite refreshing. It does seem this writer didn't particulary want to review this game, they shouldn't judge the game before playing it as it will inevitably taint the final thoughts.
And nothing mentioned about the sound/music within the game?
On another note, dare i say it with the killzone 2 charade still in the air..7/10 would put it in league with Killzone 2 despite all these apparent "problems" and "faults" with this game:S Granted i would give this game an highest mark of 8, and Killzone 2 an 9. Both have their own faults and play well but comparitivly Killzone 2 is far more polished and superior.
*waits for angry rant*
Why are so many people getting angy, insulted, or just plain defensive about Edge Reviews? It just their opinion, just like our review are our opinions. No one's is right or wrong.....that's why they are opinions and not facts.
I've never seen Edge state their review was fact, just that particular reviewers opinion. They do this for our information and more importantly for our entertainment. There is nothing sinister going on.
That being said, I don't agree with their review of Killzone 2. I think it should rank more around a 9. However I am not mad or anything else for them giving it a 7. That is their opinion, just like a 9 is mine.
I agree with the opinion that control is in an issue in RE5. I only played the demo, but find it somewhat difficult to control. Does that mean the control is bad for everyone? No, it means for me its bad for me.. I'm an older gamer and it could simply be that. Younger games have better tolerances, patience and maybe are just better skilled at such games.
The point to this long winded reply is simply with so many variables such as, tastes, ages, genders, cultures, background, experiences etc etc you will get a variety of opinions, both pro and con. None are right and none are wrong. So please everyone share your opinions, but don't be so negative about others who's differ from our own, be it a personal or professional source.
after all........it's just an opinion.
>>I only played the demo, but find it somewhat difficult to control. Does that mean the control is bad for everyone? No, it means for me its bad for me.. I'm an older gamer and it could simply be that. Younger games have better tolerances, patience and maybe are just better skilled at such games.
If anything, younger gamers are more likely to be frustrated that RE5 does not control like Halo or Gears of War.
Interesting point you raised there. So many games, so many controllers have come and gone. I'm less tolerant now of bad or strange control methods, bad programming and glitchy games than ever before. Therefore the poor controller gets thrown down far more than it would have used to.
May be as your tastes and experiences mature as gamers we become more cynical and more critical of games and expect more. (Could this account for say the writing style on Edge compared to that of other publications?) Some gamers, demand a more cinematic experience, games with depth and graphics that show us why we've spent all that cash on a Next-Gen console. We're not expecting a near perfect product every time, but please at least solve the irritating little problems that have existed right from the start of the series.
Edge make a good attempt at telling it like is.. Most games these days receive a decent amount of hype prior to release. Over zealous marketeers WANT you to believe that this product is worthy of a ten.. And they know that you are going to buy their product off the back of that score. You are just making it easy for them if you don't question why there are so many positive things about the experience, but hardly any negatives. To automatically receive high marks off the back of their clever marketing is absurd!! Least Edge give us some balance in the crazy consumerist world.
No I'm not saying that Edge's word is gospel, their wisdom still relies heavily on you finding out for yourself, Then if you disagree, a discussion is born..
>>Edge make a good attempt at telling it like is..
Going against hype doesn't necessarily make it 'telling it as it is' either. You also run into the problem of those who disagree for the sake of disagreeing, y'know?
My disappointment is in that these reviews have not related to my own personal experiences, I do not see eye to eye with Edge reviewers. Perhaps multiple reviewers for the same title could alleviate that problem or show some variety to 'Edge Staff''s opinions, but as it is now, reading this review I don't agree with their points.
Sometimes they don't relate my personal experiences either, but very often you can see where they're coming from, whether you choose not credit Edge's opinion's it makes no odds really, because it out there and generating discussion, which can be good and bad.
In my opinion, wIth multiple reviewers surely the worry is; what if they all found themselves in agreement and went on to publish only to find that their opinion are direct contradiction with everyone else's. There's no right and wrong in this. Its just a difference of opinion but it's likely to land yourself in the same situation, as if you only had one reviewer.
Without resorting to Metacritic for an average score, surely this is about as impartial as it gets? That's all I'm saying.
To each his own.. No angry rant required :D
I'm a big fan of RE4, still think it's the best game of the PS2 era and was really looking forward to RE5. The Coop-Mode sounded also very nice.
I have to say that I'm quite disappointed with RE5. Yes, the visuals are incredible. Yes the Coop is good. But the game itself is very lame. The typical resident Evil atmosphere is simply not there. It doesn't help either, that you're able - from the start - to play any level at all (online that is). This really kills the story because you don't have the feeling of progression.
In my opinion there is also a big balancing problem online: If you have luck you can play with someone on your level, but most of the time you will meet people who have strongly upgraded weapons, too much ammo and run through the levels.
Capcom would have better made two games: A Coop-game (more action) and a true Resident Evil game (more frights, more clever puzzles). The mix in RE5 just doesn't work.
Can you tell me what the typical resident evil atmosphere is?
Is it the isolated mansion of 1, the citywide outbreak of 2 and 3, the country town of 4? How does the setting of 5 not fit into the atmosphere of previous resident evil games?
I've been looking forward to this game for a while now, it's coop mode sold me the moment I heard about it.. Although, from what I have seen so far and what I have played, it all fells very similar to Res4, cosmetically it looks wonderful. But I can't help feeling that this is resting on the laurels of the previous outings and like you say with so much going on, it's seems much more frenzied than Res4.
I not really sure what to make of the Survival or Versus modes yet with the DLC, Isn't the control method going to interfere somewhat, surely speed is the name of the game with these modes. Something tells me there are going to be lots of controller smack downs in the not so distant future.
Good review guys, thanks.