Resident Evil 5

11 Mar 2009 at 17:36:07 by Andy Alderson
Systems used to review this title: (360)

Capcom’s task in producing a follow-up to Resident Evil 4 was not an enviable one. The last iteration of its survival horror franchise was phenomenally successful, due to its tight, gun-focused gameplay, creepy atmosphere and, moreover, its crossover appeal. Resi 4 was the game that united action with survival horror, and it won the series a whole host of new fans. How does a developer follow such success? When it rained ‘game of the year’ awards on your last effort, what do you do with the sequel? The answer, according to Capcom, is to push the franchise further in the same direction, albeit pretty close to breaking point.

Resident Evil 5 sees the return of the original game’s protagonist, former STARS man Chris Redfield. Now working for the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA), Redfield finds himself in the fictional African state of Kijuju, following reports of strange incidents concerning the locals. He is quickly introduced to his African counterpart, Sheva Alomar, who has a personal interest in finding out what is happening in Kijuju and suspects the involvement of the shamed Umbrella Corporation. After the briefest of investigations (Chris and Sheva walk around a village for a couple of minutes), all hell breaks loose and they are forced into a partnership in order to survive the attacking hordes.

Sheva’s presence in the game represents a shift away from the classic Resident Evil atmosphere.  Having a companion throughout has a real effect on the tone of the game and, where once the series was all about creating unbearable tension through solitude and claustrophobic environments, it is now all about the action. If Resident Evil 4 flirted with action gaming, then the sequel drops its knickers and talks dirty. The majority of the game takes place in daylight, there’s an awful lot of shooting and little in the way of exploration.  It doesn’t really sound like a Resi game does it? And this may be a sticking point for some fans of the series.  The new action focus means that, at many points during the game, it just doesn’t feel like a Resi title. However, Capcom attempts to distract you from this fact by dropping Chris and Sheva into some spectacular set pieces and, Resi or not, it’s hard not to be drawn into the action.

The game plays in very similar fashion to Resident Evil 4, with a few new tweaks. The new control system maps the game camera to the right stick, with the left stick handling movement and strafing. In the context of a more action-oriented approach, it’s a smart move by Capcom. Chris and Sheva must navigate their way through the levels, which are roughly divided between fighting and item collection. Unlike some of the earlier games in the series, it’s generally pretty obvious in Resident Evil 5 when you’re safe to explore and when you can expect to face some resistance. For instance, when the game’s intense musical score kicks in, it’s usually a fair indicator that something’s waiting around the corner. However, because the game relies so heavily on scripted events there are some occasions when you’ll spot a stationary enemy who won’t attack you until you’ve walked a few steps forward to trigger their attack sequence.  It doesn’t exactly help the atmosphere (which is already under threat) and it feels like a slightly dated mechanic. Which is a theme that, unfortunately, runs throughout the game.  

For instance, puzzles in Resident Evil 5 have been reduced to simple item collection and lever-pulling sections. We’re not asking for MENSA-style brain-teasers but it would have been nice if the game actually required you to use your brain at some point. As they stand, Resi 5’s puzzles serve only to artificially extend the non-action sections and there’s nothing satisfying about solving them.
However, while the scripting errors and simplistic puzzles don’t do Resident Evil 5 any favours, it is the companion AI that poses perhaps the biggest problem. Whilst manageable on the lower difficulty settings, if you’re brave enough to ramp up the challenge, you’ll find yourself wishing you’d never met Sheva as she conspires to taint the entire Resi 5 experience for you with her staggeringly witless behaviour.  

The main problem centres on the real-time inventory system. Both Chris and Sheva have nine inventory slots at their disposal, in which they can store weapons and health. However, Sheva seems unable to stop picking things up and the usual result is that she’ll pick up as many weapons and grenades as possible, leaving no room for ammo. No ammo means no covering fire for you, which basically renders the inclusion of an AI companion redundant. There were far too many portions of the game when Sheva would simply stand dopily next to Chris, moaning that she’s out of ammo. “Well, that’s because you appear to have collected about 17 bastard grenades, none of which you’re likely to ever use.” She also has a habit of collecting ammo for weapons she doesn’t have and, should you have the cheek to ask her for this ammo, she’ll often reply “no chance,” seemingly out of blind spite. A friend indeed. Sheva’s piece de resistance in my Resi 5 experience came when I was busy fighting some nasties in a factory (on my own of course - she’d run out of ammo) when she wandered dozily onto a conveyor belt and, unaware of how to deal with something constantly moving in a single direction, just stood still and cruised towards a fiery death.

This is all sounding a little negative isn’t it? Well, that’s because Resident Evil 5 isn’t really meant to be a single player experience. Find yourself a friend, fire up the co-op mode and suddenly everything changes. Without the spazzy AI to get in your way, playing Resident Evil 5 in co-op is an absolute joy. You can actually apply some strategy to the game, knowing that you can rely on your co-op buddy not to make ridiculous, rookie errors. For example, boss battles become much easier when you have a true companion to distract the enemy while you sneak around to its weak spots and lay waste to them. While you may find that the game becomes much easier in co-op, this simply gives you an opportunity to crank up the difficulty, which is where the game really starts to shine. On the harder difficulty settings you and your companion will find yourselves constantly on the verge of being over-run and, with less ammo on offer, you’ll have to be smart and pool resources in order to advance. While it still may not feel like classic Resi, once you fire up the co-op mode you’ll find a solid, engaging action experience.

With such an esteemed predecessor, it was unlikely that Resident Evil 5 would live up to all of our expectations. While the shift in tone and atmosphere might lead some hardcore fans to accuse the series of ‘dumbing down’, the game’s typically campy dialogue and storyline just about rescue it from the brink, confirming that this is indeed a Resident Evil game. However, what once was a survival horror game is beginning to look suspiciously like a shooter. We can only speculate in which direction the series will continue from here on, but we hope Capcom doesn’t dismiss the compelling, co-op action it has crafted in Resident Evil 5.  

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