Without any doubt, Capcom's Resident Evil 4 was a groundbreaking title that far exceeded many people's expectations and gave the survival horror franchise a new lease of life. Winning universal praise for its original design and high quality production values, Resident Evil 4 became one of Capcom's biggest selling titles of all time.
It would therefore be something of an understatement to say that the next instalment in the series would have a certain amount of hype surrounding it.
Capcom certainly faced a monumental task when they set about creating the franchise's debut on the new generation of consoles, but now after several years in development (and a fair amount of controversy), the finished product is finally upon us.

For those people new to the Resident Evil series (if they even exist), perhaps it is worthwhile explaining the concept.
Traditionally, Resident Evil titles have been labelled as survival horror games, with the focus primarily on just that: Surviving. Armed with a minimal selection of weapons and ammunition, players would find themselves fighting through waves and waves of flesh munching zombies as they attempted to escape their surroundings. So scarce were the bullets for your weapons that every shot would need to be thought out and carefully planned to ensure your undead foes were dealt with as efficiently as possible. Run around with an itchy trigger finger and you were as good as dead.

As well as the need to ration ammo, Resident Evil games quickly became associated with fixed cameras, restrictive character controls and a claustrophobic, tense and gripping atmosphere that other horror games often failed to achieve to the same levels.

Many purist fans of the series argue that the complete overhaul brought about by Resident Evil 4 resulted in a loss of many (if not all) of the trademark characteristics that helped to make the Resident Evil games what they were.
Gone were the fixed cameras, Capcom instead introducing a now much-imitated ‘over the shoulder' perspective. Also, perhaps more importantly, zombies had now been replaced as the main antagonists, with infected and brainwashed villagers taking their place.

But however aggrieved these changes would make the purists feel, there was no denying the instant success of Resident Evil 4. It should come as no surprise then, that Resident Evil 5 (RE5) continues in the same vein as it's predecessor.

 

 

Those familiar with Resident Evil 4 will instantly recognise the graphical style and hud layout in RE5. The controls also remain relatively unchanged, with the shoulder buttons used to take aim with your equipped weapon and another button to actually fire a shot.

The main protagonist in RE5, Chris Redfield, will be familiar to those who played the original Resident Evil, him being one of the main characters from the first game in the series. Without giving too much away, it must be said that Chris' is not the only familiar face that makes an appearance during RE5.

Chris is introduced at the start of the game as an agent and founding member of the Bio-terrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA). He is sent to Africa as part of a mission to uncover a terrorist organisation suspected of selling bio-weapons. It doesn't take a genius to predict what happens next - the mission goes belly up in spectacular style.
It is important to note that upon his arrival, Capcom introduce the major new gaming factor that RE5 has to offer, being that of co-operative play.

Throughout the whole of the game, Chris is accompanied by a local BSAA agent named Sheva Alomar. The introduction of Sheva results in a massive change in the gameplay style compared to previous games of the series. No longer is there any fear of something creeping up behind you un-noticed, as hopefully your partner will have your back covered as you progress. However new gameplay opportunities are presented as a result of there being two characters available, which Capcom exploit on a regular basis throughout the game.

 

 

Sheva can be controlled either by a second player on the same console, by the computer AI if you are playing solo, or by another player on another console if you connect through the game's online menus.
For the most part, the AI responds well and Sheva will stay close to you, picking off enemies with a consistent accuracy that most gamers can only dream of. However, attempt to play the game on the higher difficulty levels and Sheva becomes about as useful as an inflatable dart board, aimlessly wandering around looking for the next crazed villager who is only too willing to impale her on his pitchfork.

The game was clearly designed for two human players to work through together, and it's in these circumstances where the game really comes to life. Players can work together to strategically take down advancing enemies, swapping health items and ammunition using the simple in-game menus to keep inventory levels sufficient, and the varied bosses scattered throughout the game become much more enjoyable to defeat when there is another human player along side you.

As the game progresses, Chris and Sheva work their way through African villages, marshlands, mines and even ancient ruins and they attempt to uncover who is behind the outbreak of a virus that has infected almost all of the local population, leaving them crazed and blood-thirsty. Your blood in particular, it seems.

The storyline is not RE5's strongest asset, but it is enough to keep you interested in the outcome, and the famous ‘quick-time events' from Resident Evil 4 make a welcome return, meaning that every cut-scene needs to be watched carefully for fear of missing an on screen button prompt - fail to respond quickly enough and the cut-scenes will change paths, showing the often gruesome and brutal deaths of our heroes rather than the original intended continuation of the storyline.

 

 

For a first playthrough, the campaign lasts around ten hours. But Resident Evil games are well known for their replay value and unlockable extras, and RE5 is no exception.
Throughout the game, treasure and other items can be collected and sold for money. This money can then be exchanged for health items, armour or - more importantly - to upgrade your weapons. Attributes such as firepower, reload speed and capacity can all be improved upon to a certain extent, and the maximising of all attributes on specific weapons will actually result in brand new weapons becoming available for purchase also.
In addition to this, other extras such as hidden emblems, bonus costumes, screen filters, figurines, additional difficulty settings and the inclusion of the critically acclaimed ‘Mercenaries' mini game will help to ensure that RE5 keeps you occupied for a significant amount of time and certainly adds value for money.

Graphically RE5 is a very impressive title, offering crisp visuals throughout and some great cut-scenes, particularly towards the end of the campaign. Sound quality is also of a high standard, with authentic sounding weapons and strong performances from the voice-actors.
Viewed as a stand-alone title, Resident Evil 5 is a very enjoyable title that is well produced and fun to play. But it is by no means perfect.

To put it bluntly, RE5 just isn't scary in any way, shape or form. By introducing the co-operative gameplay element, Capcom have sacrificed any ounce of atmosphere still remaining in the series following the changes made in Resident Evil 4.
There are no ‘shock' moments, no tension or suspense, and at no point during the game did I ever hold my breath as I walked around a corner.
Compare this to a game such as Dead Space - an experience that had me on the edge of my seat every time I played - and RE5 just doesn't seem worthy of wearing the ‘survival horror' tag anymore. It would seem more appropriate to simply class it as an action game. A very good action game, but an action game nonetheless.

So what next for Capcom and the Resident Evil franchise?
Rumours are circulating that the next instalment will see yet another major overhaul of the game's style and dynamics. Some may welcome such a change, others might simply hope for more of the same. One thing is for sure however, it will take a lot of courage to radically alter a formula that has resulted in the type of sales figures that RE5 is currently achieving.

8/10

Mike Rathmell.