Bad press?
Due to the new setting (and with it, new enemy ideas) came claims and questions about a link to "racism", where your two white player characters have to defeat hordes of infected native Africans where the new virus and weapons are being tested. In this idiot's opinion, these claims are unjustified as throughout the entire game, I never felt in a single circumstance that the action or kills had racial motives. To be honest, regardless of the colour of your skin, if I had a loaded shotgun in my right hand and a swarm of infected crazed loon's slowly pacing towards me with malicious intent, they'd be dead in a shot.
And that last comment, "dead in a shot" leads me rather nicely to the gaming mechanics. The genre of the game is "survival horror", where by the name of the game is to "survive". This has ALSO lead to critisms that the action is too slow a pace and less catered towards the modern gamer especially when combined with the likes of Gears of War 2. Gears of War 2 is prodomenantly an action adventure, where ammunition isn't a rare commodity and health restores by cowering in a corner, which doesn't really lend itself to the survival horror genre. The main critism however, isn't the ammo supply, more the way in which you use these weapons. Endless people are complaining about the inability to both aim and move at the same time.After playing through the first few chapters, you realise that Capcom where right to leave the "move and gun" mechanic out as it adds to the tension and drama. Seeing a man with a sack on his head revving a chainsaw at your face and pegging up to you with what I can only assume is a whopping big grin on his face (heeeeeeereeees Johnny!) is enough of a rush, but when you're ammo supply is out and he's at your feet ready to take a swipe at you and you're panicking and cursing the fact you never upgraded your weapon to have a larger capacity of bullets, only to realise that despite the quick turn feature and the fact your partner has pegged it away already, that it's too late... heads will roll... literally.
Story
Anyway, on with the review now. Chris Redfield (seen in Resident Evil 1 and Code Veronica) is a member of the group ‘BSAA’ (Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance) and has been sent in to investigate an incident in a desert area where a new breed of evil beings are being unleashed. Set 10 years after the original game (launched back in 1996) the lone representative of BSAA, Chris Redfield, is dropped off to investigate this new ‘evil’ surrounding the area.
It isn’t long before he meets up with a partner (Sheva Alomar, a well-trained B.S.A.A. agent from Africa, a close combat expert and serves as Chris Redfield’s partner in the field) and begins to discover the inhabitants residing in the eery desert suburb. The game is set and played in Africa (Kijuju to be exact) and will continue to explain the “origins of the virus”.
The setting of Kijuju is central to the new threat of evil as the Volcanic region has begun to come back to life and is the new source of a previously dormant ‘virus’. As the story progresses, we learn that the character Chris is still in search of his ex-partner (Jill Valentine) and on the way to find her, bumps into a few familiar faces from the past...
Will he find Jill alive?
Gameplay
Tagging on from the critically acclaimed Resident Evil 4 and control revolution (over the shoulder view the most significant difference), the press and some gamers where disappointed to read that the evolution from Resi 4 to 5 was very small. However, they counter acted the similar control scheme by adding in a permanent co-op partner, which was widely approved. Until you find out, that the second character (Shiva) is indeed left handed, making the screen you play with completely flipped and mostly unnatural feeling to gamers.
Of course, multiplayer gaming isn't new to this series. Back in the PS2 days, Resident Evil Outbreak was the first online 4 player co-op Resident Evil where 4 people could simulatenously play in the same game. This feature (the 4 player online) was dropped however for the EU region and was replaced by having the collective AI power of the Chuckle Brothers manipulating the other 3 characters.
Aside from a few "blonde moments", the AI controlled partner in this game is largely clever enough to stand up for herself and proudly steal your ammo, with decapitating chainsaw moments few and far between. At any point, a friend or total stranger can drop into your game (whether it be via Xbox live or a second controller and a split screen layout) and take the controls of Shiva (or Chris) and help you should you become stuck. Or, if you have a friend to play with from the off, you can enjoy the entire game together.
There are certain moments in the game where both partners have to assist each other, whether it be pulling chains in a prehistoric temple or giving a "leg up" to a higher level should a ladder be broken. These moments are dotted throughout the 6 chapters and are subtle enough to add a little change in gameplay without splitting the both of you up completely. There are also instances where you will see commands such as "HELP" and "DYING" when your partner is injured where you have a countdown timer of health to find your partner, rescue and then revive them.Of course, if you think Resident Evil, what are the first things that come to mind? The undead inhabitants are probably number one and a complex and confusing storyline is probably on that list somewhere as well, but you always remember the boss battles. Previously, I always struggled with these no matter what the difficulty setting but mercifully, the gods at Capcom have managed to strike a perfect line between "challenging" and "insane" meaning casual gamers can get just as great an experience as the Resident Evil hardcore fanbase.
Without spoiling the game and battles too much, you will meet up with some crazy test creatures which morph and dissolve and reform again and again meaning stamina and a high bullet count is required to defeat them. Then, there's just some plain crazy chainsaw revving loon's whom I may have previously mentioned in this review? Umm? Later in the game, some old faces return for another kicking but that I shall leave for you to discover.
Going back to the 'what do you remember most from past Resi's' comment, for some who may be reading this screaching "the puzzles", they're back but in far stricter supply than seen in previous instalments. The old "adjust the mirrors so a beam of light hits the button" thing is here, and certain other instances so they're still trying to keep the old faithful interested, but now don't make up the majority of game time unlike the past games.
Wrapping up the section, it's nice to see the ability to control vehicles in the game, as you surf along the boggy waterfront from pier to pier. And another final highlight for me, was taking control of the gun on the rear of a Jimpy van on the way through the deserted landscape, being chased by the undead horde on Motorbikes with flaming torches and arrows.
Graphics
As previously mentioned, this is the first time Capcom have been able to utilise the true power of the next generation hardware for the Resident Evil series, and that is clearly evident in the simply sublime graphics. The seemless transition from CGI videos, through to action sequences and eventually in game is a change echoed from titles such as Gears of War 2, where the graphical differences are so minor that you can really appreciate the work that has gone into making the game look so great. The vivid sunsets and sparkly sheen on the water that glistens in the distance, a true sight to behold.
Travelling from these idyllic locations and descending into dark and clostrephobic caves gives the gamer a real sense of perception, as the dim flickering light from an old disgarded oil lamp being directed by your partner is the only illumination down the dark tunnels where the infected, tranced inhabitants wait to attack you. There's a real sense of both nostalgia and deja vu travelling through the different settings though, the way the whole game progresses echoes Resident Evil 4's location but the later underground laboratory sections really do whiff of the Half Life 2 series from the orange box where the cocoons holding the bodies the tested humans are stored in both series, sharing a remarkably similar looking design of pods and grandeur in size.
Disregarding the inevitable similarities between this game and other gaming series, it's great to play and really adds to the gaming experience. The only black mark with regards to graphics, is the dreadful movement of the playable characters mouth when both Chris and Shiva are communicating between each other. When the request for "follow me" is called, you see the other characters mouth in response to "okay" bobbing up and down, like a bottom feeding fish sucking on the glass of a fish tank.
Audio
Now, moving from the graphical review, towards the sound aspect and to what Capcom have managed to come up with in this game. First impressions are excellent, the music choice during tense battles is perfect, very Resident Evil (touch of cheesyness, it's a real word, with some generic horror keys in the tune) and definitely add to the drama. Voice overs are generally well portrayed, the human characters lip synching and facial movements in the CGI parts are seemless and very lifelike with excellent choices of voice actors.
However, your partner yelling "YOU NEED TO BE CAREFUL" after she has been downed several times by the same zombie, equipped with just his arms whilst your team mate dons a healthy supply ammo and a shotgun to boot does get very annoying. The whole "COME ON", "roger" response and conversation gets dull quick as well, a great shame seeing as this cooperative experience relies so heavily on communication between the two characters.
Conclusion
So, all things considered, what do we think? A fantastic instalment in a stella series of gaming, a triumphant return to the classic series and more than worthy of any 360 gamers game collection. In addition, it's as welcoming to newbies to the series as it is to the old genre faithful mixing new game mechanics and classic action/strategy based scenarios to keep all audiences playing to the bitter end.
Le Scores
Story 8
Gameplay 8
Graphics 10
Audio 8
Multiplayer 8*
Total score: 9/10
*This review does not take into consideration the paid for downloadable content add on for competitive multiplayer.
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