Resident Evil 5

Resident Evil 5 is a fun and frantic evolution of RE4′s breakthrough gameplay and the series’ horror themes. Thirteen years ago, Capcom helped revolutionize the action adventure world withResident Evil, a game that would define an entirely new genre dubbed “survival horror.” In the years that followed, the series continued to build upon the standards set by the first game, Then, in 2005, Resident Evil 4 radically departed from its predecessors and broke new ground as a more action oriented game. Resident Evil 5, the latest offering in the long running series, expands on the action heavy formula of its forerunner and is built from the ground up to support cooperative gameplay. Though it can no longer be considered a survival horror game, Resident Evil 5 manages to retain and effectively translate the most important aspect of that genre tension into its new mechanics. It crafts a fun, collaborative experience that will keep you on your toes the entire time.

The core combat mechanics haven’t fundamentally changedsince Resident Evil 4. The action still unfolds from an over the shoulder perspective, certain battles or cutscenes are accompanied by brief quick time events, and you still have to stop moving to fire your weapon (though you gain a bit more mobility thanks to your newfound ability to walk sideways). Resident Evil 5′s slow movement and gunplay take some time to get used to, and folks expecting a run and gun game may find the action too sluggish for their tastes.Fortunately, this slowness isn’t really an issue within the game, because enemies are deliberate with their attacks and are better handled with a cool head and steady aim. Though the Xbox 360 controller is fully supported, the standard keyboard/mouse combo offers vastly superior aiming precision and control, which makes it by far the better option.

Resident Evil 5 successfully builds on the foundation of its predecessor while taking a drastically different direction. Having a partner introduces new degrees of gameplay depth and dramatic tension that make the game much more exciting to play. Though the slower, more deliberate movement and shooting may not appeal to everyone, this sequel’s frequent large scale battles and co-op play still offer a fun and exciting adventure.