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Resident Evil 5 (360)

• By Patrick Shaw
• March 12, 2009 14:13 PM PST
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The Resident Evil franchise has come a long way from its gore-filled beginnings on the original Playstation. Resident Evil 4 took things into a new, action filled direction and its sequel, the sublime Resident Evil 5 is here and it's packing enough guns, guts and glory to satisfy any gamer with an appetite for destruction. So read on for our review of the next thrilling chapter in the Resident Evil saga!

THE VERDICT by Tae K. Kim Capcom is on quite a roll these days. From their sublime Mega Man 9 and Street Fighter II reboots to the fantastic Street Figher IV, Capcom is the video game equivalent of the goose that lays golden eggs. And now, they've created what might be their best effort to date: the incredible Resident Evil 5. Building upon the rock solid foundation laid by Resident Evil 4, RE5 delivers a pulse-pounding experience that can't be missed. Features Editor Patrick Shaw, who just happens to be our resident horror fiend, doesn't think it delivers the scares of past RE titles but it has more than enough action to keep you on the edge of your seats.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Patrick Shaw took a long hard look at both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game and found no discernible differences in terms of gameplay, so our review stands for both versions. We will leave the argument over which platform has the better graphics to the fanboys; we have better things to do, you know, like actually playing the game? Our review of the PS3 version can be found here, if you're interested.

I don't think I'm alone when I say that the release of a new Resident Evil game can make it feel like it's Christmas morning, one filled with beheading undead monsters with headshots, but Christmas morning nonetheless. Since the survival-horror series' inception in 1996, there have only been a handful of official sequels, so Resident Evil 5 is a big deal for fans of the franchise.

But the game has some massive shoes to fill -- I'm talking Shaquille O'neal sized sneakers. After all, its predecessor, Resident Evil 4, is regarded as one of the best horror-themed video games ever made. The good news is that Capcom is not resting on their laurels with this latest installment; Resident Evil 5 introduces a ton of new features and improvements that make it worthy of following in the footsteps of the classic fourth installment. It's a fantastic game from beginning to end and its new cooperative campaign makes it as compelling as Gears of War 2.

Reinvented Evil

Resident Evil 4 took a risk by replacing its trademark slow-moving, inarticulate zombie cliches with an entirely new breed of enemy, the parasite-carrying cultists called Las Plagas. But this change for the series ultimately breathed new life into the Resident Evil formula as it pitted players against creatures infinitely more horrifying than mobs of stumbling, brain-dead zombies. Resident Evil 5 takes this reinvention of the franchise even further, putting an emphasis on action over suspense and adding a much-needed cooperative campaign.

Resident Evil 5 actually isn't the first RE game to feature multiplayer support. In the spin-off series Resident Evil: Outbreak, several players could play together online butchering zombies. Alas, the team behind those games didn't quite get the balance right and the games suffered from bland gameplay and an overall underwhelming experience. Fortunately, Capcom has ironed out the kinks and Resident Evil 5's co-op is a welcomed addition to the series. It doesn't matter if you're playing the game with an A.I. ally or your buddy over XBL or PSN -- RE5 just feels right as a co-op game.

Resident Gear Solid

Another big shift in focus for the series is its emphasis on action-oriented gameplay. While there are more than a few pitch-black hallways crawling with undead abominations in Resident Evil 5, the bulk of the campaign is made up of huge action sequences that favor explosions, vehicle chases, and encounters with massive flocks of enemies that require you to burn through a lot of ammunition. It's pretty evident that recent action titles like Metal Gear Solid 4 and Gears of War 2 have influenced this new direction for the survival-horror series. There's even a level towards the end of the game that's strikingly similar to a rather important level in MGS4.

With the growing popularity of games like Left 4 Dead and Gears of War 2, there's no question that providing players with a copious amount of action is essential when delivering a co-op experience, but as a result, much of the suspense in Resident Evil 5 has been marginalized in the process. The truth is that the game doesn't have the same foreboding atmosphere as Resident Evil 4; the game's design also purposefully strays away from the 'haunted mansion' setting of past titles, using instead sun-filled outdoor levels. That said, I suspect most players will embrace this new direction for the series, which does not completely turn its back on its horror roots.

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