Having never played any of the Resident Evil games prior to the fourth installment on the PS2, I can't say how this game measures up the other games. That said, I found it a worthy sequel to it's immediate predecessor. For anyone who played Resi 4 and loved it (like myself), I will tell you how this game measures up.
1) Graphics - Improved. As expected, this game makes fantastic use of the 360's (PS3's) graphic abilities to deliver a gorgeous looking game. That said, you can definitely see a similarity between this game and it's predecessor. Despite the improved textures, it has the same feel to it as the last one. In fact, I suspect that Capcom used the same engine to make both games. Something about the camera and movement style just seems very reminiscent of 4.
2) Environments - Cool, but less memorable and genre appropriate than 4's. This game takes place somewhere in West Africa. And while some of the environments are very cool, and they're all gorgeous, most of them don't really feed into the horror aspect of the game. First of all, more than half of the game takes place in broad daylight, which really detracts from the horror of fighting zombies. Most of the environments are more open than the ones in 4. In fact, the entire atmosphere of the game feels a lot less isolated than the dark, ominous, Spanish village from Resident Evil 4. There also felt like there was a greater sense of continuity between levels in 4. There were levels by a dark swampy lake, in a rustic Spanish village, and in a med-evil castle; but they all felt like they were part of the same world. Some levels in this game really feel out of place. For example, two levels in the game take place in these ancient underground Mayan-looking ruins. Apart from the fact that there are no ancient ruins anywhere in Africa, these levels had a completely different feel to them than the rest of the game. Picture going through a modern African village, a diamond mine, a tribal camp by a lake, and then winding up in an Indiana Jones-esque cave.
3) Partner System - Resident Evil 5 introduces the partner system. Your partner Sheva, an attractive light-skinned African woman, can be controlled by either AI or a second player through XBOX live or split screen, and adds another fun dimension to the game. Sheva, as well as being nice to look at, is a very useful companion with a surprisingly intuitive AI. Unlike Ashley, the useless idiot-girl who follows you around for part of Resi 4, Sheva can actually pull her own weight, and occasionally even save your ass. You can only give her very basic commands like "Cover Me", "Attack", and "Pick Up This Item", but she's still useful. It would have been nice if they had given you the ability to prioritize which weapons she uses, but I suppose that would have been asking a bit much. The partner mechanic is used in various ways which I won't spoil for you except to say it's cool. That said, having someone with you at all times (even if they are automated), really does detract from the horror of the game.
4) Inventory System - They scrapped the briefcase inventory Leon used in Resi 4 and replaced it with a pocket system you access in real time. Chris and Sheva each have a 3x3 square to arrange items into. This means each person can only carry nine items. This adds a degree of realism (if such a term is applicable to a game about zombies) and difficulty to the game. Accessing your inventory in real time means that you have to rearrange your inventory on the fly. This can really get you into trouble as you have to go fumble through your inventory to whip out that grenade just in time to save yourself a beheading by a chainsaw-wielding lunatic. Having limited space also means making tough decisions about what weapons and items each person should carry. Only having enough room for a rifle means giving Sheva the spare rounds, forcing you to trade with her when you need to reload. Don't have enough room for a Magnum and a Grenade Launcher? Give one to Sheva and swap out as the situation demands. This forces you to to remember who is carrying what and make preparations in between fights. The extra difficulty introduced by the new inventory system is offset slightly by the new merchant system. They enigmatic, trenchcoat-wearing, blue-torch hauling, hobo merchant from Resi 4 is gone; so you no longer have to find him every time you need a weapon upgrade or a first aid spray. Instead, you can make purchases any time you find a checkpoint, which are fairly often.
5) Weapons - Better, shiner, and more plentiful. The weapons in this game are awesome. There are a greater variety of weapons to choose from overall, and the game still provides you with several different options based on your combat style. Like to carefully aim between each shot? There's still a powerful, slow, handgun like the old red9. Like to throw away bullets like candy? There's a gun for you too.
6) Enemies - Very similar. The enemies in this game are known as the Majini. They are Africans infected with a different version of the Las Plagas parasite from Resident Evil 4. As such they behave much the same way as the ganados from the previous game. In fact, some of the enemies are so alike that I think Capcom just recycled the same sprites from Resi 4 and re-skinned them as Africans. Remember that big fat guy with the beret and the Gatling gun? Guess what? He's back, and despite being black now, he still looks and acts almost exactly the same. Shame on you Capcom, you lazy bastards. Change the skin tone and add angry Spanish screaming, and a lot of the enemies are identical. That isn't to say there aren't some cool new additions, like the mutated tribal Africans that have grown ten feet tall, the mutated experiment goat monsters that crawl up the walls, or the hideous mantis things that can impale you with their scythe arms. There are also some really kick-ass boss battles in this game.
7) Plot - Dumb and predictable. But then so was Resi 4's. The characters are somewhat likable, in a laughably formulaic and stereotypical way. Chris is the classic action hero; stoic and collected and brave and dumb and nowhere near as scared as he should be. Sheva the trusty sidekick, always there to lend a helping hand and the occasional useless comment. Wesker is the obligatory villain with a god complex, a douchy haircut, and an trenchcoat he stole from Morpheus. Bottom line, the plot is stupid, but you really don't play this game for the plot. I guess I should point out here that this franchise really has no right to call itself "survival horror" anymore. What few frighting aspects there were to Resi 4 are completely gone now. It's a straight up action game. A very cool action game, but an action game nonetheless.
8) Mercenaries - Finally, the most awesome mini-game ever is back and better than ever. The joy of zombie genocide is just as fun as ever. And there are even more characters, stages, and weapons to play with than in the previous game. You can even play the game with a partner online or splitscreen, which is just retarded fun. If you play this on 360, I highly recommend supplying your own tunes while you play with the custom soundtrack feature. There's nothing more fun than slaughtering the undead horde while your favorite rock band or gangster rapper supplies the aggression.
Summary: A worthy sequel to Resident Evil 4 that ditches the horror elements in favor of slick, gorgeous, violence. Utilizes effective partner and inventory systems to create a fun and challenging experience. If you liked Resident Evil 4, you will like Resident Evil 5.
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2010
Platform For Display: Xbox 360Edition: StandardVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2013
Platform For Display: Xbox 360Edition: StandardVerified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
Jonatan neves
Chegou em ótimas condições. Valeu muito a pena!
Reviewed in Brazil on March 3, 2022Platform For Display: Xbox 360Edition: StandardVerified Purchase
Arturo
Excelente
Reviewed in Mexico on May 31, 2017Platform For Display: Xbox 360Edition: StandardVerified Purchase
Rib
Great game
Reviewed in Canada on November 9, 2016Platform For Display: Xbox 360Edition: StandardVerified Purchase
M. F. Phan
RESIDENT EVIL 5 sur XBOX 360 : UN TRES GRAND JEU !!! "GENIAL" ! ... AVEC CHRIS , SHEVA , JILL , WESKER ....
Reviewed in France on June 7, 2011Platform For Display: Xbox 360Edition: StandardVerified Purchase
Arthurt1991
Perfeito
Reviewed in Brazil on June 17, 2022Platform For Display: Xbox 360Edition: StandardVerified Purchase
