Resident Evil 5 is the direct sequel to the innovative Resident Evil 4 and ends up being just as much fun.
Even the storyline is almost similar to its predecessor, the game jumps from 2004 to 2009. Of course, some events that took place in between do have an impact on the game. These are told through flashbacks which occasionally come as you progress through the game. To appreciate the characters and story basis, one has to have previous game experience. Chris Redfield returns after his previous experiences about 11 years ago in the T. Virus outbreak in Raccoon City. Joining him this time is a new ally in the form of Sheva, Jill Valentine's absence is explained at the beginning with her revealed to have died in 2006 although the real situation gradually starts forming. Chris is dispatched to Kijuju, Africa to apprehend Ricardo Irving before he can sell a bio-organic weapon. He meets Sheva who remains his ally throughout the game. After arriving they learn that the villagers have already been converted into Majini through the Uroburo virus. From here the two set out to uncover the conspirators behind the situation. They eventually learn that Albert Wesker is yet again behind everything having used the serum provided to him by Ada wong to produce the Uroburos. Chris and Sheva's journey stretches all the way from the marshlands to the inside of the main facility and finally to the inevitable confrontation with Wesker. The story is told in the classic Resident Evil fashion with the main story being mystery for virtually the whole game and unraveled right at the end. Its good enough but could have had a little more life into it.
Combat is largely the same as the previous game. In fact other than having a partner with you this time round it's exactly the same experience and a change in inventory systems. That being said, having a partner is a good addition, Sheva is a valuable ally for you not because of her fighting ability but due to the fact that she can be used to store the excess items that Chris won't be able to store in his inventory. The core battle system, however is the same, with the game being shown in an over the shoulder perspective. While shooting the laser helps you target the Majini. The best way to kill them is targeting specific areas to weak them as most of the time you'll be fighting hordes of them. The Player cannot move while targeting so to be safe from enemy attacks, a certain space should be kept to kill them easily. The Inventory system has been changed so that its more realistic, while before you could easily pause and go through your briefcase even if you were fighting the final boss, this time you have to do it in real time. The slots in it have also been reduced which makes Sheva more important for the player as she can be used to store the extra things. Again guns have a lot of variety, the player starts with a single revolver which is good enough at first but as the game progresses you'll be surrounded by much more and much larger opponents. By that time though you'll have had more powerful guns like the grenade launcher and the ever reliable machine gun.
Resident Evil 5 has an option of playing the game with someone else online which is great in-game as you'll have a much smarter partner than the AI which is a bit klutzy. Player's wont get there items and weapons easily as purchasing them requires gold, By picking up gold coins scattered in the game you could have a sufficient amount. But in order to get rich you'll have to kill the big guys and spot treasures which are hidden in plain sight. Shooting is the main gameplay feature but occasionally you'll be required to solve puzzles to go forward. Even then you'll have to fight your way through a bunch of Majini to find the missing pieces. Despite these conveniences, there are some frustrating hurdles that need to be leaped over before a partner can begin playing. Co-op isn't drop-in, so if someone joins, gameplay is interrupted and immersion is broken to some degree. There's also an online mode included for those who finish the campaign, mostly people finish off with the story to enjoy the game online but in this game the online isn't much fun to play. Clearly they tried to make the online deathmatches like the ones everyone's come to love but have failed miserably. The setting and objectives look dull and are mostly unappealing.
Graphics look just a little notch higher than those of Resident Evil 4. It won't be included in any list of graphical achievements but the environments are great. The areas are nicely detailed, with the marshlands giving you a feeling as if you really are standing the middle of a swamp. The Gold edition incorporates the DLC's together. Players can play out the Mansion incident featuring Jill and Chris which goes back to the series' roots of the survival horror theme. Also included is the desperate escape DLC which mainly has you killing hordes of Majini. There are tons of extras in the game so players will have a lot of replay time.
It isn't exactly Game of the Year material but it is a great game to play. Old fans may or ma not like it as the similarity could be either off putting or fun to go through again. But Resident Evil 5 has many qualities that will make the majority of players happy to play it.