Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Worth playing"

To all of the bigots out there, remember that zombies are people too. They have hopes, dreams, feelings, and desires. Yes, they have a strong urge to consume other individuals, and yes they have no brain and find it difficult to complete the easiest tasks, but nevertheless they are still people. It is true that they are technically "dead"; however, they are still living, breathing creatures that deserve to be treated fairly……..with a bullet in the head. :)

It's been years since the incident in Raccoon City. Everyone thought that the nightmare was over when the entire city was bombarded-they were wrong. A new deadly outbreak has been reported in the vicinity of Africa, and it's up to Chris Redfield, one of the few survivors of the incident, and newcomer Sheva Alomar to get to the bottom of this case. Little does Chris know that he's about to confront the same nightmare all over again.

(Note: Racial Controversy)
Resident Evil 5 has created a lot of tension revolving around racial issues. Many claim that playing as an American who murders millions of blacks is racist and completely appalling. Now I don't want to take a side on this controversy, I feel it all depends upon the player's beliefs. However, it did feel awkward when Capcom decided to frontload a lot of "black history" type imagery into the game- it didn't enhance the game play experience at all, it felt like Capcom did it just to put it in there.

Resident Evil 5 is a third person shooter that can be played solo or cooperatively with a computer or another human player. There's something that separates this third person shooter from all the others out there: the control scheme. If you have played Resident Evil 4 you'll feel comfortable with the control scheme and will be able to easily adapt to it. If you haven't played Resident Evil 4 or any of the other games in the series, the control scheme may be a huge turn-off.

If a group of hungry and blood thirsty zombies surrounded you, what would you do? Well, I don't know about you, but I would run AND shoot my way to a safer area. In Resident Evil 5 you CANNOT, I repeat CANNOT move and shoot simultaneously. Why? I don't know, maybe because Capcom was on a budget cut and they couldn't teach Chris and Sheva how to handle a gun while moving, who knows. If you can adapt to the controls you will find yourself having a bloody good time.

RE 5 is best played cooperatively with another human player mainly due to the fact that you're A.I. partner is about as bright as an old pile of toe nail clippings. Ok I might have exaggerated just a bit, but nevertheless you're A.I. partner just isn't that smart. Don't be surprised if you see your partner squandering his or her ammo, running head first into a pile of zombies, and getting chain sawed left to right. You essentially have to babysit your partner because once you take your eyes off him or her, that dreadful "Game Over" screen will appear on your T.V.

RE 5 offers a wide range of weapons to utilize in your zombie hunting quest. Just like every other shooter you can use a shotgun (great for creating kool aid if you know what I mean), an automatic weapon (perfect to have if your fingers get itchy), or a sniper rifle (an essential tool for "bird watching"). Or if you want to be a philanthropist you can always stick to the handgun/knife combination.

Resident Evil 5 is a gorgeous game from top to bottom. Something even as small as the lighting effects bring the world of Resident Evil to life. There is a sheer amount of detail placed within each unique environment from the skin burning deserts to the creepy underground caves. The character models are beautifully rendered and the monsters look like they've come from the deepest darkest pits of (insert word here) itself, which in this case is a good thing. The sound design was also spectacular. Some of the voice acting sounded strange and peculiar, but the sound effects really captured the essence of the game.

Overall: Resident Evil 5 is a great addition to the Resident Evil series. Although the series itself has lost its edge for being a terrifying and blood curling experience, it makes a tradeoff by replacing horror with addicting game play and fast paced action.