forced co-op and dated mechanics ruin this game.
User Rating: 5 | Resident Evil 5 X360
Resident Evil 5 tries to play off Resident Evil 4's success, but fails. There is no option to play this game solo. You have to play with either an a.i. controlled partner, or with a split screen local or online player. Your partner is an African woman with an oddly placed British accent named Sheva Alomar. The problem with trying to play the game is two fold. One: It destroys most of the tension and suspense the Resident Evil games are known for. Two: the a.i. controlled partner can be a severe liability, since you can never separate too far, as she might be killed, ending the game. She's not very smart, and too easily dispatched by the tougher enemies. She can revive you, as a last resort, when you're near death, by injecting you with a health syringe, but Sheva isn't otherwise much use. The game still uses Resident Evil 4's stop and shoot mechanics. You can now strafe, but still can't shoot and move at the same time. This was fine in RE 4, since it was the series first major deviation from the original formula. But in 2009, on a next generation console, it certainly isn't acceptable. They revamped the inventory system also. Now the inventory screen is brought up in real time, meaning the enemies still are moving toward you while playing, forcing you to try and rapidly make changes or die. You can exchange ammo or health with Sheva by a command function, but for some stupid reason, not guns. This is a terrible inventory method, and can completely ruin the game, particularly in boss battles, when you have to do the QuickTime events to evade attacks. Yes, the QuickTime events are still here, to either the delight or dismay of many. Their is a 4x4 multiplayer mode also, but its terrible. The stuff controls of RE 5 simply don't work in a multiplayer third person action game. That's about it. It's a disappointing game. Go play Resident Evil 4,2 or the new HD remake of the Ganecube game. They're far better than 5, and retain the dread and scares the series was originally known for.
