Don't be fooled; this is not a worthy successor to the mighty Resident Evil 4!
User Rating: 5 | Resident Evil 5 X360
After Resident Evil 4, one of the greatest video games of all time, was released in 2005, the Resident Evil franchise was revived. It was no longer a once-great franchise ruined by countless mediocre spin-offs and dreadful movie adaptations. However, things seem to have gone back to the dark days with this, the fifth installment in the series. After four years of hype, Resident Evil 5 was released in 2009. And it was an epic disappointment. Sure, the same basic formula from Resident Evil 4 remained intact but that turned out to be one of the games biggest flaws; it expanded upon nothing, meaning that although it stuck to the same basics of the fourth installment, it had none of its impact, charm or replay value. The plot here is Resident Evil at its most basic; you play Chris Redfield. You travel to Africa, where a biological weapon is basically transforming people into mindless monsters intent on killing. The plot is lacking of any real depth or surprise as cliche after cliche is thrown at you in horrible voice acting, terrible dialogue and predictable story progression. In terms of graphics, the game is impressive. In fact, visuals are quite possibly this games only real draw, as anything else about the game is underwhelming to say the least. You can't help but get the feeling that it could have been so much better. Its sluggish gameplay and shifty controls are labourous and horrid, the enemies aren't threatening and when you shoot, you don't feel any power. Hour after hour the game drags on and as the ridiculous scenarios and outrageous boss fights roll on, you just wonder whether or not Capcom knew what they were getting themselves into by making this titanic disappointment. The lack of environmental puzzles which were present in previous installments only furthers this game from its potential brilliance. Even the one puzzle found on here is insultingly easy. It's almost as though Capcom were intentionally trying to make a poor game.
But this game does in fact have some good points about it. For instance, despite the slow gameplay and poor aiming system, the game does have some depth. Bonuses are given for each playthrough of the game you complete, as in the previous Resident Evil installments. Mercenaries makes another appearance as well, which at times can be considerably more action-packed and fun than the campaign. Multiplayer has also been added, although it's terrible and uneven, it still somewhat adds more replay value overall. There are also various unlockable costums and miniture figures to unlock for the various enemies and characters you come across. Most of these additions, despite being commonplace in most game nowadays, do in fact add some amount of replay value to the game. But unfortunatly, you'd have to actually enjoy the gameplay of this game before any of these extras can even begin to appeal to you. At the end of it all, Resident Evil 5 just comes across as dated, contrived and a complete mess.
