Playing Resident Evil 5 Solo or Co-op: Alone Together

Resident Evil 5 is no stranger to controversy. When Capcom revealed the first trailer in 2007, showing the game's African setting with the muscle-bound Chris Redfield (of Resident Evil 1 fame) many cried foul of its provocative racial imagery. The problems didn't stop there. It wasn't until the following E3 that audiences were made aware of the next big change: Chris's partner, Sheva. Many have debated the addition of a partner and voiced their skepticism over whether or not Capcom can maintain the series' trademark terror with the inclusion of cooperative gameplay. Not only that, gamers the world over are split amongst the issue of controls as the developers have chosen to rely on the series' old-school style of "stop-and-shoot". Needless to say, this game arrives on the heels of a lot of discussion. What I will focus on, for the purposes of this review, are the pros and cons between playing the game solo versus playing cooperatively with another person. I've played through the game once completely on my own and the another with a friend. The debate wages on over whether or not Resident Evil can be successful when playing co-op and, for those going it alone, whether Capcom has engineered an A.I. capable enough of making the solo experience enjoyable.

Throughout the game, Chris and Sheva work together as members of the B.S.A.A. to uncover the truth behind a range of conspiracies from bio-terrorism, pharmaceutical companies testing drugs on the indigenous people, to the true intentions of Tricell, the Umbrella Corporation, and more. While the series is no stranger to cooperative gameplay, games like Outbreak have always been considered spin-offs. Resident Evil 5, however, is considered part of the tried and true RE cannon and the definitive sequel to 2005's Resident Evil 4.

There's no doubt that, given the developer's decision to design a game around co-op gameplay, the optimal conditions to play RE 5 are with a friend either split-screen or online. However, a lot of people picking up this game either don't have their console online, don't subscribe to pay-for services like Xbox Live, or simply don't have or want anyone with which to play. To make up for these players, Capcom has programmed Sheva with a pretty advanced A.I. that works well, for the most part. While the A.I. isn't perfect, it certainly gets the job done and makes playing the game solo entirely possible. One of the immediate benefits I found when playing alone having the A.I. control Sheva was that familiar feeling of fear. You're completely on your own in this game against seemingly insurmountable odds. Often, the game drops you in a situation where it's Chris and Sheva versus dozens of infected. Your only choice is to shoot your way out.

As I said, the A.I. works for the most part. Sheva is a fairly capable shot and a much more giving partner than I'd ever be, relinquishing ammo and health items far before I'd consider giving them to someone. Sheva also serves to counter-act one of the game's limitations; the inventory system. Essentially, she becomes an extra 9-slot inventory for hoarding anything of value so long as it's not a health item. Sheva is a bit of a worry-wort, using health items way before I would have if given a choice. She wasted health items in the heat of battle while my condition was still in the green. It was always frustrating to be out of health items after a battle because she used them all. To avoid this I simply made myself the keeper of the health and doled out items as I saw fit.

During action sequences, you only have a few options for directing Sheva; you can set her to either "Attack" or "Cover". For the most part, I found myself keeping Sheva in "Cover" mode so she wouldn't stray too far from me. The last thing I need is for her to run off without me, get killed, and force me to start over. It would have been nice if Sheva had more options but this is Resident Evil not Rainbow Six.

Despite these drawbacks, I found Sheva to be a worthy partner. Whether or not people connect to her as they have with other partners such as Yorda from ICO, the Weighted Companion Cube from Portal, or Agro from Shadow of the Colossus remains to be seen. I'm willing to bet people can overlook the A.I.'s flaws and enjoy the single-player game and even forge an affinity for Sheva's character. I believe this is possible because having the game control Sheva increases the game's sense of tension.

Without having your buddy on the other end backing you up every step of the way makes the solo experience all the more unsettling. While Sheva will shoot guys and cover you during the game- make no mistake your success rests wholly on Chris's hefty shoulders. Boss battles, puzzles, and the endless stream of enemies are left almost entirely up to the single player to defeat. This really harkens back to those feelings of dread from previous Resident Evil games. Much of this tension, however, is lost when playing cooperatively with a friend.

Whether you play together on Xbox Live, Playstation Network, or on the same couch via split-screen, Resident Evil 5 was designed to play with another person. Having a human control the other player is something you don't appreciate until you've played through the game both ways. No longer do you have to fiddle with two inventories, swapping out items, ammo, and directing your partner. You're free to strategize, savor the action, and have more fun. That's not to say that playing single-player isn't fun- far from it. It's just more liberating to play the game with another person as many of the A.I.'s flaws are no longer a hindrance to the experience. But gamers beware- playing the game cooperatively does have its problems.

For starters, playing with a friend definitely eases the tension. This might not be seen as a bad thing, to some people, but for any of the aforementioned RE-faithful, this may come as a huge letdown. When hearing your friend on the other end through voice-chat or sitting next to them on the couch, the experience definitely loses some of the suspense found in the single-player game. That immediate feeling of danger when it's you versus a raging mob of infected villagers is weakened when you can rely on someone to save you most of the time. Not only that, many have found the game to be easier when played with a person. That's not to say either way of playing is a cake-walk, particularly on the higher difficulty settings, but the difference is still there when playing co-op if you play with a partner who knows what they're doing.

While Resident Evil 5 employs a different kind of tension than the original Resident Evil, playing together may still offer a stress-educing experience. There's no doubt that playing the game cooperatively won't inhibit the thrilling action throughout the title I just wouldn't necessarily call it scary.

Yet, if you view Resident Evil 5 as it was intended by the developers, you quickly see it as less of an attempt to be haunting and foreboding and more an exercise in fast-paced action and thrill-ride edginess. Almost every choice the team has made reenforces that vision from the day-light soaked African setting, the abundance of ammunition, the streamlining of purchasing and procuring weapons, and the decrease in puzzles.

One thing I should note is that, if planning on playing this game entirely with a friend, be sure to set aside some time. The game's campaign can take about twelve to fifteen hours and this can be even harder to complete together when you don't live together or, perhaps, live in a different time zone as your partner. Luckily, you can always join up with random players but I found the experience to be a bit lacking here. Some people don't have mics, some don't want to work together, etc.

While playing the game alone does offer a more tense adventure, those feelings are the result of being completely on your own, having to juggle two inventories, and directing the actions of two characters. Co-op does away with all of that and, in its place, brings an ultimately more enjoyable and, most importantly, a more fun experience. The single-player game is perfectly adequate and, if you can overlook the A.I.'s shortcomings and embrace the added tension, you should have a lot of fun. However, heed Capcom's advice and play this game with a friend. It won't necessarily be as scary but it will definitely be more entertaining.