Resident Evil 5: Rehash or Smash Hit?

Personally, I've been away from the Resident Evil Franchise for a while now. That may prove to be beneficial to this review as I hold no biases. So come with me as I delve into Africa, shooting zombies along the way.

Immediately as you enter the landscape of the game, you'll find that it looks quite a bit different from the other titles in the franchise. The previous installments have been set in places such as the United States and Spain. Africa looks and feels quite a bit different. As far as freshness goes this game is hot off the shelf. More specifically, the game takes place in Kijuju.

All the Resident Evil Games have succeeded in being at least a little bit scary, if not downright terrifying sometimes (especially if you play them in the dark on a moonless night, with 6 or 7 black cats around you.) You'll find that Resident Evil 5 will hold up it's end of the bargain of continuing that trend. It's fun to shoot zombies (granted) but even more fun to do so when you actually get pulled into the game, which Resident Evil 5 does pretty well, just like it's predecessor Resident Evil 4.

That basics of the story aren't all that new, but then again how could they be. The entire success of the franchise is built off of zombie infection. So the Africans get infected and it is now your job as Chris Redfield (who has seen this before) to destroy and cease the horrific virus that has turned the humble townsfolk into brain eating savages.

As game play is concerned, this game plays nearly exactly like Resident Evil 4. This is a great thing. I've seen so many developers try to break from tradition and reinvent the wheel so to speak. Resident Evil 5 keeps with the "Game of the Year" tradition that RE4 brought to the table. But don't expect a RE4 game pause when you hit your inventory screen. This baby's live action keeps rolling even as you're searching through your pack. If you hadn't read this article you'd most likely die a few times before you figured this out. (See, we DO save lives!)

Resident Evil 5 behaves more like a straight up action shooter than its predecessors (as noted in the genre of the game in this review). If you're like me and you've been away from Resident Evil for a long time, It's going to be a little bit different. There aren't as many puzzles for one thing, which for me is a great thing. There's nothing I hate more than getting stuck on a puzzle for 5 hours when all I wanna do is crush some bloody zombie heads. Resident Evil 5 Behaves in a very linear fashion. You won't be venturing off the beaten path for many things, although sometimes it's nice to go that way and get some new consumables.

All of you teamsters should note that you now have a partner to explore the vast barren wasteland with. Her name is Sheva Alomar, an agent of the Bio terrorism Security Assessment Alliance. I know what you're thinking, or at least what I was thinking when I first experienced this partnership, that it'll just be another NPC to get in the way. Not true. Sheva is tough, she's ready for action and she'll more than likely save you from death more times than one. You share supplies as well. But if you're still against the NPC followed known as Sheva, you can have one of your buddies hop in their car, bring some soda and chips and get to killing zombies together. You'll be Chris Redfield and they'll be Sheva.

One dissapointment is that the game itself will only last between 7 and 13 hours depending on how hardcore a gamer you are. (I'll pretend here that It took me 3 2/5ths hours). The saving grace for paying that much for that short of a game are the gems that come after the original storyline. Capcom didn't neglect to give us foaming at the mouth gamers something to talk about. After you beat the original storyline, the mercenaries mode unlocks for you. This is a kind of boasting mode where you have a set time limit to kill as many zombies as you can. Challenge your friends and show them how awesome you really are. Sheva also becomes an option as a main character in the original game play. This perk has less to do with the storyline and is more for vanity, but still entertaining.

The Voice acting in the game is done pretty well, though there are a few instances when it verges on the side of cheesy. It's not like you're going to be laughing out loud at the horrific grammar and lack of tact that the NPCS have, but there will be times when you'll think to yourself it was a little overdone.

All in all, even if you're not a fan of the Resident Evil Franchise, this game is going to be hard to hate. Once you pick up the controller, though it has its flaws, you're going to want to play more and more. It's well worth the money spent and the replay value is there. The boasting and mercenary mode is surprisingly addictive, and Sheva is a nice aspect and sense of accompaniment in a world of rapid killers that are out to dispatch you.