Resident Evil 5 - 360/PS5 - Review

[El Duderino]

Resident Evil 5

Zombies, you can love them, you can hate them, you can join them in their endless quest for human flesh, but you sure can´t get rid of them. With Resident Evil 5 Capcom once proves that in videogame this is a good thing. The series pretty much invented the survival horror genre but as most games have evolved so has Resident Evil, subtle horror, creepy atmosphere and dark settings have become rare in RE5, a development that is continued from RE4. But even though the Resident Evil series has shifted from survival-horror to action-survival, fans can still count on the cold sweats and increased heartbeat they have come to expect.

Somewhere in Africa, once again a biovirus is turning humans and animals into bloodthirsty killing machines. Terrorists have chosen the war torn continent as a testing area for new biological weapons and of course the evil Umbrella Corporation has its dirty fingers in the situation as well. You once again take control of the series veteran Chris Redfield who is sent to the area to investigate. While you have to journey without your former partner Jill Valentine who is still missing in action and presumed dead, you are supported by local beauty Sheva Alomar who can more than hold her own in a fight.
Resident Evil 5 continues the way part 4 already started, the dark horror aspects have been vastly reduced and the action drastically upped. It doesn´t take very long before you have pistols, machine guns and shotguns in your arsenal to battle zombies, mutated animals and interesting endbosses. There is never a lack of enemies to be worried about, on the contrary there are often hordes of attackers surrounding you so in addition to being a good marksman its necessary to know when to fight and when to run to a saver place and barricade yourself in. The game often offers ways to use your surroundings as protection or a way to attack enemies without using precious ammunition.
In the single player mode Sheva turns out to be a most welcome and almost always intelligent help. She attacks on her own, takes cover and gathers items without being in your way. She will heal you when you need it and let you know when she needs help herself without going on your nerves. When situations require teamwork she always knows what to do and even helps kill endbosses that require attacking from different sides. Also quite helpful is the option to change her combat attitude from a defensive supporter and healer to a aggressive, independent fighter. If you ever lose her out of sight you can conveniently have the camera focus on her beautiful boobs which are then circled in red, this will help calm you down after a heated battle.
Of course the full quality of the game is only experiences in local split screen and online co-op modes that allows two friends to play trough the full campaign together.
Although passages of the game do require coordination between both players the puzzle aspects have been reduced to a minimum. Also the settings are very different from previous versions, African desert, remote villages, outdoor factory sites... considering the overall beautiful and stunning graphics of the game it would have been a huge shame to hide them in darkness. Very diversified, detailed locations in high resolution, stunningly realistic and demonic looking hordes of zombies, impressive lighting effects and fluid animations add up to one of the most graphically impressive games this generation has seen. Additionally the game isn´t greedy with stunning and engaging cut-scenes, constantly when you enter a new area or just killed another horde of enemies the game shows you a atmospheric staged sequence that drives the plot further and keeps the story exciting. This makes up for the fact that the game stays very linear most of the time, certain actions trigger certain events, almost all situations can only be managed in one way. Shocking moments are rare but thanks to diversified enemies in large groups stress and panic are still a constant companion. The fact that you can´t pause the game to use your inventory or trade items adds to the survival panic flair and constantly high adrenaline level.
The controls may not always be as responsive as in other games with comparable amounts of action but after a little getting used to they are not in the way and can hardly be blamed for ones own failures. If desired the perspective can be set to one that is closer to FPSs but unfortunately walking and shooting at the same time in not possible in any mode. When you are grabbed by zombies the only way to free yourself is to hope your partner saves you in time or violently mash the controll stick, this makes you wonder if Sony and Microsoft are offering bonuses to games that increase the sales of controllers. Thankfully this doesn´t happen all that much and usually your mate can help you our very fast. Melee attacks are necessary and very helpful in many situations, shooting different body parts will enable you to unleash different types of melee attacks that can be chained together as combos for more damage. Still they are not nearly as effective as a well places shoot from a gun. Although the laser pointer works very well it gets increasingly difficult to hit your enemy where you want to, thankfully the game has three different difficulty modes and a well working autosave function that keep the frustration level to am minimum.
Technically the difference between the Xbox 360 version and the Playstation 3 version is hardly noticeable at all, the PS3 version requires a 4,8 GByte install which 360 users don´t need since load times are astonishingly short even without a install. The textures are clear in both versions, the flickering at the edges of textures is a little higher on the PS3, the 360 version misses V-Sync that can sometimes lead to little graphic glitches if you don´t play in a 1.280x720 resolution. Overall the differences are very very minimal.

Purists and self-declared protectors of the series who embrace dark rooms and impossible camera angles have already expressed their disappointment in Resident Evil 5. Open minded gamers however will embrace the fact that Capcom is going new ways and adapting to a gaming scene where action, online play and co-op are gaining importance without losing site of what made their games great in the past. Bottom line is that Resident Evil 5 is a very beautifully and near perfectly composed action-survival game which still preserved atmospheric horror elements and boasts one of the best co-op modes to date.

9.2

[Don Ramón]

great Review Thanks Dude!!!

[Kenzomatic]

Question, I did not really like the control sceme that much (did not hate it), I loved the graphics and have no problem with it only being an action game. (Dead Space is becoming more and more of an elite game givin the lack of compitetion) Now I just picked up Mass Effect (never played it, will be busy till then end of the week).

Now given the choice should I play Mass Effect then go pick RE5 up or is it so bad ass that I should get it now?

[El Duderino]

Mass Effect is just as badass... even more if you like RPGs... but if you are looking for action and you are going to get this anyway you might as well do it now... also I was skeptical about the controls playing the demo too but now I can´t complain about them that much... just not quite as good as Gears and you can see they where influenced by it... not moving while shooting takes a little time to get used to but you can do a quick 180 turn which helps...

[Don Ramón]

I will go RE5 over Mass effect

[Flow]

"Open minded gamers however will embrace the fact that Capcom is going new ways and adapting to a gaming scene where action, online play and co-op are gaining importance without losing site of what made their games great in the past."

Excuse me, but are you calling me close minded because i didn't liked how they butchered resident evil, a survival horror franchise, into an action franchise?

[El Duderino]

^^ No Im just calling you nostalgic...

[pichu]

Cool! I can't wait till the wii version.

[Flow]

^^ No Im just calling you nostalgic...

I suggest you change that part of your review, because it really feels like you're calling us close minded

[El Duderino]

^^ If you have a problem with what Capcom is doing I suggest you talk to them about it.

[loro]

um...what's he looking for in that picture? Does she have some herb down her pants?

[Don Ramón]

is a very commom practice for women to keep money in their bra in third world country... so maybe

[El Duderino]

^^ why would they do that ??? its among the top three places I like to grab sexy women when I "accidentally" trip in the bus or on the train...

[Don Ramón]

well... I guess because they will know if somebody try to touch in there...
But is a true history

[B4L]

Nice review , ....she obviously wants him to check for lumps in that pic .

[Flow]

^^ If you have a problem with what Capcom is doing I suggest you talk to them about it.

Haha, are you serious?

A former survival horror series is now an action game series, i am sad because i won't play any more good resident evil games IMO, but i won't complain and won't buy their games anymore and case closed

But don't call me close minded because i don't like what they did

[El Duderino]

^^ Im not calling you close minded for disliking what they did... Capcom made the decision to have less horror and more action, thats their decision to make and as long as they still make quality games no one should complain about the artistic direction they are going... if RE5 was a generally crappy game I would let you bitch and moan all you want... but complaining about a quality game that just isn´t your cup of tea... yeah that may be a little close minded... they have to do what they think is best... when Zelda and Mario went 3D in the 64 era I was not really happy with the artistic direction ether, but the new games where still top quality so there was no reason to complain... when Blizzard set the focus of Warcraft 3 on heroes instead of normal units as it was in Starcraft and Warcraft 2 I wasn´t happy ether... but Warcraft 3 is a top quality game... whether I like it or not... so I newer complained about it and now it looks like Starcraft will again be more what I like... I seriously thing RE will return to its roots sooner or later too...

There is no problem being unhappy with a change in artistic direction... but if the game still has good quality its close minded to say they "butchered it"... the game developers don´t owe you a game just like the ones you liked... they have to make money to keep making games... and in order to make money and keep things interesting you need to change things around... so again, you can complain about lack of quality and you can disagree with an artistic direction... but if you complain about a new artistic direction without a loss of quality then yes IMO that is a little close minded... thats all Im saying...

[loro]

That's some pretty good support for your argument, Dude. Well done.

[zex]

I haven't spell-checked it, I concentrated on finishing it fast


En algún lugar de África, una vez más un biovirus está convirtiendo humanos y animales en zombies sedientos de sangre. Los terroristas han elegido aquel continente devastado por la guerra como zona de experimentos para sus armas biológicas, y por supuesto la malvada Corporación Umbrella está involucrada también. Una vez más tomas el control del veterano de la serie, Chris Redfield, que es enviado a esta área para investigar. En tu viaje no podrás contar con la ayuda de tu antigua compañera Jill Valentine, que sigue ausente y presumiblemente muerta, pero recibirás el soporte de una nativa, Sheva Alomar, que es bastante competente para pelear.
Resident Evil sigue el mismo camino que la cuarta parte había transitado, la parte de horror oscuro ha sido reducida enormente, y la parte de acción aumentada drásticamente. No tarda mucho hasta que tienes a tu disposición pistolas, ametralladoras y escopetas para combatir zombies, animales mutantes y bosses muy interesantes. Nunca faltan enemigos, al contrario, a menudo hay hordas de atacantes rodeándote, así que además de tener buena puntería es necesario saber cuándo pelear y cuándo huir a un lugar seguro y barricarte allí. El juego a menudo ofrece maneras de utilizar tus alrededores como protección o para atacar enemigos sin gastar tus preciadas municiones.
En el modo single player, Sheva resulta una ayudante inteligente y más que bien recibida. Ataca por sí sola, se pone a cubierto y junta ítems sin ponerse en tu camino. Te curará cuando lo necesites, y te lo hará saber cuando ella necesite ayuda sin tampoco ser irritante. Cuando la situación exige trabajo en equipo, ella siempre sabe lo que hacer, e incluso ayuda a matar a los bosses que requieren que los ataquen de diferentes lados. A su vez, ayuda bastante la opción de cambiar su actitud de combate de soporte defensiva/curadora a agresiva/luchadora independiente. Si en algún momento la pierdes de vista siempre puedes hacer que la cámara haga foco en sus bellos pechos que están marcados en rojo, eso te ayudará a calmar tus pulsaciones después de una frenética batalla
Por supuesto, la experiencia completa del juego sólo se puede experimentar en los modos Split-screen local y cooperativo online, que permite que dos personas jueguen la campaña entera juntos. Aunque hay pasajes del juego que requieren coordinación entre los jugadores, las partes de puzle han sido reducidas al mínimo. Además, el entorno es muy diferente a los juegos anteriores, el desierto africano, aldeas remotas, fábricas al aire libre...considerando la belleza y espectacularidad de los gráficos, hubiera sido una lástima que fueran ocultados por la oscuridad. Lugares detallados y muy variados en alta resolución, hordas de zombies demoníacos con efectos de luz impresionantes y animaciones fluidas, todo suma para uno de los juegos más sorprendentes gráficamente hablando que haya en el mercado. El juego tampoco escatima con espectaculares cut-scenes, ya que constantemente cuando entras en un área nueva o matas una nueva horda de enemigos el juego muestra una secuencia animada cuidadosamente realizada que ayuda a progresar a la historia y la mantiene interesante. Esto ayuda a contrarrestar un poco el hecho de que el juego es bastante linear en su mayor parte, algunas acciones activan algunos eventos, la mayoría de las situaciones sólo pueden ser manejadas de una manera. Momentos shockeantes son raros, pero gracias a los variados enemigos que componen las enormes hordas atacantes, el estrés y el pánico siempre están presentes. El hecho de que no puedas pausar el juego para usar tu inventario o intercambiar ítems ayuda a mantener alto el nivel de adrenalina generado por el juego.
Los controles pueden no ser tan responsivos como en otros juegos con un nivel de acción semejante, pero después de un tiempo de acomodamiento no molestan y no los vamos a culpar por nuestros errores. Si se lo desea, la perspectiva puede ser cambiada a una más cercana a un FPS, pero desafortunamente, caminar y disparar al mismo tiempo no es posible en ningún modo. Cuando te agarran los zombies, la única forma de salvarse es o rezar por que tu compañera te salve a tiempo o mover frenéticamente la palanca analógica, de una manera que te hace pensar si Sony y Microsoft no estarán ofreciéndoles bonuses a los juegos que incrementen las ventas de nuevos joysticks. Ataques meleé son necesarios y ayudan bastante en varias situaciones, dispararle a las distintas partes del cuerpo te va a permitir lanzar diferentes tipos de ataques meleé que pueden ser encadenados como combo para hacer más daño. Aún así, no son tan efectivos como unos buenos precisos disparos con un arma. A pesar de que el puntero láser funciona muy bien, se hace bastante difícil acertar al enemigo donde deseas a medida de que el juego avanza, por suerte posee tres niveles de dificultad y una útil función de autosave que mantienen el nivel de frustración en el mínimo

Técnicamente hablando, la diferencia entre la versión de Xbox 360 y la de Playstation 3 es para nada notable; la version de PS3 requiere una instalación de 4.8 GB, que los usuarios de 360 no necesitan porque los tiempos de carga son sorprendentemente breves aún sin instalación. Las texturas son muy buenas en ambas versiones, el parpadeo en los bordes es un poco más alto en la PS3; la versión de 360 a veces pierde el V-Sync lo que la lleva a pequeños glitches gráficos si no juegas en 1280x720. En general, las diferencias son muy pero muy pequeñas.

Los puristas y los declarados protectors de la serie que aman las habitaciones oscuras y los ángulos de cámara imposibles han ya manifestado su decepción con Resident Evil 5. Los gamers con mente abierta, sin embargo, van a aceptar con gusto que Capcom esté transitando nuevos caminos para adaptarse a los tiempos cambiantes del mundo de los videojuegos, donde la acción, el online y el modo cooperativo ganan cada vez más importancia sin perder de vista lo que hacía a sus juegos excelentes en el pasado. En resumen, Resident Evil es un juego de acción-survival hermoso gráficamente hablando y ejecutado casi con perfección, que todavía mantiene sus elementos de horror atmosférico y además presenta uno de los mejores modos cooperativos que se hayan visto.

9.2

[Don Ramón]

zex sos Groso!!!

Asi dejalo del resto me encargo yo.. mil gracias!!!

[Flow]

^^ Im not calling you close minded for disliking what they did... Capcom made the decision to have less horror and more action, thats their decision to make and as long as they still make quality games no one should complain about the artistic direction they are going... if RE5 was a generally crappy game I would let you bitch and moan all you want... but complaining about a quality game that just isn´t your cup of tea... yeah that may be a little close minded... they have to do what they think is best... when Zelda and Mario went 3D in the 64 era I was not really happy with the artistic direction ether, but the new games where still top quality so there was no reason to complain... when Blizzard set the focus of Warcraft 3 on heroes instead of normal units as it was in Starcraft and Warcraft 2 I wasn´t happy ether... but Warcraft 3 is a top quality game... whether I like it or not... so I newer complained about it and now it looks like Starcraft will again be more what I like... I seriously thing RE will return to its roots sooner or later too...

There is no problem being unhappy with a change in artistic direction... but if the game still has good quality its close minded to say they "butchered it"... the game developers don´t owe you a game just like the ones you liked... they have to make money to keep making games... and in order to make money and keep things interesting you need to change things around... so again, you can complain about lack of quality and you can disagree with an artistic direction... but if you complain about a new artistic direction without a loss of quality then yes IMO that is a little close minded... thats all Im saying...

No

It's my opinion, look, i'm not keeping myself out of the new resident evils for blind faith, you know? I have played RE 4 and i have not enjoyed it (specially after entering that castle) and i even played the demo of RE 5 and i will admit they are both well made games but i haven't enjoyed them

Doesn't matter if it is a quality game, also, it doesn't matter if i don't like it, i won't change anything on capcom

But there is still no reason to call me close minded for disliking a game, maybe if i was just a blind troll, but i really can't enjoy the new resident evils anymore

NOBODY should be called close minded for an opinion

[El Duderino]

^^
1. I only called "Purists and self-declared protectors" close minded... these people are close minded by definition and if you feel I was writing about you there you automatically accept that you are close minded concerning RE games.

2. The last part of the review is the part where the writer sums up the review and gives his own opinion... we obviously have conflicting tastes and opinions on this subject but complaining about how I see the situation won´t change a thing or get any results.

3. YES people should be called close minded for their opinions... DEFINITELY... nobody should be called close minded for their personal taste and I already explained that I didn´t do that. But opinions are a hole different ball game... the president of Iran has the opinion that the holocaust is a lie and Israel should be destroyed... that guy is a close minded ass and I think everyone should laugh about his ridiculous opinions... Hitler had some pretty freaking stupid close minded opinions and he should have been murdered the moment he and his close minded ideas got any sort of power...

4. Please play the game for a few hours first... I was not very impressed with the demo myself but now I really like the game... and even if I didn´t like the game personally I would have written a good review for it because its just technically a really well made game... maybe you can write your own review and tell us why previous REs where so much better in the opinion section...

[Flow]

Close minded by definition? I am close minded because i liked the old resident evils better? Because of my personal taste (opinion was indeed the wrong word)? Because i just didn't like these new resident evil regardless of being survival horrors or action games? Like i said, if i didn't even gave a chance to the games and started spamming boards about how bad it is, i would be close minded. However, i didn't liked the games and pronto, so there is no reason to say that.

So by summing up the review and giving your opinion you mean calling other gamers close minded? You can write whatever you want in your review except for insults, i wouldn't insult a casual street fighter player if i reviewed street fighter IV which requires a good deal of skill, this is equally outrageous

I was pointing out how i got offended by something in your review, something reviews shouldn't do unless i was a rabid fanboy, you could have said wonders about the game and i wouldn't care less, however, you are calling me close minded because i don't agree with your personal taste and that's something very wrong in a review, and you continue to do so. Neither you nor i could bring myself to like the new resident evils (i tried), and i'm not close minded for thinking so

[El Duderino]

^^ You calling a good game "butchering the series" is IMO close minded... sorry... and I never insulted you... you yourself felt that the terms "Purists and self-declared protectors of the series" where directed at you... those terms mean that people who they apply to are close minded by definition... in the end you yourself applied this to yourself and called yourself close minded... is your mind closed to the changes in the series ??? Yes ??? there you have it... I´m not saying being close minded is always such a terrible thing... its just your opinion about a videogame... but when you obviously are don´t complain about it...

[Flow]

"You calling a good game "butchering the series" is IMO close minded... sorry..."

It's not a good game IMO, but i admit i was overly rude

"Open minded gamers however will embrace the fact that Capcom is going new ways and adapting to a gaming scene where action, online play and co-op are gaining importance without losing site of what made their games great in the past."

So if you don't liked the changes you are close minded? That's where i got offended. I didn't applied anything to myself, i got offended by something on your review

""Purists and self-declared protectors of the series" where directed at you... those terms mean that people who they apply to are close minded by definition..."

I don't see where you're getting that from

"is your mind closed to the changes in the series ??? Yes ??? there you have it..."

Close minded is a stubborn person who won't listen or accept any different opinion. The only thing i did was to have a different personal taste than you, even though i tried the games, that doesn't make me a close minded person. You can say my mind is closed to the series changes (because i didn't liked them), that's completely different

"but when you obviously are don´t complain about it..."

And then you say i'm obviously close minded, jesus...

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