Resident Evil: 5
The Resident Evil series has a lot of games to cover and the truth is I haven't played them all. Some I didn't realize existed until I started looking for information during the past few days and others just weren't very accessible. Out of the twenty-three games that have spanned the past 18 years I've played about a dozen of them. Now, that 23 includes a number of re-releases such as Resident Evil and Resident Evil: Director's Cut, Code Veronica and Code Veronica X (Re-released on the xbox.), as well as Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition and Mercenaries 3D which was a portion of RE:5 released on the Nintendo 3DS. But it also includes a large number of Light Gun games I had no idea existed before the Wii title: Umbrella Chronicles. Apparently there was a series called Resident Evil: Survivor for the PlayStation that saw three sequels. There was also an online co-op game for the PlayStation 2 titled: Resident Evil Oubreak that was unfortunately ahead of it's time and required that you purchase the network adapter add-on for the PS2 in order to play. On top of which you had to have some friends who also shelled out for the game + add-on as well or else it was pretty much useless.
Why is this important? Well I guess the whole point is that there are so many great Resident Evil games on the market and I have a tendency to get really excited about the series and then still somehow not touch even the mainstream titles until years after they are released. It took me years to get around to playing Resident Evil 4 and even though I was extremely excited about the release of Resident Evil 5 I ended up doing the same thing. In fact, the whole reason I played Resident Evil 4 finally was because I decided I'd better do so before finally playing RE:5.
When the time finally came and I booted this title up on m Xbox 360, I once again found myself wonder why I had waited so long. So much about this game made it impossible to put down. Not only were the visuals ridiculously stunning, leaps and bounds above RE:4, but the entire game was rethought. Of course, this garnered a number of complaints as any great change always does; that the game was now too action oriented, too much of a shooter and the pacing too quick. None of this bothered me. It felt more as if I was less restricted and now they could through hoards of frightening zombies at me without causing me to curse frustratingly at the controls since I can't move and shoot at the same time. All the puzzles were still there, that one rainy moment all Resident Evil games have, that slow revealing transition from small village to huge underground research facility and the same limited inventory system that forces you to make serious choices about what you decide to carry.
Looking back, I almost forgot about how incredible this game looks. The lighting is so accurate, the textures and effects so real the whole game looks even more gritty and cinematic than ever before. It's also one of those few games that looks as good now as it did in the promotional shots that were provided before the game's release. Capcom did such an amazing job of capturing realistic exposure, shadows and some great character design. With the exception of Chris' cantaloupe biceps of course.
Resident Evil 5 also featured the incredible replayability of the previous games in the series, especially when speaking of RE:4. During the course of the game you progress in terms of upgrading your weapons and eventually unlocking some guns that are game-breakingly powerful. This means eventually, subsequent playthroughs are an absolute blast, with no enemy able to stand in your way.
I had a great time with Resident Evil 5. And although for the most part I didn't enjoy it quite as much as part 4, it came real close. And as with most games like this, if it's captured my attention so well that I end up playing through multiple times immediately after the first playthrough, it's a strong game in my books.
The Resident Evil series has a lot of games to cover and the truth is I haven't played them all. Some I didn't realize existed until I started looking for information during the past few days and others just weren't very accessible. Out of the twenty-three games that have spanned the past 18 years I've played about a dozen of them. Now, that 23 includes a number of re-releases such as Resident Evil and Resident Evil: Director's Cut, Code Veronica and Code Veronica X (Re-released on the xbox.), as well as Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition and Mercenaries 3D which was a portion of RE:5 released on the Nintendo 3DS. But it also includes a large number of Light Gun games I had no idea existed before the Wii title: Umbrella Chronicles. Apparently there was a series called Resident Evil: Survivor for the PlayStation that saw three sequels. There was also an online co-op game for the PlayStation 2 titled: Resident Evil Oubreak that was unfortunately ahead of it's time and required that you purchase the network adapter add-on for the PS2 in order to play. On top of which you had to have some friends who also shelled out for the game + add-on as well or else it was pretty much useless.Why is this important? Well I guess the whole point is that there are so many great Resident Evil games on the market and I have a tendency to get really excited about the series and then still somehow not touch even the mainstream titles until years after they are released. It took me years to get around to playing Resident Evil 4 and even though I was extremely excited about the release of Resident Evil 5 I ended up doing the same thing. In fact, the whole reason I played Resident Evil 4 finally was because I decided I'd better do so before finally playing RE:5.
When the time finally came and I booted this title up on m Xbox 360, I once again found myself wonder why I had waited so long. So much about this game made it impossible to put down. Not only were the visuals ridiculously stunning, leaps and bounds above RE:4, but the entire game was rethought. Of course, this garnered a number of complaints as any great change always does; that the game was now too action oriented, too much of a shooter and the pacing too quick. None of this bothered me. It felt more as if I was less restricted and now they could through hoards of frightening zombies at me without causing me to curse frustratingly at the controls since I can't move and shoot at the same time. All the puzzles were still there, that one rainy moment all Resident Evil games have, that slow revealing transition from small village to huge underground research facility and the same limited inventory system that forces you to make serious choices about what you decide to carry.
Looking back, I almost forgot about how incredible this game looks. The lighting is so accurate, the textures and effects so real the whole game looks even more gritty and cinematic than ever before. It's also one of those few games that looks as good now as it did in the promotional shots that were provided before the game's release. Capcom did such an amazing job of capturing realistic exposure, shadows and some great character design. With the exception of Chris' cantaloupe biceps of course.
Resident Evil 5 also featured the incredible replayability of the previous games in the series, especially when speaking of RE:4. During the course of the game you progress in terms of upgrading your weapons and eventually unlocking some guns that are game-breakingly powerful. This means eventually, subsequent playthroughs are an absolute blast, with no enemy able to stand in your way.
I had a great time with Resident Evil 5. And although for the most part I didn't enjoy it quite as much as part 4, it came real close. And as with most games like this, if it's captured my attention so well that I end up playing through multiple times immediately after the first playthrough, it's a strong game in my books.
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