So it’s been a while since Resident Evil 5 was released, so why am I doing this review now? Simply because I haven’t had enough time to actually sit down and slay zombies.
The first One Giant Review, what a special moment. What better time to review the sequel to arguably the best zombie horror action adventure game ever? So hopefully by now you know what game I am talking about, considering it’s mentioned in the title and the first paragraph. That’s right, it’s Resident Evil 5.
Resident Evil 5 tells the story of Chris Redfield, a former member of S.T.A.R.S. Alpha team, who is now an agent of the B.S.A.A. Organization (Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance). Chris travels to the fictional nation named Kijuju in Africa to investigate a growing “zombie” virus.
RESIDENT EVIL 5
+ Graphics: When I started up this game, to be completely honest, I thought I was in Africa. The intricate details on the character models and textures on buildings, objects and the landscape convinced me that this was no standard next-gen game. This game was a beauty to behold. Walking by a crow perched on a fence, and seeing it take flight while at least three of its feathers flew down to the ground was stunning. Not to mention the shadows, everywhere I moved, be it under a tree or into the sun, the shadows either covered or uncovered me.
+ Storyline: The story in Resident Evil 5 continues from its predecessor, Resident Evil 4. Believe me, with all the many twists, turns, and action the player encounters, you won’t want this game to end. The game uses great voice acting, which makes the game seem more like a movie, in a good way of course.
+ Cooperative Play: Capcom made the right decision adding two main characters to the game. Being able to provide and receive backup from your partner only increases the fun factor of this game. Playing co-op with a friend or stranger only increases the playability, especially when using microphones. Making strategies and playing them out with your partner can create a certain tension in the game, giving a new way to complete and beat the game.
+ Strong Replay Value: After completing the game for the first time, players receive special unlocks and items that make the player want to play the game again. Players can change their clothes, purchase unlimited ammo, and change their visual modes (Cinematic) to change the way you experience the game. Speaking of unlimited ammo, this is my favorite feature in Resident Evil 5, playing the game again on Veteran difficulty using unlimited ammo and running around in my safari suit only boosts the fun factor.
- Loading Screens: The one thing that I hate the most about this game is its loading screens. Popping up every time the player moves to another section, enters an interactive cut scene, or after an interactive cut scene is completed, the loading times almost feel like they pop up just for the sake of popping up. Some loading screens are either 10 – 15 seconds, and others can reach to almost a minute or more.
- Button Mashing: Why encourage button mashing? Am I the only player who thinks that button mashing is not the way to complete a select maneuver? Many times throughout Resident Evil 5, the player is forced to tap continuously at one or two buttons to complete a task or maneuver, and no I am not talking about the interactive cut scenes. For instance, at the ending of the game (Chapter 6-3), in the very last scene, the bridge collapses under Sheva, forcing her to grab on to the ledge. The player is then forced to beat down a certain button as fast as they can for at least a minute or two in order to make Sheva climb up. Why must we mash a button that has nothing to do with what the character is doing? It makes no sense.
- Are you frozen?: You have all probably heard that while aiming your weapon, you cannot move. This of course eliminates run-and-gun, an aspect of game play common in first person shooters. Some of you may say that this is not a FPS, and that is true, but wouldn’t it be smart to run away and shoot at the incoming zombies?
9/10
Even with its flaws, Resident Evil 5 is a great game. Although it lacks any real scares or frights, Resident Evil 5 combines solid game play, graphics, and teamwork to create an excellent sequel to a well-known franchise.
Resident Evil 5 was developed by Capcom, and can be purchased at any main game retail facility, or online at amazon.com or gamestop.com.
Please leave your comments below and give suggestions. As this is the first of many One Giant Review’s, I would like to know your opinion.
Circana data shows Resident Evil 5 as the best selling Resident Evil game in the US, ahead of Resident Evil 4 remake and Village.
So the most successful RE is the one where a white man is killing Africans.
This can't be real.
Resident Evil 5 launched 15 years ago today - and it continues to stand as a stepping stone from the good to the bad.
One of my favourites because of the co-op. Then Resi 6 arrived and the series nosedived further.
I enjoyed the game co-oping with a friend I know the game in solo the AI can be an idiot but RE5 is way better then RE6. I played RE6 with a friend if it wasn't cheap when I got I would have avoided RE6.
5 was excellent, still play Mercs with my brother.
I would love a fully remastered RE:5, with some added, reworked content. The DLC for 5 was also excellent.
6 was awful.
I never understood why the game was misunderstood. It was a fantastic game at launch and is still fun today to play. It’s as action packed as Resident Evil 4 was, yet that’s regarded a masterpiece 🤷♂️
it was "misunderstood" because they introduced co-op into the franchise at a time when people loved to have fake rage about co-op. like, you could play the game as a solo experience, but people chose to have their bandwagon rage because it was cool at the time lol
What the hell are you talking about? Fake Rage? Bandwagon? Come on.
You can play it solo but you are forced to carry around a shitty AI partner you have to micro manage. It wasn't as fun solo.
Co-op sucked all the horror, tension and suspense from the game because having a partner covering you was like a safety net. Enemy trying to sneak up on you? No sweat the AI will just automatically lock on, alert you while they shoot first telling you where they are basically.
It was the start of Capcoms fall with the Resident Evil series where it basically become an over the top generic action game which betrayed it's own survival horror roots. Least RE4 had a good blend of both but Capcom just went the wrong way with RE5, especially going off what they were going to do during the RE4.5 beta phase before co-op was added.
At least the game was a ton of fun tho. If the game was bad, the outrage would’ve been justified. They simply pivoted for a couple of games. At this point it’s bad because it’s called Resident evil 5? But if was called something else it would’ve been good? Please.
like i said: fake baby rage and bandwagon hate. res4 wasn't really that scary, either, and was already taking the series into more of an action-oriented direction at the time. 5 was a good game that people fake-hated because of co-op that you didn't even have to play lol hence the fake rage and bandwagon hate. i mean, it obviously did well enough for capcom to go ahead and make 6 the way they did, right? if 5 was so bad, they would have changed what 6 was during development. the difference is that 6 was actually just bad.
people "hate" 5 because res4 was so good, and 5 was just unfortunate enough to be its successor. like i said, 4 wasn't scary, either, and relied more on tension than horror, but it was already more of an action game. if you don't wanna like 5 because it's not scary or whatever- that's fine, but it wasn't meant to be strictly a horror game anymore at that point anyways. the gameplay was a lot faster-paced than 4, so saying that the ai helping you by potentially shooting someone that was sneaking up behind you is a moot point. there were more enemies that were more aggressive, along with newer threats.
5 isn't as good as 4, but it's not a bad game by any stretch.
What? I always thought RE5 had fake controversy because it was set in South Africa and you shot a bunch of black zombies. I live in South Africa and thought the game was absolutely awesome, played the whole thing co-op with my brother.
@Foxtrot I think you're confusing the garbage Dead Space 3 with Resident Evil 5. Resident Evil 4 was already a hyper action game and had zero fear factor other than the grotesque appearance of some enemies.
An exploration of whether RE5 is truly the most logical next step for a remake, or whether there are others in line who deserve their day in the sun.
Remake of Resident evil outbreak as well as file 2. Same gameplay as the recent remakes. Choose what ever character you want to play as. With online co op.
I've been dying to see Outbreak come back for years.
Even RE Zero and Code Veronica would be excellent.
But for the love of God, not RE5 or RE6.
One they get around to the aforementioned games, why not remake the original Devil May Cry trilogy? That would be a much better use of time. At the very least, the first two games.
CV is good candidate for a remake but requires way more work for today’s standard. People look at CV through their tinted glasses. I think capcom wants to remake every game up till 6 and fix the plot holes so they can continue the series in one straight story path
Also not sure why only RE have to get remade when there are other capcom games that would be better suited for remakes like oninusha
That's PRECISELY the reason Code Veronica needs a remake. All the other RE games aged pretty well, considering the limitations of the time, but Code Veronica is the game that would be served the best bybremaking it because it feels so archaic these days.
DVA
But it depends if capcom wants a big project or a quick remake. CV will require a lot more work than RE5
IMO they should remake other games before doing RE5
RE5 is the closest to the bottom of the pot(a little smoky flavor but passable in a emergency) before we get to the burned crust that is 6 that not even the pigs would eat
Unpopular opinion here, but I enjoyed 5 and 6. I just think, in terms of Remakes, the classics are the one that should get the treatment above the modern takes of the franchise.
Don’t get wrong, RE4 definitely was an outstanding Remake, but RE5… I just get less excited about a Remake for that over something like Code Veronica.
Nope.
Rather remake other past Capcom & non-mainline RE games ... IF they have to continue churning out Remakes.
I'd rather want a new 3rd person RE spin-off
Dino Crisis and Onimusha Reboot
New IPs after Pragmata ships
that review was spot on.resident evil 5 is a great game even better with co op.
What about the offline multiplayer and the learning curve of the game?