Eat Sleep Geek

Having thoroughly devoured the single player experience offered by Resident Evil 5 I feel that I can now throw my hat into the online reviewing ring. Let me start off by saying that it is indeed great fun. I found the controls to be easy to pick up and don’t understand the shit storm over the stick-and-move style (although there were some instances where I would have liked to back up while pumping some shells into some mutated flesh).

My biggest complaint with the game is that at a certain point it takes a strange turn that makes complete sense in the context of the narrative and is definitely forgivable. But afterward, the game felt a little more like Gears of War and a little less like Resident Evil. Like I said, though, it does make sense considering the story and it evolves the series logically. But godammit ZOMBIES SHOULDN’T BE ROGER CLEMENS WHEN IT COMES TO THROWING GRENADES.

Another, lesser complaint I have is the partner AI is imbecilic . She (first time play through with Chris) either used all of her ammo if she was set to ‘attack’ or none of her ammo making her little more than a back-pack with a nice ass.  Cool Terry and I have tentatively scheduled a co-op session so we’ll see if the experience changes with a flesh and blood partner.

In my travels I have heard rumblings about how this game is not scary. And it’s not. It can, however, exude a tension that is lacking in other, more traditional survival horror games. The tension builds as you collect more and more ammunition awaiting the inevitable boss or wave of enemies. In this way, the game can be repetitive. But the experiences and enemies are varied enough (at least nearer to the end) to keep you hooked.

After finishing this incarnation of Resident Evil I thought that I’d put it down for a while and eventually return to it when I was looking for something nostalgic. I find myself popping it in pretty consistently, though, and having probably more fun with it now than I did on the first time through. Working towards unlocking the long list of rewards is a ton of fun. Once the end credits roll, it doesn’t just turn into a whole new game, it turns into three or four. Take that Dead Space (although you were pretty great too). The Mercenaries is what I picture a Resident Evil arcade game being. Oh what could have been: buying weed and playing RE all in one place! This is, of course, a characterization of western arcades not the shithouse craziness of nerdvana that is Japanese arcades (I hope).

In closing, this is a fun game that only improves upon completion. Here’s hoping the multiplayer is as much of a blast as it promises to be.