Many wait in anticipation for the next installment of the Resident Evil games. Fans of the horror survivor game don’t have longer to wait, as the Resident Evil 5 game is on its way to the shelves in March of 2009. With new villains, online game play and co-op navigation between the characters, this may be the best release to date.
The main characters are Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar. The game starts in the Assembly Place, which is a type of tutorial—a short run though to get acquainted with the characters and their moves. Sheva and Chris are in the alleyways of Shanty Town. The first mission is to navigate the pair down the path and into a house while collecting objects on the way. The great new thing about game is the co-op angle; the option to have Sheva pick up items are immediately available when the item is selected.
Immediately after entering the house, a cut scene of a dictator giving a speech to a mob starts in. It is obvious that an execution is about to take place as a hooded behemoth is welding a huge axe. Chris and Sheva, watching from the window, are noticed by the dictator after the completion of the execution. This ends the cut scene as the mob is guided towards the house that the main characters are currently hiding in.
The house is under siege and the player has control of Chris. The threatening mob can be seen through the windows as you barricade yourself in by pushing bookcases in front of some windows. Sheva can be directed to collect items around the room as you do this or to help push other bookcases.
The mob starts to get aggressive and it desperate to get in at the pair as they start poking their heads through the windows. Sheva becomes a big help as she starts shooting people as they face appear in the windows. She takes out quite a few, but not enough as the mob soon bust through the main door and dropping from a hole they’ve made in the ceiling. The final clue to get out of the house came as the axe-wielding behemoth smashes through the wall.
Eventually you make it back out to the streets and have to work with Sheva to survive the familiar Resident Evil drama in the form of creatures, conspiracies and the mob that wants your head. The streets hold treasures like ammo, weapons and health that can be shared amongst the characters.
The two levels that I played only left me for a healthy appetite for more. The graphics were fantastic and copied the realistic feel of Resident Evil 4. The gray hue gives the scenes a grim feel and really sets the tone of the story. Scenery and characters are done with exceptional attention to detail.
The baddies in this installment are similar to the ones in the past versions but now there is an added air of mystery around some of the townsfolk. Every now and then a normal looking, but slightly homicidal, enemy’s face will burst with tentacles—making you unsure what exactly you are up against.
Resident Evil 5 proves to be an interesting find. Capcom is cross promoting it with the release of the CG animated movie Resident Evil: Degeneration, which works as a tie-in to part 4 and 5 of the game series. Both are work a look as loyal fans are sure to be pleased with both. Resident Evil 5 will hit stores in March of 2009 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles, while Resident Evil: Degeneration goes directly to DVD later this year.