So does that make Resident Evil 5 a bad game? Not at all. I found that on my initial playthrough (which took me less than 10 hours) that while this is similar to RE4, RE5 takes a different approach and stresses many different factors to help set it apart.
The biggest difference is the emphasis on cooperation. This goes far beyond Leon helping Ashley climb over a wall, or catching her because she doesn't know how to climb down a ladder, or telling her to hide in a dumpster so she doesn't get her head torn off by a bitch with a chainsaw.
Playing as Chris Redfield, your partner is Sheva Alomar, which is either controlled by AI, online with another player, or split-screen. I only have experienced the story with the AI controlling my lovely and kick-ass Sheva. I was really impressed with what she was capable of doing when controlled by the AI. She provided decent cover fire, would pick up items for me, heal me when I was dying, and very quickly (average of 1.5 sec) come to my aid when I was being strangled by the hands of an infected or by the tongue of a Licker.
Sheva did have some drawbacks though. She would burn through ammo without even thinking of the situation, and this was all handgun ammo. Despite arming her with a rifle, shotgun or machine gun, she would 99 percent of the time have her handgun equipped. This led me to giving her all the HG ammo while I would tank with the shotgun or spray with a machine gun of my own.
[SPOILER ALERT]
In the final chapter, in which the two of us teamed up against Wesker, she would keep yelling to me that she had a rocket for my launcher, when in fact she was just firing her handgun at Wesker instead of actually running off to help load my weapon. After that, during the fight in the volcano (WTF? I disliked this ending) we needed to shoot Wesker in the back to reveal his otheer weak spot. I wish instead of having only two commands for Sheva, "attack" and "cover," I could have ordered her to split off from my side so at least one of us could get behind him. Ugh. That and she spent all her ammo immediately. But, alas, Capcom did want to stress the co-op.
[END SPOILER?]
Visually, this game is astounding. If I were not so busy shooting people in the eyes and then punching them in the mouth, then I would have more time to admire the lighting in this game. In a lot of games, I think "Where is my shadow?" RE5's lighting has a shadow for pretty much everything. There is a part in the mines when one person needs to carry a lamp while the other defends them, darkness just overwhelms you as a player (especially in a RE game) but the light coming from the lamp and showing shadows on the walls was so amazing.
Now, I began by saying RE4 was better in numerous ways. Let me break it down:
-Gameplay-
RE4 was a continuous story. You could progress, you could backtrack. There was puzzle solving that required you to backtrack, which previous RE games required. RE5 was sporadic in a sense. The chapters ended, and there was no going back. Sometimes you would travel miles across the continent and it felt detached from the previous environment. RE4's areas were all connected and had purpose, whereas RE5 kinda threw you into a different environment randomly. It was hard to see how these places were connected in a larger sense. Yet, I return to the emphasis on co-op, and that allows a pick-up-and-play mentality.
-Character and Plot Development-
Leon had personality. Ashley brought out a different side to him, one that was caring and compassionate. He was witty, he was handsome, and he was driven to complete the mission. One thing led to another, and you were well-informed of what was going on via cut scenes, dialogues, scattered memos, and just exploring new areas. The villains were introduced and then given reason for their diabolical actions.
RE5 was stale. Chris lacked any real connection between himself and me as the gamer. His steroid-induced biceps annoy the hell out of me. A cut scene randomly shows a grave and I think "WTF!?" Thanks for coming out of nowhere. Chris' primary objective? I really had to figure that one out. And who is this Ricardo Irving assclown? Ugh............. Wesker's pursuit to be all-powerful is awesome. His motive behind it was weak. Just weak.
-Pacing-
RE4 had its slow parts, I'll admit. But it fit. RE5 forced action into a lot of places when I just wanted to slow down for a bit and explore. Very episodic in the chapters, but you can guess what is the reasoning behind that.
-Exploration-
Meh. See above.
-Horror-
This fits in with the plot development. I never really felt like I was overwhelmed (as Chris) in this setting. I was well-equipped (maybe too much so) for any situation, except for the Public Assembly. The first chapter of the game did very well in how hectic this place is. Giant guy with a hammer-axe? Freaky. Especially when you don't have the firepower to bring him down so early in the game that you are always on the run until the helicopter arrives. That dark mine? Save that part for when two dozen Lickers are after me.
-Innovation-
I really should not have to discuss this point in-depth. RE4 was the first of its kind to blend action/adventure with survival-horror. RE5 was heavy on action, but for the umpteenth time: co-op.
With all this being said, and much more can be said, I still love RE5. Replayability is very high, because weapons carry over, hidden emblems, unlockables, THE MERCENARIES MINIGAME!, and (omg) co-op. CO-OP!!! ARGH!!! I did read that RE6 is getting a reboot. I don't want the comfort of co-op in a survival game. The Resident Evil series has had its fun with 4 and 5, it needs to shift back to its roots where ammo is a luxury and not an abundance.
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