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The days of poor voice acting and pants crapping ambiance seem to be a thing of the past in Capcom’s latest survival horror shooter, Resident Evil 5.

Resident Evil 5 is set roughly 10 years after the events of the original RE and focuses on a certain Chris Redfield, a main protagonist in the RE storyline. One of the biggest additions to the franchise is a co-op mode (okay, so co-op was also available in Umbrella Chronicles, but that was like the Windows ME of the Resident Evil series!).

Those familiar with the franchise should also notice one other key thing about RE5, and that’s the total over-the-top saturation of light. Traditionally, the previous Resident Evil games have been set in very dark locations, often confusing the player for thinking they were trapped in the town of Barrow. That isn’t the case here, Capcom have cleverly fill daylight with the same sort of dread and anxiety as the dark. There are still moments where you will find yourself turning the brightness of you screen up because it gets so dark, but there is a nice balance and the two elements contrast nicely. Taking place in West Africa, the oversaturated visual style really gives Resident Evil 5 a gritty sort of vibe. However, when you add a partner (AI or Player Controlled) to follow you around, it makes things a lot less creepy. That pants crapping ambiance that we’ve come to expect in previous titles seems to of gone walkabout. The online co-op does play quite nicely though, in the session I had online there was minimal lag and the gameplay flowed nicely. Split-screen is also available for those who’d rather not connect to live, it works well but it’s not as good as going online and having the entire screen to yourself.

That’s not to say the game isn’t scary, there are definitely moments where you will be jumping out of your seat, but it just doesn’t feel like a ’survival horror’ game should. One of the biggest catalysts of fear in this genre has been the total sense of isolation, leaving you against hoards of demon dogs, giant spiders and good ol’ fashion zombies, but the with a team mate by your side it certainly does take the edge off. The controls are just like those found in RE4, gone are the days of fixed camera positions where you moved your character around like a RC car. The over-the-should camera is here to stay as the Resident Evil franchise slowly evolves. Those new to the series will probably be surprised by the inability to attack on the move, instead you must remain stationary to let off a few shots or take a swing of your knife. This has always been the way with the Resident Evil series and a decision I believe was made to make the player feel vulnerable and add to the overall fear factor. The visuals in Resident Evil 5 are absolutely gorgeous , and the best of the series thus far. There are some minor differences between the PS3 and 360 version, but not enough to sway your decision on which copy to pick. RE5 does have a Black Hawk down feel to it, everything is oversaturated and really gritty. The art team have done a fantastic job, as have those responsible for the audio. The ambient music is great and matches the mood perfectly, and the sound effects are also really solid. One thing that should be noted is that RE5 is pretty short, you should be able to finish the game in around 10 hours. There are some 80-odd-minutes of cut-scenes though, but its a bit too short for my liking. Fans of the Metal Gear Solid series will probably feel right at home here, but personally I prefer to play the game rather than watch it.

After completing the main story you gain access to the Mercenaries mode mini-game, just like the one found in RE4. Mercenaries mode is a series of short time-trial stages where you battle for survival while killing zombies for points. Personally, I don’t feel that it makes up for the rather short story mode.

Overall I did enjoy playing Resident Evil 5, sure its not as scary as its predecessors or as action-packed as its competitors, but it still is a very enjoyable game, and one well worth playing if possible.

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