Rainholder

User Score
9.5

Presentation - 9.0
Gameplay - 9.3
Value - 9.0

    The highly anticipated sequel to RE4 has finally come, and RE5 does not disappoint. While there are many critics that believe the lack of change and failing to keep up with the times makes this game the biggest disappoint in gaming for 2009, I do not agree with this statement.

Presentation -     The Story for RE5 is normal for the genre, in fact the only difference in the story from the orginal RE and this one is the setting, first one was a mansion and this one is Africa. Like in RE4 a small group of people have got the Los Plagas parasite but this time have turned it loose in a small area in Africa. You play has Chris Redfield and partner up with some banging African native named Sheva Alomar. Both characters are part of an elite team that fight off bioterrorism called the BSAA. Your first mission is to find a guy name Irving and see what is happening with this rumor of a doomdays day project called Uroboros. The story takes off from there, but I'll let you figure it out on your own.

    Lets just say this game looks amazing. Capcom went all out on making this game one of the best looking 3rd person shooters, and they did just that. Although it only goes to 720, I could not believe how beautiful this game is. The level designs for RE5 are great. Just to name a few of them doesn't really tell you how good they are, because let's face it they don't sound so awesome, but when you play them I believe you will understand what I mean. But just to name a few: Dirty rundown village, trading goods boat dock (I really loved this one, cause everything around you is dirty and ugly, but out on the horizon is the water and it is beautiful. There is also a really awesome looking broken down bridge.) There is a marsh land, The grasslands, and a oil field. And those are just a few, but trust me they ugly and at the same time beautiful and very well designed.

    The cut scenes in the game are also pretty good, very cinematic but that is to be expected with a RE game. Another thing that is to be expected with a RE game is the sometimes corny dialogue, which it has plenty of, but the voice actors do a very good job at making it sound convicing and true to the voice actors character. This must be said. The character Sheva in this game is one of my person favorite characters in any game. The reason being is because her dialogue, facal expressions, and voice acting really allow one to make a level of depth about her character that isn't told through the story or background story, which you can find in the extra content in the game. RE5's presentation gets a well deserved 9.0 in my book.

Gameplay -    There are two ways you can play the game: single mode and Co-op mode. While both of the modes allow for solid gameplay there is a difference of experience of gameplay within the modes.I'll start off with the single player mode.

    The single player mode of the game is pretty much exactly like RE4, except this time you have a very stupid AI partner to follow you around and pretend that she is helping you kill the zombies in your path. RE5 is a third person shooter/ action horror. I feel the need to clarify something for everyone though, RE5 is not scary. Whatsoever. In fact None of the RE games have been scary. They are intense, and maybe at times a little creepy, but not scary. So if you are wanting to play a game that will scare you, make you jump and wet your pants, then you will be disappointed in your purchase of RE5 or any of it's predessors. If you want a game that will scare you then go play Bioshock, one of the Silent Hill games, or Siren. However if you are looking for an intense third person shooter then you have the right game.

    As you progess further into the game you will come upon gems and artifacts that you can sell in order to get some money in order to buy new weopons and upgrade them. However I would recommend that you don't buy any of the weopons because you will get everyone of them on your way through the game. Upgrading the weopons is pretty easy and works well for the single player mode. There is a inventory limit in the game. The inventory box is a 3x3 box. So there is only 9 slots for each character which helps in providing a more intense gameplay. You can open the inventory box at pretty much anytime during the game and move them or switch items from sheva by requesting her to give you an item. A thing I like about the inventory box is that when you open it, it doesn't stop the game. So you can still take damage from a zombie if you are not careful, which makes the game more intense.

    Now as I said before Sheva's AI is pretty dumb, Although her stupidity does not  make the game any less enjoyable. She likes to chew through her ammo, but it's not really a problem because when she does shoot something, she hits it. In fact I can promise you she is a better shot then you will ever be at this game. In fact the only time she will ever miss her target is when she is shooting you. Which happens, because she follows you around and most of the time stays behind you. But when she does shoot you it doesn't hurt you so that is a plus, and it's very easy to fix because all you have to do is move to the left or right just a little bit or put her in attack mode instead of cover. There are only two command options you can use to control sheva: Attack, which mades her run up to the zombie and blast the flesh off of them, and there is cover, which means she will trail behind you and shoot one bullet at a time when she feels the need to, which is almost always. When picking up items you can command Sheva to pick one up by walking up to the item and pushing circle when she is close to you, although she will pick up items by herself if you are not close by. If you get grabbed by a zombie and can't move you can command your partner to help you by pushing circle, and she will come and punch or kick the son of a bitch off your ass, however if you have the partner reaction set to yes, then while she is trying to save you with a punch you will most likely get knocked down as well. Now I know what your thinking, if the parnter's AI is that bad, then the gameplay must be crappy, and the answer is no. In fact the gameplay is so solid you forget that your partner is stupid, because truth be told she helps you out more then she doesn't. If you or your partner dies then the game is over and you have to start over from the last checkpoint, but don't worry, You will most likely die more then she will. Even though the parnter AI is not what it could be, it's still Solid and fun. Sure capcom didn't do anything new with the over the shoulder camrea view, but it's still just as fun as a game that has. The fact is, despite it's problems this game is a solid and very enjoyable game.

    Co-op mode is pretty much the same has single player except you should have someone who is smarter, not better at aiming though. And if you do have someone that is dumber then the AI part, then you must be playing with a retard and should just play the single player. The co-op doesn't do anything new, but it is solid and it is done well. And playing with a friend or family member just makes it that much more fun.

    Value - I would buy this game. The extra content and replay value of the game makes it one to own. It is a fun game, fun to the end, and just as fun the first time as the third time around. While the game is short, you can beat it in about 13 to 15 hours your first go around, that is a good thing if you want to play the whole game with a friend or family member. This game is worth the 60 dollars you pay for it.

So go buy this game, and have a great time, cause regardless of X-plays poor review of this game, giving it a 3 out of 5 is just being stupid, because in the end the game is some good fun and that is what matters.