Re:Resident Evil 5 Demo
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Jan 27, 2009 23:45
Heh... this has been sitting in my Google Docs for months. It's not a full review, at least not one I consider up to my normal standards, but at any rate, it's my first impressions of RE5.
RE5 Demo [JP Region]
Xbox 360
2+ Hours Playtime
Back in the summer of 2007, we were given a sneak preview at the next Resident Evil game, still in the earliest of alpha stages. The clip, first screened at E3 07 was a tantalizing morsel that would not only charge a rabid fanbase, but would set the bar for the scrutinizing media eye following the series, promising an as-of-yet-unknown African locale, the return of longtime series protagonist Chris Redfield, and newer, stronger, faster zombies.
Up until last generation, I personally had never been a big fan of the games. My aversion to fixed cameras, and my relative disinterest in the horror genre as an entirety had steered me away from the series; that is, up until I got a chance to play RE4 on the Cube. I, like the majority of those around me, found myself totally engaged in a fantastically crafted game, one which not only held it's weight against it's action horror counterparts, but provided stiff competition against some of the best-developed household names in the entire industry.
With that being said, I believe that Resident Evil 5 is very much the result of RE4's "rebirth" of the series, and that many of the decisions made were made solely based on the success of it's predecessor. It isn't in and of itself a bad thing necessarily, but I can tell you this much right now, if you were betting on a radical departure from four, it's probably best you pull off those wagers on the races, and let that fresh-out-of-university financial adviser make all of those difficult stock decisions for you.
In many ways, the game simply feels like a continuation of four, save the story and setting. The same basic style, same basic control scheme, and the classic surrounded-on-all-sides mentality do much to liken it to it's predecessor, despite having little or nothing to do with the storyline or locale of it's predecessor.
The game is pretty. Damn pretty. Chris Redfield, the protagonist and consequent focal point of the game looks stellar. The game is well modeled, and crisply textured, as we all expected. Sunlight plays a much larger role in the game than previous installments, giving the game something of a desaturated palette . Sunlight plays off of you and your enemies, taking into account the time of day, adding a new level of subtlety to the look of the game. Your eyes adjust realistically to indoor and outdoor environments, bloom is well-implemented, and shadows are thoroughly convincing. In this manner Resident Evil 5 has lived up to, and exceeded our expectations, and every video we've seen pre-gameplay.
The gameplay in it's basic sense still carries with it the excitement and fear that has made the series so famous. I won't touch too heavily on it, as it's something I can't do much justice to in writing. Boss fights will clearly be the pinnacle of RE5's achievement. Now, go fight what amounts to the new chainsaw sack-boy. You won't be disappointed.
Not by that anyway... One major disappointment I did have (among a handful) is the enemy and friendly AI, though I've come to the conclusion that in co-op style games, the latter is to be fully expected. The terrifying hordes of zombies shown in the earlier trailers must've missed their cues when push actually came to shove, as these creatures stop their savage dash for your flesh about three meters from you, only to crawl in at a snail's pace, weapons raised, returning once more to the hackneyed shamble-and-hack methodology found in days of yore. It's frustrating, because after a year or more of concept art, videos and insider impressions attempting to explain to us the superhuman agility and awareness of your undead foes, we find ourselves in a situation where the hype has far-and-above outstripped reality. Simple fact is, there ain't much to see here folks. The AI does the job, but don't look for much more than functionality, maybe not even that when it comes to friendlies.
There's mention of sloppy control-work, and while it's not perfect, I suggest playing around with the mapping settings. I found that I had a much easier time when I set the defaults to something more akin to the original Gamecube experience. Continuing on this for a moment, because the precise controls afford the game a slower and more calculated pace than competing horror titles, it's often frustrating to be surrounded by enemies in close proximity. Your knife is the weapon of ultimate last resort, as it takes a half dozen strikes in some cases to fell even the most fledgling of opponents. This wouldn't be so bad, were you not so restricted in ammunition, and weapons choice. The pistol doesn't handle well in as it should, especially in confined areas, and should be your weapon of last resort in engagements of this nature, and yet, you're still stuck aiming for arbitrarily effective headshots with the thing. In due fairness though, my gripes about ammunition and weapon proliferation may be without point in the retail version, as I almost consistently had a full inventory in Resident Evil 4, and I can imagine my inventory in the full title filling up quite quickly with the smattering of items and weapons found throughout the game.
I've said it before. The difference between a game that impresses, and a game that stuns is in the details. Resident Evil 5 is pretty, it sounds good, it's functionally controlled, and if nothing else, it doesn't stray too far from it's successful predecessor. However, it's just lacking that je-ne-sais-quois that four brought us. From one perspective, playing it safe may have been a smart move for Capcom. "Stick to your guns" and "go with what you know" have been the tried-and-true methodologies behind successful sequels in years of late, but I have to wonder how much more entertaining the game could have been had they branched out a bit, and explored new territory. Perhaps I was a bit too hard on the game on my runthroughs, but I was expecting nothing short of gold, and was disappointed that our high expectations weren't met the way I'd hoped.
Best case scenario, I'm overcritical to a fault (something I'm not used to being when writing impressions) and you'll be pleasantly surprised that you really do enjoy the game as much as you felt you would. It's still absolutely worth renting, and if you're into horror, or have disposable income, a definite purchase.
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