Resident Evil 5
March 15, 2009 by: admin
Xbox 360/PS3; £39.99; cert 18+; Capcom
The first next-gen take on this much-loved survival-horror game has copped a surprising amount of pre-launch criticism on the forums – due to supposedly racist portrayals of “spear-chucking Africans”, and the fact that you can’t move while aiming your gun. But the former is explained in the storyline, while if that latter wasn’t the case, it simply wouldn’t be Resident Evil.
Anyway, it’s such good fun to play, and its production values – especially in terms of storyline, level design and art direction – so high that those carpings seem beyond churlish. Once again, you play as Chris Redfield, with a new sidekick called Sheva Alomar, and this time the whole game can be played co-operatively, which adds a whole new tactical element. The story and increasingly frequent boss-battles build-up to a truly epic crescendo, the inventory system and weapons are better than ever, many familiar goodies and baddies make welcome returns, and what results is nothing less than sheer gaming bliss. Which leaves the self-appointed web pundits looking rather foolish.
