When Resident Evil 2 came out, it raised the bar so high that Resident Evil 3 felt more like an afterthought. Resident Evil 5 is history repeating. Resident Evil 4 was so breakthrough, the sequel had big shoes to fill. Unfortunately, it didn't. The new elements of Resident Evil 5 are making the game scary during the day as well as night, thanks to new lightning tricks, and coop-multiplayer. The first element work so well, because the graphics are so good, the bad guys and the setting look convincingly scary -at least during the first stages. The second element gives the game new possibilities, at the cost of real scares of the older games in the series. Because the items, weapons and ammo are more abundant, and your partner is not a drag as Resident Evil 4's Ashley, the game leans more towards the action than the horror. This shouldn't be that bad if they didn't strip so many parts of the Resident Evil 4 gameplay. Gone are the typewriter saving points and the backtracking (giving you the feeling the game goes "on rails"), the merchant and the mini-games. You can go through the whole game in a fifth of the time it takes you to beat Resident Evil 4. Other than a stage where you shoot enemies from a vehicle, the action gets a bit repetitive. The last stages don't have the creepy atmosphere of the first stages, which is typical of the series, but in this game is more pronounced. The downloadable content is fine, but I think the former Resident Evil spoilt us with its free extras. The game still gets a lot right. Good controls, action, multiplayer modes and the best graphics in a game of its genre to date are its saving points. Overall a worthy addition of the series but not as groundbreaking as its predecessor.
Other Helpful Reviews for Resident Evil 5 (Collector's Edition)
Readers note: This review is from the point of view of a gamer that has only played RE4 and RE5. Let it be known that I don't have any past experience with the series before hand so I will not compare any information reg... Read Full Review
Capcom's latest installment of Resident Evil further deviates from the traditional path of the series. The days of counting bullets, desperately seeking the next typewriter, and worrying about what might pop up behind yo... Read Full Review
