Interludicrous

Capcom’s Resident Evil 5 is my first venture into the Resident Evil series, and so far I’ve been statisfied with the game.  The visuals are very crisp and when combined with the various explosion effects and filters, it almost looks like a cinematic.  The controls took some getting used to since I’m familiar with traditional shooters’ controller configurations.  The mechanics of standing in one spot to aim and fire allows you to be more precise with every shot, and heightens the tension.  Given that the zombies are  a good distance away, you have plenty of time to take some shots and move to a safer position.  If they get too close for comfort, you can hack away with your machete to make them stumble, which gives you the opportunity to throw a punch.  You can play with a partner on the same console or online.  When playing alone, your AI partner might follow your punch with a kick combo. I haven’t experienced any major failures due to the AI partner not doing her part, as some players have reported.  As long as you stock her inventory with useful items and ammo, she performs well.  Every zombie battle has been satisifying.  I’m halfway through the game at this point, and it has surprised and impressed me many times.  There are plenty of extras to unlock such as character skins, modes, and visual filters.

Rating out of 10

• GRAPHICS: 9.5
• SOUND: 8.5
• GAMEPLAY: 9.0
• REPLAY VALUE: 8.0
• OVERALL: 8.75