RE5 - lives up to the hype...mostly

[j_garcia]

I played this all weekend and I have to say they delivered. I am almost done with it first run through; I decided not to finish it off and delay the end until I had time to really commit to it. It ISN'T a shooter. The pace is quicker than previous REs, but it still has the same feel as the other games. It still gives you that sense of intimidation and cautiously looking around corners because you know something is going to happen. There are a few good surprise moments and some excellent levels. Not so much in the way of puzzles, but overall I give it good marks.

It is comparable to RE4 and is better in a number of ways, though still similar enough that you know it is RE. What I think they missed on a bit is the difficulty. I started on the Veteran difficulty and died immediately because you are no match for the first few areas with the default weapons, however on the normal difficulty, even the boss challenges aren't quite tough enough; meaning that I was able to beat most or all of them the first time. Some of the sub-bosses present a bigger challenge. The bosses look cool for the most part though RE4 was quite a bit more difficult the first time through IMO, and was just right in terms of challenging without making you have to do something over 100 times to beat it - it gave you a better sense of satisfaction once defeating some of thsoe bosses.

There is a wider variety of environments than RE4 and some very large areas. There are some Uncharted style chaces thrown in for good measure as well. A decent variety of weapons, all familiar, and relatively easy to acquire and upgrade. Once you have those upgrades, things get easier...for a bit and then your enemies tend to become harder and balance things out. The inventory is still an issue, though greatly improved. You can carry only 9 items per character, but weapons only take up one space, unlike previously. D-pad access to items placed in corresponding locations is great too.

Like I said, it isn't an shooter, so fans of FPSs might not like the control schemes or a few issues (like not being able to move while aiming/shooting, reloading, wtf? didn't they learn?), but fans of RE4 should be plenty happy with this one. I have been playing solo (solo but you have the AI character assisting you), but tonight I think we will actually try a misson or two co-op with my son.

One other thing: I had no problem buying this. One place had sold out on its preorders, but Frys had at least 10 copies left. I checked online and found all local stores listing it as in-stock on Friday.

 

[Ito]

Yeah, it's pretty awesome!

 

[Wafflesomd]

I'll pick it up when it comes out for pc.

RE4 is one of my favorite games of all time. I can't to play 5.

 

[Crackerballer]

I got a copy when I got my birthday present from my G/F, a new red Xbox! So I just had my black Elite modded and now I am starting this. I have NEVER played any RE game before, never been my style. I am a die hard GOW fan, still playing 2 online and will be for a while. I have only played RE5 for about 30 minutes, still getting used to the controls. I am impressed with the graphics and some of the game play so far. Also your AI partner is pretty sexy, which is a bonus. I will be playing more tomorrow night in between Halo Wars and GOW2. I think once I get the controls down I will have fun with this game.

 

[j_garcia]

Getting used to the quick turn, managing your inventory and upgrading are key to this game. As is getting used to the reload/aim thing. It is very fun so far.

 

[darien87]

I bought it last Sundy, but haven't got around to playing it yet. I've played the demo a few times though.

 

[Flag-Matic]

Is this another zombie game?

 

[MinusTheBear]

I am hoping to play this game tonight.

 

[unpredictableAX]

I am looking for a used Killzone 2 and RE5.......so if anyone wraps this up please shot me a pm.

 

[MidnightSensi]

I need to pick this up.

I liked DeadSpace for a little while...but then got bored with it. I think this might be more fun. Uncharted I really enjoyed, I might even throw that in again this weekend.

 

[MinusTheBear]

RE5 Initial Impressions

I finally sat down and played this game for a few hours. Nothing really has impressed me to the point of WOW just yet! The last game I bought was Fallout 3 and within the first couple of minutes I was totally immersed in the game. The graphics and environments are up to par of recent games but it is not as polished as Fallout 3 or Gears of War 2. I am still very early on in the game so I have to give it more time. I like having a teammate with me and it is implemented nicely. The game has been fun but there are some issues I have with the game or atleast I will have to get use to. Firstly, walking with the character seems a bit too "heavy" almost like the feeling when your character is over-encumbered in a role-playing game. Its a minor issue, however since you have the ability to run makes up for it and that is done very well. The running I find is perfect and I run a lot because of the onslaught of enemies at times.

Second issue is aiming at a target seems a tad slow, almost like it is in slow motion. I know that is something I can get use to but the first battle you have in the game there is a rush of like 20-40 guys and all you have is a pistol. So the strategy is to run away, shot, run out of ammo, run away looking for ammo etc. I did not appreciate that! These are some minor annoynaces I have with the game so far but I think it will get better once I get better guns and get used to the controls a bit more.

The contextual aspects of the game I like are opening up doors, climbing ladders and any other movements that do not involve fighting. For fighting I would rather have that done manually with the x and b buttons for starters. The coolest part so far is when I was trying to trap the one creature in the blast furnace and the door was closing on me and I rolled under the door. That was intense, it was a close call. One of the things that has impressed me the most is the characters climbing fences and their interaction with the environment. Using the knife to destroy barrells and crates to get ammo and gold is always fun too. I see a lot of potential, hopefully it comes through.

 

[darien87]

I finally got around to playing it last weekend. It's a pretty good game. I even played online once. That was kind of cool. The guy I connected to was Chris and I was Sheva.

So far, my biggest gripe is the controls. The lamest thing is how the quick-turn works. One thing I like to do, is shoot a guy a couple of times, then when he falls to the ground, I finish him off by hacking at him with my machete. This is a good way to save ammo. But the way the quick turn works, I find that about 50% of the time, I go to pull my machete, and the dumb-*** guy spins around!! It's almost gotten me killed a few times.

 

[MinusTheBear]

So far, my biggest gripe is the controls. The lamest thing is how the quick-turn works. One thing I like to do, is shoot a guy a couple of times, then when he falls to the ground, I finish him off by hacking at him with my machete. This is a good way to save ammo. But the way the quick turn works, I find that about 50% of the time, I go to pull my machete, and the dumb-*** guy spins around!! It's almost gotten me killed a few times.

I agree darien87, the controls are awkward. I am still trying to get used to them. I just started act 3. I have no problems knocking down an enemy by blasting them with the shotgun and then using the contextual stomp but when I stun a guy with say a pistol and run up to him most of the time the context sensitive action does not come up on the screen and then sometimes the context sensitive fighting actions come up when I am not expecting it and I miss hitting the button. I find that aspect of the game the most annoying. Manual is the only way to go. Maybe I am just not good it. I need to get a good knack for it becausing constantly running out of ammo sucks especially when you only a knife and there is a swarm of enemies around you. The cut scenes are really cool and I have enjoyed the vehicle and boat aspects of the game so far.

 

[j_garcia]

I almost never ran out of ammo except on veteran. I have all of my weapons upgraded almost fully (I only keep a few key weapons). I looked at my stats and it said my favorite way to kill the manji (basic guys) was by hand I love using the context attacks, though the neck break is a bit disappointing. I like that there are a variety of them too, but yes they are difficult to exectute sometimes. You have to shoot them in a particular location to get a different "pose" so that you can do a different attack - it works against some of the bosses as well. I have done the quick turn a few times too, and I played RE4 a lot.

I finished it last night and it unlocked a lot of interesting new stuff. I haven't tried Mercenaries yet, but it was a lot of fun on RE4. The initial alternate costumes are kind of goofy. Note:upgrading your weapons all the way unlocks the ability to give them unlimited ammo, unlike the special ability available in RE4, though to use the unlimited ammo you have to exchange points earned while playing the game for those abilities (ranking at the end of each level), as well as locate the blue dots. I have 20 of 30 blue dots so far and those last 10 seem to be a bit elusive. I found one more but I wasn't able to get into a position where I could get it, so I have to figure that one out still. I presume that now that I can be Sheva I will locate a few more on the next playthrough. One thing that was unlocked that I am liking a lot is a 3 shot burst handgun like the Mathilda from RE4. It is almost as powerful as the shotgun and much more accurate. The fully upgraded Magnum is ridiculously powerful

 

[MinusTheBear]

The guys with the chainsaws are tough especially since you can't move and shoot. I should not have sold the mines from my inventory. Placing them on stairs and at the tops of the ladders would have made it easier when he chases you. Headshots then attacking works but I have to work on my partner not getting trapped by him.

 

[j_garcia]

Sheva is one of the problems. She is pretty good on offence, but not when you are taking a defensive posture, like with the chainsaw guys. She doesn't react fast enough, even though the bad guys mostly focus on you in general. Once in a while she gets in the way and it gets annoying, but she is a pretty good assistant overall.

You can adjust the aim speed, that is a common complaint, though that is because they are trying to maintain some consitency in the franchise, just like the slow running. Basically you can't easily run from a fight, and that comes from the horror roots of the series. If they change it drastically, then it isn't RE anymore. It is supposed to make you feel the pressure.

I don't think the graphics are as good as they should have been, but that is due to the engine that this one is built on - which more or less seems like an updated RE4 engine. One thing that I find impressive is that the mannerisms and facial expressions of the characters are very well represented here, even though the graphics are not quite top notch. It isn't the greatest game I've ever played, but as a fan of the series, I think it fits in perfectly.

 

[MinusTheBear]

Sheva is definitely a valuable teammate but she does have the tendancy to step in front of you. I especially notice it when I am destroying barrels with my knife for gold, ammo and health and she frequently gets knifed because she is too close to me.

The option for co-op with a human player is a big plus and that would resolve that issue.

 

[MinusTheBear]

I beat the single player in Resident Evil 5 on normal. I turns out to be a very fun game. The controls take some getting use to but as I got about half way through my concerns were put to rest. I had some problems on the final boss after running out of ammo and was not sure if I could still defeat him so while trying to knife him a context action became available which was cool. I`m going to play it again on the difficult setting as well a run through with a co-op partner which should be a very strong aspect to this game. I also unlocked mercanaries, is it good? In conclusion, the single player was solid, worth buying IMO.

 

[j_garcia]

There are some really fun unlockable guns. I got all of the blue dots finally (had to look up the last few). Some of them were VERY hard to find, and can only be gotten with a fully upgraded scope on the best rifle.

Until I figured it out, the final boss was fairly tough on my first play through. Since then I have just been playing levels to rack up points and money to upgrade while I was getting all of the dots.

Mercenaries is always fun. It is just you and the level and some bad guys with one object - kill as many zombies as possible before time is up. Much more intense than the regular game, and you need to really learn the levels. You don't get to choose your weapons, the character you use dictates what you get, so different situations might favor a different character. I have been able to complete all of them except the last one, meaning you must get a "B" or better to open the next area and the final one is tough. You have to have a strategy to rack up combo kills to get bonuses to score big. There are some areas that are not in the game too.

 

[MinusTheBear]

There are some really fun unlockable guns. I got all of the blue dots finally (had to look up the last few). Some of them were VERY hard to find, and can only be gotten with a fully upgraded scope on the best rifle.

Until I figured it out, the final boss was fairly tough on my first play through. Since then I have just been playing levels to rack up points and money to upgrade while I was getting all of the dots.

Mercenaries is always fun. It is just you and the level and some bad guys with one object - kill as many zombies as possible before time is up. Much more intense than the regular game, and you need to really learn the levels. You don't get to choose your weapons, the character you use dictates what you get, so different situations might favor a different character. I have been able to complete all of them except the last one, meaning you must get a "B" or better to open the next area and the final one is tough. You have to have a strategy to rack up combo kills to get bonuses to score big. There are some areas that are not in the game too.

Mercenaries does sound like a lot fun. It was a pleasant surprise when that appeared as option after beating the game. I am going to try that out before doing the single player over again. What I liked is even after beating the game, I wanted to play it over again trying different things. Next time early on my strategy will be to conserve ammo, which means more hand to hand combat. Another thing I liked is that there was a lot of weapons to choose from (buying or appearing). I wish you could buy standard ammo though but you do get ammo when upgrading the capacity on the gun. I used the shotgun and sniper on the first play through mostly. The weapons I plan on using and upgrading next is the sniper rifle, magnum and ak-74.