Frequenters of this site may recall my unhealthy attachment to RE4. I’ve been waiting to get my hands on some playable form of Resident Evil 5 now, and my patience paid off. I was fortunate enough to have access to the demo, and let me summarize it in 3 words: Too-Damn-Cool.
From the main menu, you are able to play 2 segments of a level in either single player, Co-op online, (doesn’t work unless you’re in Japan) and to my extreme surprise, Split-Screen co-op. I automatically started it up and took Chris Redfield for a test drive. The first thing you’ll notice are the graphics. Although there were no examples of RE5′s touted “extreme dynamic lighting” system, I was too busy drooling over the environments. The attention to detail is magnificent. Every speck of dirt on the floor seems to be brimming with detail. The character models are great, and move with convincing fluidity.
I started running down the path to the shack where i would eventually meet the “Executioner”, when I noticed something rather odd. The controls, that is. It’ll take quite a while (took me 3 playthroughs) to get really comfortable with the controls, (my recommendation is Type C with Fastest aiming speed) and it feels sort of out-dated; which is interesting considering it’s the sequel to the most revolutionary 3rd person shooter ever. Once I was ready, I jumped down into a shack and witnessed an execution. That was all fine and dandy, until they took notice of me and my bestest pal Sheva. In a scenario similar to the house scene with Luis Sera, I blockaded the window, and ordered Sheva to blocade the door. After this, I began my ritual of checking the room for ammo- yes, Handgun ammo – to fend off the hostiles. This is where I began to get concerned again, for there didn’t seem enough supplies to satisfy both of us (and Sheva is greedy – She took the handgun ammo!)
The enemies started pouring in, and we massacred ‘em. Okay, maybe not massacred, but barely held them off. The enemies react in the same manner as the Ganadors in RE4, with the exception that they are more aggressive, and more numerous. (read: “HELP, I’M BEING SWAMPED!) We were doing well, until the Executioner stepped, er, bashed through the (destructible) wall, and started swinging at us with his axe. This guy is scary, all right. He makes the chainsaw wielder from RE4 look like the Grunts from Halo. After getting the heck out of that tiny room as more and more of those enemies came in, the AI and I had a stroll about town. It was a sort of marketplace, and it blew apart very nicely when i threw a grenade. We managed to stay alive, after clumsily trying to restore my health with herbs using the new Inventory interface. It’s fine to use when there is relative peace, but the other 90% of the time you wont be able to get away from enemies long enough to hit “Y”.
After that amazing display of violence, i kicked it into split screen with a friend and discovered something shocking: I actually prefer Sheva to Chris. She’s more agile, able to go places where Chris can’t, and her melee moves are uber-deadly. Even her being left-handed didn’t cause me much frustration. Speaking of Sheva, when she is controlled by the computer, she is competent enough to keep herself alive, and she really is helpful when you are running low on health. My experience with her was overall quite positive, so long as I remembered to stick close to her and didn’t back her into a small space. Small spaces are her kryptonite.
At the end of the day, I have to say that this was one of the best demos I’ve ever played. It’s pretty, fun, and so intense, imagine playing a round of Horde with only 1 clip per gun. There are a few things that RE purists will not like, i.e. Sheva and the new inventory, but if this demo (which was the same one present at E3) is any indication, I can tell you right now that RE5 will be one of the games to beat come 2009.
It’s Evil, all right, and I can’t freakin’ wait to play the finished product.
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