Fresh!

IGN UK review is being released in 10 minutes from now.
Their reviewers are so credible. They had even stated that Mercenaries minigame had no online...

Cool. Another RE5 review to not read.

lol

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Cool. Another RE5 review to not read.

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Views: 151,729

Fail moar pl0x.

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The resulting experience is an intense, action-packed adventure replete with satisfying combat, tight gameplay and gorgeous, well-crafted environments. Resident Evil 5 offers all those things and then some, but it doesn't do many of the things longtime fans of the series expect. It won't scare you. It won't fill you with creeping desperation. It won't have you collecting and counting bullets like they're precious stones. It won't, in essence, make you feel like you're playing a traditional Resident Evil game.

RE games never were scary to begin with.

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On your first playthrough you're stuck with the beefy Chris, whose bulging biceps and gigantic torso make Street Fighter IV's Ken look like a stick figure.

True.

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When Sheva is controlled by the game, she does a pretty fair job of staying out of your line of fire, watching your back for enemies and healing or reviving you when you take damage. But just like any partner, she does have her annoyances.
She's a bit trigger happy, even when her targets aren't perfectly presented, and she tends to heal herself and Chris at the slightest sign of a flesh wound. But beyond that, I found her to be at the same time both refreshingly unobtrusive and surprisingly intelligent, as A.I. partners go. Some players will hand her a few weapons and let her loose on Kijuju, while others will likely restrict her inventory and use her as more of a pack mule.

Excellent A.I..

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For the first time in one of Resident Evil's main numbered releases, cooperative play has been made the cornerstone of the experience. Nearly every aspect of RE5 is more fun with a friend, either online or via split-screen, which is available in both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions.
Split-screen play is handled a bit differently in RE5 than you might be used to. Rather than cut the screen evenly vertically or horizontally, Capcom has given each player an equal size horizontal offset rectangle, one on the upper left and one on the lower right of the screen. It's an odd effect at first, but the more I used it the more I liked it. Although there's less screen real estate in use, it's easier to stay focused on your own character because the two screens don't directly abut one another.

Originality.

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But most gamers will be playing Resident Evil 5's co-op mode as it was designed to be played: online. This is where RE5 truly shines, both literally and figuratively. With the screen all to yourself, you'll marvel at the beautifully rendered environments, from the dilapidated villages surrounded by golden sand to misty wetlands populated by shield-wielding tribesmen. And Capcom has included some major incentives to drink in your surroundings.

Incredible online experience.

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I personally didn't find Resident Evil 5 to have an overtly racist feel, but I did find one aspect of it a bit disturbing. It was a bit strange to realize I was wandering around Africa stealing the region's gold, precious gems and expensive native treasures, which I then cashed in to pay for weapon upgrades. Add in the fact that I ended up killing the parasitically infected villagers and townspeople of the area with said weapons, and the discomfort comes full circle.

lol

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If you plow through without scouring every nook and cranny, expect RE5 to last you between 10 and 12 hours. But if you want to uncover everything, expect to easily invest double that.

Lengthy.

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And even if you managed to find every treasure, every emblem and every secret the first time around, you'll still want to dive back into the game for the Mercenaries mode, which is unlocked when you complete the game. This timed arcade-like mode pits you against a flood of enemies, and you'll need to kill as many of them as possible until help arrives.

Mercenaries is the most edge-of-your-seat experience in the entire game, and the only time I truly felt scared of death at the hands of the infected horde.

Survival horror is back.

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My only complaint about Mercenaries is that it doesn't support co-op online play, which is a major disappointment.

...weird how people are playing it online, isn't it?

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Unlike a third-person shooter like Gears of War, which allows you to strafe and fire, Resident Evil 5 requires you to stand still while shooting.

It was a deliberate choice, and producer Jun Takeuchi has said he feels it adds to the intensity of the experience. This, along with the real-time inventory system (which is always restricted to nine slots and can't be upgraded) keeps RE5 in a sort of limbo between full-fledged action game and methodical survival horror game.

More survival horror elements.

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Putting down a big boss rewards you with a bit of the RE5 storyline, which follows Chris and Sheva as they attempt to stop a suspected weapons deal being spearheaded by an unsavory fellow named Ricardo Irving. This gem of a character boasts some of the worst voice acting I've heard in a game in years, with the writing to back it up. Irving looks like a reject from a Miami Vice episode and talks like Jimmy Durante and Gilbert Gottfried's love child. But would it really be a Resident Evil game without the convoluted storyline, overflowing cliches and campy writing?

I can definitely report that silly storytelling and B-movie bad guys are a Resident Evil convention that Capcom left untouched with this release. As one character is rapidly evolving from a human into a hideous aquatic tentacle monster, he screams with glee, "I just had an extreme makeover!" Classic.

Irving and Excella are the best antagonists I've ever seen.

Score:

8.0 Presentation
RE5 has a slick look and feel, but there are some usability issues. Split-screen is confusing to use, menus can be somewhat cumbersome and loading is abundant. No Mercenaries online? Really?
9.5 Graphics
One of the prettiest games of this generation. Lighting, textures and landscapes are often stunning. There’s some screen tearing here and there, but it’s minor. Enemy animations quickly grow stale.
9.0 Sound
Music is understated but sets the tone well, especially the nerve-jangling song that plays when enemies approach. Voice acting for most characters is surprisingly good, but some is just terrible.
8.5 Gameplay
What RE5 lacks in standard survival horror it makes up for in action-packed combat, satisfying on-rails segments and killer final chapter. Controls are beginning to feel dated for an action game.
9.0 Lasting Appeal
For a game with no competitive online multiplayer, RE5 has incredible replayability. Beating the game in various ways unlocks modes and features, and Mercenaries will keep you coming back for more.

9.0
Outstanding

MERCENARIES HAS ONLINE FOR FUCK'S SAKE.

The above was the American one actually. Here's the British.

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In fact, hands down, the biggest complaint you can reasonably levy at this latest iteration of Capcom's not-very-Survival-Horror series is its wilfully idiosyncratic control schemes. It's not that Resident Evil 5's offerings are bad as such - it's just that we've got much better ways of doing this kind of thing these days. Now that the franchise has moved firmly away from horror into action territory, it's tough to justify Resident Evil 5's clunky, cumbersome controls. That applies to movement, combat and even the game's camera - and, with the likes of Dead Space and Gears of War perfecting third-person play, Capcom's oddly staccato system is simply inexplicable. Yes, it might heighten tension as you're forced to stop and shoot but – as enemies break out the heavy artillery and cover plays an increasing important role later on – it's clear that Resident Evil just isn't that kind of game anymore.

Not this shit again.

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Thankfully, that's our main grievance with Resident Evil 5 and Capcom has, in almost every area, streamlined its aging series for the better. Perhaps most surprising, given the assumption that co-op was a late addition to the game, is just how fully it's been integrated into the experience.

Indeed, pretty much all of Capcom's significant adjustments to the Resident Evil 4 formula make for a more engaging co-op game. For instance, we're big fans of the new real-time inventory system.

game's greatest strengths though and it's the sheer bravado of its set-pieces and inexhaustibly imaginative objectives that really wins out.

Zombies swell in greater numbers, weapons are meatier and firefights are more intense than ever - and, from the subtlest variations in the game's core mechanics to the unfailingly inventive boss fights, it's a frequently disarming, utterly sensory treat.

In fact, Resident Evil 5 offers a near unparalleled visceral assault. Purely in terms of presentation, it sets the bar so high we can practically hear lesser developers dejectedly thudding their heads against tables. It's a singularly beautiful game, from the quality of design and the sheer attention to detail, and that's no more obvious than in its environments. It might be atypical for a Resident Evil game but the team has milked the African setting for all its worth. And, while it slips into more traditional Resi territory for its latter portion, Africa affords some remarkably refreshing locales rarely visited in a videogame – and certainly not presented with the amount of clarity as they are here. Heat haze, dust swirls, seeping mist, crawling maggots, waning surf – the attention to detail is simply jaw-dropping. It's a world that's been designed for optimum aesthetic appeal at every angle and it's virtually impossible to point your camera at anything and not get the perfect cinematic shot.

A word of warning to old-timers though: Resident Evil 5 is a remarkably forgiving experience, particularly given the game's user-friendly checkpoint system. On normal mode it's a disappointingly breezy romp and, at around 12 hours long, you'll probably feel slightly short-changed. If you've cut your teeth on Resident Evil 4, you'll want to head straight to Veteran mode, offering a much meatier, more masochistic challenge.

Score:

9.5 Presentation
Some of its core mechanics are a little unrefined but it's a feature-rich and gloriously presented offering.
9.5 Graphics
It's an absolutely gorgeous game, with simply staggering character animations, environments and sheer attention to detail.
9.5 Sound
In terms of blockbuster calibre production, it sounds as good as it looks. From atmospherics to voice and music, it's a sublime cacophony.
8.5 Gameplay
It mightn't be much of a step up from Resi 4 but the relentless variety and staggering set-pieces are irresistible. Single-player suffers from AI issues though and co-op's where it's at.
8.5 Lasting Appeal
You'll breeze through in 12 hours on Normal but co-op, Veteran and the mighty Mercenaries extend life tremendously.

9.0
Outstanding

Also, starting from Veteran difficulty, some mid-bosses will resurrect after seemingly killing them.