Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition (PS3)

Capcom‘s Resident Evil, as a franchise, has had a long and distinguished career dating back to the first Resident Evil on PlayStation 1 in 1996. It has evolved into the gold standard for the third-person shooter survival horror genre. Resident Evil 5 was another critical success for the franchise and the first time that true co-op play was included in the game. My wife and I played the original RE5 when it first came out in March of 2009, and she absolutely loved it. So, recently we bought a copy of Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition to play through it all again. And, not surprisingly, it is still just as fun as it was the first time we picked it up.

The plot revolves around Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar, members of the Bio-terrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA), who have been deployed to Africa to apprehend a black market bio-weapons dealer named Ricardo Irving. Right from the beginning things start going horribly awry, leaving Chris and Sheva, still on the trail of Ricardo Irving, to fight their way through hordes of infected locals (read that as “zombies”) called Majini. The action starts in a small African town called Kijuju, and then progresses through quite a number of different settings including (in no particular order) a train yard, some small underground laboratory facility, a mine, a large stretch of marshlands with villages, an oil refinery, ancient underground ruins, a huge underground research facility, a gigantic cargo ship, and finally a stealth bomber and a volcano.

The co-op in RE5 is simply fantastic. I’m not sure that there are many games out now that have co-op modes than can even come close, much less top, RE5’s. The game still uses the third-person over-the-shoulder perspective and the L1+R1 mechanic for shooting, so there is no run-and-gun element in the game (although it might be nice if there were), but often this just adds to the suspense and sense of urgency the game evokes when you are surrounded by enemies that are drawing closer with each step. Add to that the ability to assist your co-op partner when they are under attack or need to be healed and the result is truly a survival horror co-op experience without peer. Inventory and ammo management is still an issue in the game, but that is purely by design. Nothing gets the blood pumping like running out of ammo when you still have zombies chasing you!

The sound and graphics are both well designed and implemented. Hearing the Majini shuffle and moan off-screen sets you on edge and immediately creates a tenseness that few other games have. The visuals are impressive and, many times, dark and foreboding. Some of the settings, like the underground ruins, the giant lab complex, or the cargo ship are truly massive. Some of the facial rendering is, at times, a bit off, but I haven’t seen a next-gen console game that has gotten it right yet. Just take a look at Jill Valentine and you’ll see what I mean. She looks anemic throughout the game.

Still, these are minor points and Resident Evil 5 remains a well crafted game. The inclusion of two new chapters not directly related to the original storyline is a nice bonus (i.e., Lost In Nightmares and Desperate Escape). Plus there are added online multiplayer options for the Mercenaries scenarios and the inclusion of the Verses mode – all of which come on the disc (no downloading necessary). The game has four levels of difficulty; amateur, normal, veteran, and profession (I believe, as I haven’t finished the veteran level yet) and options to upgrade your weapons and unlock infinite ammo (yes, there is a Santa Clause). So, there is a ton of replayability to the game. All told, RE5 GE is truly a worthy gaming experience and one well worth the $55 price tag. I give RE5 GE a solid 9 out of 10 overall, and if you only judge it within its own genre, then it’s definitely a 10 out of 10.