Why I love Resident Evil 5

[Rheinmetall]

So why I love RE 5, or better, why do I feel nostalgic for RE 5.
1. it's relatively faithful to the tradition of the RE franchise. Meaning: 3D (tank) control method that we all loved (if not all, me at least ), camera is a *****- glued behind the back of the character, so no free camera rotation novelties here just hardcore stuff. Also as always you can't move and shoot at the same time. And above all: The typical old school quick 180 turn. This is pure RE stuff.
2. The controls feel more natural and are improved compared to RE 4. Also some small, but noticeable improvements in graphics and sound effects are welcomed too I think.
3. Great co-op game. Personally I'm not into co-op at all, but I have to admit that playing this game with a friend is fun. I would go as far and say that in my opinion it's the best co-op third person shooter of its generation.
4. It's not RE 6, and certainly it's not the disgrace called Operation Raccon City. Many of us were sceptical with RE 5 when it came out in 2009: It's more of a shooter than a horror game and it's basically RE 4 all over again, nothing particularly new. Agreed, but we hadn't seen what a mediocre RE game really looks like. We were spoiled by the high standards of RE 2, RE 4 and RE Code: Veronica. RE 5 was nowhere near those games, but it was consistent in what it was trying to do as a game, hell it was playable, easy to pick up and certainly was among what we call good, or solid games. In other words 7/10, or 8/10 games.
So what do you think about it now in 2014? I'm curious, do you still consider RE 5 as the black sheep of the franchise, or are you having some second thoughts?

 

[Casual Shinji]

It's not RE 6

This is really the only thing that gives RE5 merrit; It's not RE6.

It still had the beefy gunplay and weighty action of RE4. The characters were boring, the level and art design was uninspired, and the co-op was constrictive, but at least the action still had that terrific feedback.

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

I never hated Resident Evil 5 like a lot of people, and I don't think I'd specifically point at it as the black sheep in the franchise (that honor probably goes to Resident Evil: Gaiden or the Resident Evil: Survivor spinoffs), and I do agree with you that it was a pretty solid Co-Op game.

But that said, it's pretty far from being a favorite of mine within the franchise. It suffers from a number of design choices that just don't feel right to me.

1. "Smart" zombies. Resident Evil 4 suffers from this too, so no, it doesn't get a free pass. I've never been fond of the Plagas-style zombies. I liked it a hell of a lot better when the series was using Romero-style shambling corpses. When supposed zombies are talking, sprinting, and using weaponry... it stops feeling like a zombie game to me.

2. Zombies using weaponry. Seriously. If I'm playing Resident Evil 5, and I'm ducking behind a chest-high wall as a zombie off in the distance opens fire on me with an AK-74... that feels like Gears of War or Mass Effect 3 to me, not Resident Evil.

3. Automatic weapons. Yes, I know older games had automatic weaponry. Resident Evil 2 had a MAC-11 (with hilariously incorrect size proportions), and you could get an M4A1 Carbine in Resident Evil 3 on certain difficulties... but the thing is that those weapons were fairly limited. They were special weapons; power-ups if you feel so inclined to call them that. In the modern Resident Evil games you're running around with drum-fed semi-automatic shotguns, machine pistols, submachine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, and rocket launchers. You're completely armed to the teeth, and ammunition is almost never something that you need to worry about.

4. Somebody managed to successfully create a hybrid of Chris Redfield and a fucking refrigerator. Seriously... dude's more hilariously over-the-top muscular than goddamn Duke Nukem. Apparently at some point between Code Veronica and Resident Evil 5 Chris must have gotten bored and injected himself with steroids. ALL of the steroids.

5. GODDAMN AIRBOAT!

6. The partner AI when you don't have someone to play Co-Op with is atrocious. It'll constantly waste healing items if you accidentally let the AI hold them, it will frequently get in the way of your shots, it'll frequently face-tank enemy fire rather than ducking, sometimes it'll waste ammunition firing at walls because it'll be trying to fire center-mass on a target that it can only see a small bit of, and its reaction time to grabs is pitiful.

7. That tribal village is hilariously racist.

8. The game's tone is kinda wonky. Is it trying to be a Resident Evil game, is it trying to be a parody of a Resident Evil game, or is it trying to be a big dumb action movie? I mean, don't get me wrong... the series has had some pretty dumb set-pieces in the past. But never "punching a boulder inside an active volcano that should be cooking us alive instantaneously" dumb.

9. Dude. Woah. Wesker knows kung-fu! Excellent! /air guitar

10. Seriously, fuck that goddamn airboat.

So yeah... I'd probably give Resident Evil 5 a 6/10. It's better than the average game, but still not really good. Granted, I openly admit that I'm a fan of RE0/1/2/3/CV and while I can enjoy RE4/RE5, I do think they kinda went in the wrong direction. I'll give them credit for at least trying something new, though.

 

[Casual Shinji]

3. Automatic weapons. Yes, I know older games had automatic weaponry. Resident Evil 2 had a MAC-11 (with hilariously incorrect size proportions), and you could get an M4A1 Carbine in Resident Evil 3 on certain difficulties... but the thing is that those weapons were fairly limited. They were special weapons; power-ups if you feel so inclined to call them that. In the modern Resident Evil games you're running around with drum-fed semi-automatic shotguns, machine pistols, submachine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, and rocket launchers. You're completely armed to the teeth, and ammunition is almost never something that you need to worry about.

RE2 also had the weapon upgrades though, that turned your handgun into what was basically an uzi, and your shotgun into... well, a big fucking super shotgun. Which ironically ended up being less effective. And RE3 gave you so many weapons and gunpowders you were almost drowing in handgun and shotgun ammo by the end of the game.

I know RE4 gets criticized for oversupplying ammo and weapons, but the early games were just as guilty. Maybe not so much REmake and RE Zero, but we don't talk about the latter.

 

[Fat Hippo]

Yep, gotta agree, I thoroughly enjoyed the game, despite its flaws. It's just loads of fun, no matter how absurd, stupid or racist it is. And while I think the RE:make in particular is a fantastic game, I'm never expecting something like it again, not from Resident Evil anyway.

6. The partner AI when you don't have someone to play Co-Op with is atrocious. It'll constantly waste healing items if you accidentally let the AI hold them, it will frequently get in the way of your shots, it'll frequently face-tank enemy fire rather than ducking, sometimes it'll waste ammunition firing at walls because it'll be trying to fire center-mass on a target that it can only see a small bit of, and its reaction time to grabs is pitiful.

Yes, she's pretty bad, but I always just gave her the sniper rifle, as she is hilariously accurate with it, and stays out the goddamn way. Just never anything that fires full automatic.

 

[w9496]

I actually liked RE5 more than 4, but that's mostly due to co-op and co-op mercenary mode.

I didn't like how easy it is to get infinite ammo for everything though. Even with infinite ammo turned off, you'll never run out seeing as your handgun will kill regular guys in less than 3 shots.

But the biggest perk RE5 has over its predecessors is that Leon's stupid emo haircut is entirely absent.

 

[omega 616]

So yeah... I'd probably give Resident Evil 5 a 6/10. It's better than the average game, but still not really good. Granted, I openly admit that I'm a fan of RE0/1/2/3/CV and while I can enjoy RE4/RE5, I do think they kinda went in the wrong direction. I'll give them credit for at least trying something new, though.

I'm with disco Stu on this one!

I think 4, 5 and the black sheep 6 are THE worst re games, I've not played every game with "resident evil on" but resident evil was the horror series! It had 0 competition and then it brought out 4 and while the common opinion is "best one by far" for me it was the beginning of the end.

Enemies were wack-a-moles, bullets are bountiful, health is handy and death is distant (I love alteration!). These new games had no fear or tension ... it was just uncharted or gears of war. You aren't even killing zombies, you're killing innocent people who are infected with a parasite by a 3ft tall Napoleon! The trend continued into 5, not a zombie in sight, plenty of bullets, plenty of health and not a challenge in sight.

The only redeeming factor of 6 was zombies!

Bring back full on tank controls, make bullets like rocking horse shit and bring back an enemy like Nemesis! That guy was the scariest fucking thing in my childhood! You would be walking round kind of on edge 'cos you were on caution, no herbs (or even worse, just a red) and low ammo, then you hear "STARS!" ... you had to pause to change your pants! I see 4, 5 and 6 bosses and they don't have that same factor!

Though playing as Jake Muller in 6 it did have a Nemesis type character mixed with the T-1000 but come on, Nemesis "the inescapable agent of someone's or something's downfall." is a perfect name/descriptor for what that beast was but in resident evil 6 you have the horror that is the Ustanak ... doesn't have the same edge, does it?

(to be fair, after Nemesis transforms it does lose it's edge as well.)

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

RE2 also had the weapon upgrades though, that turned your handgun into what was basically an uzi, and your shotgun into... well, a big fucking super shotgun. Which ironically ended up being less effective. And RE3 gave you so many weapons and gunpowders you were almost drowing in handgun and shotgun ammo by the end of the game.

I know RE4 gets criticized for oversupplying ammo and weapons, but the early games were just as guilty. Maybe not so much REmake and RE Zero, but we don't talk about the latter.

In RE2 you're talking about Leon Kennedy's Heckler & Koch VP-70M handgun. Just like in real life, if you combine the base handgun with the shoulder stock attachment made for the gun you get a second mode of fire - three round burst. It doesn't change the damage profile of the weapon at all in the game, it just speeds up the rate of fire a bit. The thing is though that by speeding up the rate of fire, you'll also chew through your ammunition faster - and RE2 didn't have your drowning in ammunition like RE3 and its gun powders.

In RE:CV you can also modify Claire's Beretta to be a Beretta M93R, another real-life handgun with a three-round burst capability. But Code Veronica is another game where you're not usually drowning in ammunition, unless (like me) you make extensive use of the knife glitch in the early game (if you kneecap a zombie, then position yourself to their side so that your knife swing hits their legs, chest, and head it'll count as three hits per swing).

As for RE2's shotgun... I can't even begin to comprehend how you manage to turn a short-barrel shotgun into a full-size shotgun without proper equipment and have it actually work, but woo! Suspension of disbelief! Either way, it's still a slow-firing pump-action with limited capacity. Compare that to, say, the Striker from RE4. The Striker is semi-automatic, fires relatively fast, reloads relatively fast, and its drum is capable of containing up to 100 shells if you feel like upgrading it (hell, even its base capacity of 12 is more than any of the prior games' shotguns).

And yeah, RE3 did give you a lot of ammunition if you made effective use of the powders. But I still felt like that game had more ammunition problems (especially if you stuck around to actually fight Nemesis) than RE4/RE5. Especially RE5. Granted, that could be due to a difference in version for RE4. I've heard that depending on which platform you play it on, the drop rates for ammunition/money are different. I have the original GameCube release.

Yes, she's pretty bad, but I always just gave her the sniper rifle, as she is hilariously accurate with it, and stays out the goddamn way. Just never anything that fires full automatic.

Yeah, I usually gave her the bolt-action rifle. It's the weapon that she seemed most competent with, and due to its slow rate of fire she wasn't typically chewing through all my ammo. She still did seem to have problems with shooting at walls when enemies were only partially exposed, though. I doubt any particular weapon type would correct this, though.

 

[Rheinmetall]

All valid points, I agree with most of them.

1. "Smart" zombies. - Yeah, nothing beats slow moving Night of the Living Dead type of zombies.
2. Zombies using weaponry. -Ridiculous I agree.

3. Automatic weapons. - Same.

4. Somebody managed to successfully create a hybrid of Chris Redfield and a fucking refrigerator. - I'm one of the few fans that actually liked this new style, I agree he shouldn't be so muscular, but on the other hand, does anyone remember Chris from Code Veronica? He was Mr. Nobody. I prefer Chris of RE 5 than a totally forgettable character.
5. GODDAMN AIRBOAT! Now that you mention it...

6. The partner AI when you don't have someone to play Co-Op with is atrocious. - I agree, Sheva is only for the rifle gun because it fires slowly. lol

7. That tribal village is hilariously racist. - Don't get me wrong, that's one of the reasons why I think RE 5 is an interesting game, because it messes with taboo and sensitive subjects, even for cheap marketing reasons. If you ask me, residents of tribal villages can perfectly be targets as well, as most zombies targets of the first three RE games were white Americans.

8. The game's tone is kinda wonky. Is it trying to be a Resident Evil game, is it trying to be a parody of a Resident Evil game, or is it trying to be a big dumb action movie? - It's a game with loosely Gothic content, but not zombie-zombie game as we know. Also I would say it's equally a cinematic action game as every RE game.

9. Dude. Woah. Wesker knows kung-fu! Excellent! /air guitar. - LOL

10. Seriously, fuck that goddamn airboat.

I openly admit that I'm a fan of RE0/1/2/3/CV and while I can enjoy RE4/RE5, I do think they kinda went in the wrong direction. - I agree 100%, I wouldn't change a word in that phrase.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I think 4, 5 and the black sheep 6 are THE worst re games, I've not played every game with "resident evil on" but resident evil was the horror series! It had 0 competition and then it brought out 4 and while the common opinion is "best one by far" for me it was the beginning of the end.

Silent Hill pretty much handed Resident Evil its spleen when it came to horror at the time though. And by the time 4 came along the series had basically bled to death. But I guess that still happened anyway.

But I wouldn't mind seeing another horror game with pre-rendered backgrounds. Not Resident Evil obviously, since Capcom is too resolved at turning that into Call of Duty. But just a new IP by whoever. Just release it on PSN and Xbox Live, and make it shortish. The old games were only about 4 to 5 hours, so that's okay. Pre-rendered backgrounds with current technology would be a sight to see.

As for RE2's shotgun... I can't even begin to comprehend how you manage to turn a short-barrel shotgun into a full-size shotgun without proper equipment and have it actually work, but woo! Suspension of disbelief! Either way, it's still a slow-firing pump-action with limited capacity. Compare that to, say, the Striker from RE4. The Striker is semi-automatic, fires relatively fast, reloads relatively fast, and its drum is capable of containing up to 100 shells if you feel like upgrading it (hell, even its base capacity of 12 is more than any of the prior games' shotguns).

You got the Striker only about halfway through the game though. And you'd always have the option to not pick it up.

I've been going on kind of a retro Resident Evil bender lately -- new console generation tend to make me nostalgic like that -- and it surprised me how I could just blast my way through about 90% of the game. The only thing hampering it being the camera angles.

 

[Rheinmetall]

And speaking of memorable RE characters here is my list:
Barry of RE1
Leon and Claire of RE2
Jill with the Regina costume of RE3
Alexia from RE: Code Veronica
and bodybuilder athlete Chris from RE5,
oh and I forgot the two Spaniards policemen in the beginning of RE4.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

I had a blast with RE5 as it was co op. My friends and I would stay up late trying to get all the trophies for that game. Trying to kill that sleezy merchant guy after he transformed on Professional...good times. "All right, that's enough. I'm buying a rocket launcher. Dude, get out of the way! You're blocking the shot!"
"What? Oh crap!"
"Take this! (fires)"
"You missed! How could you miss him?!"
"It's not my fault, I swear!"

I had some laughs with that game. One thing I think it did have over RE4 was the fact that you had physical combo attacks if you shot certain areas. This helped save ammo, which was a very important thing on Professional.

 

[Rheinmetall]

I've been going on kind of a retro Resident Evil bender lately -- new console generation tend to make me nostalgic like that -- and it surprised me how I could just blast my way through about 90% of the game. The only thing hampering it being the camera angles.

Me too! I played this holiday Leon A, Claire A and Leon B. I got tired and quit before starting Claire B. But I had a terrific time for three-four days.
I would kill to play again a new game like you described above. You should also check about the Resident Evil 1.5 project. I think at the end we are going to play that game!

 

[Casual Shinji]

Jill with the Regina costume of RE3

Aw man, remember Dino Crisis 2..?

That game was so fucking awesome!

...And then Dino Crisis 3 happened.

 

[omega 616]

snip

Never been a silent hill fan. The story never made a lick of fucking sense to me, such as all the fucked up endings in each game. Pyramid head is some sort of physical manifestation of some part of the main protagonists psyche and that physical manifestation rapes physically deformed nurses? What the fuck did I just type?

And if he is the physical manifestation of some part of the protagonists psyche, why doesn't he change based upon who you play as? I haven't played much of any of them, so I don't know how many Mr. Head is in but I assume it's most of them as he is the iconic figure and I know for a fact there is 3 or 4 protagonists. (though, I have obviously have some ignorance here)

I think it would be pretty cool if each person had there own pyramid head like creature.

 

[Rheinmetall]

Jill with the Regina costume of RE3

Aw man, remember Dino Crisis 2..?

That game was so fucking awesome!

When I first played Dino Crisis 2 I though I was playing a next-gen video game, in terms of graphics, and game-play speed, it was way above the average Playstation game. Though personally I loved more the style of Dino Crisis 1. More old scvhool type.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I don't like the whole Plaga business of RE. Zombies shouldn't talk, shouldn't run, shouldn't drive, shouldn't operate heavy machinery and weaponry and in all shouldn't be able to pass as humans. So a few of them ocassionally sprout a tentacle or burst into John Carpenter's [iThe Thing[/i], big deal. And the story has always been egregious, but the first few games get a nostalgia pass while RE4's knowing campy tone also gets one. Meanwhile RE5 takes itself too seriously. And Chris both looks and sounds stupid. Check out his expression, seriously. It's ape-ish. I miss cool smarmy ninja Leon.

But! I loved RE4, and RE5 is essentially RE4. Shorter & stupider, fair eonugh, but gameplay-wise it's more or less the same. There're less QTEs, thank god, and more melee prompts when fighting enemies (conversely the knife is practically useless). Co-op can be a ***** in single player, but Sheva's a pretty competent fighter, so it's mostly a case of her spoiling your stock than going on and dying on you. Co-op with a buddy is awesome fun and can't get enough of it. As for the real time inventory management... it can be awkward at first, though it can also help speed-reloading, and the game pauses enough times between action for you to get organized.

There's also noticeably less puzzles in RE5 and a severe case of "kill everyone in the room, repeat". But I don't think it's bad. Bland in many aspects and strong in others. Hardly Worst Game Ever.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I think it would be pretty cool if each person had there own pyramid head like creature.

And they do! James has Pyramid Head, Heather has Valtiel, Travis has The Butcher, Murphy has The Bogeyman. The only ones that don't have any are Harry and Henry, and that's because the monsters they face spring from the mind of someone else.

 

[Casual Shinji]

And if he is the physical manifestation of some part of the protagonists psyche, why doesn't he change based upon who you play as? I haven't played much of any of them, so I don't know how many Mr. Head is in but I assume it's most of them as he is the iconic figure and I know for a fact there is 3 or 4 protagonists. (though, I have obviously have some ignorance here)

That's the recurring annoyance among fans; Pyramid Head keeps showing up in other titles as well as the movie due to his popularity. Eventhough it makes no sense since he's a manifestation of James guilt. Just as the sexy nurses make no sense outside of Silent Hill 2, yet they keep getting used.

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

You got the Striker only about halfway through the game though. And you'd always have the option to not pick it up.

I've been going on kind of a retro Resident Evil bender lately -- new console generation tend to make me nostalgic like that -- and it surprised me how I could just blast my way through about 90% of the game. The only thing hampering it being the camera angles.

Yeah... that's definitely true. The point I was sloppily trying to make though is that RE4 was the start of the 'shooterification' (that's a word now because I say so) of the Resident Evil franchise.

EDIT: Well, the main story series anyway. The less said about Resident Evil: Survivor, the better.

I'm not saying that the games are objectively bad (I like RE4 quite a bit actually), just that it's a direction that to me just doesn't feel right for the series. For an analogy, it's kind of like Command & Conquer: Generals. It's a solid game in its own right and a pretty enjoyable experience, but it's pretty much a Command & Conquer game just in name alone.

It's just an increasing trend from game to game. Each new installment in the main series ups the ante on available firepower, and balances itself accordingly. By the time we get to Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6, it's like you said earlier in your post, they're trying their damnedest to turn it into a Call of Duty-esque franchise - and they've thrown the concept of balance right out the window in favor of MOAR DAKKA!!!

By the way, I agree with you, I'd be all-for a throwback pre-rendered background survival/horror game being released. I miss the hell out of that style of game.

And speaking of memorable RE characters here is my list:
Alexia from RE: Code Veronica

...or do you mean Alfred?

Heh. Weirdos. ^_^