Resident Evil 5... Dem-O!

Read the title of this blog post like the announcer in the RE games says the title when you start a new game. "Resident Evil 5... <= (this is a pause) Dem-O! (said like the guy said Zer-O in RE0)" Anyway, let's get to the point. RE5 demo is fantastic. The graphics are sick. It really helps that RE is a long-running franchise. Seeing the jump from RE4 to 5 is very rewarding, as opposed to seeing some new-fangled franchise that just started on these "next-gen" platforms. Great graphics are more appreciable when there is this standard standpoint from which to judge them. Of course, great graphics are great graphics regardless, but seeing one of your favorite franchises taking the next graphical leap is one of the best parts about being a gamer. From the get-go, you are presented with an awkward control scheme called "Type D". It is completely alien to RE4 veterans. I got easily destroyed by the hostile Africans with this setup. At this point, I was kind of down - on the game and myself; however, I fought back and decided to look at all the control schemes. After much experimentation and struggle, I settled on "Type A", which is as close to RE4 controls as you are going to get. With this setup, I was able to defeat both scenarios in one shot each. Why Type A is good
If you have played the crap out of RE4, the controls became second nature to you. You played dozens of games in the "Mercenaries" mode, running for your life and shooting in all sorts of stressful situations. You are going to like Type A because it is the most familiar to you.

Type = C || Type = D Pros:
  • You can strafe
Cons:
  • You still stand still when you're in "aiming mode"
  • Hard to turn while running
  • Still no aiming reticule on screen unless you're in "aiming mode"
Overall, there's no ideal control scheme. They all offer an advantage coupled with a disadvantage.

Other Thoughts
I don't like how Capcom focused on co-op for this game. RE is a single player experience, not a trend-following co-op game. Of course, the ideal would be that you have friends that love RE and would play co-op with you. The fact of the matter is, not everyone has a friend play the RE franchise or even own a next-gen console, let alone the same next-gen console. I do not want to play with strangers online. Still, RE5 isn't a far stretch from other games in the series. RE0 had computer-controlled single player "co-op" and their online games of course were co-op.

In conclusion, RE5 has sick graphics, the game is still fun (probably because of the sick graphics) and having co-op as a focal point of development is ill-advised. Single player is not dead! Xbox Live SHOULD BE FREE! I'm not gonna pay for online when it's free on PC, PS3 and WII.

Popular posts from this blog

"Retrotek SCART to Component Converter" Review (SCBV1P3)

Image
I do not like spreading negativity out there, but I needed to warn people about this device. I bought this for 80 dollars on ebay; I'm not gonna link from whom, because he or she does not deserve more sales of this awful device. When it works, it works, albeit with flaws. The image produced is sharp, as a component-video signal should be, and the colors are accurate, except that there is a green tint to the entire picture. I've read that one has to open these things up and adjust the 'pots' inside (an electrical term) with a screwdriver. I never really tried doing that or minded the green tint too much, because it's very subtle. What I did mind a lot, was the fact that sometimes, it won't work, and I'll only get audio. This is a big problem. I wouldn't mind the colors being a little off, or there being some 'noise' in the video-signal, but when the success-rate of the thing actually working is 50%, it's a deal-breaker. I paid 80 dolla...
Read more

White Japanese Sega Saturn 3D Control Pad (Controller) Review HSS-0137

Image
As a recently new Sega Saturn owner, I knew I had to get the Sega Saturn 3D Control Pad because it was the definitive controller for playing Nights Into Dreams. I decided to purchase the more aesthetically-pleasing Japanese version. Upon first inspection, it is noticeably big - bigger than it should be. Sega was probably going for form over function here, because the round shape does look like a mini-spaceship or UFO, which goes with their theme of space with the Saturn itself, but it is not the most ergonomically comfortable controller out there. For example, when playing six-button fighting-games, it is difficult to hold the controller in the left hand and 'piano' the buttons with the right. The d-pad is a little different from the American Model 1 and Japanese Model 2 controllers'. It feels a little stiffer. Of the three controllers I have tried, it has my least favorite d-pad. On the plus-side, however, it features the best start-button of the three. ...
Read more

Japanese Model 2 Sega Saturn Controller Review HSS-0101

Image
Recently, I bought a Model 2 American Sega Saturn, but it came with a Model 1 controller. It was pretty good, but I liked the look of the Model 2 Japanese controller, and the d-pad seemed more comfortable. After ordering one on ebay, and opening the package I later received, I was taken aback at how 'creamy' the controller looked. It didn't look like it had changed color, like old NESes, but it didn't look as white as I had imagined. Even the photo above looks whiter than it actually is. The d-pad is better than the Model 1's, but not by too much. The face-buttons feel the same, but the Start-button is a big improvement. The biggest improvement comes in the form of the shoulder-buttons. I don't think the actual internal switches have changed, but now you don't have to press the buttons on the rear of its plastic-shell to get them to actuate. In general, they feel and sound like mouse-buttons. You won't want to use them in action-games, but f...
Read more