Resident Evil 5

PS3 (tested), Xbox360

By Patrick Shaw / Tuesday, April 28 2009

Resident Evil 5 has some massive shoes to fill – I’m talking Shaquille O’Neal-sized sneakers. After all, its predecessor, Resident Evil 4, is regarded as one of the best horror-themed video games ever made. The good news is that Capcom is not resting on their laurels with this latest instalment; Resident Evil 5 introduces a tonne of improvements and new features.

RE4 took a risk by replacing its trademark slow-moving, inarticulate zombie cliches with an entirely new breed of enemy, the parasite-carrying cultists dubbed Las Plagas. RE5 takes this reinvention of the franchise even further, putting an emphasis on action over suspense and adding a much-needed cooperative campaign.

Just as we saw a palpable evolution in Resident Evil’s cast of enemies in the fourth game, Resident Evil 5 continues this trend. The enemies in the game are not unlike those of the previous game – they too have a plague that can cause disgusting parasitic growths to burst forth from their flesh and whip you in the face. But the zombie-like foes in RE5 are far more advanced than seen in previous games.

Resident Evil 5 takes players in a refreshing all-new direction. It takes some risks and tries some new things. Hardcore fans may be disappointed by the departure from the traditional survival horror roots but trust me, the game delivers enough thrills that you won’t notice.