Resident Evil 5 is a third person, over-the-shoulder zombie killing shooter. But no, you don’t randomly run around just shooting zombies in the face (*cough**cough* Left 4 Dead…). There is a huge storyline behind not just 5, but all of the Resident Evil Series. You will be taken through many different environments, face different foes, and… catch up with a few 'old friends'.

 

I played Resident Evil 5 on the Xbox 360 and loved it, so I was excited to review the PC version which came out more recently. By the way, this is a Windows LIVE game; therefore if you sign into your Gamer Profile you can earn Achievements which was a bonus for me, since I love building my Gamerscore. I can't do too much comparing between RE5 and RE4, because I have played RE4 very little. However, I can say that if you liked RE4, you'll love Resident Evil 5. Even if you not a Resident Evil fan, after you play this game, you will be.

 

Resident Evil 5 has a very gripping storyline. The kind of story that will keep you up 'til 3 a.m., no matter what you have to do tomorrow. You start out as Chris, and you meet up with your female partner named Sheva to investigate some strange occurrences in a remote country. You'll soon realize that the locals are, zombies. But they're not really zombies. They are actually called Kijuju. But in this review, I will refer to them as zombies to avoid confusion. So somewhat through the story Chris discovers that he may be able to locate his long lost partner Jill Valentine, who was assumed to be dead. So the BSAA tells you to retreat, but Chris continues forward to find his partner. You'll also meet up with an old rival, Wesker. You will fight this evil mastermind three different times during the game, each with increasing difficulty. Wesker's plan is to give the virus to people to create a new generation of, 'super-humans' if you will. I won't say anything more to avoid spoilers. There are definitely a few twists in the story, which will catch you off guard.

 

Another huge part in this game is the Co-Op part. To be honest, I would nearly cut the review score in half if Co-Op was missing. It adds so much more fun and cooperative gameplay with your friends, and some unique ways to do some tricks that a solo mission would lack. At some points you will be separated from you partner. But you're never far enough to feel alone. Usually if your partner isn't beside you, they can usually look across the gap to help you kill the approaching zombies. But overall, the Co-Op is definitely a huge bonus to the overall fun factor and replay value of the game. Personally, I would recommend getting a friend to buy the game along with you, so you guys can play through the Co-Op together (that's what I did, and we ended up completing the game on both Normal and Professional difficulties).

 

The guns are definitely a big part of RE5. There are many to choose from, but not only that, you can upgrade them. And when some guns get fully upgraded, they unlock more guns! Like the Mini Gun for Chris, or the Bow & Arrow for Sheva. Apart from the guns, you can unlock outfits for your characters, infinite ammo for certain guns, and figurines of your favorite characters. Some outfits include a zebra-striped outfit for Chris, and a very revealing Tribal outfit for Sheva (is it getting hot in here or is it just me?).

 

Resident Evil 5 had a very cool Mercenaries Mode. Mercenaries allows you to go to different locations and fight off hordes of the zombies in a certain time limit to obtain a score. This is pretty cool. Not the best thing ever, but it is something to keep you playing, and possibly suck away a few more hours of your life.

 

The PC version of RE5 has really great graphics. I ran the game on the highest settings, and it looked great. I never really had a problem with low frame rate or anything, but that might be a different story for you, according to what your computer can handle. You may want to test your computer to see if it will run Resident Evil 5 before you buy.

 

Overall, Resident Evil 5 is a very good game. You would not regret purchasing this game, I can tell you that. Resident Evil 5 is definitely on my list for the top Co-Op games I've played. I have played through the campaign a total of I think, three times if I'm not mistaken, and each playthrough has been very fun and exciting. I would recommend Resident Evil 5 to any RE fan, or anyone who likes to kill zombies, or likes a very fun and entertaining game.