Also, you can forget about Sheva ever using a grenade, as the AI cannot decide on the best weapon for the situation and will always go through all of her handgun ammo before switching to whatever other weapon you’ve equipped her with.

This is a shame as some boss fights would obviously be better if she knew to use a different weapon and save her handgun ammo for weaker enemies.

On the bright side, all of these AI complaints go right out the window when another player takes over for Sheva. This will almost immediately make the game more exciting, tenser, and tons more fun. It not only adds a whole new layer of strategic depth and options for teamwork, it also makes the boss fights significantly more fun and less frustrating when splitting up is required.

 

Speaking of boss fights, you’ll have some great ones to look forward to. Sure, while they aren’t too challenging or complicated, they are still very memorable and exciting. If there was one major flaw with the bosses, it is that there is no clear indication of how well you are doing, or if what you are doing is even right. In fact, there are even some boss fights where the game will make you feel like what it’s telling you to do isn’t right or not working… even though it really is.

This isn’t to say a health bar is required, but perhaps just having their weak points flash red - or some other indication that you are doing the right thing and that they are close to dying.

While obviously not going into any detail of the plot, it can be said that this is a great story for the series. Not only does it make sense (provided you read the documents scattered around the levels) but also does a good job of tying most of the overall story of the series together.

 

The voice-acting is mostly excellent whilst maintaining that Resident Evil charm; the cutscenes are fantastic with Hollywood-quality presentation and production values, and the game is also the perfect length. Not too long, not too short. And more importantly, once finished, it is very likely you will want to go through it all over again a few more times with friends. Add to this all the bonus features you can unlock and you have yourself plenty of replay value.

So there’s an important question you’re probably waiting for me to answer; is the game scary? Well, in a word, no. Not really. It still has that great thick, creepy atmosphere the series is known for, but the shock scares are gone. The thing is this really isn't that bad because while not too scary, Resident Evil 5 is still very thrilling and will have your adrenaline pumping on a regular basis. Sure, this is no longer a survival horror game, but there is definitely nothing wrong with a great action title.

 

Unfortunately, you still can’t move when aiming your gun. This does a good job of making the game a lot tenser as a group of zombies are moving towards you, but it is a very artificial way of doing it. To be honest, because of last years fantastic Dead Space, Resident Evil 5’s shooting mechanics feel a little dated now. Dead Space proved these kinds of games can allow you to walk and shoot at the same time and still be scary as all hell. Due to this, Resident Evil 5 feels like a game that wants to swim in the action game pool but right now is too scared to take the plunge completely.

One place Resident Evil 5 does have Dead Space beat though is in the variety of action on offer. This game has it all; from manning turrets and well used quick-time events, to vehicle levels and a cover system that is occasionally used in the later parts of the game. The beauty of Resident Evil 5’s pacing is that many hours into the game it will still feel fresh because it is always introducing completely new features. If there is one place where Resident Evil 5 lacks in variety however, it is in the enemies appearances, as you will find yourself facing the same zombie faces over and over again. This can definitely hurt the games immersion.

 

In fact, maintaining immersion is actually a fairly common problem for Resident Evil 5 because it relies far too much on artificial methods. Have a giant monster swinging its arm at you? No problem; you can dodge it as long as you push the dodge button flashing on screen quickly enough. Want to dodge that guy swinging a chainsaw at you? Yeah, well too bad, because the dodge option hasn’t come up this time.

The same goes for when you get to melee attack enemies. With the exception of your trusty knife (which is mostly used as a box and crate opener – as anything else requires you to stand there and wait for the enemy to get close enough to hit them) you can only punch or kick enemies when the game decides you can. Granted, when it does decide you can, it looks great and is definitely satisfying to do, but it’s also very artificial and a constant reminder that you are playing a video game where you really have very limited control.

 

It may sounds like this review is coming down on Resident Evil 5 but that’s not really the case. It just has a lot of little design flaws that, frankly, games in 2009 really shouldn’t have; and we wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t mention them.

But in the end, even with its flaws, Resident Evil 5 is a great game for the series. It manages to stay feeling fresh and thrilling all the way through to the final battle, and it looks absolutely incredible. The story is mostly well paced and told with cinematics of extremely high production value. While the co-op is not exactly game changing, it is a very welcome addition to the series and the game is definitely a lot more fun when played this way.

After all, if there are three certainties in life; it is death, taxes and the fact that killing zombies is always more fun with a partner.