Final thoughts on RE5

Everybody has a gaming tradition or two. One of mine is with every new Resident Evil release, I take a few days off work, stock up on food and sodas, and cruise through yet another entry in my favorite franchise. That's exactly what I did this weekend, with the release of RE:5. After hearing months of criticism about racism and cumbersome controls, needless to say I was a little skeptical. Now all I have to say is: thank you Capcom, for reminding me why I love games again...

Story:
RE:5's story returns to the series roots, dealing with the Umbrella Corporation. No rescuing the President's daughter in this one. As a fan of the overall story arc of all of the Resident Evil games, I was relieved to see Capcom push the story forward, rather than have another detour. The cut scenes are for the most part well done. You can tell the Dev team took some cues from the likes of Metal Gear Solid 4. The over the top scenes do a great job of sucking you in. No Spoilers here, let me just say the game brings back some old characters, answers some questions, but also is friendly to newcomers as well.

Gameplay:
I am going to be upfront with this: I loved the way RE:4 controlled. RE:5 is VERY similar. The gunplay is handled with the left shoulder button to bring up your gun, right stick to aim, right trigger to fire. And by the way, you can't move when aiming. I can see why this might bother some, but I think it does a great job of adding white knuckle suspense. There is nothing like being surrounded by zombies(?) and choosing your shot and fighting your way through. There are some puzzles along the way to mix it up, but this is no Tomb Raider, action takes center stage here. Bosses are nothing mind blowing, but for the most part, they are fun.

Graphics:
RE:5 uses Capcom's new proprietary engine (MT Framework) and it really shines. Open environments, some of the best character models I've seen, and great effects (Especially the lighting). Sure there is a bland texture here and there, but overall RE:5 will impress, and it runs butter smooth. By the way, I played on PS3.

Final thought: Resident Evil fans, you owe it to yourself to pick this up. It is not as spooky as some of the originals, but it is intense. Action fans new to the series, try the demo. If you can learn to work with the controls, you will find a great experience to be had here.