In a village infected by a virus, with too many threats to measure or keep track of, Chris Redfield embarks on somewhat of a personal journey. Zombies are everywhere – but they’re not really zombies, at least not like the ones he used to face back in Raccoon City.

Chris is joined with Sheva Alomar, a woman who is at first nothing more than a partner but will soon become a friend and (all things likely) a lifelong fixture of the Resident Evil series. Tougher than Ada Wong and more sophisticated than Claire Redfield, Sheva was a born warrior; deadly, dedicated and determined to succeed.

Her inclusion is explained throughout the game but serves a much higher purpose than story developments: Sheva fights alongside Chris at all times, either in the form of another player (via co-op) or as an AI-controlled ally. This switch, while seemingly crucial in the current market – multiplayer games are thought to have a greater success rate – is not the biggest change players will encounter.

At its core, Resident Evil 5 is very much the kind of gameplay experience gamers have been craving. The action, though flawed by camera issues and a weaker-than-expected difficulty, is on par with what RE4 introduced. In fact, you could honestly say that parts of it are identical. But while the replay value is strong and a few of the scenarios are intense, Resident Evil 5 might not be the horrific experience fans have been dreaming about for the past three years.

Shoot 'em Up

Resident Evil 5 could be described as the Dino Crisis 2 of the series. Its action-driven gameplay will easily draw comparisons to RE3, but the threat is more manageable than the STARS-killing Nemesis of that game. Zombies are more plentiful and the chainsaw-toting baddies of RE4 carry more weight, requiring several shots from your best weapon. Unlike the previous games in the series, however, Capcom doesn’t send you into battle empty handed. Ammo is dispersed more generously, as are herbs and cash for upgrades, which are found near the bodies of almost every beast you take out. Crates and other item-storing objects are everywhere, giving players many opportunities to restock their inventory.

Chris, the primary lead character, is controlled whenever starting a solo or co-op game; you’ll control Sheva when joining a co-op game. Both are excellent characters but the edge goes to Sheva – her flip kicks (available when an enemy is weak, similar to Leon’s roundhouse kick) are no more damaging than Chris’ uppercut but can be performed on enemies standing behind her, whereas Chris must be facing them.

Whoever you control, Resident Evil 5 mirrors its beloved predecessor. There were reports that the game was going to become more of a traditional third-person shooter, and though you can lean up against a few walls, Solid Snake-style, the game’s core was born from RE4. This is especially evident when former enemies appear, including a very large boss (hint: he’s like a caveman … if cavemen were 30-feet tall). Though his appearance hasn’t changed much – he looks a little older, and perhaps a little undead considering that you shot him up four years ago – the battle is vastly different. Rather than attack him on foot, you’ll fire a vehicle-mounted machinegun. Bullets are unlimited but the gun can overheat, preventing players from getting trigger-happy.

This combat style is taken in another direction when escaping a zombie-infested location. The experience is on-rails – the gun is the only thing you command. But zombies are everywhere, riding motorcycles and big trucks, hoping to destroy your vehicle and its passengers. This stage is easy but very compelling and the frame rate never skips a beat.

The Unsettling Sun

The first four RE games (six if you count CODE: Veronica and RE0) took place at night. RE4 had a few daytime moments, but the sky was eerily dark, casting a grayish hue upon the environment that set the tone for a creepy adventure.

Resident Evil 5 is the first game to buck that trend, using the sun and other light sources to brighten each location. If it seems strange for a survival/horror game to be well-lit, that’s because it defies the belief that night is scarier than day. My hope was that this game would come out victorious, proving that any scenario can be frightening. Or that, at the very least, the sun would be tied to a real-time clock and slowly fade away.

Neither came true. The reason every screenshot is bright is because they represent each and every stage. There is one very brief moment where you have to run through a cave using a portable light. But that single 10-minute scenario is hardly a dent in a game that takes roughly 10 hours to finish (half that on the second time around).

Artistically, the lighting effects are gorgeous. Despite the lack of a real-time clock, time clearly passes with the game’s progression, as evidenced by the subtle changes in the sun’s color, glare and shadow creation. The sun bounces off humans, zombies and objects just as you’d expect it to but with more realism and a greater jaw-dropping effect than most games on the market. In some areas, particularly the fire and explosion effects, no other title can compare. If the game’s artists were hoping to impress the masses and get the attention of people that have never played the series before, they should be commended for a job well done.

Realistically, however, the sun is a little too familiar. It was hinted that Resident Evil 5 would use shadows to hide monsters, but that information was either false or the development didn’t pan out, because it is not featured in this game. The location of every beast is crystal clear – so clear, in fact, that players aren’t likely to jump out of their seats when a monster appears.

The lack of scares cannot be blamed on daylight alone. Resident Evil 5’s pseudo-zombies are physically the same as those in RE4. Visually, however, they look a tad goofy; their attire starts out typical enough (shirt and pants) then spawns into tribal and military garb. Neither style creates a decent sense of fear. When the enemy you’re fighting is standing upright, holding a machinegun and staring directly at Chris and Sheva, you don’t think, “Oh no, a zombie!” Zombies are not weapons experts. They can be fast, they can be vicious. But they are rarely thought of as being intelligent. RE4’s non-zombies were smarter and more skillful but had an eerie daze in their eyes that kept them scary. These characters, however, are just too normal.

Consequently, you don’t think much of anything when they attack. You simply point, shoot and move on to the next scenario. It’s entertaining but not scary.

Luckily, normality does not extend to the monsters, which definitely feel like they belong in the RE series. You’ll fight large bugs, rabid dogs, lickers (a remake of the one from RE2), one savage sea creature, and a boss that looks like a cross between a spider and a crab. Visually, they look pretty cool. But like the zombies, they aren’t scary. Strangely, they aren’t very hard to beat either. Resident Evil 5 likes to overwhelm the player with multiple (and sometimes continuous) enemy encounters, but individually the monsters are easy prey. The boss battles are fun but lack a challenging twist – if you’ve played RE4, you’ll know how to find and how to exploit their weak spots until the beasts are dead.

A Little Evil

As a playable character, Sheva is wonderful to embrace. But as an AI ally, she can be a huge nuisance. First of all, she eats ammo and health items very quickly. The latter can be a lifesaver but watching her blow away magnum bullets on a weak enemy is very depressing. Second, she gets in Chris’ way all the time. This isn’t a problem if you’re running, but if you’re facing a monster with a very specific weak point, it is crucial that nothing blocks your view. Third, she isn’t much help during boss battles. There’s no easy solution here, because if she was helpful, Resident Evil 5 would be super easy. As it stands, this is still the easiest game in the series.

Fourth, her inclusion inspired the developers to create a new inventory system, an attempt at fixing something that wasn’t broken – but it is now. Items are no longer managed by size; each of Chris and Sheva’s nine inventory slots are exactly the same. While this could have been an improvement, the inventory screen is no longer separate from the rest of the game. When activated, the inventory boxes appear over the gameplay, which continues to progress whether you’re there to participate or not.

As you can imagine, this creates an enormous problem during combat, forcing players to fumble through inventory slots to select weapons, health items or ammo. Four quick selections may be applied to the D-pad. However, those are only good when you have everything you need at precisely at the right moment. If an important item isn’t applied, or if Sheva is holding it, you’ll have to fumble with the inventory to take it from her. She, of course, must be standing right next to Chris in order for the two of them to swap items. If all of Chris and Sheva’s inventory slots are full, you’re in trouble; unlike RE4, you can’t use herbs until they are added to your inventory. Inevitably, there are times when you’ll have to leave some items behind.

Resident Evil 5 isn’t survival/horror. You won’t be scared while playing it; you probably won’t even be on the edge of your seat. If you’re one of the players that cannot bear this revelation, this sequel will be an enormous disappointment. If, however, you can look past that – or merely love RE4 for its gameplay style, don’t mind a rehash and could care less about the scares – Resident Evil 5 is a great game. Amazingly, it’s actually better the second time around because you’re fully prepared for the disappointments and can enjoy the game for what it is.

Gameplay: 8.5
An excellent action game in the style of RE4.

Graphics: 9.3
Gorgeous graphics that are often breathtaking – Capcom's finest work since Devil May Cry.

Sound: 6.9
Resident Evil is known for producing the creepiest music and sound effects in gaming. Given that this chapter is the anti-scary edition, the music had to correspond (and disappointingly does). The voice acting is alright but the ridiculous story makes it hard to endure.

Difficulty: Easy
Having played through RE4 at least 10 times, I may not be the best judge of Resident Evil 5's difficulty. But up until now, every RE sequel was more challenging than the previous release.

Concept: 7.6
More of the same minus the horror Resident Evil fans have come to expect. Co-op expands RE4's gameplay but does not produce the innovation (or an entirely fresh experience) promised by the hype.

Multiplayer: 8.0
Co-op is fun, certainly better than having an AI dud on your side. But it doesn't really evolve the Resident Evil experience; it's merely the same experience with the addition of another player.

Overall: 8.5
The fact that Resident Evil 5 was worth playing through twice in one weekend shows how compelling the gameplay is, and how it's able to rise above a number of disappointing flaws.