'Resident Evil 5' re-release review: $20 well spent

"Resident Evil 5" screenshot (Capcom)

Capcom’s popular third-person shooter “Resident Evil 5” was re-released for PS4 and Xbox One last month.

Initially launched for PC in 2009, “Resident Evil 5” aims to attract new players to the franchise and hold over existing fans until the next version of the game comes out next year.

While the re-release of “Resident Evil 5” has no new changes in terms of gameplay it does offer enhanced graphics.

The game’s main characters - Chris Redfield, a former Special Tactics and Rescue Service member and Sheva Alomar, are dispatched to Kijuju in Africa to take down Ricardo Irving before he can sell a bio-organic weapon on the black market.  They soon discover that local people have been infected by parasites that make them hostile.

The game offers a lot of customization options for weaponry. Pistols, shotguns, sub-machine guns and rifles are among the available weapons. This lets you upgrade your favorite weapon’s damage potential, reload speed, capacity and even harness special perks for certain guns.

The scarcity of ammo will have you taking your shots wisely, which makes the survival aspect of the game that much more thrilling. This, combined with the limited number of items you can carry with you, creates a challenge. You are accompanied by a fellow non-playable character (NPC) that another player can control if you want a cooperative multiplayer experience.

It may take you some time to get used to not being able to move and shoot.  This makes the “Resident Evil” series different from traditional shooter gameplay. The absence of a crosshair also adds to the game’s difficulty, although you aim with a laser attachment on your gun.

The bosses, or enemies, in “Resident Evil 5” are not only unique in design but also have  specific strategies for each encounter.  These situations can vary from trapping a boss to focusing on key weak points on their body. Bosses range in size from human proportions to a few stories tall.

While playing the game, you will notice the lack of a color palette. Most levels seem washed out by an overwhelming amount of gray. This gives the game an eerie, apocalyptic feel.

In character development, the story constantly flashes back to Redfield’s old partner who he believes to be dead. Redfield’s new partner Sheva Alomar doesn’t have much to offer for personal character development. Although the protagonists may lack an interesting personal story, they make up for it with their methods of fighting.

The Verdict:

“Resident Evil 5” was a great game when it was originally released, and, at $20, this re-release is a good buy for existing and new fans of the series. Capcom’s decision to re-release versions 4, 5, and 6 of “Resident Evil” ahead of the launch of “Resident Evil 7” in early 2017 is a shrewd one.

Score: 7/10