Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition (360/PS3) Review

NA Release Date: March 9, 2010
Platforms: 360, PS3
Genre: Survival-Horror, Action Adventure

In a nutshell, Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition is pretty much the original Resident Evil 5 that was released last year but with both downloadable episodes, extra costumes for Chris and Sheva, extra figurines, the versus mode, and mercenaries reunion.

The game takes place approximately 10 years after the events of the original Resident Evil in Kijuju, a fictional place in Africa. The protagonist of the game is Chris Redfield, one of the survivors from RE1's mansion incident and a zombie killing veteran. He's now a member of an organization called the BSAA (Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance). The name of the organization speaks for itself, an anti-terrorist group. But Chris is not alone this time. Sheva Alomar, also a member of the BSAA, joins forces with Chris to take down the infecteds and find out who or what is the reason behind the spreading of the virus. Veterans of the series can also expect to see familiar faces.

The gameplay is very similar to 2005's Resident Evil 4. The game no longer features those fixed camera angles the earlier games had. It's been replaced with over-the-shoulder camera angles. It worked so well in RE4, that Capcom figured it was the way to go. For a game with an emphasis on action, it works extremely well, giving you a clear visual of what's in front of you. The weapons you acquire ranges from your standard pistols, shotguns, and machine guns to snipers, grenade launchers, and proximity mines, etc. At the end of each chapter, you can manage your items, upgrade your weapons to deal more damage, or sell your treasures to make money etc. For newcomers, they are given the option of 4 control schemes. Control type D is the default and it's a very common control scheme for third person shooters while control type A is similar to RE4's control scheme. The player is also given 3 different difficulties to choose from but a 4th difficulty is unlock upon beating the game for the first time. This game is better when playing with a friend. A friend can join during a session anytime by pressing the start button on the 2nd controller. Joining an online is a pain because you have to wait for the host to reach a checkpoint before you are allowed to actually join. If for some reason you chose to tackle the main game by yourself, the AI isn't bad but it occasionally fails to cooperate when things get too hectic. You can command the AI to stick together and give you cover. You can also command the AI to attack and kill anything that moves. The AI also has a bad habit of wasting ammo. You don't have to worry about running out of ammunition this time around because the game provide you plenty of it but every shot still counts as you'll be encountering bigger enemies that takes more bullets to bring down later in the game. Accessing the inventory is now done in real time which creates more tension and hasten an already fast paced gameplay. Performing a melee is the same as it was in RE4. Shoot an enemy's head, shoulder, or knees. After they're stunned, it'll prompt you to execute a straight punch or an uppercut depending on where your bullet hit the enemy. What's an RE game without puzzles? This game has plenty of puzzles, often involving Chris and Sheva to work together to overcome it. This game also has Quick Time Events where you'll have to press the button that appears on screen to avoid a certain death during a cutscene, countering an enemy's attack, or dodging an attack during a boss fight.

The visuals of RE5 are very impressive. It still looks better than some of the titles released after it. High polygon count makes the models photo realistic. Motion capture was very well done. There's more interactivity with the environment such as having the ability to destroy fruit stands, barrels, boxes, etc. Some of the special effects are the heat distortion. It feels like you're really out in the sun. Your character's eyes also adjust in dark places. Explosions affect the lighting of that area. Using a flash grenade makes your screen go white for a few seconds. The water splashes when your bullets hit it. If Chris gets hit on the face, there will be blood on his face. Every time you fire your gun, you can see smoke coming out of the barrel. The amount of details they put just shows how high the production value is.

Despite the lack of variety in music, the quality of the audio makes up for it. The music always suits the situation whether you're being ambushed by the infected or going on a killing spree on Mercenaries Reunion. The sound effects sounds what it should sound. The squishy sound of the bullets penetrating an infected is satisfying. The cry of some of the monster were meant to sound sinister to make them more intimidating. Each gun also has their own sound effect when you pull the trigger. The game supports Pro Dolby Surround Sound.

Both Lost in Nightmares and Desperate Escape are worth playing. Lost in Nightmares is a prequel to RE5. This is a throwback to earlier titles because of the emphasis on horror and puzzles that involve rotating cranks. Desperate Escape stars Josh and Jill and shows how they escape from the research facility.

The Mercenaries mini-game from the original version RE5 is back with a few tweaks. You can now play with more characters. Fans of the series will be happy to see the return of Rebecca Chambers and Barry Burton as playable characters, each with their own unique melee moves and set of weapons.

Gold Edition was a simultaneous release for both platforms but the extras is acquired/unlocked differently between both. The 360 version can't handle all the extras the Gold Edition has to offer in one HD DVD disc so the 360 version comes with the original RE5 disc and a redeemable code that downloads all the extras to the 360's hard drive. The PS3 version has everything in one Blu-Ray disc. All PS3 owners have to do is beat the game once and all the extras (both episodes, costumes, etc) are unlocked while the 360 version can play with the extras right away after downloading.

For those who have yet to play RE5, Gold Edition is a great place to start. For those who already bought the original version, they're better off downloading the extras digitally.Despite the original version being released last year, the Gold Edition still has enough to offer for those who already played RE5.

The Good
-lots of replay value

The Bad
-AI occasionally fails to cooperate

9/10

Nicely written review. I beat RE5 with a friend on co-op on his 360, but I've been planning on eventually getting RE5: Gold for my PS3 for a while.

Thanks
I wish I put this much effort on my school essays.