Dissenting Opinion: Resident Evil 5
3/18/2009 7:17 PM | 7 Comments | Page 4 of 4
As far as the story, Scott considers it disappointing and I think that's selling it short: It's flat-out terrible in that way that so many overly earnest Japanese stories are terrible. He says
Resident Evil 5 lacks the "unforgettable surrealities" of
Resident Evil 4, most of which I'd forgotten. However, this game's final set piece -- and by final, I mean the one after the supposedly final set piece -- elicited an actual laugh-out-loud from me. Really? This is where we're going to end the game, Capcom? I couldn't come up with something more inane, ridiculous and clichéd if I tried. Capcom's wild lack of imagination at the last moment utterly floored me. I don't suspect I'll forget that anytime soon.
Scott also longs for the "queasy, surreal solitude" of
Resident Evil 4, which I would have agreed with if only he'd lopped off the number "4." Ever since bringing along the whiny, annoying Ashley in the last game, Resident Evil hasn't had any kind of solitude -- queasy, surreal or otherwise. To
RE5's credit, Sheva is a huge help and, yes, a strong female character, inasmuch as anything resembling a character exists in this ham-fisted story.
But to me, the real triumph of
Resident Evil 5 is that I ultimately don't care about the bad story, the clumsy imagery or the obligatory boss fights. As a game about gunplay,
Resident Evil 5 is different, refreshing, uniquely social, and most of all, it packs a long-term punch in terms of replayability. It takes potential liabilities -- ammo shortages, unconventional controls, canned encounters, limited environmental interactivity, reliance on multiple playthroughs -- and turns them into assets. I'd rank this right up there with
Far Cry 2 in terms of shooters that refuse to play by the usual rules and are ultimately better for it.
