Chris & Sheva: The Resident Evil 5 Co-op Preview, Part Two

Fischer: We don't get much of a story primer on how Chris Redfield (played by Mr. Mastrapa) and partner Sheva Alomar (played by yours truly) end up trying to traverse the elevated walkways of what looks to be a small refinery, but it doesn't really matter. A maze of ladders, metal pathways and gulf-spanning zip-lines lies ahead, and with no way to retreat, our course is clear.

Mastrapa: The version of Resident Evil 5 we're playing is more than a demo -- it feels more like a full build. Before we head out on our mission we're given the option to load out, swap ammo, and switch guns with anything we've stored in our bank. There are also way more controller options. Well, way more than two. But equipment wrangling would be mostly moot here. On the ground I notice that there's the symbol for infinity on the little health and ammo meter to the lower right of the screen. I arm my shotgun and cast aside all concerns for scrounging ammunition.

Fischer: While Chris is taking care of villagers -- rather gleefully, I have to say, without the constraints of limited ammo -- I guide Sheva to some large valve handles that demand attention. There is one obvious path forward, but it is blocked by several large jets of flame. Realizing that there are valves placed on platforms all around us, I start to turn them as quickly as I can. Doing so takes a button press and a couple turns of the analog stick ... which means that if I'm attacked while managing the big control wheels, I'm screwed. Luckily Chris is having so much fun with that limitless shotgun that I don't have to worry. Without that cheat, I know this is going to be difficult.

Mastrapa: I'm barely paying attention to the puzzles here. I know there's some fire blocking our way, because I saw it in the intro. I see Sheva climb up to an elevated metallic platform (girl's always taking the high ground) where she goes to work on a valve. I figure it's cool to split up and break towards the nearest ladder, hoping to find another gas valve to switch off. Infinite ammo has a way of taking the edge off when you're playing a game like this. I fire at will, aiming willy-nilly. Still, I find myself becoming more conscious of killing more efficiently. Now, when I knock one of the ticked-off villagers down, I don't wait for them to get back up. I run up close and put them down with my boot.

Fischer: I notice the usefulness of the manual finish, too. Sheva will duck down and stab a fallen sucker with her knife, and if there's enough time and space to do so, that's a great way of eliminating a villager without wasting an extra bullet. I dash from platform to platform, turning the valve handles and picking off enemies as need be; Mastrapa is taking care of most of the violence. Soon enough he's zip-lined to one of the last platforms bearing a gas valve. This one also has a locked gate leading to a ramp that goes back down to the main area of the refinery, and we realize that turning the last valve may not be so easy...

Mastrapa: Turns out we haven't seen the last of Baghead. Our lanky, creepy and altogether frightening friend with a chainsaw lurks waiting for us to finish this area's puzzle. See, this place -- some kind of refinery, I'd guess -- is sick with valves. Turn some and they put a stop to the gas leak that's blocking our way. Others release zip line handles so you can glide from one platform to another. Don't ask me why the gas company felt they needed to include those in the design for their plant. But it seems like the last valve you spin is always up in the far corner. And when you do make that final spin, Baghead leaps out, chews through a gate with his gas-powered chainsaw, and gets nasty.

Fischer: Those zip-lines are a great way to force a restart, if you're not careful. Watching Mastrapa struggle with the reappearance of Baghead, I jump to the zip-line that will carry me down to their platform. It's a nice ride -- reminds me of the cheap water park I used to frequent as a kid -- but this one doesn't end with me falling into a chlorinated pool. Instead Sheva's feet hit the platform and she stumbles forward ... straight into the blade of Baghead's chainsaw. Oops.

Mastrapa: By now I've learned a trick for dealing with Baghead. He's vulnerable to blows to the skull. Apparently that burlap sack is covering up a raw, exposed brain or something. A shotgun blast to the noggin stuns the guy. He stoops, rattling his skull back and forth. That's when I close the distance between us and follow the on-screen instructions to "hook" the guy with a press of the "B" button. Chris delivers a powerful blow to Baghead, sending him reeling. The fist isn't enough to kill Baghead, but it's a much quicker and cleaner way to deal with this enemy. And if I were worried about saving ammunition, this newly discovered technique would be a godsend. It takes only a handful of shotgun shells and a series of three or four knuckle sandwiches to reduce Baghead to a quivering pile of zombie jelly.

Fischer: Yesterday I said that Baghead might not look so tough if not surrounded by the chaos of encroaching fiends and other dangers, and with him properly isolated on a small platform, that turns out to be the case. A clone jumps in as we turn the last gas valve, and I pepper him with shots from afar while Chris uses his now-patented shotgun blast plus melee, and he's down. Amazing how what seems like a major obstacle quickly becomes little more than a powerful grunt with a little bit of time and experience. I hope there's more like that to come.