Resident Evil 5: Played and Tested....

'Zombies, zombies and more zombies....lock and load'

Format: PS3 for this feature but also avaliable on Xbox 360.

Resident Evil 5 is the fifth installment of Capcom's popular horror series but this time around the latest title doesn't quite have that tingly and eerie Resident Evil feel. That's not to say that Resident Evil 5 isn't a great game - it looks amazing and it plays well on both the PS3 and XBox 360, but if you were hoping for a white-knuckled-heart-stopping-jaw-dropping horror experience, Resident Evil 5 may not quite feed your cravings.

You take on the role as Chris Redfield and his partner as they tackle a virus outbreak in the depths of Africa. In true Resident Evil form, the entire civilisation Chris and his partner are exploring start to get sick and eventually turn into arregresive zombies with a hunger for fresh meat, that's you!

The aim of the game is to blast your way through several levels of zombies and other nasty beings mutated by the virus in order to find the origins of the outbreak. The weaponary in Resident Evil 5 is comprehensive as you have pistols, rifles and my favourite, a shotgun to repell the mutant horde. You and your partner pick up ammo and weaponary along the way which is stored in vases and crates throughout the levels. If your partner is controlled by the computer AI she can be useful, using healiong herbs when needed and giving you any ammo you may require. The AI works pretty well in that your partner uses ammo effectively and tends to be more help than a hinderence, which is not always the case with computer assisted companions.

The combat system works well but my only quarm is there seems to be limited mobility when attacking, which can be frustrating when you want to make a quick attack. I often found myself having to run into position shoot and then find another position as you can't run and shoot at the same time. Apart from minor inconvenience of limited flexibility in the line of fire the combat mode is alot of fun and blowing zombies to pieces will bring anourmous satisfication.

The environments and character models look outstanding as Resident Evil 5 really pushes the current gen systems to their limits. The voice acting is also commendable which gives a real Hollywood feel to the cast as well as a musical score which hits all the right chords to set an eerie and terrifying scene.

Summary
Resident Evil is a fine game, well presented in the all elements and it is an enjoyable action thriller....but it doesn't play like previous Resident Evil titles or have the horrific nature of its predessors. Capcom are known for delivering nightmarish scenarios and tricky puzzles but I didn't find myself hiding under my quilt once or adequetly challenged by the puzzles on offer, which as a puzzle novice myself, will certainly not challenge the hardcore puzzle masters out there. That may all sound abit negative, but don't lose heart. Res 5 is a great game, enjoyable and challenging throughout - I rarely lost interest in the storyline and simply sat back and adored the delightful visuals, strong character cast and gruesome enemies. Capcom seem to have taken taken a leaf out of Uncharted: Drake's Fortunes book as the games have many similarities, which is by no means a bad thing.