I admit, I am a huge fan of cooperative based shooters. As much as I love the competitive nature of online FPS games, there is something relaxing and fun about playing a shooting game alongside a good friend. When Gears of War was released, the cooperative shooter genre seemed to explode once again and quite a few similar titles were created, which I was no doubt excited about.
One game that caught my interest is Resident Evil 5. When I briefly owned a 360 (eww!), I rented a copy of the game to play with one of my friends. I was iffy on this title to start with, as I am not a huge fan of creepy games, nor did I want to play a shooter with a gamepad. I gave it a try though, and found myself pleasantly surprised. However, due to our LIVE subscriptions running out soon, we were forced to rush through and play on a lower difficulty (normal). So when I found the PC version of Resident Evil 5 for $12, I snatched it up to give it a proper play through, and have another co-op shooter to add to the collection.
I must say, this is by far one of the better co-op shooters I have ever played. It does have its quirks, no doubt, but many of them are minor in the grand scheme of things.
My primary appeal with this game is it actually feels like you have to work together. Other titles tend to be basic FPS games with two people playing side by side, with little need to work together. In Gears of War, we were simply shooting enemies together, and occasionally would split up when the game forced us too. In Resident Evil 5, there is just a little more feel of togetherness and the need to work together to accomplish tasks.
One aspect of the game that I appreciate is the need to coordinate inventory and weapons. You could just grab stuff and run off, but you will likely die in the long run. Instead, it is better for players to work together and use different weapons, creating excellent synergies during enemy rushes. For example, I primarily focused on using the shotgun for knockback and keeping the immediate area clear, while my friend focused on pistols and automatic weapons to finish them off. Even at the highest difficulty, good teamwork will dominate enemies.
Additionally, the game itself is simply impressive. Despite being on an aging PC that I hope to upgrade sometime this year, the game runs flawlessly at the highest settings and looks gorgeous. The environments are very detailed, and you actually have a sense of being in a little village and not in some random map with a flat backdrop. It is interesting to play through a world that flows together, and devs allowing gamers to see their progress and what is up next.
It may sound silly to appreciate such simple things, especially in today’s world of games, but as a long time gamer I have come to appreciate this type of stuff. Too many games in the past have haphazardly put random maps together, and then stretched some random scenic picture to be the backdrop.
The game is not without its quirks though. My biggest dislike for the game is quicktime events. I prefer boss battles where I am reliant upon my own skills to survive, not simply whether I can hit a key combo fast enough. Quicktime events became events of frustration, and I get annoyed somewhat every time they appear. This is something that needs to stay in the world of consoles.
Additionally, the controls take some getting used to. I am so accustomed to shooters where you can freely move any direction without hindrance, but RE5 relies on a slower movement scheme that seems more accustomed for gamepad users. However, it does add some minor realism to the controls, and really is not terrible overall. Once I became used to it, it feels pretty natural. The only real frustration is trying to do quick turns, where I either move to slowly or to fast. No matter how I move my mouse, there seems to be no middle ground.
All in all, this is an excellent cooperative shooter. It is likely not something I would play alone and relax with, but with a buddy, it is fun and sometimes laugh out loud funny. Mistakes are going to happen, and hilarious results will follow.
Check it out if you are in the mood for a solid cooperative experience with a friend.