Resident Evil 5 Review

Yes, we've played Resident Evil 5 on the Xbox 360 and mostly enjoyed the hell out of it. However, when Capcom announced a PC port, we weren't to sure if they would traditionally leave out crucial elements or if they'd simply deliver on the promise of creating a top-quality PC title. Capcom's long history of PC slip-ups usually involves the lack of proper mouse/keyboard support. As a result, PC gamers rebuffed their product, still missing out on a generally terrific time - and why? Just because they didn't have a gamepad handy. Thankfully, this is one of the changes that were made in the PC edition of the successful console horror game.

The game lets you assume control of one of two main characters - Chris or Sheva. If you're playing in co-op, you can choose either character for the main campaign. Controlling Sheva in solo-play requires you to complete the entire single-player campaign once as Chris.

Dude, switch to decaf!

Yeah, too much junk food does that.

The story starts when Chris Redfield (a B.S.A.A. operative) arrives to Kijuju, Africa, where he is joined by Sheva Alomar. Their goal is to arrest Ricardo Irving, who's attempting to sell a bio-organic weapon on the black market. In a sudden (Resident Evil style) turn of events, almost all Kijuju locals transform after being infected by a deadly virus. Chris and Sheva are fighting to survive against all odds, continuing their search for Irving. As the danger increases, our two heroes come across a startling discovery, at the same time facing a threat that could potentially destroy all mankind.

Playing Resident Evil 5 for the first time on consoles still stands as one of the most memorable gaming moments in 2009 (for us anyway). Playing Resident Evil 5 on the PC is equally engaging, except there are certain new moments most PC gamers are bound to appreciate. Capcom's most significant change is the support for the customary PC mouse/keyboard control scheme. For the first time ever, PC gamers can dive into a Resident Evil game, not having to worry about control problems. Everything ran smoothly in that department. Shortcut keys can be assigned for quick-swapping weapons; you do this via the inventory system. So, by tradition, you can select your favorite weapons by pressing 1 through 9 keys. Another extremely useful addition is using "C" for quick-turn. This is something you'll no doubt be using very often throughout the game.

On the gameplay front, there's rarely an aspect of Resident Evil 5 that we didn't find rewarding. Many people continue to question Capcom's decision to tone down on the game's survival horror elements. True enough, they have done so, albeit, from our perspective, it's really not that bad. The game retains a satisfying degree of survival horror, making it accessible for newbies and game veterans alike.

Taking a ride through the compelling story by yourself is as fun as ever. Of course, the main attraction is getting into a co-op game, which is possible on PCs thanks to Games for Windows Live. Mind you, it's not an ideal system, but at least it works. Also, when an online mate pops out of a session, the AI effectively continues playing so you can complete the chapter yourself - a component successfully transferred from the console versions.