Games For Sail

Finally! Resident Evil 5 was released for Xbox 360 in March! You can now buy it, rent it, or check out game info right here.

Many think Resident Evil 5 is an excellent addition to the continuing game series. It picks up about 10 years after the events of the original game and centers the game on getting Umbrella Corporation’s biological weapons back out of the hands of enemy terrorists.

The story spans the time gap using Chris Redfield’s life, where he’s part of the BSAA, or the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance. As you play along, he’s sent to investigate the threat of a bio-organic weapon in the deserts of Africa. He and Sheva Alomar team up there, and because RE5’s new game focus now is on Co-Op play, their relationship changes how you play the game.

Richard Irving is the first to get Chris and Sheva’s attention as they try to stop Irving from selling Umbrella Corporation’s weapon to terrorists, but quickly find that most of the locals have been turned into Majini. That’s a horrific zombie state caused by ingesting a sick looking parasite. Although tragic, after that happens they are no longer human, but ferocious beasts.

Chris and Sheva are forced to fight their way through these flesh-eating creatures at just about every turn. Sheva … was that my imagination or something moving in the bushes? You’ll be glad you have a partner – and the new graphics and lighting effects are simply superb!

The game continues as they find Captain DeChant, the only survivor of Alpha team. He helps them with intel on Irving, which sends them on a journey filled with crashes and Majini ambushes that are simply chilling attacks.

You’ll find Irving, discover a secret weapons testing facility and battle a huge beast that turns out to be Irving after he injected himself with a virus. Find an underground kingdom, discover where the Progenitor virus laboratory is, along with hundreds of encapsulated human test subjects used to perfect it … and it just keeps getting better.

But be careful. If you’re an avid Resident Evil 1, 2 or 3 fan … and you didn’t like Resident Evil 4, I strongly recommend you try renting before buying. Information is also out there now for how the controller works, game guides, game cheats, video clips, screen shots and much more if you want to look into that first.

I agree with most that the horror theme of RE 1, 2 and 3 is no longer present, but the action is almost nonstop. Some are quite upset by the theme changes, but many others think the addition of co-op play more than makes up for that.

The lonely, 2 bullets left in the dead of dark with a hopeless feeling of not knowing what’s about to happen has been replaced by super graphics, a dynamite sound track and massive combat at just about every turn. So although it isn’t as creepy as before, it is jam-packed with action. And that’s in multiple light settings, daylight, dawn or pitch black. But it is definitely a departure from the original RE1, 2 or 3 game series.

The co-op focus of the game makes playing online, or with a partner in Xbox 360 split screen mode the best, but hogging the screen all to yourself and allowing AI to control Sheva is still great fun.

Replay? You bet – you’ll want to play Resident Evil 5 several times most likely. Why? Well … you get to keep your treasures and BSAA emblems from one game to the next – and – you can keep your weapons upgrades too! That’s a great game change in my book. It’s even worth a reply as Chris with unlimited Ammo – or for a more conventional Resident Evil flavor … try the mercenary mode the second or third time through.

At the end of the day, I have to agree with about 90% of the game players … fun is fun, and this game has plenty of it. So try game rental if you’re not certain, or buy if you are … but either way, Resident Evil 5 Xbox 360 is a must play. Then let me know what you think!