Resident Evil 5 Review

Play it with another person and the case makes itself. The inventory grid becomes a negotiation, the boss fights are built for two sets of hands, and the sequence where you hold a doorway against a village at sunset with someone you can shout at is one of the era's great couch experiences. Capcom understood that the previous game's set piece rhythm scaled beautifully to a partner. What does not survive is anything resembling dread.

Daylight, a rocket launcher and an infinite ammo unlock are not fear, and the decision to keep the stop and shoot controls while feeding you crowds of sprinting enemies satisfies neither camp. Sheva's AI is the single worst thing here, a companion who burns healing items and empties your magnum into a wall. The Kijuju setting drew serious and legitimate criticism for its imagery, and Capcom's response amounted to adding a lighter skinned partner. It ends with a punch to a volcano, which tells you exactly how far the series had travelled.