Although it’s not here yet, the latest installment of the Resident Evil series is headed to a store shelf near you.  I had a chance to go hands-on with the PlayStation 3 version of Resident Evil 5, and there are some big changes to the series this time around.

The first (and biggest) change you’ll notice right off the bat.  RE5 is now co-op.  That doesn’t mean that you’ll always need a second player, but either way you’ll still have to watch your partner’s back.  Resident Evil mainstay Chris Redfield is joined in battle by Sheva Alomar, a sultry Lara Croft-esqe agent and loyal sidekick. This new partner dynamic adds an extra level of skill as well as an extra level of strategy.  If your partner is in trouble, swoop in to rescue with melee.  Zombies gnawing at your face?  Call to your partner for help.  Both partners must also heal each other when the other reaches the “dying” state.  If you and your partner both reach the dying state, you lose. You’ll get used to it pretty quickly because you’ll die…a lot. And it will probably be because of the next subject…

The second biggest change is one you may have to alter in the settings.  For the first time in the series, you can fire a gun and move at the same time.  Although the default controls are similar to RE4, the developers finally gave the option that many have been clamoring for since the first installment. Run-n-gun or stand-and-shoot—the developers have done their best to please everyone. Everyone that is, except me. I didn’t find the controls to be intuitive at all.  With most games, pulling the right trigger (or R2 on PlayStation) will fire a weapon. Usually, the left trigger fires an alternate weapon or attack.  It’s simple, and it’s missing from Resident Evil 5. Holding R1 and Square to fire a gun? Hold X while moving the thumbstick to run? Seriously?  There are zombies climbing fences to eat my brains and I have to hold an extra button to run.  I think I’ll leisurely stroll to my next objective and hope my partner has good aim. I could go on, but maybe I’m the only one who thinks the controls will hurt this game.  It’s too soon to tell, and it may not be in the final version, so I’ll move on.

Aside from the changes for better or worse, there are some really great things you’ll encounter in your zombie-infested trek through Africa.

The art direction does a great job of juxtaposing Africa’s beauty with a feeling of gloom and great loss.  Within a short amount of time you’ll feel impending doom and a sense of hopelessness.  Right off the bat you’ll understand that these aren’t regular zombies and that some kind of evil plot is unfolding around you.  The cut-scenes appear with a similar frequency to previous titles in the series, and help set up the story.

The plot ties in with the rest of the series, and long-time players should be in for a treat.  RE5 promises to tie up some loose ends going back to the first game on the original PlayStation.  The bio-terrorism storyline itself is much more chilling today than it was when we first met Chris Redfield in 1996.

I expect this game to draw fire from the mainstream media as well.  I first learned about Resident Evil (the first one) from the evening news, warning parents about the gory new game that your children are playing.  With the first game setting the violence bar, and more than a decade of other developers raising the bar and pushing the envelope, the violence alone is not what I expect this game to draw fire for.  As noted earlier, the game is set in Africa, and it will easily draw comparisons to 1920’s American films that portrayed Africa as the ‘Dark Continent’ full of people controlled by primitive urges.  It’s a can of worms I don’t want to open today, but keep it in mind when you try the game.  It may well sour what would otherwise be a sweet, sweet game.

    The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly… Resident Evil 5 is coming to a game system near you. Resident Evil 5 is rated M for Mature.

Resident Evil 5 Demo:

    Available Now: Xbox Live, PlayStation Network

Resident Evil 5:

    Scheduled Release: Friday, March 13th

    (Release date subject to change.)

Available On: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

On the Web: http://www.residentevil.com

Kevin “Mello Joe” Mercer is a former radio personality and a lifelong gamer. You can find him on Xbox Live and Playstation Network, Gamertag: Mellojoe. View the world as he sees it at www.youtube.com/user/mellojoe. www.myspace.com/charlesk