Games of the Year: Resident Evil 5

By Daniel Lipscombe

And so we arrive at the end of our Best of 2009 features.  Sniff!  This year has been another great year in gaming, and no Games of the Year feature would be complete without at least a mention of zombies.  They’re the in thing at the moment, it would seem, and Daniel remains rather fond of a certain 8/10-scoring survival horror title…

Who doesn’t like killing zombies? And not just zombies in the typical pop culture way – as in shuffling feet and a hunger for brains – but zombies as in the wide-eyed, angry, lost control, tear you to pieces zombies, last seen in Resident Evil 5. I love killing zombies, but better yet, I love killing them with a friend by my side. I’ll be one of the first to admit that the AI partner in Sheva was terrible, but allow your friends to step into her shoes and the latest iteration of the series comes to life. Figuratively speaking.

The saying goes that “everything is better in co-op” and Resident Evil 5 proved that point. I first sat down to play the game over Xbox Live with a good friend and I expected a mediocre experience – I mean, the demo was hardly astonishing. However, from the first moments walking through an African village, people staring daggers at you and then all of a sudden an absence of life, it’s safe to say we were on edge and waiting for things, as they always do, to kick off.

Yes, the story was overly inflated nonsense, but then isn’t the zombie horror genre in movies? Yes, the characters are camp and comic-book evil, but we love them. Sheva was a sexist plaything but in the context of the game it fits, although it’s sad to say. All you can ever want from a Resident Evil game- no, a survival horror game – is here.

Starting in a desolate and nondescript African village (this isn’t a place to discuss the controversy, but, you know, it’s there) and ending in a bloody volcano, this game never takes itself seriously – you can tell that at every turn. Who else but Capcom would start with your standalone regular zombie with a penchant to flesh and end up with armoured zombies that carry rocket launchers and large gibbering tar monsters? The reason that Resident Evil 5 is so good is due to the fact that it’s clearly bonkers. And enjoying that with a friend is a one-of-a-kind experience.

Never before have I laughed so much at set-pieces and cut-scenes. Never before have I shared the fear of what’s to come in the same way. Never before have I heard a grown man squeal the words “what the hell is that?” before we raise our guns in tandem and take on the world. The co-op buddy system worked so well in Resi 5 that throughout the whole playthrough you felt as if you were stranded together and, if it came to it, would die together. And we did, on many occasions. That didn’t stop us from playing it over and over again for weeks to come.

For all the nights of monsters, rocket launchers, speed running, herb sharing, laughter, screaming and above all teamwork, Resident Evil 5 has to be my game of the year.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

//Batman: Arkham Asylum (Review – 9/10)
This game needs to be mentioned for one thing: Scarecrow. The entire game is true to the comics on many levels – Batman himself is gritty, the Joker is maniacal and Arkham is dark and dangerous. But the cherry on the cake was the masterful inclusion of Scarecrow. Surreal and genuinely spooky, disorientating Batman and making sure the only way to defeat your foe was to survive the dreamworld concocted by the doctor, the levels may have been basic in structure, but the atmosphere was second to none.

//Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Review – 10/10)
Cinematic and explosive are two words that describe Uncharted 2. You may have already seen me wax lyrical about what a great game this is, but allow me to do it some more. There is no other game this year that delivers adventuring like this, from snowy mountain peaks to dense jungles. Nathan Drake is the hero of the year. There is nothing he can’t do. Cut down mercenaries with an SMG, easy. Climb a wrecked train hanging over a cliff, easy. Each and every moment in Uncharted 2 is frantic and turbo-charged, just what a real action game should be.

//Skate 2 (Not reviewed)
There may be nothing better than finger-flipping and grinding your way through New San Vanelona, a city full of bizarre sculptures with right-angles galore and more ramps than you can shake a stick at. Skate 2 is a game that in single-player is about nailing challenges by moving your thumbs in ways never imagined. Perhaps one of the most challenging games this year, the beauty is in the achievement. Landing a 900 degree grab off of the fun park ramp is a moment of joy, and playing alongside friends can lead to some amazing moments. Go big or go home.