This is a typical scene in the first half of the game. This was but one of many examples of what RE5 was going to be. In Africa, in broad daylight, in the community of such-and-such town that has been infected with zombie disease.
It goes to say this wasn't the typical theme in Resident Evil. Daylight, I mean. Most RE games are set at night or in corridors limiting one's movement and tactics. This is coming from someone who's never touched the previous RE games, so take that for what you will. But what struck me as odd was the jittery response to the enemies. Most are African, black males, with some scattered lighter-toned, possibly Arabic folk. It's a popular RE theme that anything in a 20-mile radius of the setting of the game is a zombie. Dogs, lizards, spiders, alligators, and yes, even Africans in Africa. I am not surprised. But the gaming community buzzed about with fingers pointing and loud whispers of "racism" uttered. Everywhere. On podcasts, in editorials, in schlock gaming news and elsewhere.
According to many game publications, this was standard gameplay in Resident Evil 5. Note the embargo on main character Chris Redfield's bunny outfit was broken. Like our hearts.
This blather went on before the game could even be played, and even then the demo, which was one of the first levels, didn't help much. People were more concerned with the racial implications than the game itself. Nobody worried about graphics, controls, gameplay, difficulty, nothing. If anything, some said "Oh, it's Resident Evil 4. But listen to us bitch about the setting and how this could be interpreted...!" and so on.
Here's what I think. I think I'll play through the game and decide that for myself.
So I did.
In the first hour RE5 gives you every idea you need to have to play the game. You're given a traditional AI partner, in this case Sheva Alomar.
Protip: If you can't stop staring at Sheva's ass, the zombie monsters will get you.
What surprised me is how much I didn't have to babysit Sheva throughout most of the game. I mainly designated her as the medic, dumping off healing items on her while I could concentrate on dispatching enemies in more elaborate ways. The AI buddy will usually pot-shot around and hold their own against most enemies anyway. Also, I never had to do what I feared this game would force upon me: escort her around like Helen Keller through a Nickelodeon gameshow obstacle course.
I suppose Sheva's AI self-sufficiency spoiled me, because when I went to play split-screen co-op, my friend Cooper was all but useless. It mostly had to do with my generosity in offering him weapons I upgraded so he wouldn't start so weakly. He whined about starting from scratch. RE5 doesn't offer do-overs, so I had to load another profile so he'd shut the hell up. Then he would swindle all the ammo, leaving me in the dust. RE5's co-op only works if you and your friend can get along. And since the game graciously doesn't offer co-op specific achievements, that won't be a problem. For me.
To counter the speculation that RE5 isn't racist, the game jumps into more traditional fare about 2/3rds into the game. Not to spoil much, but you do get out of the villages and swamps, and you do fight more than transformed citizens. It does get a bit ridiculous when some enemies wield spears and decorative masks, but it's no more questionable than Indiana Jones. Frankly, I would be more upset if Capcom pussed out and made all the enemies white, or if the enemies had cartoon thought bubbles depicting KFC and watermelons floating over their heads as they chased you down. So yeah, it does change gears later on in the game, and it isn't intentionally racist. It's only a matter of playing the game and seeing it for oneself. And game journalists should just stick to telling us if it's good or not.
Is RE5 good? Yes. The graphics are epically grand, despite the monotone greens, yellows, and browns coloring the landscape. Controls are a bit weird at first, but become used to after a while. What people will likely (and have) bitch about the inability to run and shoot at the same time. Fortunately, this isn't really an issue as the pace is equally stop-n-go. My only gripe control-wise is the Simon Says button smashing sequences littering the cutscenes can be a pain and distract from the action. The inventory system is slightly jacked, but is less a concern if one can learn to shoot and conserve ammo.
One interesting point is the exploitation of the money system in the game. Some sites have videos showcasing various tips on earning cash to upgrading weapons, which when maxed out can become gifted with infinite ammo, which eases the game further. I have my tricks, which postponed my beating the game but eased my potty mouth.
If RE5 is indeed just a transposition of RE4, I must be missing out on something. Because RE5 is good. The pacing is steady and linear, the exploits useful, the AI hottie also useful, and the story ridiculously silly. I would, as usual, say that this game is even more purchaseable if it were cheaper. And hopefully now that the game has been out for a while, anyone talking about it would stop pulling the race card out.
-C.
