I'm on a huge RE kick right now, thanks to the HD remasters of REmake and Zero. This led to me following the texture mod progress on RE4, which in turn led me to replaying RE5. I'm hoping to show both REmake and RE5 to a non-gaming friend, playing the latter in co-op. I figure these two do a good job showing the different extremes of this series. 
Unfortunately, my save data for RE5 was corrupted when my old PS3 went belly up. The upside to this is I'm playing RE5 from scratch on Veteran difficulty — no supplies, no upgraded gear. Aside from the impossibly difficult Ndesu battle (turret fight against El Gigante), it's VERY well-balanced.
I'm actually scrounging for supplies and running on fumes half the time, which is refreshing since I don't usually do this in action RE. Defending Sheva on torchlight duty and then surviving the mob in the mines was a harrowing affair. And the battle against the bat/silkworm boss took a while. Fun stuff!
My appreciation for this game continues to grow. Maybe it's the benefit of time and distance from the narrative at the time ("It's not RE4!"). Looking at RE5 with fresh eyes, I feel it does a good job with contrast. You have quiet moments searching for supplies and soaking up details, punctuated by light skirmishes with two or three enemies at a time. Then you have the large-scale set-pieces that feel like frantic mosh pits. They occur with back-and-forth regularity, but it's a good balance that keeps things fresh.
Also, I appreciate the focus on environmental hazards — power boxes you can shoot down, walls you can destroy, oil slicks you can set on fire — and the wide variety of context-sensitive melee attacks.
And while not as gloomy as RE4's Spain, Africa is a unique setting with manmade environs that feel lived-in and natural spaces that feel, well, natural. Exploring the wetland with the hovercraft is one of my favorite scenarios in the series. Even though it's in broad daylight, the cloudy skies over the croc-infested swamp create an unsettling atmosphere. At the same time, it's cozy! Maybe that's the fond association I have with exploring in co-op?
(Also gives me an excuse to quote Van Damme's Guile from the Street Fighter II movie: "Imma git on dis boot; Imma gonna go down writher...")
RE5 Wesker is also the best villain the series has ever had. Steals every scene he's in — and he has plenty of scenes! So many memorable quotes, delivered with cheesy bombast. So many well-choreographed fight scenes — throwing his sunglasses to a befuddled Chris and then Matrix-ing our heroes to the ground being my favorite. He's like Neo and Agent Smith rolled into one. I adore RE5 Wesker.
The game also gave us BSAA Jill and Battle Suit Jill, two designs I really like. Chris is also the best he's ever been. A lovable lug with a heart of gold. Endearingly dopey and random with his social commentary on capitalism at the start of the game (wait for about five minutes at the onset of 1-1). Also, the character models and animation are amazing. The subtle facial expressions and body language, the way skin glistens with a sheen of sweat. The cinematography, lighting, and color correction should also be noted. This game still looks incredible.
Oh, and the soundtrack! "Winds of Madness" and other pieces are RE's equivalent of Star Wars' "Duel of the Fates." Orchestral pieces that actually stand out with distinct melodies, giving the game a tone and texture that sets it apart in the series.
Single-player is perfectly solid, but the game becomes transcendent in co-op. One of my all-time favorite multiplayer memories is removing Jill's mind-control device with a magnum at point-blank range while my friend restrained her. Delicate surgery, indeed! RE5 is possibly the best co-op game I've ever played. A riot in Mercs, too.
Oh! And the figure gallery! The best it's ever been in the series. I was disappointed how the gallery in RE6 was set in a dark garage where you could hardly see the models. Here they're well-lit and easy to see. Helps me appreciate the finer detail, like the corpses on Ndesu's loincloth.
Now I just need to unlock everything... again. I tried downloading a 100% save file but it didn't work. I think save files might be tied to PSN accounts? That might explain why the game still prompted me to create save data. Guess I'm gonna have to do this the hard way, but that's fine. Game doesn't feel like work when it's this fun.
Unfortunately, my save data for RE5 was corrupted when my old PS3 went belly up. The upside to this is I'm playing RE5 from scratch on Veteran difficulty — no supplies, no upgraded gear. Aside from the impossibly difficult Ndesu battle (turret fight against El Gigante), it's VERY well-balanced.
I'm actually scrounging for supplies and running on fumes half the time, which is refreshing since I don't usually do this in action RE. Defending Sheva on torchlight duty and then surviving the mob in the mines was a harrowing affair. And the battle against the bat/silkworm boss took a while. Fun stuff!
My appreciation for this game continues to grow. Maybe it's the benefit of time and distance from the narrative at the time ("It's not RE4!"). Looking at RE5 with fresh eyes, I feel it does a good job with contrast. You have quiet moments searching for supplies and soaking up details, punctuated by light skirmishes with two or three enemies at a time. Then you have the large-scale set-pieces that feel like frantic mosh pits. They occur with back-and-forth regularity, but it's a good balance that keeps things fresh.
Also, I appreciate the focus on environmental hazards — power boxes you can shoot down, walls you can destroy, oil slicks you can set on fire — and the wide variety of context-sensitive melee attacks.
And while not as gloomy as RE4's Spain, Africa is a unique setting with manmade environs that feel lived-in and natural spaces that feel, well, natural. Exploring the wetland with the hovercraft is one of my favorite scenarios in the series. Even though it's in broad daylight, the cloudy skies over the croc-infested swamp create an unsettling atmosphere. At the same time, it's cozy! Maybe that's the fond association I have with exploring in co-op?
(Also gives me an excuse to quote Van Damme's Guile from the Street Fighter II movie: "Imma git on dis boot; Imma gonna go down writher...")
RE5 Wesker is also the best villain the series has ever had. Steals every scene he's in — and he has plenty of scenes! So many memorable quotes, delivered with cheesy bombast. So many well-choreographed fight scenes — throwing his sunglasses to a befuddled Chris and then Matrix-ing our heroes to the ground being my favorite. He's like Neo and Agent Smith rolled into one. I adore RE5 Wesker.
The game also gave us BSAA Jill and Battle Suit Jill, two designs I really like. Chris is also the best he's ever been. A lovable lug with a heart of gold. Endearingly dopey and random with his social commentary on capitalism at the start of the game (wait for about five minutes at the onset of 1-1). Also, the character models and animation are amazing. The subtle facial expressions and body language, the way skin glistens with a sheen of sweat. The cinematography, lighting, and color correction should also be noted. This game still looks incredible.
Oh, and the soundtrack! "Winds of Madness" and other pieces are RE's equivalent of Star Wars' "Duel of the Fates." Orchestral pieces that actually stand out with distinct melodies, giving the game a tone and texture that sets it apart in the series.
Single-player is perfectly solid, but the game becomes transcendent in co-op. One of my all-time favorite multiplayer memories is removing Jill's mind-control device with a magnum at point-blank range while my friend restrained her. Delicate surgery, indeed! RE5 is possibly the best co-op game I've ever played. A riot in Mercs, too.
Oh! And the figure gallery! The best it's ever been in the series. I was disappointed how the gallery in RE6 was set in a dark garage where you could hardly see the models. Here they're well-lit and easy to see. Helps me appreciate the finer detail, like the corpses on Ndesu's loincloth.
Now I just need to unlock everything... again. I tried downloading a 100% save file but it didn't work. I think save files might be tied to PSN accounts? That might explain why the game still prompted me to create save data. Guess I'm gonna have to do this the hard way, but that's fine. Game doesn't feel like work when it's this fun.
