Resident Evil 5 (Xbox 360)

Graphics

Resident Evil 5 is a good looking game, there's a real sense of atmosphere to this title and whilst it's not as scary or disturbing as the previous games it has some nice moments. Taking the series and putting it in sunny Africa dampens the dingy survival horror element but still manages to deliver a gripping game thanks to the excellent texture, lighting and graphical effects. This game has some real eye candy and the levels of detail to the models are simply stunning. From the stubble on Chris' chin to the detail of Sheva's costume, Resident Evil 5 maintains a superb level of clarity throughout. It also manages to keep a solid frame rate too.

Animations

Whether it's fighting with a knife, shooting the various weapons, interacting with the environment or performing a wicked looking back-flip kick as Sheva, Resident Evil 5 delivers in the animation front as well. The game is beautifully animated in combat, the cut-scenes that all use the in-game engine are superbly done and the characters have life to them, even the enemies and various allies you're likely to meet. It ties in nicely with the Gameplay and you get a real feeling of pride at a well executed defence when the hordes of enemies bear down on you and you watch the characters battling against superior odds. Chris and Sheva have unique personalalities that shine through their animations, there are some sections in the cut-scenes when the lip synch seems a little too forced but since it's so good, it's a minor qualm only.

Physics

The physics engine handles collisions nicely; bodies fly to grenades and gun shots combine with excellent animation to cause the enemies to stagger or even fall down depending on the force of the blast. A shotgun is a great weapon for up close and personal combat and will often send a bad guy sprawling back to be finished by a quick X-stomp context sensitive attack. Your characters react to heavy blows as well; some enemies can either kill them outright or send them reeling with a massive hit.

AI

Overall the AI is pretty solid. There are some moments when the partner AI for Sheva seems a little dumb. She'll often use her pistol regardless of a machine gun for instance and then find more ammo for the pistol when she's stocked up with rounds for the smg. Again this is a minor quibble and it vanishes when you play in coop. The enemy AI is suitably decent, they'll use rush tactics if they can, some will use ranged attacks and many of them can throw their hand weapons should they decide to. They can grapple and attempt to bring you down, bite you, or even in the case of the mini-bosses - chop your head off with an axe or chainsaw.

Sound

Sound design is solid, there are no quibbles with it and the various guns have a nice solid effect to them. The spot and ambient sounds are excellent and the whole package fits together nicely.

Music

The game has a great score; it matches the action and exploration perfectly. It provides some audible cues when things are going to get frenetic. This can lessen the tension a little since you know someone's coming, it can also heighten it as well since the music is often relentless.

Voice and Dialogue

Resident Evil never has the honour of the best written or indeed has the best voice actors, in 5 though CAPCOM have managed to do a decent dialogue in most of the scenes and the voice actors deliver their lines in a solid manner.

Multiplayer

A really solid cooperative mode is included, Split Screen, System Link and stable Xbox Live play. With rumours of an adversarial mode to boot, this is a nice addition to the overall package.

Braiiiiins

Concluding the side-story from Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 5 has a lot to offer. It's shorter than 4 (considerably) and there are some unlockables, along with a game mode or so. It's a great all round package that's worth more than one play through and superb with a friend.