Hey everyone, this is DJ Bo Vice here. I decided to cap off the year 2009 with a few articles. This one and another one are a series in what is called the “Disappointments of 2009 (Gaming Division).” It only sounds cool but there are only two games that I have played where I can give a good synopsis of them. You can also look forward to some other future articles that are lighter in tone.
The decade is almost at an end and I still can not comprehend this. What have I been doing for the last 10 years? Before I am all philosophical and the like, I would like to take about two disappointing games in 2009. They certainly did not live up to their expectations and hype. In short, it “talked” the talk but could not produce the results. Of course, this is my personal opinion.
Edit: This article will have one of the two most disappointing games of 2009. The other article will be posted at a later date.
Now that formalities are out of the way, let’s start the bashing. First on the list, we have Resident Evil 5. I knew there would be a Resident Evil 5. I was psyched when I heard its release date. I checked out a few gameplay videos and it looked fine. The demo was fun and hard (like all Capcom games). Of course, the game had received a lot of heat. It was basically a racism issue. Please look this up on your own time as it will take up too long to explain.
I pre-ordered the game with high hopes. I picked up the game on release day, Friday, March 13, 2009 (I kid you not). Of course, I wanted to play it as soon as possible. As I started up the game, I was prompted to sit through the mandatory game data installation. After that, the game went downhill from there.
To sum it up, it was pretty much a rehash of Resident Evil 4 with better graphics and split-screen co-op with a real person/friend or a crappy AI partner. The controls were exactly like Resident Evil 4 with the exception of customizable mapping of guns and items to the D-pad. At some point in the game, they even decided to implement some half-assed cover system. I mean, what the hell? Either make this like Gears of War or not.
The antiquated control is a la Resident Evil 4. It worked back when Resident Evil 4 was released. It fact, the controls were amazing for its time. It gave the Resident Evil franchise a much needed reboot. Trying this control scheme years later seemed like a good idea at first. Capcom was wise to follow the adage, “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”
My experience with Resident Evil 5 was an absolute nightmare. You have the following actions available: move (walking or running), aim, shoot. Here are your options when fending off enemies: move, aim and shoot. You can only choose one or the other. Sounds fun, right?
Let me tell you one thing, it is the exact opposite. Ever since I played Gears of War and Uncharted, I viewed third-person shooters in a different light. For it to be successful, you need the Holy Trinity of Third-Person (over the shoulder) Shooters. What is this you ask? It is the ability to move, aim, and shoot at the same time at any time (with some exceptions).
Here is an example using Uncharted 1 and 2. In the game, I have plenty of options available to take down enemies. I can be on the run and blindfire (shooting without aiming). I can hide in cover to prepare an ambush. If I wanted to and I often do, I take aim, move towards the enemy, and shoot at the same time. If done correctly, it looks totally badass.
Your AI partner is pretty much useless. It does an amazing job of using up all the ammo and healing items you allocate to the AI. If you stand in front of an enemy, the AI will fire at you at a foolish attempt to help. Luckily, there is no friendly fire. The worse part of the mandatory co-op experience? You have to buy, equip, and upgrade gear for your useless AI partner as well.
The inventory system is back to Resident Evil’s root. You can only carry nine items on you at all times. Items include guns, healing herbs, and ammo. As you play through a level, you are quickly overwhelmed by the amount of free swag you encounter. You do have a choice in this matter. The AI partner actually has a use now. It does an amazing job of being a mule. It carries all the stuff you do not want to carry. Make sure to never leave healing items with the AI as they will use it liberally when such resources are scarce as in any survival horror game. Though Resident Evil 5 in no way resembles traditional survival horror games.
To sum up my experience, Resident Evil 5 did not live up to its hype. It did, however, advance the story in an interesting direction. Too bad I have no motivation to keep playing it to that point. Another disappointing fact was an asshole move on Capcom’s behalf. A few months after its release, Capcom released a DLC (downloadable content) “unlocking” a multiplayer deathmatch option.
It sounds interesting, right? Wait, it gets better. The asshole part of Capcom I wrote about earlier? You essentially pay $5 (plus tax based on your location) for an unlock key. You have got to be kidding me, right? I am paying more money to you assholes for “sheet” that I already have. Bravo, Capcom. Bravo, Capcom.