Kienamaru
84,071
TA Score for this game: 2,518
Posted on 25 April 12 at 11:13, Edited on 25 April 12 at 11:15 |
This review has 8 positive votes and 2 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Resident Eeeevilll... What if storyyyy...
Okay so unlike most people I thoroughly enjoy this game. It's fun, has real zombies, and is much more serious than the previous titles. There are few cheese filled one liners in the game which makes it much more enjoyable. As my second review I'll stick to Pros, Cons, Summary style. NOTE that this is a Single Player review. (I have been silver since the release so I haven't experiencemthe multiplayer or Co op, which both look very promising.)
PROS
Zombies- The biggest improvement RE has seen in nearly a decade. We have original zombies back. Not L4D infected, not 28 Days later infected. Good old fashioned, slow, undead, shuffle stepping zombies. This is somewhat a nostalgia boost and gives headshot aiming a high priority.
Combat Tactics- Many people will likely just play this game as a guns blazing type of shooter. However, it is much more enjoyable if you use a sidearm for common zombies and save primary ammo for mutated enemies and soldiers. This adds a tactical sense for those who like to feel professional and is my preferred way to play.
Large Variety in weapons- You get many different types of guns. Pistols, Shotguns, Smgs, Assault rifles, Snipers, Light Machine guns, and more. It really helps a person develop their own playstyle because each gun feels different to use, unlike in some games where all guns are just... guns.
Weapon Sounds- Many of the guns are enjoyable to listen to, they don't sound cheaply made, the explosions are pretty explosive sounding, and the cutting sounds of your knife remind me of the older RE games.
Experience and Abilities- You level up based on how well you do each mission. With your exp you buy weapons, and can buy or upgrade abilities. This actually gives the player a reason to go for high ranks instead of settling for a C or B on a mission. The abilities are useful in making each character stand out and everyone is extremely useful for their own tasks, further helping you to develop a playstyle.
Melee Combat- No longer do you stand and weakly swing your knife doing little to no damage. You now have combos, executions, the ability to take zombie shields, and even throw them into zombie hordes to slow them down or clear a path temporarily.
Inventory- You can hold more than 9 items in a technical sense. You have an easy to manage inventory assigned to the dpad. You can hold multiple grenade types, First Aid sprays, Antiviral Spray, a primary weapon, and a sidearm. This means that using items is pretty much instant as opposed to the usual game slowing menu or quick menu.
Move and Shoot- This doesn't go to waste. You can move around and shoot which is great if you need to clear a zombie infested room with a shotgun. There is also a sort of auto aim feature that I never used. I know it could help either shooter noobs, lazy gamers, or people with dysfunctional control sticks. So that is a huge plus. It never made sense to not be able to walk and shoot a pistol, I guess they realized that.
Music- I know the game doesn't have much music, but what it does have is a title screen that you don't want to leave until the song is over. The mission complete music is really something else too. Other than that, the music is pretty much typical RE music. (when there is some)
Story Mode- This one is a bit tricky as it depends on your way of thinking. First off people complain that the story isn't detailed enough. The truth is that you only know about as much as the peope you play as. In my opinion that is actually helping the intention of the game. People also say this game is too short. An average run takes about 3 to 4 hours. If you explore and successfully find all there is to find (namely raccoons, cameras, intel) using no guide it could take up to 6 or 7. The length of the game shouldn't factor into quality however, as playing through a 15 hour story with 6 different characters would have proven tedious.
Level Design- All of the levels are very well designed. For anyone who may have wanted to see Raccoon City with enhanced graphics and details this game hits it spot on. The city levels have that sense of dread and the quiet yet threatening atmosphere, while the laboratory levels are reminiscent of what Umbrella is known for.
Voice Acting- There isn't much voice acting in this game, however it varies depending on who you have as a squad, and always pertains to the mission. This is not usually seen in games, and gives the characters an air of professionalism. None of the voices are really out of place and the cast is very diverse in personality and ethnicity. (Nearly everyone has an accent.)
CONS
Bosses- this is in my opinion the worst feature of the game. The tyrants, nemesis, and Leon are extremely over powered. It is nearly impossible to Kill them playing alone so you have to keep your teammates revived to even hope to win. No matter what weapons you use, you will never kill a boss without refilling your weapons at least once.
Auto Cover system- This cover feature is useful in a way, but does more harm than use by forcing you behind something you don't intend to use for cover. Either because you're partially exposed, or were simply trying to run away from a hunter, it gets in the way. Sometimes you can't even shoot from behind objects that you press against.
AI- Team AI and enemy AI both... All horrible. Teammates will run over mines, charge into a circle of lickers, or turn their backs to hunters intentionally. They rarely throw grenades, and aren't much use aside of decoy targets. In a boss fight they will not help you. Enemy AI will sometimes not attack you, or if they get in close they spam you with highly damaging melees. Melee at close range is expected, however, it should be noted that a knife is nearly thrice as powerful as a grenade. (According to Capcom)
Reviving Teammates with the Pickup button- This is another major issue. When a teammate dies on top of an item, gun, or ammo it becomes nearly impossible to get them up due to using the same button.
Achievements- Some of the achievements are extremely time consuming even for someone who loves the game. This is mostly noticable with the kill achievements as you have to rush for a kill before your AI teammates steal it.
DLC Scam- Much of this game seems to have been planned for DLC. The biggest example is the Spec Ops Campaign. The first mission is free which is great. However the rest has to be paid for which doesn't seem fair or right in my opinion. How can you release a game with promise of a two sided storyline and make the consumer pay extra for the second story? More DLC includes quite a few multiplayer modes, alternate costumes, and weapon packs. (I excuse all but alternate costumes. Here's why... In every other RE you could unlock costumes by doing a good enough job with your character of choice or by beating the game. I would have liked to unlock outfits on here based on Mission progress, or even by maxing out a character's abilities. This could have been a way to implement usefulness in getting character specific achievements, which doesn't exist.)
Overall this is one of my favorite releases this year and will definitely hold me over until RE6 comes out. Great environments, sound effects, music, voice acting, guns feel real, an accessible inventory, and fun missions make for a good time, assuming the bad AI, auto cover, and need to pay for the much needed extra missions don't turn you away. This is not a typical RE game. It feels nothing like the classics or the modern titles. If you don't mind that, you may consider picking it up sometime.
 |