DESCRIPTION

Arising from the same unholy concoction as its immediate predecessor in the series, Resident Evil 5 looks like a third-person shooter, plays like a first-person shooter, and feels like a survival-horror game. As in the acclaimed Resident Evil 4, an up-close, over-the-shoulder perspective allows players to see the heroes in action. Accessible aiming controls and fluid graphics make for quick, intuitive weapon use. Creepy settings, un-human enemies, and keen pacing create experiences of tense exploration, startling surprise, and overwhelmingly outnumbered desperation. The first in the Resident Evil series designed for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, the game presents its horrors in high-definition, built on a custom-enhanced version of Capcom's MT Framework game engine.

The story takes place in Africa, in the fictional desert country of Kijuju. The game is set about a ten years after the events of the original Resident Evil, and features the original game's character Chris Redfield in the lead role. He is accompanied by a skilled mercenary named Sheva Alomar. The two make a good team, and many of the most challenging situations in the game are best overcome with teamwork. When one of the two characters has been subdued or wounded, the other can "help" or "heal" with the press of a button. Other circumstances call for particular solutions, such as one player drawing enemies out of cover while the other picks them off with rifle shots from a safer location.

Both characters are agents of a international group known as the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (or BSAA), on a mission to investigate the origins of the nefarious Tyrant virus, variants of which have been responsible for turning ordinary people and animals into mindless, zombie-like killing machines throughout the Resident Evil series. The game's levels are a mix of spooky, scripted runs and open-ended battles that develop dynamically. Although facing surprise attacks and overwhelming odds, a run-and-gun approach won't last; it takes situational tactics and good ammo management to make it through each stage. Online multiplayer co-op is available throughout the game, in which one player controls Chris and the other controls Sheva. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide