The survival horror returns…on the PC.
The review for the Xbox 360 version of Resident Evil 5 can be found here
When Resident Evil 5 came out in March, it got a mixed response. It was praised for having great visuals and a superb co-op mode, but some felt that the series wasn’t as good as it used to be. Gone are the scares that made the franchise famous, instead the zombies are replaced by villagers who are faster than the enemies in past games. I personally loved RE5, but I know there are some who didn’t. How does the PC version compare?
Well first of all, it supports DX10 which makes everything look amazing. Secondly it supports Games for Windows Live, so there is achievement support and online co-op. Finally, there is no sign of the dreaded Versus mode which I felt ruined the overall game when it came out a few weeks after the game came out. Resident Evil 5 also supports NVIDIA 3D Vision, if you are lucky enough to have a powerful graphics card and a pair of their expensive glasses then you view Resi 5 in glorious 3D. I sadly don’t have a pair so I was unable to test this feature at this time, but I do plan on getting some and twittering my thoughts.
There are a few new additions to the game like extra costumes and they somehow managed to fit more enemies on screen during Mercenaries. I ran the game in DX10 mode and it was incredibly smooth, the framerate was solid and it looked absolutely amazing. I grant you it doesn’t look that much different from the console versions, but in a higher resolution it makes all the difference…and RE5 supports the very best.
You can either play using the keyboard and mouse setup OR using a wired Xbox 360 controller plugged into the PC. I prefer the controller method since I’m used to that and played the hell out of Resi 5 that way. PC purists will probably prefer the other setup and it does work quite well. The mouse gives better accuracy when aiming your weapon. Of course, the real complaint about the game as a whole is that you still cannot run and shoot at the same time. I personally don’t have a problem with this, but know it was something that critics had trouble seeing past.
The Verdict
I hope that the PC version sells well because it really deserves to. It improves the game visually and adds some nice new costumes to the mix. Some may still be divided over the series, but there is no denying that Resident Evil 5 is a great game and sets the standard pretty high for the next instalment.
