Is Capcom’s cheeky download worth getting? The verdict awaits…
Capcom have been a bit naughty. The Versus download weighs in at about just over 1mb, so it’s downloaded in almost a second. For 400 Microsoft Points you can’t help wondering how the mode wasn’t originally included with the game and why would you have to pay for multiplayer? These are questions I’ve been asking myself, especially since the file size would indicate that the content is already on the disc and the download just unlocks it. Maybe this isn’t strictly true, but it does seem a little devious nonetheless.
If you can somehow get past all that, then what does the Versus mode contain? The Versus DLC contains two different online game types. Slayer’s Rule is a point-based game that challenges players to kill Majini, while in Survivor’s Rule players must hunt each other. In Slayers, players can gain points for killing both Majini and each other. In Survivors, Majini are present, but do not reward points when killed. You gain points for killing your rivals but lose points every time you die.
Each level is scattered with weapons to use like the rocket launcher, magnum.etc. When you first start playing Versus, you only get to use Chris and Sheva but as you go you will unlock characters such as Jill and Wesker. Each mode has a time limit before it ends…in the matches I came across, I got my ass handed to me but still ended up a respectable 2nd place for most of them.
The game handles exactly like it does normally, so don’t expect anything different like being able to move and shoot at the same time, because it’s never going to happen. At least with Resi 5 anyway…as a mode, Versus isn’t too bad…it has some great moments and reasons for playing it such as unlocking characters and earning points, but apart from that there doesn’t really seem to be anything special about it.
As a download though, it doesn’t seem enough for your money. It really should have just shipped with the game to save all this aggro, or if it wasn’t ready then…they should have made the Versus mode a free download if you own the game. Sure, 400 Microsoft Points isn’t a lot…but in the recession we find ourselves in, it’s a real shame that Capcom should feel the need to make us pay for modes that should have already existed. Perhaps if the content included something else then it would have been absolutely worth the purchase. But the mode itself is fun and there are tons of games online, plus 200 new achievement points to earn. Why 200 and not 250? Madness…
The Verdict
Resident Evil 5’s Versus Mode is decent enough, it’s good fun and definitely worth a try…despite the price tag attached. The irony is that the full game would have gotten a higher score if the content was included in the first place, but it seems that Versus is just an excuse to make more cash. It’s a shame, but if you can get past that…then you’ll enjoy yourself killing Chris with Wesker…
