Resident Evil 5 is an oddity. It was the sequel to Resident Evil 4 which I think is one of the best action-horror games ever made. It’s truly terrifying and the story—while cliched—plays out really well. The gameplay is just phenomenal. I played it on Wii and Xbox 360 and can’t get enough. I even bought it on my smartphone. It’s safe to say that it’s a modern classic when it comes to the horror genre.
When I first played Resident Evil 5, I was taken aback by how different it was from Resident Evil 4 and other games in the franchise which I experienced on Windows many years before. In all honesty I can’t classify Resident Evil as a horror game, it’s more like a third-person shooter-action title. This stark contrast to the previous game is what many players have issues with. Never once was I scared or thought about what dark creatures lurked around the corner. I just wanted to shoot as many zombies in the head and figure out who was behind the infection.
While I wish Resident Evil 5 was more like its predecessor, it’s still a solid action game which takes you to a unique setting and introduces you to a new threat. I think Resident Evil 5 gets a lot of flak because it ventures away from its horror roots but on its own it’s a good game. I remember it being fun, just very different than the Resident Evil games I was used to. It played out more like a Hollywood thriller with a central mystery to unravel than anything else.
When I played Resident Evil 5 all those years ago, it was locked at 720p 30 FPS on Xbox 360. The resolution might’ve been even lower but what made the gameplay quite difficult was the frame rate. Aiming was quite hard and the Xbox 360 controller wasn’t exactly made for precision shooting. It was an unnecessarily challenging and somewhat frustrating experience due to the input lag and imprecise mechanics. They might’ve been good for their time but by no means were they ideal. Upgrading the frame rate is what makes the experience better because it reduces input lag.
Resident Evil 5’s update to 1080p 60 FPS truly elevates the game because not only does it make the visuals clearer, but it also improves the responsiveness of the controls. Shooting is easier and more precise and it feels like a completely different game. I can’t tell you how many times I had to wrestle with the controls on last-generation consoles just to align a headshot. In this regard Resident Evil 5 is the ultimate Resident Evil 5 experience. However, is that enough?
Now we get to the difficult part of this review. Who exactly is Resident Evil 5 on Xbox One made for? Will it bring new players to the franchise? Well, the short answer is that it’s just made for fans. It won’t bring anyone new to the franchise because it’s not a spectacular experience even with its upgrades. If you’re a fan of the Resident Evil series then get this game. If not, I would recommend waiting for the remastered version of Resident Evil 4 which is a phenomenal title which sits at the top of the series in my opinion. Resident Evil 4 will definitely bring people to the franchise unlike Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6. Gamers want a proper horror game and even Capcom realized that. Just look at Resident Evil 7 and its P.T.-like gameplay with supernatural elements.
Summary
Overall, Resident Evil 5 is a great action game even though it doesn’t do much to further the horror genre. Dedicated fans of the franchise should get this because you get to play the next chapter in the never-ending struggle against the Umbrella Corporation. It’s a great standalone story many will enjoy. Unfortunately, it has limited appeal and with Resident Evil 4 coming soon, it’s hard to justifying purchasing this one again.
Asher is a games journalist, former News Writer (Gaming) at Windows Central. They contributed 1110 articles to ICXM between 2015–2017, focused on opinion pieces, game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news: wrote over 1,100 ICXM pieces on Xbox news, hardware reviews, and platform commentary before joining Future plc’s Windows Central in 2017.