Fear You Can't... Remember?

WARNING:
Spoilers, Bad Language!

Resident Evil has been a name that symbolizes horror since it's debut in 1996.  In 2006, Resident Evil 4 was the most praised and critically acclaimed title of the series, redefining both gameplay and horror.  How does Resident Evil 5 compare to it's predecessor?

• The story is good at best.  As a direct sequel to Resident Evil 4, the story just continues where the last one ended.  Nothing special that sets this title apart from the other Resident Evil titles.

• Some environments resemble those from Resident Evil 4.  If you've played Resident Evil 4 before, you have an idea of what to expect.

• Graphics are amazing, however some cutscenes (non-QTE) are noticably poor than others due to pre-rendering.  Also, playing on a standard TV, it's hard to see the laser sight, making it hard to aim.

• There are a few cutscenes that are awesome, others not so much.  Either a lot of talking or Wesker doing Matrix moves.

• All sound-related content are great.  However, the "call partner" action (B button) needs to be removed when playing co-op - their voices are annoying!

• Without the ability to move and attack, this makes the Knife unattractive to use in fights, unless you’re fighting against a small group of Majini.

• The Stun Rod, Melee Vest and Bulletproof Vest are completely useless.  I thought that the Stun Rod would replace the Knife when equipped; the Melee Vest would reduce 90% of all melee damage taken and that the Bulletproof Vest is what it claims to be.  Nope, they don’t do any of those.

• The animation time between actions is far too slow (like turning around and running, or using the knife then switching to shoot).

• I would've liked a "Dodge" button, like in Resident Evil 3.  Considering that there were many opportunies to dodge an attack.
  

• I am disappointed that you can’t upgrade your Inventory space, like in Resident Evil 4 but since you have a partner now, I guess this is reasonable.

• When discarding items from the inventory, they disappear.  Would've preferred a "Drop" option to drop the item on the ground so you can pick them up later instead.

• You can't trade weapons between each other when playing with 2 gamer profiles.  I don't see the point in this.  So, during the course of the game - one player will get a new weapon for free, whereas the other player has to buy it.

• There is no more merchant (from Resident Evil 4) to buy items or upgrade weapons.  I think this is a great decision.  My complaint is that you can’t buy ammo from the shop.

• There is no way to cancel reloading.  This sucks when you're surrounded and you're reloading your shotgun.

• I like that you start off with Max health (not need to upgrade your health like in Resident Evil 4).

• Resident Evil is known for it’s crazy puzzles, however this is not the case with Resident Evil 5.  There is probably only one puzzle that I needed to think about.

• Some of the bosses from Resident Evil 4 are re-designed and re-used in Resident Evil 5.  Maybe this was intentional with this game being a direct sequel?

• The enemies on Veteran and Professional difficulties deal more damage.  I would've preferred if they did normal difficulty damage but there are a LOT more enemies on screen.

• I was surprised to see the Licker from Resident Evil 2, but they are now retarded?

• Your partner’s A.I. is good but could have been improved..  He/she can cover your back but giving orders is somewhat of a hassle.  It’s better to play co-op than single player.

• Setting up split-screen co-op is a hassle.  Would've preferred the way they designed it in the demo.

• In Mercenaries mode, after completing a level, it only offers points.  I was expecting it to offer cash afterwards.

• I like the way you can unlock Infinite Ammo for weapons.  

• Achievements are reasonable.

Overall, Resident Evil 5 is an updated Resident Evil 4, complete with HD graphics, co-op and online.  However, nothing special defines this game from the rest of the series, like Resident Evil 4 did.  The game's slogan, "A fear you can't forget" is much exaggerated as there is nothing remotely scary about this installment of the Resident Evil series.  Nonetheless, this game offers a great co-op experience.

p.s. I will not be reviewing the "Versus" pack that is to be released.