Resident Evil 5 Impressions (XB360)

Former S.T.A.R.S. member Chris Redfield embarks on a trip to Africa and uncovers a bigger evil that makes those shambling zombies seem like harmless flies.

by Chris Buffa on Tuesday, June 03, 2008

After months of speculation, Capcom officially reveals that Resident Evil 5 takes place in Africa, the birthplace of human civilization. Series hero Chris Redfield embarks on a journey to uncover the origins of the Progenitor virus, the Mother virus that eventually led to the dreaded T and G-viruses, responsible for creating the monsters in the other Resident Evil games. Who he's after (Wesker, perhaps) remains a mystery, but all we know is Redfield wanders into a village populated by infected that'll stop at nothing to mutilate him.

Resident Evil 5 Screens

    The biohazard threat has not ended: Just when it seemed that the menace of Resident Evil had been destroyed, along comes a new terror to send shivers down player's spines. Chris Redfield, returning Resident Evil hero, has followed the path of the evil literally around the globe. After joining a new organization, Chris heads to Africa where the latest bioterrorism threat is literally transforming the people and animals of the city into mindless, maddened creatures.

    Capcom

    The biohazard threat has not ended: Just when it seemed that the menace of Resident Evil had been destroyed, along comes a new terror to send shivers down player's spines. Chris Redfield, returning Resident Evil hero, has followed the path of the evil literally around the globe. After joining a new organization, Chris heads to Africa where the latest bioterrorism threat is literally transforming the people and animals of the city into mindless, maddened creatures.

    Capcom

    The biohazard threat has not ended: Just when it seemed that the menace of Resident Evil had been destroyed, along comes a new terror to send shivers down player's spines. Chris Redfield, returning Resident Evil hero, has followed the path of the evil literally around the globe. After joining a new organization, Chris heads to Africa where the latest bioterrorism threat is literally transforming the people and animals of the city into mindless, maddened creatures.

    Capcom

    The biohazard threat has not ended: Just when it seemed that the menace of Resident Evil had been destroyed, along comes a new terror to send shivers down player's spines. Chris Redfield, returning Resident Evil hero, has followed the path of the evil literally around the globe. After joining a new organization, Chris heads to Africa where the latest bioterrorism threat is literally transforming the people and animals of the city into mindless, maddened creatures.

    Capcom

    The biohazard threat has not ended: Just when it seemed that the menace of Resident Evil had been destroyed, along comes a new terror to send shivers down player's spines. Chris Redfield, returning Resident Evil hero, has followed the path of the evil literally around the globe. After joining a new organization, Chris heads to Africa where the latest bioterrorism threat is literally transforming the people and animals of the city into mindless, maddened creatures.

    Capcom

    The biohazard threat has not ended: Just when it seemed that the menace of Resident Evil had been destroyed, along comes a new terror to send shivers down player's spines. Chris Redfield, returning Resident Evil hero, has followed the path of the evil literally around the globe. After joining a new organization, Chris heads to Africa where the latest bioterrorism threat is literally transforming the people and animals of the city into mindless, maddened creatures.

    Capcom

    The biohazard threat has not ended: Just when it seemed that the menace of Resident Evil had been destroyed, along comes a new terror to send shivers down player's spines. Chris Redfield, returning Resident Evil hero, has followed the path of the evil literally around the globe. After joining a new organization, Chris heads to Africa where the latest bioterrorism threat is literally transforming the people and animals of the city into mindless, maddened creatures.

    Capcom

    The biohazard threat has not ended: Just when it seemed that the menace of Resident Evil had been destroyed, along comes a new terror to send shivers down player's spines. Chris Redfield, returning Resident Evil hero, has followed the path of the evil literally around the globe. After joining a new organization, Chris heads to Africa where the latest bioterrorism threat is literally transforming the people and animals of the city into mindless, maddened creatures.

    Capcom

    The biohazard threat has not ended: Just when it seemed that the menace of Resident Evil had been destroyed, along comes a new terror to send shivers down player's spines. Chris Redfield, returning Resident Evil hero, has followed the path of the evil literally around the globe. After joining a new organization, Chris heads to Africa where the latest bioterrorism threat is literally transforming the people and animals of the city into mindless, maddened creatures.

    Capcom

    The biohazard threat has not ended: Just when it seemed that the menace of Resident Evil had been destroyed, along comes a new terror to send shivers down player's spines. Chris Redfield, returning Resident Evil hero, has followed the path of the evil literally around the globe. After joining a new organization, Chris heads to Africa where the latest bioterrorism threat is literally transforming the people and animals of the city into mindless, maddened creatures.

    Capcom

At a recent Capcom event in Las Vegas, the demo begins with Chris trapped inside of a small house, and the game's striking visuals are the first thing we notice. Chris is clad in a green and white uniform, his hair spiky and his new muscles bulging from his shirt. On his back is a standard looking shotgun and a machete, which brings to mind all of the horrible things we'll probably do to the enemies outside. He grips his pistol in his right hand, sunlight gleaming off its cold steal. Around him are various objects: a table, a barrel that most likely contains secret items and a pile of neatly stacked tomatoes. For kicks, co-producer Masachicka Kawata (who also worked on Resident Evil 4 and Umbrella Chronicles for Wii) wanders over to the fruit and commands Chris to splatter them with his combat knife, which he does. From there, a loud clang. Someone outside bangs on the wall. Kawata quickly pans the camera with the right analog stick to reveal faces peering in through the windows. We only spot three, but it seems like there are hundreds by the noise outside. Redfield quickly pushes a bookshelf in front of the door, a feeble attempt at keeping his attackers at bay.

Suddenly, glass breaks. They've found a way in. Bodies pour through the windows and the bookshelf, and the entire front of the house, explodes as a large man (in an executioner's mask, no less) busts his way into the room, courtesy of a large and spiked hammer. Chris reacts quickly, aiming his handgun at the menacing looking villagers and firing rounds into their legs, arms, chests and heads. They respond accordingly, falling to their knees or getting rocked back from the bullets' momentum. One body hits the ground, then another, and all the while, the executioner patiently waits for his next strike. It comes, splintering wood, overturning a table and cleaving fellow villagers.


Realizing he needs to make a quick escape, Kawata guides Chris from the house and into the streets, further showing off Resident Evil 5's visual prowess. Rundown homes, telephone poles, gates, familiar looking red barrels, a sun blazing so intensely we can almost feel the heat. It's a marvelous spectacle, an environment four times the size of the village in Resident Evil 4 and populated by literally hundreds of infected people, most of which carry machetes, sharp sticks and other weapons.

Either captivated by the game's sharp graphics or just waiting to make a point, Kawata guides Redfield into close battle with one of the villagers. Locked in an instense struggle, we watch helplessly as the villager grabs onto Chris and attempts to kill/infect him. The mouth splits, Blade 2-style, and a series of tentacles and sharp teeth erupt from the villager's gaping maw. Redfield manages to push off his attacker, and as soon as the villager loses his grip, the tentacles retreat back down the throat in what is one of the demo's most impressive animations.

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Latest Article Comments (20)

  • sepsidae on 6/5/2008 4:36 am

    "... and his new muscles bulging from his shirt." JFIOREHJOEWR HA HA HA My god, that's the dumbest thing I've heard in a long time. Have you ever, like, LOOKED at Chris? Bufftastic, but without the sense god gave a goose. As for Las Plagas, **** that. I'm a purist, and I'm one of those jerks that makes fun of you endlessly if you haven't played the original games before playing an over-hyped sequel. RE4 has NOTHING on its fathers. I don't think RE4 fit in with the series at all. T-virus ftw~

  • rcfmarkb on 6/5/2008 4:12 am

    Enough with the racial crap already. You whining morons really make me sick. It's A55HOLES like you that keep this 5HIT going! Grow up, quit crying and stop *****ing about somethin that happened over 200 years ago!

  • lupinefh on 6/5/2008 3:18 am

    "Seriously, where's all the previews about Metal Gear Solid 4? The game is one week away and they're previewing a game that comes out next year?! AOL needs better people who know more about games. On topic: I don't see how RE5 is racist unless they added in black guys with giant afros, parachute pants, bling, and fried chicken." Obviously this place is a biased pro 3shoddy site.

  • lupinefh on 6/5/2008 3:17 am

    You dumbasses at Gamedaily know that this is for the PS3 too, right? ...

  • luvkylexy781227 on 6/5/2008 2:24 am

    omggg. that game looks so freakin nasty and the movie is just plain stupid. but the graphics are the best ive ever seen. ill amend to that.

  • xxjangel19xx on 6/5/2008 1:27 am

    ronin519: "On topic: I don't see how RE5 is racist unless they added in black guys with giant afros, parachute pants, bling, and fried chicken." ROFLMFAO that is the funniest **** i've heard all day! and for the idiot that said this game is racist...f*** off..if you don' t like it go play one of the games made for babies like you!

  • bootyliciousbuki on 6/5/2008 12:46 am

    "Im gonna go ahead and ignore asianmafia and say this game is racist. Seriously, this would have been the perfect game to finally add a Black hero (been a while since we had a black main character who wasnt a gangster) and they go and screw it over." so you'd rather they pull some random black character with little character development out of their ass? it makes sense they picked a character who's been in the series since the beginning. however, the new partner happens to be black and a woman. you think it's going to be a perfect game just adding a random main character into the story? you'd make a terrible game developer. please don't try to get into the game industry.

  • ronin519 on 6/5/2008 12:10 am

    Seriously, where's all the previews about Metal Gear Solid 4? The game is one week away and they're previewing a game that comes out next year?! AOL needs better people who know more about games. On topic: I don't see how RE5 is racist unless they added in black guys with giant afros, parachute pants, bling, and fried chicken.

  • pyro883883 on 6/4/2008 11:51 pm

    racism has no place in games so shutup about it

  • jeannbaptiste on 6/4/2008 11:38 pm

    im tired of people complaining about racism.Its set in Africa so what..im black and i dont give a damn if its based in japan or Ghana..as long as the gameplay is exciting.

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Resident Evil 5

Resident Evil 5
  • GenreSurvival Horror
  • Release Date03/13/2009
  • PublisherCapcom Entertainment
  • DeveloperCapcom
  • ESRBRP - Rating Pending

Resident Evil 5

Resident Evil 5
  • GenreSurvival Horror
  • Release Date03/13/2009
  • PublisherCapcom Entertainment
  • DeveloperCapcom
  • ESRBRP - Rating Pending