Thursday, March 12, 2009

Resident Evil 5 Reviews Start Coming In


Capcom's newest installment of survivor horror hits shelves tonight at midnight! Resident Evil 5 is a big one, and word from U.K. and North American gaming contacts is now starting to trickle in.

So how well is the game is being received? I tracked down all available Xbox 360 reviews (as of Wednesday, 3/11, 11:00PM EST), and here's the rundown so far:

RESIDENT EVIL 5 (XBOX 360)

IGN: 9 OUT OF 10
"The creepy suspense of the earlier games has been replaced with an action-packed intensity that will instantly appeal to some gamers and disappoint others."

MS XBOX WORLD: 9 out of 10
"The term survival horror and Resident Evil might have become somewhat blurry, but as a game in its own right, RE5 is a spectacle to behold. It's not too far from Resident Evil 4's pacing and style, and the added return to co-op play as seen in RE0 is very welcome..."

GAME PLANET: 8.5 out of 10
"Great pacing, tons of excitement and great action. Co-op ads a new layer of strategy and tension. For a Resident Evil game, it's not very scary."

TOTAL VIDEO GAMES: 8 out of 10
"The sheer emphasis on action, coupled with the dated gameplay mechanics and inability to show any advance beyond the Resident Evil 4 blueprint is possible to overlook if you're happy with state-of-the-art visuals and zombie slaying."

VIDEOGAMER: 9 out of 10
"Doesn't quite have the magic of RE4..."

EUROGAMER: 7 out of 10
"[Resident Evil 5] might not be the game that the traditionalist might have hoped for, but still stands out as hugely enjoyable in its own right."

XBOX MAGAZINE UK: 8 out of 10

OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE: 9 out of 10

GAMEPRO: 4.5 out of 5

GAME RANKINGS* AVERAGE: 84.6%



Other items of note. It appears that the PlayStation 3 version is faring similarly in the review category; I found only a couple of score differences and they were negligible. Japanese gamers have had 360 and PS3 versions of the game -- known as Biohazard 5 -- since March 4 when it was released in that country. Shinji Mikami, father and creator of the Biohazard/Resident Evil series left Capcom after RE4, and many fans have wondered how his absence would affect this sequel. Mikami himself stated in an interview with Official PlayStation Magazine, quote, "I won't like it, because it's not going to be the game I would have made. It'll just cause me stress if I play it. If I see anything in Resident Evil 5 that isn't done well, I'll be angry!" I guess we'll have to wait for the rest of the reviews to come in to know for sure whether these concerns were founded.

I'll try to stay on top of RE5 for the next few days, so check back!

Oh, and if you get a copy in the meantime, let us know what you think -- click "comments" below!

* Special thanks to Gamerankings.com!



UPDATE!
8:00AM EST
I removed the "RE5 Countdown to Release" widget this morning, as it did not seem to be keeping proper time. All you need to remember is that the game will be available tomorrow, Friday the 13th (Oooo...!). Some select retail outlets plan to open their doors at midnight tonight for those who can't wait till morning.


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