They really decided to take our beautiful, perfect RESIDENT EVIL 4 and just shoot it in the kneecaps by making it 100% co-op.
Remember the masterful tone and pacing from 4? Wrecked by the necessity for a charging-ahead action focus befitting couch co-op (nobody wants to do thoughtful exploration or puzzle solving with a buddy). Remember Leon's charming and fun attache-case inventory system? Jettisoned for an unforgivably clumsy no-pause interface that will have you tearing your hair out as you frantically try to trade items while ten enemies climb up your ass. And how about those great, meat-and-potatoes boss fights? Well, now most bosses are obtuse co-op puzzles that require a ton of frustrating trial-and-error while you figure out the exact way the designers expected you (both) to approach them.
It's a real shame, because there's a ton of polish on the presentation and lots of content. This game is trying to go real big, with lots of returning characters and impressive cutscenes, but it whiffs by taking itself too seriously. (There is some really ill-fitting faux-John Williams score during boss fights, among other things.) One of the best things about its predecessor was, of course, how delightfully campy it was. Takeuchi missed the memo on that one, I guess. And some other stuff, too.
In spite of that, I do like this game -- this is like my fourth time playing it, after all. There is plenty of fun to be had if you can hold your nose through the awkward 2-player stuff. The cutscenes are very well done and look great. Mercenaries is robust. Matrix Wesker is goofy and cool. Sheva is hot. It's okay! I just really wish they hadn't been so married to that one crippling, trend-chasing design choice.
Remember the masterful tone and pacing from 4? Wrecked by the necessity for a charging-ahead action focus befitting couch co-op (nobody wants to do thoughtful exploration or puzzle solving with a buddy). Remember Leon's charming and fun attache-case inventory system? Jettisoned for an unforgivably clumsy no-pause interface that will have you tearing your hair out as you frantically try to trade items while ten enemies climb up your ass. And how about those great, meat-and-potatoes boss fights? Well, now most bosses are obtuse co-op puzzles that require a ton of frustrating trial-and-error while you figure out the exact way the designers expected you (both) to approach them.
It's a real shame, because there's a ton of polish on the presentation and lots of content. This game is trying to go real big, with lots of returning characters and impressive cutscenes, but it whiffs by taking itself too seriously. (There is some really ill-fitting faux-John Williams score during boss fights, among other things.) One of the best things about its predecessor was, of course, how delightfully campy it was. Takeuchi missed the memo on that one, I guess. And some other stuff, too.
In spite of that, I do like this game -- this is like my fourth time playing it, after all. There is plenty of fun to be had if you can hold your nose through the awkward 2-player stuff. The cutscenes are very well done and look great. Mercenaries is robust. Matrix Wesker is goofy and cool. Sheva is hot. It's okay! I just really wish they hadn't been so married to that one crippling, trend-chasing design choice.