Zombies
So, I've spent some time playing through both Dead Rising and Resident Evil 5 for a while now, so I've finalized my thoughts on them. I've played through Dead Rising twice, but haven't managed to play through RE5 twice, and I'm not sure I will.
Resident Evil 4, while not as horror packed with as many jump scares as previous entries, was a very well designed game. I've played through it countless times because even though I know what's going to happen, it's the feel and flow of the game that just works so well that it can keep drawing me in. When I heard that RE5 was going to be a continuation of this refined gameplay, I was thrilled (I even bought an XBox for it). However, while RE5 does in fact use RE4 as a base it further strays from the series roots. There is less horror and more straight action. Zombies are even less zombie-ish, and are now running and gunning at you. There's not much of a jump from these 'infected' to a normal human.
The most egregious deviation from the RE4 method has been the addition of co-operative play. Now, I should say that I haven't played online, so that will necessarily bias my opinion. However, as a single player experience, the co-op feature has necessitated a whole restructuring of how the game flows. Because you can't expect a co-op session to last more than an hour (for us reasonable gamers), chapters are no longer than an hour. Each chapter is therefore basically a self-contained stage with the same balance of action and *cough* puzzles. Other 'adjustments' for co-op include the removal of the smart attache case inventory system with a limited nine slot real time one. Also, the upgrade system has been adjusted so that you are forced to go through the game or replay chapters numerous times to get enough money to fully upgrade the weapons. One of the rewarding features about RE4 was the idea of holding on to certain treasures and putting them together would bring a much higher price than selling them separately.
I am amazed that after four years that we have a game that is half as long as the previous one and much less replayable (for me anyway). I really have to agree with Zero Punctuation on this one. RE4 is in here, but it's covered up and cut to pieces. I would have much preferred just sticking very closely to the RE4 model.
Dead Rising on the other hand, has been a very fun experience. It plays well, has some good tongue in cheekiness, and well, it's got zombies, lots of zombies. The plot, of what there is, is simply more down to Earth than the superhero-villian-esque one of RE5. Dead Rising gives you a sense of both the panic and horror of being swarmed by hundreds of zombies and fighting for your life. Where as RE5 (along with RE4) made you a walking arsenal with your only consideration as worrying about running out of ammo.
Dead Rising does have it's flaws though. The time and save system made it difficult to progress further in the game until you did some level grinding and replaying the first little bit over and over again. However, I didn't mind this too much as the game played well. The other gripe I have is with the HUD display. I have a plasma TV and well, the HUD burned in after a couple of hours of play (it returns to normal, but it's still annoying), a simple opacity setting would have helped a lot.
Well, this rant has gone on long enough. I don't see myself playing RE5 much, perhaps some chapters, but probably not a full play through. Dead Rising will get more time. I'm looking forward to both RE: Darkside Chronicles and Dead Rising 2, both of which look like they'll be good.
Resident Evil 4, while not as horror packed with as many jump scares as previous entries, was a very well designed game. I've played through it countless times because even though I know what's going to happen, it's the feel and flow of the game that just works so well that it can keep drawing me in. When I heard that RE5 was going to be a continuation of this refined gameplay, I was thrilled (I even bought an XBox for it). However, while RE5 does in fact use RE4 as a base it further strays from the series roots. There is less horror and more straight action. Zombies are even less zombie-ish, and are now running and gunning at you. There's not much of a jump from these 'infected' to a normal human.
The most egregious deviation from the RE4 method has been the addition of co-operative play. Now, I should say that I haven't played online, so that will necessarily bias my opinion. However, as a single player experience, the co-op feature has necessitated a whole restructuring of how the game flows. Because you can't expect a co-op session to last more than an hour (for us reasonable gamers), chapters are no longer than an hour. Each chapter is therefore basically a self-contained stage with the same balance of action and *cough* puzzles. Other 'adjustments' for co-op include the removal of the smart attache case inventory system with a limited nine slot real time one. Also, the upgrade system has been adjusted so that you are forced to go through the game or replay chapters numerous times to get enough money to fully upgrade the weapons. One of the rewarding features about RE4 was the idea of holding on to certain treasures and putting them together would bring a much higher price than selling them separately.
I am amazed that after four years that we have a game that is half as long as the previous one and much less replayable (for me anyway). I really have to agree with Zero Punctuation on this one. RE4 is in here, but it's covered up and cut to pieces. I would have much preferred just sticking very closely to the RE4 model.
Dead Rising on the other hand, has been a very fun experience. It plays well, has some good tongue in cheekiness, and well, it's got zombies, lots of zombies. The plot, of what there is, is simply more down to Earth than the superhero-villian-esque one of RE5. Dead Rising gives you a sense of both the panic and horror of being swarmed by hundreds of zombies and fighting for your life. Where as RE5 (along with RE4) made you a walking arsenal with your only consideration as worrying about running out of ammo.
Dead Rising does have it's flaws though. The time and save system made it difficult to progress further in the game until you did some level grinding and replaying the first little bit over and over again. However, I didn't mind this too much as the game played well. The other gripe I have is with the HUD display. I have a plasma TV and well, the HUD burned in after a couple of hours of play (it returns to normal, but it's still annoying), a simple opacity setting would have helped a lot.
Well, this rant has gone on long enough. I don't see myself playing RE5 much, perhaps some chapters, but probably not a full play through. Dead Rising will get more time. I'm looking forward to both RE: Darkside Chronicles and Dead Rising 2, both of which look like they'll be good.