3.5/5 ★ – Empyrean's review of Resident Evil 5.

RE5 is one of the most mixed bags of the entire franchise. The first half or so is as hilariously OTT as 4 was, perhaps even more so because the zombies-adjacent now ride motorcycles. Irving is also one of the most enjoyable villains to-date, devouring any scenery in sight. Sadly, as soon as he dies things takes a nosedive and becomes quite boring and repetitive until the final act when Wesker, who’s hardly in the game, does the heavy lifting (and Chris does the punching). It’s probably also worth noting that, whilst I am a defender of 5&6, I’ve never played these games solo (in full). I feel like it’s practically required to get the most enjoyment out of them, as chaining melee combos together absolutely never gets old. Also because the AI sucks. This era of RE gets a lot a flack (although some revisionism for 5 seems to be happening) but I honestly miss it as opposed to the balancing act that the modern era is attempting. Be ridiculous action or be atmospheric horror. You can’t be both. The DLC is also decent! Whilst Lost in Nightmares wasn’t as good as it could be, it was still a nice dose of nostalgia.