The Umbrella Corporation and its crop of lethal viruses have been destroyed and contained. But a new, more dangerous threat has emerged. Years after surviving the events in Raccoon City, Chris Redfield has been fighting the scourge of bio-organic weapons all over the world. Now a member of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA), Chris is sent to Africa to investigate a biological agent that is transforming the populace into aggressive and disturbing creatures. Joined by another local BSAA agent, Sheva Alomar, the two must work together to solve the truth behind the disturbing turn of events.
Steam User 169
Recent updates to Windows 10 have tampered with this game's ability to install GFWL, which is why people have recently started to leave negative reviews.
This is easily fixed by downloading/extracting the unofficial collaborative fan-patch that was just updated TODAY for the first time in ages (here) or, if absolutely necessary, installing the GFWL distribution hosted on PCGamingWiki (here). That's it.
Summary
One of Capcom's bestselling games of all time and it still holds up, even now. Seriously - with just a little setup beforehand - this game is an absolute blast to play, especially if you can find a friend or a stranger to experience it with! Every chapter is pure fun as you immerse yourself in Chris "the Boulder-punch" Redfield's action-packed journey with a new partner - Sheva Alomar - as he attempts to survive and uncover the truth in the world's most recent turnup in global bioterrorism.
Edit: Apparently a lot of people are seeing this review, so I guess I should put a little more effort into actually reviewing the game itself, oops.
★★★★★
Pros:
+ Very well optimized
+ Plays great with controllers as well as keyboard/mouse
+ Engaging gameplay loop
+ Satisfying progression of power
+ Optional, excellent co-op
+ Still visually outstanding 11 years later
+ Great voice acting, character designs, soundwork, etc.
+ Unlockable + additional content, e.g. The Mercenaries game mode
+ Fairly active modding community
Cons:
- The story starts off a bit weak (but really ramps up as you progress)
- Chapter 1-1 is honestly the most difficult part of the game for new players and can be a wall that some can't make it over
- Some people may not like that this game uses QTEs during some cutscenes (but personally, I think they fit what Capcom was going for with this game)
Side Note
I'd like to conclude with an extra bit here for new players reading this review who are thinking of trying this game for the first time. Resident Evil 5 has a strong emphasis on melee attacks but, regrettably, doesn't call much attention to this (aside from a tutorial document or two at the start of the game, which new players will often just skip anyways). I've seen firsthand how this can lead to new players having an incomplete and less fulfilling experience with the game - where crowd control is completely set aside for simple "just point and shoot" gameplay instead. As a solution to this problem, I wish that the characters alluded to this mechanic with just a few seconds of dialogue.. something along the lines of "if you stun them, you might be able to get in close and get a punch in."
Just a couple examples: Shooting an enemy in the head will generally allow you to land a strong hit that knocks them down. Shooting an enemy in the legs to get them on their knees can let you run behind them and perform an extremely powerful melee attack. You get the idea. Don't let the size or strength of your enemy discourage you from experimenting!
Edit #2: Some people have reached out to me for troubleshooting, so I figured I'd add a little more here for others in the future. =)
If the game doesn't launch with the patch installed because the GFWL installer popped up (and failed), check for a GFWL folder (typically found at "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games for Windows - LIVE") and delete it before downloading and installing it from here instead.
If the game still isn't launching with the patch + GFWL installation, navigate to where Resident Evil 5 is installed (typically "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Resident Evil 5") and open BH5AE_install.vdf with a text editor (Notepad is fine). Delete the "Run Process" node from lines 29-37 and save the file - you can set it to Read-only if you want to, but I don't think it ever changes.
If the game launches into a black screen and then closes, try editing the configuration file (typically found at "C:\Users\<username>\Documents\CAPCOM\RESIDENT EVIL 5\config.ini" and/or "C:\Users\<username>\OneDrive\Documents\CAPCOM\RESIDENT EVIL 5\config.ini", depending on if you've ever used OneDrive) and change FullScreen=ON to FullScreen=OFF. If the game launches with this change, you should be okay to turn fullscreen back on from the in-game settings menu.
Steam User 49
i bought it just to see Chris punching a boulder
Steam User 39
This game's great. Do yourself a favor and install this fan patch to get around the stupid games for windows live crap.
Steam User 37
If you do plan on playing this game, there are a few mods/fixes that you can install to make the overall experience better.
1. A fix to disable Games for Windows Live from launching. (I used the unofficial patch by Maluc.)
2. An ENB mod which removes the Greenish tint from the Vanilla version. Personally, this looks more appealing. (I installed the RE 5 GE Care Package which was available on Nexus Mods.)
3. A camera FOV mod. I found the camera field of view settings present in the base game to be too close to the character, which ended up being nauseating at times. (I used the Optimal FOV mod, which I found in the RE modding forums.)
Hope this helps.
Steam User 40
cHREIS REDFIELD dettory the boulder
Steam User 36
Resident Evil 5 despite numerous flaws is a banging good time when played with a friend, even if said friend is a moron (you know who you are).
Steam User 51
Precious memories of playing this on Xbox 360 as a teenager and being a coomer for Sheva Alomar. 10/10.