One of the first things we noticed when we started the game were the graphics. They look absolutely outstanding and might be the best one yet for the current gen consoles. The characters and indoor environments are very well polished. The outdoor environments are similar to Fallout 3 (But to be fair, Fallout 3’s out door environments had a huge draw distance).

The graphics are well complimented by the fluidity in character and zombie movement. The physics engine truly stands out with zombies being effected in the location they get shot. This is one thing that is very important for survival horror games as it ads to the depth and strategy involved when you have a limited amount of ammo. Besides zombies, objects also respond well to being shot. We’ve shot many TVs in games, but none have had their glass shattered as well as this game.

Identity Crises

Once you delve deeper into the game and go beyond the beautiful graphics, you will find a game torn apart between being an action shooter and a survival/horror game. The game finds itself awkwardly stuck between the two while excelling in neither genre.

Not Quite Survival/Horror:

In trying to be more action focused, the game has moved away from what the series was known for. There are times such as being cornered by a horde of zombies or fighting a chainsaw zombie in tight space that steps up the intensity. But these sequences are rare.

Overall the game does not have a frightening or spooky feel to it. Majority of the game takes place in day time or in well lit indoor environments. In its effort of being an action game there is ample ammo to go around. With ammo not being a concern we were never really worried about running out. These factors easily took the spook away from the game.

Although the bosses look dangerously vicious and vary in their type, most of them moved slowly. Other bosses have a very predictable pattern that easily stands out. The game also gives you a grenade launcher and the option of buying ammo for it. Once you figure these out, boss fights become a breeze.

Not Quite an Adrenaline Rush:

The biggest factor that sabotages the game in being a successful action game is its control and inventory mechanism.

Successful action games build up adrenaline and keep the momentum going. The largest drawback in the controls is the lack of ability to aim or even take a shot while moving. The player has to remain at a standstill while reloading as well.

Towards the end of the game, zombies start wielding guns. At this point the game introduces a faulty cover system. While taking cover, players do not have the ability to move along cover looking for better angles. Heck even the cover system for GTA 4 was better than this. Although zombie with guns sounds cool, it feels like any other shooter.

The game uses an inventory system that gives players nine slots per character. Excess ammo for a weapon also requires a slot. But our biggest frustration from the inventory stems from choosing something from the inventory. The four D-Pad directions are used as a hot key to select four items. In order to choose the rest of the items you have to go to an inventory page. This does not pause the game. In addition time is lost as players have to confirm ‘equip’, ‘drop’ or ‘give’ after selecting the item. This is extremely frustrating when you have numerous options for weaponry that includes guns, grenades and land mines. A hot key for inventory rotation could have alleviated this issue. However one good thing about the inventory system is that it allows the two characters to exchange inventory.

The controls and inventory systems would have been fine for a slow paced survival/horror game. But it was very frustrating for an action game. Sometimes it felt that the developers stuck with these controls to make the game harder. We would much rather prefer harder enemies rather than making us feel handicapped.

Style Over Substance:

It would seem the purpose of the cut-scenes is to be more stylish and action packed rather than building the story. The story seems an after thought. There is no suspense or build up. The story is predictable and generic at best. It failed to immerse us or want to investigate what was going on.

Racism? You decide:

The game has the Africans dressed up as stereotypical barbaric tribesman spearman.. But the game does try to explain it by saying that it is the virus that has made the people lose their minds and act chaotically. You can make the decision yourself if you consider that racist or not.

A Friend in Need:

One of the game’s most advertised feature is to play the game as co-op. Although the game is over 12 hours long, we strongly recommend playing it with a friend. Co-op games are always more fun when playing with a buddy.

When playing alone, the shortcomings of the partner AI become blatantly clear. Sheva can be set at two modes: Attack or Cover. In attack mode she will rush into the fray all Rambo like. This leads her to waste a lot of valuable ammo and/or a quick death. She had a bad habit of repeated shooting us when we were between her and the enemy. Good thing there was no friendly fire. In cover mode she stays with you and only uses her pistol. It is recommended to have her in cover mode and stock her inventory with meds as the AI accurately judges when the player needs healing.

The Final Word: Once we get past the ‘Resident Evil’ title and the top-notch graphics, we find a game awkwardly stuck between the genre of action/shooter and survival/horror; in the end excelling in neither. The game has its fun moments and depending on your taste, might be worth renting and playing with a buddy over a long weekend.