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Resident Evil 4 is regarded by many not only the best game in the Resident Evil franchise, but one of the best games of all time. It blended a great mix of action, puzzles and suspense. Obviously there were high expectations when Resident Evil 5 was announced as to whether it could improve on its predecessor, or become a huge disappointment.

The first thing you will notice about Resident Evil 5 is its amazing graphics. If Resident Evil 4 had the best visuals for the last generation consoles, then it’s safe to say that Resident Evil has the best visuals in the HD era. The character models look as if they have been ripped straight off a 3-D animated movie – not to mention how realistic and gritty the environments look.

For those who were predicting that RE5 will be a disappointing flop, don’t be, as this is just as good as its iconic predecessor. There are numerous improvements RE4, including automatic save points, co-op and a better inventory system. The automatic checkpoints make the game a less frustrating experience so is the inclusion of Sheva Alomar being present throughout the entire campaign – especially during those times when you are surrounded by a lot of enemies she is very helpful and handy with any firearm. The inventory is now done in real time for interrupted fluid gameplay and weapons, ammo and health are slotted into nine slots, again this is easier to manage than literally fitting everything in a damn suitcase like in the previous game.

The controls are friendlier and are now easier for gamers all over as you use the right stick to aim and R1 to shoot, just like every other shooter. You could set the controls to play exactly like RE4 or a combination of both old-skool and new-skool controls. Button prompts make a welcome comeback which adds more excitement to the cutscenes and gets the player involved to the already action packed sequences, unlike the long winded cutscenes prevalent in Metal Gear Solid 4 which cured anyone with insomnia. As an added bonus you can view all the great cutscenes again in the main menu as not only do they look good they will impress any fan of Japanese anime with its over the top fight sequences.

Gameplay is more action orientated this time around with only a few puzzles to solve. Fans of the older Resident Evil games might dislike the change in the series direction from a survival horror to third person shooter, though you cannot deny how fun the game is, and with the inclusion of co-op via split screen or online lets you share the the exhilarating experience with a mate. The minor flaw I found was the unoriginal designs of your enemies – they are all recycled from RE4 so the appearance of the chainsaw wielding manjini won’t scare series’ veterans. Boss battles are still epic encounters and require a bit of wit and quick thinking to seek the best way to overcome them – which separates this game from others, where you would just shoot of hack your way to victory.

The game is disappointingly half the length RE4 was and can be completed in around 10 or 11 hours by most players. Being said that, upon completing the game you unlock the option of playing the game as Sheva second round time and you unlock Mercenaries mode, which lets you kill as many enemies as possible to see who gets the highest score. This adds a bit more longevity to an already packed title.

If RE4 is the best game of last generation then it’s safe for me to say that RE5 is the best game of the HD era. It packs excellent visuals, action packed gameplay, multiplayer as well as bonus content you can unlock whilst playing through the missions. Overall a must have and along side Street Fighter IV Capcom have already released the best games of the year.