RE5 so far

So finally, after four years since the last (main) game, Resident Evil 5 has been released. I picked up my Collector's Edition Friday morning.

I haven't finished it yet, but I did get to spend quite a bit of time with it over the weekend. So far, it's been really awesome. I played through about two thirds of the game with my nephew Danny. The split screen co-op was great. I also played through about half way on my own, with the AI controlling Sheva. I've talked to people who have been having a bit of trouble getting AI-controlled Sheva to, well, not die. But I haven't really had problems with it myself, and thankfully, the single player experience has also been great for me so far. That was my main concern going into the game, that perhaps Capcom had put so much into the Co-op that the single player game would suffer. Minutes into the game, my fears were put to rest.
Some more specifics:
Let's get the negative over with first...
The Negatives:
Honestly, I have no big complaints about the game so far. If I had to put a list together to be fair however, I'd only say the following:
- It would be nice to have the feature back to 'Use' a health item immediately upon picking it up. Then again, the added challenge is alright with me.
- RE4 hardly had any puzzles. RE5 has even less (so far, anyway).
- Many fans of the original games will probably be disappointed to see the series continue to evolve further from Survival Horror into Action Horror. It hasn't really scared me yet, unfortunately.
The Positives:
- The gameplay & controls are just as good as RE4, with options for everyone (RE4 and Gears of War style included).
- Graphics & Sound: Beautiful.
- The story so far has been really great, and on top of that, there's a ton of in depth bonus reading material that recaps the series so far, and adds background.
- The new statistic page is awesome (especially for dorks like me who love to know that they've killed 450+ Majinis, 6 Sharks and 1 Bat among all the other creatures).
- Co-op & Single player both work well.
- New multiplayer modes are coming soon.

Overall, RE5 seems to have improved upon the formula that RE4 introduced in most every way, if not distancing itself a bit further from the original style. Being a huge fan of the originals, I am sad to see so many aspects of the classic games gone. However, I do agree with the creators when they said that the series needed to evolve to survive. I think the series has definitely done that, and I think RE5 will prove to be much deeper as it continues, with all the unlockable stuff for fans of the series, and the new modes that should be arriving soon. So, enjoy it!

- Clint