Resident Evil 5

I have never played Resident Evil 4, despite hearing all the fabulous reviews. I have however played many popular third person shooters, like Metal Gear Solid, Gears of War, and Rainbow Six Vegas, and this ranks the best out of them all. in my books. It mixes exciting action, with nail biting cut scenes, that keep you coming back and wanting more.

Graphics: Best on this generation
The game uses the best lighting I've ever seen in a game, whether you're out in the baking African Sun, in a mine, on a boat, or in a cannibal village the lighting is absolutely amazing. The animations are crisp, and there are no frame rate hitches. The facial animations are extremely convincing, and the motion capture uses little winces to make them seem even more realistic, and finally has broken the bar set by Half Life 2's facial animations. The cutscenes are excellent, and the monsters are especially gory, and bloody. They've ramped everything up to the max, and make you cringe every time you blast a majini's head off. the graphics are top notch.

Sound: Brilliant
The sound design is excellent. Bullets whizzing by are extremely realistic. The explosions are believable, but the sounds  greatest achievement is the sounds that all the monsters make when they attack you, or are shot at.

Story: A satisfying resolution to the Legendary Series
The Story puts you in the shoes of Chris Redfield, a BSAA agent, whom you played as in the First and Third Resident Evil games. Chris is sent to Africa with the BSAA , to look into a Bio Weapons deal. There he meets up with Sheva Alomar, a sexy local (she's white, which I don't get), who is your partner.  Of course everything goes wrong, and the villagers start fighting you, and you have to get to the bottom of it all. The story ...without spoiling it Chris in search of his former partner Jill, who was killed at the Spencer Mansion, along with Albert Wesker, the Matrix dude. Chris and Sheva's adventures take them from Boats, to factories, train stations,  mines, and giant platform labratories. The end of the story is very emotional, and the cutscenes are extremely cinematic. It is has a really great climax, that is constantly giving you the sense that it is going to end after this mission...but it doesn't.

Gameplay: Wear a diaper...you might piss in your pants.
This game is not for the weary, or the fate of heart. (hence the M rating...) Yet I loved the gameplay. It made the whole game so iscary, yet action packed and exciting. The pacing was excellent, and after having played so many shooters, where you fight wave after wave of enemy, just pick up ammo, and wait in one spot to heal, and this and that...this game was like a breath of fresh air in many ways. The pacing could not have been better. You always feel that you won't make it through a fight, but somehow you manage. Inbetween fights you always get the feeling that things are way too quiet, and you are constantly turning to see where enemies are lurking. The gory shooting action really makes you feel like you are your character. The game is made even more exciting to play Co-Op Split screen, or online.  Co-Op is just another Bonus to keep you coming back wanting more, and making it your worth while.

Controls: Take a little getting used to, but they add to the overall experience of the game.
I played the demo, and almost punched my TV, because I kept dying, because I could not get my hands used to the controls. I was not going to consider this game, until my friend told me I had to get it, and my friend is not much of a gamer. I watched several reviews, and finally bought it. I was so happy. Once you get used to the controls, you realize that without them it's a whole nother game. You use the left trigger to ready a weapon, and the right trigger to fire it, aiming it with a laser dot sight.  You can finally strafe right and left, but you cannot move while your gun is pointed, which also makes you feel very unexposed. Turning is slow, so you have to react fast when you need to run away...or else you'd better be near a checkpoint....When you shoot an enemy in the right area, and they react in a certain way, you are given the option of using a physical attack on them. These are powerful moves, that  The inventory system is the mechanic that adds the most in my opinion. The action does not stop for you to choose your items. It all takes place in real time, which is a turn off for a lot of people, but it again adds a lot to the pacing and speed of the game.  You can also access your partner's inventoy, which is great when you are playing alone. It is worth the trouble of getting used to the controls, because in the end they make the game a lot better.

My issues: Though few...
Poor voice acting- It does not detract from the overall experience, but it could've been sooo much better.

Not being able to move with your weapon ready- It does add a little to the game, but I would've had an easier time, was I able to move when I readied my weapon.

Sheva's AI- Sheva's AI is good in terms of healing you and killing enemies, and she also is a great pack mule (meaning you can load her inventory up with the leftovers from yours.), I must have died half a dozen times because she was blocking my path and I got chopped into little pieces.

MY POINT:
This is one of my favorite games of this generation, and one of 2009's best. A MUST BUY!!!