Resident Evil 5

Note: I originally posted this on 19th February, 2010, but it's no longer listed in my user-reviews tab, and DLC reviews in general have been rather broken overall as of late. So, I decided to repost it to see how the situation fairs.

Lost In Nightmares stars players as the original and most iconic of Resident Evil duos, Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, amidst their mission to apprehend Ozwell E. Spencer. Brief moments were given via flashbacks in Resident Evil 5, but now you're given the chance to play through from the moment they enter the Mansion.

Unlike RE5, Lost In Nightmares strays far from the usual high-tension action, and in fact there's hardly much in the way of enemies to contend with. Lost In Nightmares focuses much more on setting a gloriously nostalgic atmosphere with plenty of throw-backs for old school RE fans to squeal with glee over. These can range from the perspective of how Chris and Jill open doors, to even a certain classical piano tune that Jill will play to solve a puzzle. It's an hour long train ride through a seemingly never ending array of fan-service and, for the most part, works out pretty well. The story on its own doesn't cover much ground, however, and instead prioritises on filling in a little more backstory on the man of the hour, Spencer himself.

The gameplay itself is primarily focused on exploration of Spencer's latest in his comically large array of creepy mansions, which also coincidently just so happens to resemble the Spencer Mansion from the original Resident Evil. There'll be a number of cranks to turn, emblems to find, and a piano to play, all in good ole RE fashion. Though some of it admittedly stands out a little too much, and are almost akin to as if Capcom are force-feeding you references down a funnel. The fan-service is still a welcome gesture all the same, but sometimes a wink and a nod can be more beneficial and can lessen the somewhat prevalent feeling of pandering.

Otherwise the only few niggles I had is one that carries on from the original RE5, being the presence of your coop partner. It's the one notable hurdle that kept Lost in Nightmares from reigning in as what would have been a wonderful bundle of nostalgia. Should you decide to play this on your own, what with the gameplay focus taking a stark switch from action to survivability, the AI now more than ever only seems to get in the way. Capcom have also implemented a few comprises for the sake of the coop, such as should you be grabbed by the enemies that patrol the mansion halls, you'll require your partner to come and save you otherwise it's game over -- no QTE's to wiggle yourself out of this one. It's a thrilling excuse to inspire a bit of cooperative play, but even still the AI sometimes may be too busy doing something else and it's a nuisance to have to die only because your partner (human or otherwise) simply couldn't get to you in time.

The pack ends with a rehash of the (first) Albert Wesker boss battle found in the main game, and it continues to suck just as much as it did in the original. Once again due to an annoying abundance of QTE's required to avoid his attacks, which can be incredibly hard to press in time at that, and the agility and overall aggressiveness of Wesker just feels out of place when put against the comparatively clunky controls. This was one part in particular were playing solo may turn into a test of patience as you must continually try to save your AI partner over and over.

Even still, Lost In Nightmares gives an atmospheric ride into showcasing a mix of the old and new and how Resident Evil could potentially look if it were to revert to its survival horror roots, but with some more modern-day conventions. There's the odd jump-scare, plenty of well done atmosphere and a lot of actual survival this time around. As such it is an absolute must play for the veterans and maybe even any RE5 fans so as to give a window into some of the older traits of Resident Evil. Just a real shame it has to be so short; by the end of it, I was left wishing Resident Evil 5 had more chapters akin to this.

Replay value for Lost In Nightmares isn't particularly high, since with so few enemies there'll be little difference if you were to play through again. Though the arrival of the Guardians that eventually begin hounding you is somewhat randomised each time, just to add an extra sense of unpredictability, which may still give you the opportunity to be caught off guard during a following playthrough. There also exists multiple difficulties and even leaderboards now to boast your scores. The option to play as Jill once completed in single player might warrant a second play through as well. But overall I can imagine for most that once the hour's finished, that's it, Nightmare over.

Along with Lost In Nightmares, there is also a remix of the Mercenaries minigame, now titled Mercenaries Reunion. It's just as fun and addictive as it's always been, however one such flaw is that it acts as a separate mode to the original Mercenaries. While It may give you the first time ever to play as the well loved Barry Burton and, strangely enough, the ability to jiggle around as Excella Gionne, they're all that's available. You can buy two new costumes, one for Chris one for Sheva, which will add two new characters, but you'll only find yourself at the moment with just four characters to choose from all the same. No new maps, weapons and the fact that I can't have STARS Wesker and STARS Barry teaming up is a disheartening omission that's tough to ignore. Why they couldn't have the new characters act as additions to the already set up Mercenaries mode, I don't know. Mercenaries Reunion will look to pick up once the Desperate Escape chapter arrives with two more characters and costumes, but until then it's a little dry.

As a whole for its price range Lost In Nightmares is a fair deal. The chapter as short as it is makes for an hour of spooky fun, and the fact that I'm wishing for more only speaks to how great it is. Mercenaries Reunion is a little peculiar in why they didn't pack it all together with the original Mercenaries, but playable Barry Burton?.. I can learn to forgive.