Video Game Review: In 'Resident Evil 5,' the zombies are back

When it comes to horror, "Resident Evil" is video game royalty, a storied franchise known for cheap scares, deep scares, tension and fright. Oh, and one of the worst control schemes ever.

"Resident Evil 5" fixes some of what was broken, changes some of what wasn't and still serves up one of the better titles this year.

What they're selling: From Capcom - "Somewhere in Africa, innocent villagers are turning into ruthless abominations."

What we're telling: It's not just Africa, it's my neighborhood too, and it usually gets worse around 2 a.m. on the weekends.

The nut graph: "RE5" expands on the canon of the series, but you can feel the influence of many different video games here as well. It has extended cut scenes to push the story, but it's less tactical and quicker moving than earlier versions of the game (except maybe "RE4," which it resembles quite a bit). In other words, it's more action-oriented with fewer scary moments, although it does a fine job of keeping things tense for long periods. And it still can be very creepy and dark.

The biggest change is the co-op feature (two players can team up online) which means you have a sidekick named Sheva. If you're trying single-player she's still there, though, and kind of a ball and chain. Although she does add nine extra inventory slots, which is a good thing.

The controls haven't changed too much, since you can't move and shoot at the same time, but they are pretty responsive and easy enough to aim. If you are swarmed by zombies you will be overwhelmed quickly, but with "RE5" it feels like less of a design oversight and more "just the way the game should be played." You have to plan your moves, watch your back and keep track of your ammo. And there is plenty of ammo and a pretty good assortment of weapons.

"RE5" has a lot going for it. Even with the change in style it stays true enough to the franchise, but now it's more accessible to any gamer looking for a fun but scary title that will test his skills.

Reasons to growl: Sheva likes to steal your ammo, has no idea how to throw a grenade when it's needed and seems to get whaled on at the worst possible times.

Reasons to smile: It's so pretty, even when it's gross. And it can be pretty gross depending on where you shoot the zombies. ... If you like boss battles, then this is the game for you. They seem to come at the end of most of the 16 levels and some of them are quite tough, especially on the higher difficulty levels. In fact, once you go past "amateur," this can be a pretty tough game most of the time. Not unfair, just challenging and difficult.

robert.mcginty@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4250