Pointer controlled Resident Evil

Like a fair number of people, I thoroughly enjoyed Resident Evil 5. It is one of those games that really takes advantage of the New Game + concept. In fact, I am fairly certain that the game is nigh impossible on a Professional playthrough with just the basic equipment.

When I first played it, however, I strongly believed that it would benefit immensely from pointer controls, à la RE4:Wii. My first impression was disappointment... Fairly strong disappointment at that. Although I did not play the game much (waiting on a friend to start playing again), I tried to understand where my disappointment originated. The answer is not overly complex, but it involves more than the controls.

The first thing to keep in mind is that I lost my save file (old PS3 died). Not only do I not have access to some of the DLC costumes from the get go, but rebuilding my arsenal is not something I am looking forward to.

The other thing of note is, it does control very similarly to RE4:Wii, with a few notable differences. The cursor does not stay on the screen. I do not know if this is a design decision or a technological "limitation", but the end result is that aiming is different and more difficult. Design wise, the Wii way of aiming makes the game a lot easier. The Move controls work fine, but aiming takes more time to get used to simply because you have to reset your aim everytime.

Last but not list in this brief analysis is the fact that in RE5, unlike RE4, you HAVE a lot of control on the camera, and that is something that is completely lost in the Move version, you can only control it when aiming. In RE4, you could only tilt the camera a bit, and even that was mapped onto the Wii mote. At the end of the day, I think that this is what causes RE5 afficionado to cringe a bit when they start playing RE5 with the Move. However, put the Move down, try the Dualshock again...and chances are you'll realise that your memories and the actual control scheme are not the same. Move definitely allows for a superior experience.

That being said, I am looking forward to playing through the game again and I can't wait to have some decent weaponry. I did play some RE4 to see how the games differed... And well, that's why I wrote this entry. Plus RE5 is still one of the prettiest games out there, one year later.

If you want to play some RE5 with me, just send me a message and if I can, I will be more than happy to join you.

Until next time, remember to aim for their head.

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