Resident Evil 5 - hands-on

It’s one of the privileged few videogames that can lay claim to true legendary status – sitting alongside Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Metal Gear Solid, GoldenEye and Half-Life as the pinnacle of what gaming can offer. Resident Evildent Evil 4 revolutionized survival horror and third-person blasting – so the chance to get our hands on the near-finished sequel was just too good to pass up.

What we saw in those five hours of game time will stay with us for a long time. Much of what we experienced we’re sworn to secrecy on, but trust us that you’ll be amazed, frightened and more excited than you thought possible. Suffice to say, if you tracked the thrills on a graph minute by minute, its zig-zagging trajectory would describe a ragged saw blade. Huge chunks of pulse-pounding action as the enemy rushes in followed by moments of near unbearable tension as you nervously load your weapon and creep around the next corner – endlessly repeated. What we can tell you about are two terrifying, blood soaked and absolutely mind blowing sections that you NEED to know about...

The first of these sections begins in a train yard as Chris and Sheva make their way through narrow corridors formed by disused cargo train carriages. There’s never a moment when you’re off your guard in Resident Evil 5, and this section was no different. For a moment everything was quiet, but that moment was shattered after around 30 seconds. We were halfway down the first corridor and a low growl pierced the air. Seconds later a pack of huge rabid dogs squeezed out from beneath the far carriage.

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Some frantic shooting ensued. Damage was taken, bullets were wasted, and yells of shock and horror drew a crowd outside the door of our private games room. These are no normal dogs. They’re the scariest dogs we’ve ever seen. As our bullets thudded into their hides they changed. Their heads split in two, widening to form grotesque mouths capable of tearing a former STARS (Special Tactics and Rescue Squad) member into strips. We’re not ashamed to admit that we ran for it, shrieking like little girls.