It’s been six months since Resident Evil 5 was released on consoles, and PC owners finally get a chance to indulge themselves in one of the best games the series has yet to offer. While the PC version isn’t drastically different from the console counterparts, there are some changes, and they’re enough to make the PC version probably the best of all three.

First thing you’ll notice is that the game looks better than on the consoles. It not only runs at a higher resolution (depending on your monitor, of course), but it looks a lot crisper as well. And it runs quite smooth, even on older hardware and all setting maxed out. In addition to the visuals, the other addition, albeit quite minor, adds two more costumes you can use with your characters. One of the better additions, comes in form of better controls, especially the inventory, which you can now use the 9 slots of the inventory and access it through the 1-9 keys on your keyboard, instead of going through the inventory screen every single time. It’s a great new addition which takes away a lot of the frustration that was in the console versions. However, you still need to memorize your inventory to fully take advantage of the keys.

The story in RE5, in case you didn’t know, centers around Chris Redfield, the main protagonist who’s sent to Africa to investigate biological weapons and terrorists, and this time he teams up with a new (female) partner, which follows him throughout most of the game. The story is clearly defined and unfolds as you go along, nothing spectacular, just enough to keep you going. The gameplay, for the most part, is engaging and you’ll be shooting plenty of zombies on your way. At times, it can get frustrating, most noticeably in the beginning when you’re learning the controls and inventory system. And especially when you run out of ammo. One of the most difficult aspects is that the game is somewhat slow paced, that is, your character seems to only walk and jog slowly, which is rather annoying considering you’ll be ruining from zombies. If you’re used to fast paced shooters like Modern Warfare etc., it’ll take some time to get used to RE5, and some may never get used to it.

The multiplayer offers the same co-op as the console version, however, it’s quite a lot more difficult and frustrating to find someone online to play with. When your do, things run smoothly for the most part. There’s also a new “no mercy” option in the mercenary mode, where you have to kill as many zombies in a given time. The “no mercy” option essentially triples the amount of zombies, making it a lot more hectic.

Technically, as mentioned before, the game looks great and runs smooth, except a few areas where the frame rate takes a little hit, but nothing to ruin the gameplay. Also, it supports Nvidia 3D vision, which means if you have the right gear, you can experience the game in 3D. The audio is good as well, particularly the voice acting. Overall, it’s a great addition to the Resident Evil franchise, and unlike last time with RE4, this is a good port of a console game and PC gamers will definitely enjoy it.

The Good:
Great visuals
Good controls
Great campaign

The Bad:
Only a few additions over the console version
Walking/running is too slow

Overall score: 9/10