CAMPCOM’s Resident Evil series is the most prolific action-horror title in the video game business and is also the most successful in being ported from just about all console devices and PC.

Apart from the action-horror aspect of this game series the story continuity is also what makes this series successful. Every game is good enough to be played on a stand-alone basis but the back stories make them even better.

The stories of the main characters are integrated in each medium where they are present, which includes about seven games, two novels and a CGI film entitled Resident Evil Degeneration.

Of course, the three RE movies where Milla Jovovich starred are of a different universe and are not canon to the main RE story.

The latest iteration, Resident Evil 5 (Xbox 360, PS3) takes off directly from Resident Evil 4. The game stars Chris Redfield, an original member of the STARS Alpha Team in Resident Evil 1.

He is accompanied by a new character Sheva Alomar. Chris and Sheva are now members of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA), sent to investigate a bioterrorism threat from the defunct Umbrella Corporation in an African desert.

Chris is also on the hunt for his old nemesis, Albert Wesker whom he also thinks is responsible for the apparent death of his partner Jill Valentine. They also face members of the pharmaceutical giant Tricell, a new bioweapons manufacturer that followed the same path as Umbrella.

There are over a dozen types of enemies in the game, some of which are based from the zombie-like enemies from RE4. The enemies in RE5 are mostly infected humans rather than undead zombies.

The infection is a new type of “Las Plagas” from RE4, and is called “Uroboros.” The difference is that those infected by Uroboros retain their human speed and agility. Most of the time, they are faster, stronger and more resilient to attacks.

The AI is not particularly intelligent since enemies tend to rush attack in groups. Some enemies tend to stand up again when they are put down with weaker weapons. There are also a few instances where snake-like appendages appear from what should have been the head of the infected. These creatures are harder to put down and have longer reach.

More powerful creatures are revealed as the game progresses and a few of them are also from the first Resident Evil game. As with previous Resident Evil games RE5 features huge boss stage battles. Limitations to available ammunition also adds to the challenge in the game.

With tougher enemies, players would need more powerful weapons and that is exactly what RE5 offers. Instead of only one model for each weapon type there are two models available for both Chris and Sheva.

There are shotguns, pistols, magnums, semi-automatic weapons, sniper rifles, grenades and even nifty proximity bombs. Some of these weapons can be upgraded by selling certain items found in the game like gems, eggs (the rotten egg is the most expensive). Upgrades can be for more power, faster reload time, more magazine capacity or chances for critical hit. Be careful in choosing what weapon to use though since upgrades can be expensive.

RE5 uses the same gameplay as RE4, the third-person, over-the-shoulder camera. Players can choose either Chris or Sheva on single player but the game also features a two-player online and offline cooperative play–a first in the RE series.

To avoid the same stretched split-screen view from other two-player cooperative games, RE5 allows the player to view their game in boxed 16:9 widescreen format with black spaces on either side of each player’s screen. This is best when playing on a 32″ or higher TV monitor. Of course, a player can view the entire game in full screen.

The cooperative gameplay is the best new feature of RE5. While a player can order either Chris or Sheva to do certain actions in single-player, the two-player cooperative play has more tactical advantage especially when faced with several enemies.

Players can agree to hold particular types of weapons (one would be the long-range shooter while the other will be the close-quarter combat expert). They can also share bullets and other items.

What makes the cooperative play more compelling is that “Help” mini-game; one player can make a special attack on an infected who has grabbed the other player. Likewise, the other player can “resuscitate” a weakened player, which is a feature copied from another Xbox 360 game Gears of War. There are also mini-games in the cut scenes that require both players to press different buttons simultaneously, which adds to the coordination strategy.

A few notable deficiencies in the game is the lack of horror that made the first three Resident Evil games profoundly different from other in the same genre. There are fewer edge-of-your-seat surprises in RE5 and it is obvious the developers focused entirely on the action aspect of the game. Another problem is the lack difficulty in the puzzles. Some can be finished with common sense instead of guesswork or even trial-and-error. The maps are also linear so it’s not easy to get lost.

Luckily, these issues are minor inconveniences compared to the overall enjoyment of the game. The cooperative gameplay is the best part and allows a player to enjoy the game twice over with another player in tow. The four-year gap between RE4 and RE5 is worth the wait. Hopefully, the next iteration of Resident Evil would again exceed expectations.