The big controversy is of course the aiming system unlike its genre counterparts, you can't shoot and move at the same time. Indeed, as a third-person shooter, it's probably second only to Gears of War 2. Let go of the old ways, though, and Resident Evil 5 proves a relentlessly enjoyable action romp.
There's plenty of mutated nasties, gruesome bloodshed and a general all-pervading sense of dread throughout, but the gameplay is weighted almost entirely towards action-packed gunplay, and the most significant scares come from unexpected attacks in the heat of battle, not the creeping, insidious fear of roaming around a spooky mansion, never knowing when to expect the next zombie onslaught. It's difficult to call Resi 5 ' Survival Horror', really – Action Horror would be more appropriate. It may not be highly original, but Resident Evil 5 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 delivers enough thrills along its gore-laden rollercoaster ride to make it well worth a purchase, while spinning out a story which (unlike RE4) feels like it really belongs in the long-running series. Resident Evil 5 is linear, bombastic and so in-your-face that instead of feeling afraid, you can at times actually feel a tad desensitised. Before Resi 4, Survival Horror used to mean exploration, tension and surprise scares. Lastly, there's that thorny issue of franchise integrity. Gameplay is weighted almost entirely towards action-packed gunplay, and the most significant scares come from unexpected attacks in the heat of battle. In the last four years, games like Gears of War have built upon the foundation of third-person shooters, and with its ill-fitting linearity, insta-death QTEs and occasional me-too cover system, Resi 5 at times feels like it's trying to play catchup with conventions its forebear helped create.
At around 10-12 hours long, Resident Evil 5 is about half as big as Resi 4. So, we should probably get the big negatives out of the way first.
And comparisons to one of the most celebrated games of all time are always going to skew your judgement. Conversely, the biggest flaw with Resident Evil 5 is that it is, if anything, far too similar to its lauded predecessor to avoid comparison. If Resident Evil 4's reboot of Capcom's famous Survival Horror franchise proved one thing, it's that a sequel can be completely different from every other game in the series, so long as it happens to be five-star stunning. You are now entering the world of Action Horror.