I loved Resident Evil 4 on the Nintendo Wii so I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Resident Evil 5. I’ve become a huge fan of co-op gaming and the prospect of playing Resident Evil 5 with a friend made it even more exciting. At my urging, my brother went ahead and purchased the game as well, and we set forth on our mission to rid the world of infected zombies and genetically manipulated animals sent out to cleanse the world of its evil.

I’m going to go ahead and get the disappointing stuff out of the way. First, I just finished playing Dead Space, and it showed us that moving while aiming is a much better experience than being stuck in one spot. I’m guessing that Resident Evil 5 is trying to make you more frantic since you can only do one thing at a time, but it really only serves to make you feel as though the game mechanics weren’t finished.

Second, I wish the weapon upgrade system allowed for a little more creativity. While powering up your shotgun and watching its effects in the game are OK, there should be a bit more of a “wow” factor when you “max out” a weapon. Or they could at least allow you to replace or add to certain aspects of the weapons and ammunition. Maybe hollow point rounds for the magnum or slugs for the shotgun. Maybe you could fit it with a new stock or design – kind of like in Army of Two. At the very least, give me a reticule for the hand grenades. Yeah, I know that’s not realistic but neither is me running around Africa killing zombies. I hate guessing on how far my grenade is going to fly…

Now on to the good stuff. First of all, the addition of co-op play makes the game. Yes, I love co-op so I’m a bit bias. But my brother picked this game up, and so far we’ve played each level about 5 times each and some many more. It’s just extremely fun to take on the infected masses with a buddy.

Second, the atmosphere is a great departure from the other games. It’s still gritty and gives you that survival horror feel, but at the same time it feels more open and more about discovery. The environments are great. You get to explore varied levels from mountainous mines to a swamp-like area that you use an air boat to navigate.

Two words – chainsaw zombie. They’re back and just as bad-ass! Early on in the game – before you’ve started upgrading your weapons – these guys are truly tough to take down. And once they touch you it’s over.

The boss fights are more about fun than unbelievable luck. In most cases, it’s pretty obvious what you need to do. It’s just up to you to make it happen. I hate those bosses that you have to play 12 times before you hit upon the secret formula for finding their weak spot.

Headshots are fun! The headshots you can score in Resident Evil 5 aren’t as good as – say – Gear of War, but they deliver a very satisfying feeling nonetheless. I never get tired of making a special effort to aim at an enemy’s head.

Resident Evil 5 is definitely a game you’ll want to buy. The replay value is very high, and the co-op is so well done that it’ll give you and a friend something to do for a long time to come.