Resident Evil 5 SUPERPOST

Normally, after I've written a review, I really don't have anything else to say about a game. That's it. If you've read my review, you know how I feel about the game. Even though the RE5 review clocked in at a large 2,000 words, I feel like there's more to be said about the game, in a more casual way, and thus this blog post.

This post has 3 parts:
I - Comments on the game
II - Comments on co-op assistance
III - How to make RE5 a GSL game (Yes, you can! ... with help)

I. COMMENTS ON THE GAME

I really, really wanted to give RE5 a 95. I really did. But with the AI (which seems dumber the more I play with her) and the inability to move and shoot, I just couldn't do it. As a fanboy, it's a 95 for me, but to put that score on an objective review would have been too generous. So, RE5 got the same score from me that Dead Space did. One might think that the same score for similar games makes them equally good. This is not the case. Resident Evil 5 is by far the better of the two games, so if you haven't played either, play Dead Space first, so the taste of RE5 doesn't diminish the experience.

What makes RE5 better? Co-op. The ability to play it with friends gives in intrinsic replay value. The levels may be the same, but people make the experience a little different every time. Will it eventually get stale? Of course, but this provides longevity to the game that Dead Space lacks. Playing through story or mercenaries with someone else is great fun.

What makes RE5 better? Unlockable content. Dead Space didn't really have any. RE5 has it in spades. Besides Mercenaries, which is an awesome side-game, the ability to get more costumes, background info files, upgrade every weapon across multiple plays, unlock new weapons, and hunt down infinite ammo for everything keep the game fun for a long time. Dead Space had none of that. I've become a little addicted to upgrading my weapons, and now have close to 28 hours of playtime in RE5, and that number will likely double before I'm done with it. Not bad for a game in which the initial playthrough takes about 9-10 hours.

I've already played through the game 3x, and I'm working on #4. Here's a look at my playthroughs (*denotes possible future plays):

1- Co-op on Normal with Bond x360a, to experience the game.
2- Solo on Easy for BSSA emblems
3- Solo on Easy speed run for Infinite Launcher (CLEAR TIME: 3 hours 7 minutes... and I could have done much better)
4- Solo/co-op with Silva on Veteran
5* -Co-op with Bond on Vet
6*- Co-op (partner TBD) on Professional
7*- Co-op run with Bionik Kommando
8* Co-op run with Bionik Kommando
+ Misc cash motivated mission replays.

As you can see, I'll be playing this for a long while yet.

II. COMMENTS ON COOP ASSISTANCE

Part of me has wondered how to handle the issue of me co-oping with my bro (Bionik Kommando) when I have super weapons, and he'll be loading up the game for the first time. How much of a "Big Brother Bonus" will he want? There are several possible tiers:

TIER 1: I DON'T NEED NO HELP FROM YOU!
-I give him no guns or ammo
-I have to buy new and shitty guns, and can't use my upgraded beauties
- I'm not allowed to use infinite ammo (once you have the guns and ammo, you just don't want to give them up!).
- I have to use my stash of ammo (I will still have thousands of rounds stashed away, and I'm drawing from that bank, whether he likes it or not ^-^)
- I'm a blank slate, and offer no advice on bosses or puzzles, so he has to figure out everything, and tell me what he wants me to do.

TIER 2: MODERATE SUPPORT

-I give him no guns, but will supply ammo.
-Support finding BSAA emblems and treasures, since I know where they are.
-Share my knowledge of how to beat bosses, but provide no story spoilers (would never do that anyway)
- This tier can me modified with other needs and ideas.

TIER 3: LOCK AND LOAD

- I loan him some fully upgraded weapons (or give away, if I have the time to make multiples) and boxes of ammunition.
- Infinite ammo (for me) is enabled.
- With our arsenal, we proceed directly to Veteran, skipping the first play on Normal that nost people need to build up money and guns.

I'll let him decide what kind of help and how much of it he wants from me. Of course, if he's looking for the true rookie experience without someone who knows everything, it may be better to play with the AI or someone else the first time through.

III HOW TO MAKE RE5 A GSL GAME

Yes, it can be done! Naturally, you won't get 1000 points, but with assistance, it is possible to run someone through and get them as much as 630 points in 4 hours. That sounds good, right? Here's how you do it:

1. A person who has played the game before and knows it well is REQUIRED. This person has infinite ammo and some serious firepower. This person loans some of their weapons to the person getting points.

2. Play on AMATEUR. I know from experience the game can be sped through in under 4 hours on that difficulty (I did it in just over 3). Rush through, ignoring ammo pickups and unnecessary fights. Only get treasures and BSAA emblems. SKIP ALL CUTSCENES!!!

3. The person with experience will stop for BSAA emblems and treasures as they go. This should still add an hour of time to the run, tops.

4. The person getting points should get all chapter completions, game completion, and many of the combat-related achievements (heals, kills with X weapon, etc.) I'm too lazy to type up the whole list here, but the person with experience will know which ones can be earned on the first play.

There you go, up to 630 points in 4 or so hours. If anyone ties this, please let me know how it works out. In a future GSL (if the benching rule remains), I will be definitely doing it for people. It's no Avatar or 2k6 game, but I think the ease of those points makes it worth the effort.