Game Spotlight: Resident Evil 5

Let us as intelligent people sidestep the dark cloud of racism accusations that haunt Capcom's latest Resident Evil entry and take a good hard look at the product's quality as a video game. RE5 has a case that could be made for it as the best in the longstanding series of games. This is the kind of polish on gameplay and presentation you get when an A-class developer puts the time and effort into an A-class property. The game doesn't reinvent the wheel it has borrowed from Resident Evil 4, but to me everything about the game is tighter than its PS2 predecessor. Yes I would like to be able to move while firing my fully upgradeable firearm, but that's more the panic I feel when surrounded by angry mutant zombies looking to disembowl me more than it is a broken or incomplete game mechanic. The game is still a difficult endeavor, reminding me in parts of Resident Evil 4's propensity for making me its bitch, but I have enjoyed the successes all the more for their difficulty. The game is a blast playing co-op, and this feature is the real hook for myself and the SpotCrew. Having a friend to watch your back makes the prospect of felling the hordes of zombies and monsters a much more amiable task. As we stand now we have bulldozed half of the game in the first day of playing, and I'm looking forward to ending my work day so that I can join in on the fun I'm sure the Crew is having now even as we speak. Those who have been listening to the SpotCast know my feelings on all the heat the game has received for its supposedly racist implications. I find the issue to be so ridiculous at this point that I no longer want to devote any brain functions to it, that's bio-electricity I could be using to focus on something more important like listening to T.I.'s "Paper Trail". Do I give Resident Evil 5 two thumbs up? An emphatic yes.