Genre: Action
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Players: 1-2
Retail Price: 400 Microsoft Point ($5)
Availability: XBLA, PS3
Note: This review is specifically for the Desperate Escape episode and requires a full retail copy of Resident Evil 5 to play
Desperate Escape is the second downloadable episode released for Resident Evil 5 that expands on the existing story by offering you a new mission featuring Jill Valentine and Josh Stone. Unlike the first episode, Lost in Nightmares, that gave fans a bit of a throwback to the original Resident Evil title, the most recent episode is a straight extension of the mechanics you’ve come to know from Resident Evil 5. You’ll spend your time managing ammo while attempting to escape from from a seemingly unending supply of enemies.
If you played through Resident Evil 5 you’ll be completely familiar with where this portion of the story takes place. Your first time through the new adventure you’ll take on the role of Jill shortly after her encounter with Chris and Sheva. You end up running into Josh and together you’ll attempt to fight your way out of the facility. The action is fast paced and never lets up so be prepared for a constant struggle the entire way through the scenario. After completing the story you’ll be given the opportunity to play through again, this time with Josh as a playable character.
Well this might be a challenge
Desperate Escape doesn’t share too many similarities with Lost in Nightmares so don’t expect any puzzle solving or spooky corridors. I really enjoyed the nostalgic atmosphere that Lost in Nightmares presented, but the lack of combat felt like it held the episode back a bit. That isn’t an issue at all in Desperate Escape as every path you take is filled with wave after wave of enemies, and at times it can feel extremely chaotic with the amount of action taking place. One of the downsides to this chaos is that it can lead to potential issues with an AI controlled partner as they don’t always tend to make the best choices, and on more than one occasion I had to restart a certain section because of a mistake they made. Unfortunately you also won’t encounter any new enemies or experience a new boss fight like you did with Wesker in Lost in Nightmares.
Even though the fast paced action was exciting and a nice change of pace from Lost in Nightmares, one major problem still exists: the controls. In this specific scenario you’ll encounter an enormous amount of enemies, and having to stop and shoot while fighting off that many enemies can sometimes feel overly challenging. This was one of those moments where the controls in the Resident Evil franchise really started to show their age, and I kept wishing for the ability to just be able to move and shoot.
Even though Lost in Nightmares and Desperate Escape present two completely different adventures in terms of play style, they do a great job of complementing each other and Resident Evil 5 fans will definitely find something they like in the most recent content offering. Additionally, you’ll also receive two new playable characters in Mercenaries Reunion, Rebecca Chambers and Josh Stone, who each have their own unique weapons that help to keep the action varied. If you have yet to pick up either episode you might want to check out the recently released Untold Stories bundle which contains both episodes as well as the additional costume packs at a discounted price.
