Dave's Place The internet home of David Hinkle, a guy who plays way too many video games

5Jan/101

Best of the Rest: Dave’s Picks of 2009

The following is a feature I submitted to Joystiq, reprinted here in its entirety. Also, be sure to check out Joystiq's Top 10 of 2009, where I contributed a piece on Borderlands.

Resident Evil 5

I've long been a fan of the Resident Evil series, and while the campaign here has problems and should never be played solo, the Mercenaries mode is what kept me coming back. Those action-packed levels spent trying to survive while running low on ammo and health were some of my most chaotic, yet highly enjoyable, experiences of 2009.

28Mar/090

Resident Evil (that grows on you) 5

re5davesplace

I must admit that RE5 didn't grip me immediately. I plowed through it in 2 sessions with my friend Josh and immediately afterward felt like the experience really wasn't worth the wait. Was RE5's focus on co-op a big enough improvement from RE4? I thought not, then I got into the Mercenaries mode.

Mercenaries mode is a great game mode. 8 maps, each with their own specific set of enemies and challenges, awaited me and Ludwig during my first dabble in the multiplayer mode. We ran through every stage and had a blast. The next day, I started up the single player again with Josh, on the highest difficulty, and I must say that improved things drastically. The game is much more rewarding when playing on a higher level of difficulty, at least I think so. Playing through on Normal never really provided much tension, as two semi-smart human players (see: us) managed to traverse its challenges with relative ease. In the end, however, RE5 has been fun and a worthwhile experience.

I still don't get trying to put versus in the game, though. I can't imagine anyone dying to play that.