So I finally ponied up the MS points for the RE:5 Versus mode and I must say it’s more fun than I expected. At first I was a bit adverse to paying 5 bucks for what early reports stated was content already on the game disc, but having both Josh and Matt to play with, I figured what the hell.
The modes I played were the 2-on-2 kill-everything-and-rack up-points-mode (cant remember what it’s called. Survivor maybe?) and the free-for-all-every-man-for-himself-mode. These are pretty much just modified Mercenaries modes, but playing with your friends and getting to kill them is so much better.
What I liked:
- Playing to rack up exchange points to unlock costumes/ characters. Hopefully Capcom will decide to provide updates. More weapons and costumes can only be a good thing, as once you unlock all the characters, there’s really no motivation to play except for achievements and the love of zombie genocide.
- Teamwork. You really need to be on point to win the game. A few PKs can really change the tide. Not only do you have to watch your ass for the undead (or LasPlagas or whatever. They’re the living dead to me ok?) but also for the dude playing Wesker with the Hydra. He’s an asshole, trust me.
- It’s only 5 bucks. Yeah there’s speculation as to ether or not the content was already on the disc and the 400 MS points was only a “key” used to unlock the mode, but hey, 5 bucks is the cost of a pint of Guinness around here or a fucking large (don’t you dare expect me to call it by the artifical name those bastards use, ok?) Starbucks coffee (WaWa FTW!). Capitalism hard at work.
- More achievements. 10 more worth 200 points. They’re really a grind-fest to get, but then again most online PVP achivements are.
What I hated:
- The invntory system. For the love of whatever, in a fast-paced-watch-yer-ass game like this, I don’t want to have to answer “YES” when I want to drop a rotten egg from my inventory so I can pick up some shottie-shells, ok? Also when you pick up a second green herb it should auto-combine them. I guess it adds a challenge, but it’s a different mode, therefore it shuld have a modified rule-set. Also when I’m trying to uppercut a spawn-of-hell, the game should make that action a greater priority than picking up electric rounds for a grenade launcher that I don’t have. Stupid game.
- Just 2-on-2? Really? There should be at least an 8-on-8 mode. Most games support that many. Stop gimping us and let the reigns loose, Capcom.
- The opening announcement. If I have to hear that killiing multiple zombies gives me a good score one more time at the start of a match, I’m gonna plotz. I get it. Shut up.
- The lack of more characters. Where’s Hunk and Tofu? Leon? That greasy-haired dude from RE: 0? Barry? The RE universe has a metric-shit-ton of characters (ansellary and otherwise). Give us more for our fiver. Or provide them as DLC (for free of course).
- Why is there no play-as-the-zombie-mode? Learn from Valve and Left 4 Dead and let me eat brains. How cool would that be? You could start as just a schmuck zombie (Aunt Jemima (take that, Breast Cancer!!) or the asshole with the megaphone) and graduate to one with a stun rod, then a rifle zombie, then maybe one of the minibosses (chainsaw, gattling gun, plant from Little Shop of Horrors, or the Death Dealer dude) based on how many combos you get from eating the humans. That would rule so hard.
All-in-all, I dig the XPAC (if you can call it that) but it could be improved. Not a bad first attempt, maybe they’ll hook us early-adopters up. What do you say Capcom?
