Resident Evil 5 Demo and The Maw

Double review!

I was never a fan of the Resident Evil series. I've tried all of them and It's never struck me as an innovative or entertaining franchise. True to my "benefit of the doubt" approach to it, I downloaded the RE5 demo for my 360 and gave it an hour of my time.

It's definitely the prettiest RE game thus far, but that has to be expected considering how far other games are pushing the software. Visuals and audio are not surprising, but pleasing.

One of my biggest gripes about RE games is that the controls always seem needlessly stiff. If compared to Dead Space, it was difficult to maneuver and get from point A to B smoothly. Being able to evade is a key aspect of a game like this, and I was constantly fighting the controls in an effort to save my life.

An interesting development is the use of a partner, who can be controlled by another player locally or over the Live service. You can help your partner get to different places and assist each other in ways other that shooting, but that's nothing really new. The computer control of your partner was adequate, but just barely.

Honestly, I don't think I'll be getting this, but if you've liked the RE series thus far, you'll love this installment.

Now to switch gears completely, an XBLA exclusive, The Maw.

First seen at PAX '08 and winning a few awards for originality in an independent title, your character travels with a little purple eating machine called Maw. Maw is part weapon, part companion and part vehicle. He grows as he eats and takes on new powers as he goes. The entire game is very simple and cute, from the controls to the music.

It's a cheap game and worth your time if you're a casual gamer or a hardcore 1337 machine. DLC has already been announced, and even adding the cost of that into it, you get some pretty decent bang for your buck with this title. Get it, and support the indie game community.

o7