Game Review: Resident Evil 5

by Conan S.

If you have a friend and want to have endless fun, get Resident Evil 5. This game is perfect for cooperative play whether it be local or on Xbox live. My friend and I have already beaten this game three times and are working on it a fourth time. You will be sucked into playing it multiple times to unlock all the treasures, weapons, upgrades, and unlimited ammo for each of the weapons you have unlocked and upgraded. This may seem monotonous and boring, but once you’ve played it once you will want to play it again and again. And if you really want a challenge you can play veteran and then unlock professional mode. It is very hard (especially once you get into the later levels), but if you have a good friend next to you then masochism cannot be made any more fun.

There is no doubt that this game was made for two, but I have played it alone a few times, and it is definitely not as fun as cooperative, but it is still worth playing at least once. I usually just put on some music or a movie I have already seen on the side while I play by myself in a game, but I have a short attention span and usually have to multi-task. There is also a mini-game you can play with a friend or by yourself called The Mercenaries. In this game you have to kill as many “zombies” as you can within a set time. This is great for killing time and get some points on the side.

The campaign plot is also great. You are Chris Redfield, a member of the North American Branch of the BSAA (which not even Wikipedia has a vague reference to what it stands for, but is an anti-bioterrorism organization across the world). You team up with Sheva Alomar who is a member of the African branch of the BSAA. You are to investigate some reports of the use of neurotoxins in Africa. You soon find out that Wesker (a former teammate from STARS who was infected with a biochemical and is now super strong and fast). You also find out that another former teammate, Jill Valentine, has been captured and you also must save her. You are taken all across Africa to combat this virus and find Wesker. This is just the tip of the iceberg in a very detailed plot, which will take you on a great adventure.

Halo Wars: A Review By Conan S.

Halo Wars is a real time strategy game (RTS) and a prequel to the bestselling Xbox 360 Trilogy, Halo. It takes place on Harvest, after the Covenant has recently taken control of the planet. You and your crew have arrived at Harvest on the Spirit of Fire with the intention of liberating the conquered planet.

When you start the game you are given control of Sergeant Forge, and must liberate a base to start your campaign. From there, you will need to create UNSC forces. There are many new military units, along with classic ones from the trilogy. There are many ways to play it. You can make a heavily armed army, with tanks and other heavy vehicles, but smaller; or you can produce a lighter armed army, with smaller units, but an extremely large and robust one. By the end of the game you could have hundreds of small units or 50 or so heavily armed tanks rolling across the plains of Harvest. You can also do a mixed army with several tanks and a hundred or so smaller units.

I personally do not like RTS’s that much. However, I thought this was an excellent game. The thing I dislike about the everyday RTS is the need to constantly find resources which takes up most of your play time. With Halo Wars, however, all you have to do is build a couple of supply pads on your base and you don’t have to worry. Halo Wars focuses mostly on the military strategy of the game and the action part, very little of your time will be spent trying to get supplies. Most of it will be spent constructing your army and moving them across the land to confront the enemy. I was also worried about the controls. The Xbox 360 controller does not give much room for RTS’s, but just like the old saying goes, a little goes a long way. They were able to make the controls very simple and efficient, but effective at the same time. There aren’t any tricky controls or complicated combinations you need; most of it is done through pressing a single button.

The Multiplayer is especially fun. If you have Xbox Live, you will spend hours trying to outwit your friends and conquer their bases. You can also do co-operative play with your friends. So you can challenge the Covenant together.

To conclude, this is a great game. No matter who you are you will love it, whether you like first person shooters or regular RTS’s. You should at least try it once. This game definitely lives up to its expectations and the greatness of the Halo Trilogy, along with giving you some background on the trilogy.