Jaffe: Resident Evil 5 Demo Not "Meh"

At least someone is...

Posted by Staff
Resident Evil 5 might be taking a kicking across the great wide virtual tundra of the Internet, but it has at least one defender - God of War creator David Jaffe.

In a post on Twitter Jaffe noted that he is, "happy that the RE5 demo is really growing on him. At first I was kind of 'meh' on it, but it's really grown on me. I'm really digging it! :)"

Critics of the demo have been complaining, most notably, about the inability in the game to run and shoot simultaneously.

Capcom, for its part, has defended the design decision on its blog, emphasising tradition and stating "Have you ever tried walking (much less running) while shooting? If you have, you'll know how hard it is to hit a target while in motion." So, it's a matter of making your zombie game realistic, then?

But... really, what was everyone expecting? Running and gunning has a long-standing tradition of NOT being in RE games, why should we expect it to make an appearance now? Because players' other favourite shooters do it?

Give us your take in the Forum.
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Comments

OptimusP 5 Feb 2009 11:15
1/20
Well, yeah, they made a shooter and didn't give it shooter-controls. Now if they made an actual survival horror game...these controls would be fine because it adds to the tension.

But, alas, RE5 is a shooter.
Horatio 5 Feb 2009 12:28
2/20
Having finally played the demo last night, I'm currently in the 'meh' camp. First impressions to be honest were "haven't i played this before, oh yeah, RE4" and if truth be told, the controls are awful in my opinion.

I've never really liked the control for the Resi series but having played RE4 on Wii and seeing how right Capcom can get it, I see RE5 as a backwards step - I guess unavoidable given the 360 and PS3 control schemes.

I had terrible trouble punching and using the knife - Capcom may argue that it is hard to run 'n gun but being glued to the spot when brandishing a knife is ridiculous.

Visually the game is good looking but so are most big titles these days.

Not sure about the sidekick in RE5 either, the AI seemed wrong somehow, she was often left pointing a gun at a wall and she was incredibly gung-ho at the worst possible moments.

Think I'll pass until I see it in a sale in the future.
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Noob 5 Feb 2009 12:36
3/20
I don't think it needs to include 'run' and gun controls because that would remove a lot of the tension. But I think they should have added wiggle room and the ability to move slowly while aiming. The defence Capcom gives about shooting on the move in the real world is valid, but then why not apply that in the game! If the players choose to move while shooting - aim is impaired. If you hold your ground - your aim is better. Don't take the choice away from the player.

All I know is, if I was surrounded by zombies wielding chainsaws in 'real life', I'm not sure applying steady footing for a better shot would be my top priority.
Yulaw 5 Feb 2009 12:39
4/20
No, RE 5 is NOT a shooter. RE 4 wasn't and it had the same control style. The tension doesn't just come from the controls but also the way the camera is positioned.

I don't know why all this fuss has come about running and gunning.

It seems all the world of 'hardcore' gamers want is f***ing shooting games! This is why I hate rants etc from (mainly) 360 owners cos that's all you people play! But you can't expect anything else from a US made console. No offence, but the XBox stinks of American-ness with it being an American machine. A lot of the idiots I 'run' into on Live are the typical picture presented of Yanks - morons who love to score high points and shoot everything. This is why they have the Gamescore. But does that make them better than you at the game? No! Get a f***ing life!

Sorry, I've gone off on a tangent there but its like all we should be playing is shoote em ups! And Xbox has plenty of its share of generic shoot em up tripe, two of them being the most overrated games in existence. And that's why its obviously a Yankee machine.

Its nice to have a change for once. Jeez, do you people want a Resident Evil game or not??
Daz 5 Feb 2009 15:15
5/20
Horatio wrote:
I've never really liked the control for the Resi series but having played RE4 on Wii and seeing how right Capcom can get it, I see RE5 as a backwards step - I guess unavoidable given the 360 and PS3 control schemes.


other than actually aiming at specific body parts RE4 had the same control scheme as the rest of the games, no matter what system you played it on, be it Gamecube, PS2, Wii or PC
mike 5 Feb 2009 16:01
6/20
Yes, they should have included moving and shooting. Gamers don't expect matrix style running and flipping while shooting -- but a slow moving pace while aiming and shooting would have been nice. Capcom does have a point where they pose the question--

"Have you ever tried walking (much less running) while shooting? If you have, you'll know how hard it is to hit a target while in motion."

I would have a problem walking while shooting -- but this suppose the be Chris Redfield (or whatever the main guy's name is) the Super Military Man. Is Capcom telling me he can't move at a decent pace and shoot accurately. COME ON!! Is hard to carry a knife and slice someone while moving?? Because you sure as hell can't do it in this game. You have stand still when you pull out your knife. It just doesn't make any sense.

Horatio 5 Feb 2009 16:39
7/20
Daz wrote:
Horatio wrote:
I've never really liked the control for the Resi series but having played RE4 on Wii and seeing how right Capcom can get it, I see RE5 as a backwards step - I guess unavoidable given the 360 and PS3 control schemes.


other than actually aiming at specific body parts RE4 had the same control scheme as the rest of the games, no matter what system you played it on, be it Gamecube, PS2, Wii or PC


"Other than actually aiming"... so that would be one of the main things then? Mine wasn't a pro-Wii comment but being able to actually point at the enemy helped make the rest of the control scheme much easier... well, it did for me.

The main point stands though. Getting glued to the spot is a poor show for both knives and guns. Regardless of the run and gun comments from Capcom, I can't believe that you can't at least shuffle away when a zombie is within slashing distance. Hell, if they want tension and realism, have the player fall over once in a while as a downside and make shot accuracy drop a little?!
Daz 5 Feb 2009 16:48
8/20
yeah I think I get what your saying, to me aiming was a natural step to compliment the new camera angle but personally didn't see an improvement in the over all control scheme, probably because I never had any trouble in the first place
Joji 5 Feb 2009 17:38
9/20
I too think its all fanboy bullshit. RE5 is a japanese game and they have a different vision and design philosophy to the west. Moany bitches wait ages for this game, and then moaning it doesn't play like so and so is pathetic. Personally I enjoy the demo a lot. It was weird to control at first, as its been a few years since I finished RE4 on GC, but after a while it became second nature.

Anyone here/elsewhere say the same of Mirror's Edge, because it didn't control like a normal generic FPS? No, so why all this crap about RE5? Capcom hardly need to change anything, because RE4 was already a huge leap for the series and its controls. Every game does not need to be changing everything and dancing to our tune.

Again some gamers are just too damned spoiled. Some of have to learn that you can't always have you cake and eat it, that's life, and until Capcom decide otherwise, if you feel that strong about it, don't buy it.

While I agree that some slight control change, might help the game and the series, I'll leave that to Capcom. Creating tension after many RE games, is not easy (and don't use that Dead Space card, where do you think EA learned all that from?), so I understand the restrictions the player has to endure and I'll buy a copy. Despite this, fun can be had in RE5, if you really want to have fun.

Roll on March, I need to prep my S.T.A.R.S gear.
James 5 Feb 2009 18:27
10/20
Yulaw wrote:
Jeez, do you people want a Resident Evil game or not??


Yes and that's why I'm so pissed off, this is as far from a RE game as you can get, at least in RE4 you didn't have some stupid co-op following you around, and it was scary/eerie and had atmosphere. This IS a dumb shooter for the GoW generation, it's f**king awful.

The only thing about this game that's "Resident Evil" is the outdated controls.
Daz 5 Feb 2009 18:36
11/20
James wrote:
Yes and that's why I'm so pissed off, this is as far from a RE game as you can get, at least in RE4 you didn't have some stupid co-op following you around, and it was scary/eerie and had atmosphere. This IS a dumb shooter for the GoW generation, it's f**king awful.


scary? eerie? did we play the same RE4?
James 5 Feb 2009 21:53
12/20
Daz wrote:
James wrote:
Yes and that's why I'm so pissed off, this is as far from a RE game as you can get, at least in RE4 you didn't have some stupid co-op following you around, and it was scary/eerie and had atmosphere. This IS a dumb shooter for the GoW generation, it's f**king awful.


scary? eerie? did we play the same RE4?


It may not have had the horror element of other games, but it had a deliverance type of atmosphere , it was cloudy, the village was isolated in misty forest, it was creepy and most certainly still felt like survival horror, unlike 5.

abraham 5 Feb 2009 23:52
13/20
Hahahaha, "why can't you run and gun", oh please, whoever asks that question hasn't played any of the other previous titles and doesn't understand what RE is all about!
your master 6 Feb 2009 08:32
14/20
chlabados
nick 6 Feb 2009 11:38
15/20
ik first has any one had the game freeze once you get to the cut scene where you first see the chain saw guy?
when i walk upto the gate the game goes to the cut scene than has now loading flashing on the screen, 2 hours later still waiting and now my ps3 wont respond . trust capcom to release a broken demo.
besides that ive only got 2 gripes with the demo.
1 you cant move while using the knife it takes so long to get the knife out, by the time you run up to an enemie get your knife out and slash him you have already been hit 2-3 times. Problem being i died last night when that hapened because i had realy low health, no green herbs one zombie left so instead of wasting ammo i was going to need for the chain saw guy.
so i tried to knife him and sufferd.
using the knife is FAR to slow and un effective you have to slash them like 7 times before they die.
2 shila your partner feels so fricken powerfull compare to you, she can drop like 5-6 enemies in the time you can drop 2 who is suppose to be the main character again?
capcom please fix this otherwise this is going to become biggest dissapointment of 2009
jake 6 Feb 2009 15:05
16/20
is jaffe a game designer o a game reviewer, get to work already asshole
Frank Castle 6 Feb 2009 17:48
17/20
Running and shooting at the same time is not that difficult.
Horatio 6 Feb 2009 18:17
18/20
jake wrote:
is jaffe a game designer o a game reviewer, get to work already asshole


can you not do both? he is a gaming "celebrity" and was asked a question where his answer was placed into the public domain... I really don't think he spent a day twiddiling his thumbs to come up with his comments!
Not Able Run and Gun ... So What? 7 Feb 2009 18:55
19/20
Some complain that you can't run and fire at the same time. In reality, you need to stand in place to hit a target. Otherwise, you'll likely miss. So is the complaint that RE5 is "too real"? (God forbid! )

The REAL question *is it too hard?* No ... the overall difficulty level takes everything in to consideration. Once you understand the controls, it evens out ... and it's a lot of fun.





Was p 7 Feb 2009 23:47
20/20
Frank Castle wrote:
Running and shooting at the same time is not that difficult.


Have you tried it? I grew up with shot guns and rifles, and I'm still alive because I never tried to "run and gun". I'll leave that kind of thing to the SAS and others. Come to think of it, have you ever seen footage of someone taking aimed shots while running? As for sniping at a run? Give over. The recoil from big rifle like that would put you on your arse and, you'd have lovely black eye where the scope smacked you.

As for the demo. I think the atmosphere it's aiming for is panic, and the controls help that, you have two choices, stand your ground, or run for your life.
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