In comical justification of such antiquated controls, the zombie hordes don’t swarm so much as encroach in cautiously slow saunters, followed by haymaker swipes with five-second windups. I laughed out loud every time Sheva, whom I’ll reluctantly introduce in a moment, smashed through a window or kicked down a ladder, even though you can sprint through congested rooms with carefree recklessness. The zombies’ fists and axes eventually give way to bombs and firearms, but even then, their combat abilities have been politely handicapped so that you may stop, pull out your gun, (oops!) reload, aim and shoot.

If nothing else, the slow pace offers plenty of opportunities to stop and admire the foreboding atmosphere that looms over every surface, and the careful details infecting the level design. A village market is more than a simple collection of food stands and shops. You can envision the flow of customers and where the delivery trucks pulled in. Of course, the zombies don’t look too shabby either, as Capcom proves once again that it has a talent for melding slabs of flesh into discomforting contortions of oozing sludge-beasts, an ogre with a human-belt, and tentacles ripe for hentai. Without a doubt, the bosses of RE5 are some of the best in the series, even if they are mostly for show.

About the only creature liable to kill you, discounting the vicious packs of dogs, is your inescapable teammate, Sheva. When I agreed to this mission, I didn’t realize it was ‘bring your daughter to work day.’ Set to Cover, she casually waltzes through Molotov flames and gunfire. Set to Attack, she plows through a full stockpile of ammunition without a single corpse to show for it. She sprays you down with the classic herbal concoction when your health runs low, but she’s usually the reason you’re in a bind to begin with. At least you can swap between the two inventories, which is why I took away her bullets and turned her into my personal pack-mule.

Ironically, the teammate mechanic is at the heart of RE5’s greatest achievement. Like a grand slam in the final inning, multiplayer nearly eradicates all of the aforementioned problems. Whether you play via Live or split-screen (thank you Capcom), sitting down with a friend and pumping up the difficulty to Veteran is the best way to enjoy the game. The inhibited movement is still a burden, but offset by the sheer voracity of your opponents. Faced with two players, the enemy tides become chaotically unpredictable. Heroic dives and rooftop leaps become a necessity if only to stay alive for one more second, and strategy, a near-hopeless cause.

Since every chapter begins with an inventory screen, from which you can buy items, trade between characters, and upgrade your firepower, arguments about who gets what are few and far between. At least, until you come across a rocket launcher with one shell, or when your teammate blows all the MP5-rounds in a fit of panic. These are the moments that you’ll look back upon as the highlights of RE5, and why it can stand tall in the face of its ancestors. It gets better though. Mercenaries mode, the addictive bonus game of racking up kills before time expires seen in RE4, is back with co-op, and Capcom has already announced Survival and Versus modes that will eventually be available as downloadable content.

Even with a plethora of extras to unlock, such as costumes and back stories, single-player nearly shoots itself in the foot, while standing still of course, by trying to mash up heightened levels of action with outdated mechanics and a partner of questionable credentials. It’s still an enjoyable experience, but multiplayer is the absolute reason to pick up RE5. It’s the feature that we’ve been wishing for since day one (Outbreak didn’t count), and Capcom delivers a fine show.

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