Last Thursday saw the release of the second (and last announced) bit of DLC for Resident Evil 5. While it is still set to be included with the upcoming Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition, this second episode and handful of extras has been dutifully doled out to the early adopters (like myself) still hungry for their action/horror fix. Titled Desperate Escape, this chapter details exactly how Jill Valentine and Josh Stone came to occupy the chopper that proved a timely aid to Chris and Sheva at the end of the main campaign.

I’d like to reiterate that last sentence again. Desperate Escape details exactly how Jill and Josh came to occupy the chopper that proved a timely aid to Chris and Sheva at the end of the main campaign. From start to end, this chapter is literally a one-way quest to get to the chopper. And a short one, at that.

Players start up this mission just after Chris rips the control device from Jill’s chest. Jill is stalwart in her mission to stop Umbrella/Tricell, especially after what she’s been forced to do, and urges Chris to chase after Wesker. This leaves Jill alone in her task to help Chris and Sheva, while at the same time get out of the dangerous Tricell facility. Luckily, Josh Stone shows up at an opportune moment, and it is together that they set out to find their comrades.

The player is given control, and from there on out experiences some very familiar Resident Evil 5 circumstances. Jill and Josh head first to a communication tower to send helpful messages to the previously focal protagonists, all the way battling hordes of not-zombies hell-bent on stopping them. After accomplishing this, the duo get into communication with the helicopter pilot from the main campaign and set their sights on escape.

Desperate Escape from start to finish feels like any other mission in RE5. The player has to get beyond locked/barred/destructible doors while firing their way through fiends. One of the only different points is the finale, which is more akin to a round of Mercenaries in a very small arena. All in all, the mission is extremely short. It took me 65 minutes on my first run through, and I was taking my time to make sure I got the trophy for killing 150 enemies. Including the seven-minute wait at the end of the chapter, I imagine this could be completed in about 20 minutes with relative ease.

There were a few discernable features of Desperate Escape. Josh seemed a bit too ready to run ahead of Jill; I was frequently aiming through him, and he seemed to like to perch right in front of my character before opening fire. Countering this frustration was Jill’s melee moves. Her knife stab animation is almost uncomfortably brutal (almost), and some of her kicks give the action an satisfactory over-the-top flair. It was cool to see. Unfortunately, she has an awkward double-knee drop attack for downed enemies that looks completely silly. Josh’s attacks are pretty brutish, seeming more in line with Chris’ physical build than his own, but they were nevertheless entertaining to see.

Players buying the package are also treated to two more characters to use in the updated Mercenaries Reunion mode – Rebecca Chambers from Resident Evil Zero and Josh Stone himself. Again, this is more something aimed towards those players still having fun in Mercenaries mode. It only serves to help justify the price for players focused on a more holistic story.

Desperate Escape is essentially an anecdote to the RE5 main campaign. It is only as fun as the most basic mission of the bread-and-butter title that it is an extension of. It does include a couple of extra trophies, which is always nice, but its appeal doesn’t go too far beyond that. While it is certainly appreciable, this addition in and of itself is not very exciting.

Title: Resident Evil 5: Desperate Escape Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom Platform(s): Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 (reviewed) Release Date: March 5, 2010 (PS3)

Doin It RIGHT: - Intense RE5 action. - Appreciable filler for the main campaign.	Doin It RONG: - Brings nothing unique to the table. - Price is hard to justify.
FINAL SCORE: 6 / 10

Tags: Capcom, DLC, RE5, Resident Evil

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 9:40 pm and is filed under PlayStation 3, Reviews, Xbox 360. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.