Resident Evil 5 – Desperate Escape DLC Review

Posted by Dustin On March - 4 - 2010

Resident Evil: Desperate Escape

When playing the latest Resident Evil 5 DLC, Desperate Escape, I am reminded of the fond co-op memories of intense ammo hoarding moments, where sheer anxiety and shaky nerves crept into the gameplay. If you haven’t read our previous review of the Lost in Nightmares DLC, you should know that we were fairly unimpressed. With the two DLC packs having been released within a matter of weeks, Capcom could not have made the play styles more different. I’ll start this review by saying the two installments of DLC are light years apart in terms of gameplay.

Lost in Nightmares rehashed old feelings of Resident Evil 1, but failed to provide a lasting experience. Desperate Escape is, in short, a mixture of RE5 and the Mercenaries mode. Your favorite of the two DLCs will depend on which type of Resident Evil you prefer. Escape is far more gripping and delivers some true “edge of your seat” experiences that weren’t necessarily found in Lost in Nightmares and stands up to the quality gameplay experience that was delivered in the initial Resident Evil 5 retail release.

What’s Good

Taking it back to basics – Capcom did it right this time in terms of sticking with the tried and true method of gameplay from Resident Evil 5. More shooting; less stealth. Whether you are a fan of the direction the series went or not, this DLC just feels more like the initial title than Lost in Nightmares, which rarely had you firing your gun. This time around, you’ll be going out guns a-blazin’ and fans of RE5 will feel right at home.

That’s F’in teamwork! – If you’ve got a friend who has the DLC, make sure you play it together. The co-op experience of Resident Evil 5 was unforgettable. With Desperate Escape, you’ll likely never forget the final scene, especially if you play it with a friend. I won’t play the part of the spoiler here, but it is memorable enough to fire it up again a few times over with a buddy. If you’re playing solo, remember to clear your partners inventory out, because this time around, ammo is a prized commodity.

What’s Bad

Why is this snippet of story important again? – This time around, the story focuses on filling in the blanks of when Chris and Sheva saved Jill and her subsequent return to safety with Josh. She is trying to contact Chris one last time before it is too late. Again, I do not want to affect your experience by spelling out the reasons behind this DLC or what gets explained, but I will just express that I wasn’t impressed. If it weren’t for the sheer fun of playing a real shooter again rather than solving puzzles for an hour (like Lost in Nightmares), I probably would have dismissed this entire experience as ho-hum. At least the final cutscene is pretty bad ass.

Another hour long DLC? What gives? – I still don’t get how Capcom could only come up with roughly two-hour long experiences to release as DLC. In fact, the Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition really isn’t bringing too much to the table beyond the original title released in March 2009. If we’re spending 400 Microsoft points, or a few bucks on the PSN, we deserve either some new content, such as weapons or baddies, or at least a few hours of gameplay. Call me crazy, but I like to get what I pay for.

Unlike the quick, fairly disappointing experience Justin and I shared with Lost in Nightmares, Desperate Escape delivers a punch and keeps you gripped in the gameplay during the entire (albeit quick) experience. Capcom again has delivered a fun and worthy gaming experience, bringing the RE5 title back into the forefront. With the sheer number of releases slated for March 2010, Desperate Escape won’t be the best purchase you’ll make, but if you’re a Resident Evil fan, how could you not buy this content? It will only run you 400 MS points and in all honesty, it is a fun experience. I’m being overly critical, because I would have loved to see a lot of additional content that extended the life of RE5, but Capcom simply wanted to wrap up the story while giving the gamer a few more memorable experiences. What’s our recommendation? Go get it for yourself and see what you think. We’re all ears on your Desperate Escape experiences. Resident Evil 5: Desperate Escape DLC is now available on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

*This DLC was purchased for review on the Xbox 360 console