A good game ruined by a complete disregard for other games in the series.

Resident Evil 5 isn't that a bad. The game is fun to play, the controls are tight, and the graphics are good. However, to anyone who has played any of the previous entries in the series, this game is complete garbage. Not because the gameplay is completely different to the originals, so much so that the game is no longer recognizeable as Resident Evil, which it is, but because of the story.

The story in Resident Evil 5 is horribly developed. They introduce several plot points that they never explain, such as why Las Plagas have infected african locals, when the virus that you are attempting to destroy is completely unrelated.

The biggest problem with the story is that it simply doesn't fit in with the rest of the series. For example, Wesker, the villian in the game, was always a scientist interested in creating a virus himself. The last time he was in a game, he had kidnapped a main character, Steve Burnside, who was infected with a mutation of the T virus called the T-Veronica virus. This has been completely abandoned, and wesker now has the Uroboros virus, which isn't really a virus to begin with. There are little bits like that through the game that just don't add up, but i can excuse them.

However, in no less than three occasions, RE5 reveals information that is not only impossible, but goes counter to what the other games have already established. And, fair warning, i'm going to list them.

1. In RE5, you find out that the T virus evolved from the Progenator virus, which was discovered in a species of african flower, even though that the entire plot of Resident Evil Zero centered around how Marcus extracted the T virus from mutated Leeches.

2In RE5, you find out that the T virus was developed because the company's founder, Oswell E Spencer, wanted to have godlike super powers. But, Code Veronica already revealed that the Ashford family, the founders of umbrella, created the T virus in an attempt to create bio weapons for the military.

3. In RE5, you find out that Wesker has his super powers because he is the only surviving "Wesker Child," a group of super humans who were manufactured by umbrella. This one actually made me scream. It had been hinted in Code Veronica, and straight up revealed in the Umbrella Chronicles that wesker survived being skewered by the tyrant because he had injected himself with a mutated string of the T virus immidiately before he died. He was not always a super human, and in fact, worked for Umbrella along side william birkin to help perfect the T virus in the first place, as well as help birkin with creating the G virus. In fact, one could argue the fact that the entire Resident Evil series was possibly only due to wesker, as Wesker was the one who sent STARS to the mansion, the outbreak in racoon city had occured because Wesker sold out Birkin and wanted the G virus, and Code Veronica would never have happened had Wesker not betrayed Umbrella to work for another company. Which, of course, doesn't make an apperance in this game.

The game isn't bad. It's actually fun. But, I needed to focus on the story, because its completely broken. If the story had merely sucked, I'd have given it a 4 out of 5.

All in all, if you only played RE4, or if this is your first RE game, go ahead and get it. You'll have fun. If you've been a fan of the series for a long time, though, I'd say proceed with caution and keep expectations low. However, if you've been a fan of this series since the beginning like i have, do yourself a favor. I'm not suggesting you avoid this game, I'm begging you to avoid this game. Not because it's terrible, or because I'm trying to be radical. I'm completely honest in saying that this game entirely ruined the series for me. I've completely lost interest in the series, and even if RE6 revamps the series again, I doubt i'll still be interested.

Die hard fans, this game is not for you.