Soon it will be nearly a year since Resident Evil 5 was released, after much stupid controversy from it’s E3 trailer the previous year, thanks to accusations of the video containing ‘imagery in that trailer that dovetailed with classic racist imagery.”, which is, of course, total bollocks. Anyway, almost a year on, Capcom have released Lost in Nightmares. This is the first of two (as far as we know) single-player DLC add-ons, the second of which will be coming out next month. Lost in Nightmares plays heavily on nostalgia from the first Resident Evil title to such a heavy degree that if you haven’t played that game, then this DLC is going to feel a little lackluster for you. Even if you have played the first Resident Evil like myself, you may well still feel that way about this DLC package, because nostalgia alone isn’t enough to create a great overall add-on. It’s almost as if Capcom are currently leaning back in their chairs saying “Well, you wanted more of the classic Resident Evil formula since we haven’t really given it to you in the past two games, so there you are! That should keep them happy until we make the next game, surely.” Capcom – you’re just lucky that I won’t lose sleep over not getting another Resident Evil anytime soon, because i’m not a massive fan of the series to begin with – but some are.
Despite the whole nostalgia thing not really being a big draw for me, I did appreciate walking into the mansion for the first time. Though it isn’t the same one you navigated in the first Resident Evil, it’s nice to see that type of classic environment recreated in Resident Evil 5′s stunning graphics engine, as well as the gameplay within sticking to the modernized Resident Evil 5 formula, with a bit more puzzle work added to the mix. It is within this mansion you will find the majority of the Resident Evil fan-service, including journal entries that seem ripped straight from the original game, and I almost forgot – the first scene in this DLC, you see Jill using her ‘master of unlocking’ skills to pick the lock on the front door of the mansion. That’s right. You’ll later find yourself away from the mansion though, and inside some rather horrific dungeon locales in which you will then find the majority of combat. There are about half a dozen of these same axe-wielding (though the axe actually looks like more of an anchor), lumbering behemoths just waiting to kill you. Once you’ve killed them, you move some coloured cranks around the area, have your partner crank them while you do something else, and then you head over to fight Albert Wesker. The end.
This certainly looks familiar, but more awesome.
In case you’ve forgotten, or didn’t know (in which case, why are you interested in reading about DLC for a game you don’t have?), Lost in Nightmares is set prior to the events of Resident Evil 5 within a flashback scene that you saw multiple times within that game where Jill Valentine (which is quite clearly the best part of this DLC package – a playable Jill Valentine) and Chris Redfield are back working together. They head into the cliffside mansion of Umbrella Corporation’s founder, Ozwell E. Spencer, which is where you then see Jill and Wesker falling to their apparent doom out of a window and down the side of a cliff. This DLC fills in the gaps between the entry into the mansion, and the penultimate final moment.
The DLC add-on does add a little more, though, in the form of achievements relating to Lost in Nightmares, which require you to complete the chapter, finish it with an ‘S’ rank, and find all eighteen hidden emblems. There is also a new Mercenaries Reunion mode, which is just the same as the Mercenaries mode you find within the original game, but with different characters. These include Chris and Sheva in alternate costumes, and returning characters from past Resident Evil games such as Excella Gionne (Resident Evil 5) and Barry Burton (Resident Evil).
You can't help but see some appeal to this.
Now, don’t get me wrong, 400 Microsoft Points is a great price for this add-on, a price which I did not hesitate to pay, but I don’t feel like there is enough in this content package for me to review it any higher. Trust me, I want to give it four stars, but the fact that it took me about fifty minutes to complete alongside a partner who has never played a single Resident Evil game before and get an ‘S’ rank the first time around with that partner, it doesn’t really give me any fond memories or any particular desire to go back. Although, apparently Jill Valentine is an unlockable character? I don’t remember that when I finished Lost in Nightmares, but if that’s true and I don’t have her unlocked right now, i’m definately going back. I love me some Jill. This add-on is also hindered by the fact that the checkpoints are only there if you die. If you got half way through and had to go out, for example, you would find then when you came back from switching your console off, you’d have to start the entire chapter again. Considering I didn’t die all the way through the DLC in both my playthroughs, checkpoints are pretty unnecessary unless you’re playing on something like Professional difficulty. Oh, and finally – you can’t bring any of your hard earned weapons from the original single-player. That means no infinite ammo shotguns or revolvers, people, as much as it pains me to say.
There isn’t a reason for you to not play Lost in Nightmares if you liked Resident Evil 5, you just won’t get that much out of it, unless you love Mercenaries mode to the point of addiction – which I could definately undertand, by the way. It’s cheap, it’s a huge fan-service, it’s a blast from the past, and it has Jill Valentine.
