Confirmed: no run-and-gun in Resident Evil 5. Ever.
by Jem Alexander 
{ Feb 2nd 2009 at 6:28PM } 
"While RE5 is very action-heavy, the base RE game design mechanic of holding fast while shooting remains," says the Capcom blog. Newcomers to the series may need to make some "mental readjustments," but the controls have remained this way to establish a sense of risk and danger while in combat. The new controls will instead grant "more natural motion to the second analog stick on your 360 or PS3 controller," allowing you to strafe. We're sure there are strong advocates for both sides of the argument amongst Resident Evil 5's audience. Maybe not Chris Redfield strong ... but strong.
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Reader Comments (Page 3 of 5)
BadMojo @ Feb 2nd 2009 7:47PM
I've always felt like the Resident Evil control scheme felt like an artificial handicap just thrown in there to make the game more difficult.
I appreciate the idea that you want to stay true to the genre and make a challenging game, but it comes off as very heavy-handed.
Chris Redfield. Most uncoordinated SWAT team member ever?
biggrapp @ Feb 2nd 2009 7:48PM
the last Resident Evil I played was 2 and I had a blast. it was easy to control and was a lotta fun. this crap here, though? just that. crap. pretty crap but still crap. it doesn't have to be a run and gun game for a person to be able to run away does it? that was a lame ass excuse they gave for those fucked up controls. I think they should go back to RE2's controls and let us worry about all the other stuff.
Vidikron @ Feb 2nd 2009 7:46PM
Oh well, should please the hardcore fans. But even with the slightly more adept controls of the newer RE games I still find it a bit archaic and a cheap way to increase difficulty. As a result I really wasn't impressed with the demo at all. At this point I doubt I'm going to buy it. Maybe Gamefly it when I get bored.
Jimmijam @ Feb 2nd 2009 7:48PM
Agreed. Why have a 1996 control scheme for a 2009 title?
lasersanchez @ Feb 3rd 2009 1:22AM
1996 controls work just fine for 2-d platformers, puzzle games, and RPGs. Why fix what ain't broke?
psyCh0i @ Feb 2nd 2009 7:51PM
The stubborness of Capcom remind me of Lair's control fiasco .... and we all know what happened to Lair ....... and Factor 5
ryan @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:28PM
That was new tech that actually hindered how you play the game. And offering no conventional controls (that worked in the past) hurt the game too.
RE5 is using a system that has been tested before and is a system that only works for it's gameplay. You can't simply turn a switch on saying "run n gun", you'd have to redo the entire design aspect of the game.
psyCh0i @ Feb 2nd 2009 9:02PM
RE has evolved in the last 14 years, except the control. In the classic REs (pre RE4) you never had to do precision aiming (u could in some but not essential), you never had to fight off tens of zombies and cover your partner's ass simultaneously. Free roaming wasnt even available until RE4.
The game mechanics has been refined in multiple magnitudes over the years. Somehow you think the 14 years old control is still adequate.
Tension should be built upon good level design and pacing, not clumsy controls.
Mr Khan @ Feb 2nd 2009 9:05PM
Factor 5 isn't dead. Soon it shall be revealed...
tmacairjordan87 @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:04PM
"I'm really curious as to why you think I'd even care about something so trivial as popularity on this website?"
Because not only do you constantly cry out for attention by making ridiculous and outlandish comments, but you're responding to someone from a much earlier article on a newer one (that has nothing to do with the original article by the way) so more people will see it. You're not fooling anyone, so you should just stop trying IMO.
Nick @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:15PM
If you're a fan of RE 4 (which I am) then you'll probably go out and get RE 5 day one.
I'm tired of people saying RE 4 and RE 5 aren't "true" Resident Evil games. I suppose to be a "true" Resident Evil game you have to have god-awful camera angles and awkward controls. RE 4 and RE 5 stick to not having run-and-gun gameplay mechanics just like the other games did. The big difference in the new RE games is the action is increased significantly. This is the new face of Resident Evil games.
Longhorn4Life @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:18PM
I dont know this game feels like a step back from RE4 except for the graphics (which look the same)
The co-op is nice though
Longhorn4Life @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:12PM
I dont think im going to get this game soon
I mean
(you cant shoot your teammate) = FAIL
and the controls are a bit frustrating unlike RE4
lasersanchez @ Feb 3rd 2009 1:23AM
You know, you can switch to RE4 controls if you really want to.
dude @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:15PM
simple, for me (totally new to RE, downloaded the demo and played until... WTF? MOVE!) now run/shoot = no money. I agree with some of the comments that this may be keeping RE fans happy, but it's likely to keep away a lot more newcomers to the series. RE is a strong brand, backed up by movies (I always considered it one of the exceptions when it comes to movie games -but again I never played RE so not sure if it ever took more than the name).
A shame too, I loved that side-kick chick whatever her name. But it seems to me they're selling a lack of introducing RE-specific feel for horror/suspense as a 'feature' here. I'm sure they can introduce running/shooting and still be unique. It's about storyline, immersion, so many more things. I simply don't accept the argument made here that standing still and shooting is the only way to do that. Oh and it sucks balls btw.
psyCh0i @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:24PM
I played all RE games. PS and GC and PS2. I consider myself a "core RE" fan. AND I M NOT HAPPY about the control X_X
The problem is, until RE4 all previous games didnt need precision aiming and quick response control theme. It worked with the last gen game mechanics. But not anymore. Capcom is putting a wooden biplane control into a 21st jet fighter.
Patrick @ Feb 3rd 2009 2:08AM
Totally new to RE? What are you, like 12?
KinjiroSSD @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:15PM
Rather than adding danger and tension through environment, enemies or gameplay in general, here is an archaic control scheme. Sounds good to me, right RE purists?
jonesy @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:26PM
Is it archaic because you suck at it? I know loads of "zombies" and axe wielding maniacs coming at me from all sides isnt dangerous.
seriously though....you can strafe and quick turn. no, you cant shoot and move at the same time because unlike every other game on the market the main character isnt a god-sent marksman that run down an alley and shoot someone between the eyes. omgzzzzz i want to be master chief and shoot the infected africans
Stranger @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:17PM
Well, somebody should tell that to their marketing director, because he's in an OXM video on the xbox live marketplace right now making that very claim on camera, no less.
Not so much a rumor as the byproduct of a statement made by a misinformed Capcom representative.
Psycho300x @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:17PM
Good, I'm glad capcom isn't listening to stupid suggestions.
Mr. Bubbles @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:18PM
Guess what....if you dont like it, dont play it. hows that sound? This is getting increasingly annoying. People are bitching about a game/series because its not what they want. boo hoo. You dont want it? Dont buy it, also dont cry about it all the time. That number "5" after the title represents that it is the 5th game in a series meaning that is has been a big enough hit to continue. How would all you fanboys feel if they took cover system out of GOW? WOAH big change, cry cry cry.
Capcom is keeping the movement and series the same because it has been successful in the past, and fans of it will continue to buy. There just so happens to be enough people to enjoy this series that it will still sell millions. Please dont just hop into the 4th or 5th game in a series and bitch and try to make the company change aspects that others have enjoyed from the beginning. You dont like this? Go play RE, RE2 or RE3 and see how you feel about it, and see where the game/series is coming from. God, some of you guys are getting me all worked up.
Finn @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:19PM
For those saying that the people complaining about the controls never played RE4, I am here to respectfully disagree. I played RE4 on gamecube, PS2, and then the wii. I've unlocked everything you could in the game, and in fact it was one of my favorite games from that generation (if you can't tell)
But this game just doesn't feel right, if your going to have a game where you have to run away from you enemies and turn around (like this game and RE4) to shoot them you can't have it be a co-op mode with an AI partner that DOESN'T follow you everywhere you go.
I played the demo and ran up to the highest point I could and turned around (as I had done many times in RE4) to shoot my enemies. Within 5 seconds the girl below starts screaming from down below about needing to be saved. RE1-4 (survival horror) RE5 (Action/Shooter) and when they made that switch, they should have updated the control scheme, it's just that simple.
I also read that some people don't want it to seem like every other game out there. But those who have play uncharted, and gears of war know that even if a game has the same controls, they can offer COMPLETELY different experiences.
psyCh0i @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:33PM
Bravo. Someone is finally talking some sense. I played all RE too form PS1 to GC/PS2 (bar Wii), and speaking as a core RE fan I really found the control disappointing.
Can we get use to it? Yes. but it just suck away a big chuck of fun. I m one of those who bite the bullet and finished Lair. RE5 demo has left me with that Lair taste in my mouth. We all know what happened to Lair, and Factor 5 .........
ryan @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:39PM
Lair and Factor 5 again? Different circumstances here. I think it's just a poor demo of a random level setup that hasn't been tested thoroughly (it is a prebuild from 2007 after all).
OPM gave it a 5/5 so I remain optimistic.
psyCh0i @ Feb 2nd 2009 9:14PM
I really really wanted to like RE5, I do. I just cant..... and that has everything to do with its control. I had that feeling with Lair too.
You like the control? Good for u. I know so some folks like Lair's control too.
Penfold @ Feb 2nd 2009 11:22PM
I don't quite get the walk & shoot comparison to GoW anyways. It's not like GoW put walk & shoot on the map. GoW and Uncharted were more about their cover systems than anything.
Anyways, we're not asking for some John Woo action sequences. Any real life city cop can walk, aim & shoot at the same time - why can't Chris Redfield? They should have just taken one of his legs away so we wouldn't be as hung up on it.
And whats up with the zombies running in the cut scenes but then slumbering in gameplay? Meh.
eipxen @ Feb 7th 2009 8:27PM
But running and gunning in real life would drastically reduce your accuracy (generally), right? Even walking is a significant difference from remaining stationary and shooting, where your whole frame is used to keep the gun steady and make adjustments in angle.
I think they could implement moving shooting, but it would (and definitely should) be accompanied by adjustments to accuracy (like in FPSes), which I believe could still allow the tension to build up.
I think for ammo conservation and to reduce reloads it might end up better to plant yourself alot of the time, though I can see it being useful to shoot backing up or something like that.
betteroffded @ Mar 13th 2009 7:38PM
Yeah, if the demo is the same as the final product, my "partner" just pissed me off. If I went too slowly through a doorway, I had to fight the biatch because she was in the way. Know your place, ten paces behind me please.
vgxtremist @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:28PM
I'm not worried about this one bit; I loved RE4 and I'm sure this will thrill me again...besides it's not too hard to position yourself to enemies and such, that was one aspect I enjoyed in RE4. I wonder if the Right Analog with bother me at first...
ryan @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:30PM
Exactly, know why it felt so right? Because they designed the game around that mechanic! If you could run and shoot whenever you want, you'd probably feel you weren't playing the same game. Just another shooter with RE characters.
H0m1c1d4l 1N50mN14c @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:28PM
lol, imagine RSV2 with this shooting system, "to establish a sense of risk and danger while in combat." hahaha -you do that with improved AI and surroundings. This sounds lame, not buying.
FATAL VISI0N @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:29PM
How is this and I quote "propagate unsubstantiated rumors"
When if you watch the video on Live Dashboard w/ an interview with Mike Webster, Dir. of Marketing Capcom,
and I quote him talking about the controls about the new action controls...
Minute 1:33 (video is also on youtube Title: Inside Xbox - The OXM Report - Resident Evil 5)
but I quote
"The main function of that is to allow you to move while your shooting so you dont have to be stationary anymore while aiming and firing." Mike Webster Director of Marketing Capcom
so tell me how we the gamers and online gaming communities, propagated an unsubstantiated rumor, when the Director of Marketing himself did in fact Substatiate and confirm that this was in fact true???
Matt @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:28PM
He should have said "We're too lazy to make the game actually tense and scary, so instead we force archaic controls on the players to artificially make it scary!" Nostalgia and laziness are honestly the only two reasons not to be allowed to move while shooting. I'm not talking full running, but being able to slowly walk around would be nice. Isn't Chris Redfield some badass special ops guy? and you mean to tell me he can't move while firing a pistol?
Levi @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:32PM
"My only problem is when they misrepresent me for their own selfish purposes.
Or make claims about me or my opinions that just aren't true."
Kinda like when you call people like me fanboys when we are not? You've misrepresented others time and time again. The only times you've ever even directly responded to me, you've called me a fanboy, even during responses where I talk about how I almost bought a 360 because I like the system. Making the claim that I'm a Sony fanboy isn't true. It's misrepresenting me for your own selfish purpose of being able to call me (among others) holier-than-thou.
It's a double standard. If you didn't exhibit so many of them, I wouldn't disrespect you so much. Hell, if you cleaned up your BS, maybe we could even have a posotive discussion about how much FFXIII looks so awesome.
Best trailer I've seen is the one that was released on PSN last week. I'm sure you can find it online. It might even be the one they released after the countdown, I dunno cause I didn't watch it. I promised myself I wouldn't watch any more trailers, then I downloaded that one :)
futurebiblehero @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:36PM
Fascinating how RE4 can be almost unanimously considered Game of the Year and now a sequel with a similar control scheme is somehow pure, unmitigated garbage. I love the internet. I'm beginning to develop a theory that all it takes is the "strong opinion" of one alpha nerd on a forum somewhere and suddenly we're all rolling in the big Katamari ball of senseless whining and bitching.
Finn @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:50PM
It's not a terrible game or anything, and the RE4 controls were fine, not for when they came out... that's not what i mean, but they were FINE for the game they made. It was a survival horror game where you had the time to run back, turn, and shoot. Now it's an action game, where you must every so often turn, run, and help out your teamate and after playing the demo, to me, it just doesn't work.
In simple terms, they made everything in the game, other than the controls into an action shooter, which is why it doesn't feel right.
All this being said it is a demo, I have heard it is a lot more fun with a second person, instead of the AI they give you, and if one of my friends buy it, I'll probably play it. It's just a little bit of a disappointment,
TwEE @ Feb 3rd 2009 2:13AM
" I'm beginning to develop a theory that all it takes is the "strong opinion" of one alpha nerd on a forum somewhere and suddenly we're all rolling in the big Katamari ball of senseless whining and bitching."
Whoa, your theory is dead on.
Patrick @ Feb 3rd 2009 2:14AM
@ futurebiblehero
Amen. This whining and bitching is classic.
Moptimus Slime (Leader of the Ryan Scott Defense Force, Ultrastiq Revolutionary) @ Feb 2nd 2009 8:53PM
"My only problem is when they misrepresent me for their own selfish purposes.
Or make claims about me or my opinions that just aren't true."
.......like how you constantly refer to me as a Sony fanboy? Yet again LordGundamXIIIWhogivesaflyingfuck lets her holier-than-thou attitude shine through with even more double standards.
Moptimus Slime (Leader of the Ryan Scott Defense Force, Ultrastiq Revolutionary) @ Feb 2nd 2009 9:07PM
really dude? My comments show that I'm "Pro Sony"? REALLY?!?!?
REALLY?!?!?!?!?
of course, you could've meant Levi.
tmontana213 @ Feb 2nd 2009 9:08PM
Good cuz the slow aiming and not being able to run N' gun add to the suspense of the game.
Moptimus Slime (Leader of the Ryan Scott Defense Force, Ultrastiq Revolutionary) @ Feb 2nd 2009 9:30PM
Im not really pro anything anymore. I've seen to have become more level-headed as of late. As for Pro Sony, I'm sure Tmac can tell you multiple stories where I'd just go and do nothing but troll the PS3 for hours on end. I think what opened my mind was Bethesda's douchebaggery. There is no reason someone should have to pay just to play pass the ending of FallOut 3. And while Im talking about FallOut 3, just let me say this: What the fuck? How could Bethesda fail so hard on testing this game? Whenever I fast travel, I die instantly. So now I've spent the past 4 hours traveling to my next quest. Not to mention I've got 300 different save files. Why you ask? Because Im so paranoid about running into a game breaking bug that I've forgoed the auto save.
Jambi_Bum @ Feb 2nd 2009 9:41PM
If they slowed down the zombies, and took away the huge hammer/chainsaw wielding zombies, then RE5 wouldn't need you to be able to walk and shoot at the same time. I don't want to be able to run and gun. I want walk and shoot. Dead Space did it perfectly. You could run away from the necromorphs in the game if you got over run, but in order to do sufficient damage you either had to walk slowly or stand still. I don't see why RE5 can't do that as well. Being able to walk and shoot wouldn't make the game like Gears. You create tense moments in games by the situations presented in the game. Not by the controls. I had some other things to say, but I lost my train of thought due to this huge headache. So I'm just going to go away.
CrzyNick @ Feb 2nd 2009 9:46PM
Why can't they just give us the OPTION to choose between the two.
Todd H. @ Feb 2nd 2009 9:53PM
The controls feel akward and broken to me, I'll hold off on this one.
Noxat @ Feb 2nd 2009 10:00PM
I'm really tired of seeing the argument that if Capcom adds movement while aiming, the game is suddenly transformed into a run-and-gun style affair. I guess being able to sidestep or back up just a teeny bit while in aim mode suddenly means we're going to be hopping all over the place, shotgun-charging and teabagging zombies Halo-style.
We're not talking about some random dude off the streets that has never fired a weapon before. Isn't Chris supposed to be some trained agent? You're telling me he can't figure out how to adjust his footing and hold his aim at the same time? How does restricting his movements to that of a geriatric simpleton enhance the excitement?
For me, it doesn't. I didn't like it in RE4 and I don't like it now. It just feels like a mediocre game mechanic thrown in to add artificial challenge.
Bob Shalom @ Feb 2nd 2009 10:01PM
I say they should make another action version of the game unlockable where enemys have greater health and you can use run and gun AFTER you beat the game with the current controls. Does anyone else agree? I think it would be a great way to please everyone
Divine @ Feb 2nd 2009 10:11PM
No way would I want to play a Resi game with Run&Gun format & I think most of the people who requested it would hate it if it was actually implemented.
Just played the demo, awesome :)
Sorry, but I don't really like the new blog design.
Dave @ Feb 2nd 2009 10:13PM
That dumbass in the Xbox LIVE video said specifically you can run and shoot at the same time Gears of War style. WHAT THE HELL WAS HE TALKING ABOUT THEN?