Metro 2033’s setting is definitely inspired by the region, not just because of its obvious Russian backdrop within the city of Moscow, but also because it takes place after a nuclear apocalypse. The famous streets of the Russian capital have become a desolate wasteland; the air is toxic to breathe and the freezing cold weather ravages anything and anyone in its path. The last remaining survivors have taken shelter in the city’s sprawling underground metro network, using train stations as towns and small mine carts to travel between them. It’s a bleak way of living; the dark, cramped and grimy underground is no place to lead a healthy life and it really hits home when you hear kids talking about the sky as though it’s some kind of supernatural myth that only a few people have ever seen. The only rays of light are the lone guitar player strumming a sombre mix, or the laughter emitting from the make-shift bar as the locals drink their sorrows away. It’s a depressing environment and Metro 2033 does an exceptional job capturing the atmosphere, both in the stations and outside where many dangers lurk beneath the eerie shadows.

Because while this metro life isn’t anything special, at least it’s something. Outside the safety of the stations are numerous mutated creatures, strange anomalies and even Nazis; though it’s the mysterious “Dark Ones” that pose the biggest threat to this underground community. You play as Artyom, a unique person in that he can somehow resist the supernatural powers of this dangerous foe. With the whole metro in danger he’s sent on a mission to warn the others and try to put a stop to this threat. It’s an interesting premise with plenty of intrigue, and as the story begins to unravel you’ll meet a multitude of enjoyable personalities as you venture deeper into the metro and even emerge topside. The pacing is a bit off towards the end, but the story and atmosphere will keep you coming back until you reach the final credits.

Though if you want to get there you’re going to need some heavy weaponry and the relevant equipment. You can only carry one type of each weapon at a time (pistol, automatic and heavy), with the ability to use throwing knives and different types of grenades as well. Your starting weapons are fairly poor, and the opening few hours of the game can lead to some frustrating moments as you deal with the inaccurate and inconsistent shooting. Any sort of long range attacks are futile, and even at close range you’ll find shotguns are pointless, even against other human opponents. It can take four or five shots from point blank range to down certain enemies, while at other times it will only take one or two. It’s too inconsistent to be of any fun and I found myself using the revolver more than anything. Some will find it a refreshing change of pace since you’d imagine these old weapons would be rather worn down and unwieldy, but it can negate the gameplay at times and turn off any newcomers.

However, if you stick with it things eventually improve as you find and buy more improved weaponry. The shotguns remain poor throughout, but getting your hands on some powerful assault rifles opens up the gunplay and it’s much more enjoyable as a result. Most of the weapons will still feel a tad inaccurate, even with scopes, but it really makes you plan each conflict, especially when you need to make each shot count due to the sparsity of ammo available. Metro 2033 presents an interesting dynamic with its in-game currency, using actual bullets as money. You’ll find a range of worn-down, homemade bullets throughout the game, but it’s the shiny, military-grade equipment that’s worth the big bucks. You can choose to use your top quality bullets in any of the game’s towns to buy more low quality bullets and even new weapons. But if you want you can even use these bullets to deal out some extra damage. It provides some unique dilemmas as you debate whether you want to risk using your currency as a means to deal out extra damage or save it to buy more low quality ammo in bulk. The only problem with this system, and Metro 2033 in general, is that it doesn’t really explain the mechanics. The shop menus are confusing with all the different types of low and high quality ammo, and it’s never really explained that you can use both types in your current firearms. It could have done with some extra tutorials and explanation.

Of course, if you do find yourself outnumbered and outgunned with little ammo to spare, you can take the stealth route. It’s not a necessity, but Metro 2033 certainly provides the means to be quiet, with silent throwing knives, silenced weapons and the ability to turn off light sources and lurk in the shadows. When done right it can be extremely satisfying as you silently take out guys unbeknownst to their friends in the next room. However, more often than not the stealth mechanics are a lot like the shooting: inconsistent. At one moment missing with a throwing knife will go unnoticed, while at another time it will alert every enemy in the area. It’s tough to pull off stealth when one mistake will alert every guard to your position, even if only one enemy saw you for a split second before dying. There’s no general area for them to search, they just know where you are and there’s no way of hiding again.

Visually, Metro 2033 is impressive for the most part. The use of dynamic shadowing and lighting looks fantastic in the gloomy tunnels of the metro, and it really complements the frightening atmosphere achieved with the mixture of supernatural, survival horror effects and howling sound design. Topside, things aren’t as impressive with some poor, low-res snow and ice textures. While the character models, particularly in the faces, are substandard with awkward animation and lifeless eyes. Some of the best moments come from your time spent using gas masks, whether it’s on the toxic surface of Moscow or trudging through a radiated tunnel. The frantic breathing of Artyom, mixed with the steaming up of the mask, and even the crackle of the glass after an intense battle is fantastic and really adds to the tension as you begin to run out of clean air. The use of air filters never really plays into the gameplay if you loot enough, but the effect really adds to the game’s terrific atmosphere.

And it’s this atmosphere that makes Metro 2033 worth experiencing. The metro tunnels might not have the art deco of Rapture or the vast, desolate wastes of the Capital Wasteland, but the underground world 4A Games have created is truly spectacular in its bleak outlook and frightening circumstances. Its mix of survival horror and an intriguing narrative will propel you on, it’s just a shame the shooting and stealth mechanics aren’t always on the same level. There’s no doubt the gunplay improves later on in the game, but a frustrating moment is never far off as you deal with weapon inaccuracy and annoying bullet sponges where there should be none. It’s certainly an impressive debut title and one of the best games to come out of the Eastern Bloc, but its basic mechanics could have done with some extra polish.

Having written multiple bestselling novels, Alan Wake has spent the last two years suffering through a severe case of writer’s block. With his mind stumped for ideas, he and his wife Alice head to the idyllic, small logging town of Bright Falls, Washington in America’s Pacific Northwest. After setting up their cabin, things take a turn for the worse and Wake finds himself waking up after a car crash, with no recollection of how he got there. He’s missing a week of his life, Alice has mysteriously gone missing and members of the town have turned into axe wielding maniacs, controlled by a malevolent darkness intent on stopping Wake and his efforts to find Alice. It’s an interesting premise, with the narrative building and building towards its conclusion, introducing many engrossing scenarios, enjoyable characters and clever plot twists. The writing is fairly strong throughout, with Wake narrating, via inner monologue, in a similar style to any number of psychological horror novels. At times it can border on the realms of parody, but it’s so self aware, even referencing Stephen King, or Jack Nicholson in The Shining, that it never goes over the edge.

The twists and turns will keep you engaged, but the narrative is extensively complemented by intelligent and anomalous storytelling. Episodic gaming is certainly nothing new, but it’s rarely contained within a single game. Alan Wake is set up like any serialized TV show, with six self-contained episodes within the games overarching narrative. This presents short, one to two hour tales that escalate in excitement before the inevitable, shock-inducing, cliff-hanger ending. You can easily play these episodes one at a time, but after each cliff-hanger it’s hard to put it down; you just want to keep playing to find out what happens next. It’s extremely effective and the fantastic pacing and flow allows for plenty of pay-off and action in each episode, much like a gripping TV show.

Throughout your adventure you’ll also find hidden manuscript pages. They’re written by Wake, though he has no memory of ever writing them, and over time the words begin to come true, integrating into the narrative. Collecting them isn’t compulsory but you’ll want to seek out each one since they help pad-out the story and sometimes provide a different perspective on events. It might seem like an odd choice to reveal what’s going to happen before it does, but it works well, adding tension before the situation is brought to life, exemplifying the role these manuscripts have on the fiction. Disappointingly, however, the writing is a little uneven here, encompassing many clichés and over-exuberant metaphors – whether purposeful or not. You must also read each one in the pause menu despite Wake’s inner monologue. It breaks up the flow of the action when they could have easily been read in conjunction with the gameplay.

While there’s a degree of downtime for exposition, Alan Wake is still, primarily, a third-person action adventure. Wake moves with a fantastic sense of weight that gives a real, satisfying feeling to the movement. Jumping can be a tad iffy, though there isn’t a great deal of it to be done, with a small amount of environmental puzzles here and there. For the most part you’ll be exploring the dark, foreboding forests and abandoned structures of Bright Falls. At night, the forest truly comes to life with some phenomenal lighting and weather effects, creating deservedly eerie shadows. The sense of atmosphere is almost unparalleled, with the density of growth moving with the howling wind as an oppressive fog lurks above the ground, composing a genuinely nightmarish landscape within the game’s sublime attention to detail and authenticity. Bright Falls looks and feels like a real, living, breathing town, and that makes it all the more frightening. Alan Wake doesn’t go for cheap, jump thrills; it’s the sense of dread and apprehension of what’s to come that gets the heartbeat pumping. Your enemies are created from the shadows, able to attack from any angle provided there’s no light source to stop them.

Because light isn’t just a guide to the next safe haven, it’s also your most reliable weapon against the darkness and the transformed townsfolk known as ‘The Taken’. Wake always carries a flashlight with him, and mixed with the more conventional weaponry, they form a potent combination. To kill your foes you’ll need to drain the darkness from them by focusing your flashlight beam on their bleak figures. Once the darkness has gone they’re susceptible to damage from your arsenal of weaponry, whether it’s a revolver, double-barrelled shotgun, pump-action shotgun or hunter’s rifle. It’s an enjoyable mechanic, utilising the light before going in for the kill, separating it from other third-person shooters, however minimally. And while the movement feels very weighty, the shooting is precise and intuitive. The beam from your flashlight is clear to see and the bullets follow its path allowing for some accurate shots.

However, Alan Wake isn’t like a Silent Hill – putting you up against one or two enemies at a time – but goes much further, and you really have to manage the crowd. Because of the darkness, your enemies appear from everywhere and you really have to watch your back. There’s a useful dodge move, complete with stylish use of some cinematic slow-motion. But to successfully survive you’ll need to exercise other light sources. The flashlight is highly effective at draining the darkness and knocking enemies back, but when you find yourself surrounded, flares, a flare gun and flashbangs prove immensely useful. Flares might not be able to drain the darkness in an acceptable amount of time, but using them will propel enemies back, away from its light, allowing ample time to reload and plan the next assault. Flare guns, on the other hand, are Alan Wake’s equivalent to a rocket launcher, able to destroy multiple enemies at once, much like the flashbangs and the frag-like effect they have on ‘The Taken’. Combat inAlan Wake is an immense juggling act between these different methods of destruction. ‘The Taken’ attack in droves so you really need to use every tool in your arsenal to survive, particularly on the higher difficulties. It’s clear Remedy learned a lot when developing Max Payne, and they’ve applied their methods here to create an extremely gratifying shooter.

Sadly, it does run out of steam before the ten hour story comes to a close. The combat is enjoyable, but Alan Wake is a one-trick pony, so repetition eventually sets in. Combat is strong enough to stand up on its own, particularly when you factor in some of the sublime set-pieces, but it would have been nice to see a little more variety to proceedings besides from the few short puzzles. It certainly doesn’t help that the enemies are severely lacking in any sort of variety. You’ll spend the entire game fighting the same five enemy types, both in look and attack patterns. There are a few poltergeist moments as the darkness manifests itself in inanimate objects, but these moments are more about avoiding attacks than fighting back.

It’s also awfully linear. Your next objective is clearly marked on the mini-map and the path there is essentially a straight line, more often than not. It’s a drastic departure from the open-world game we thought Alan Wake would be, and while the linear path helps the narrative, it would have been nice to see a bigger emphasis on exploration. You get a sense of its previous scale in some of the short driving sections, but otherwiseAlan Wake is a linear journey. If you do veer from the obvious path, there are some collectibles to find, however. Besides the manuscript pages, you can also find things like coffee thermoses and crates of supplies. They’re not particularly exciting, and definitely not worth coming back for on multiple playthroughs, unless you crave the Achievements. However, there are some worthy Easter eggs to find, and a brilliant, in-game, Twilight Zone-style TV show called Night Springs. You’re supposed to be saving a friend from grave danger, or running from the darkness, but find yourself transfixed by this delightful little TV show. It’s a masterful inclusion, and along with the local radio station, augments the game’s already superb atmosphere.

It’s a shame that same atmosphere suffers during the day. While the night sections are decidedly impressive, the visuals take a pounding once the sun comes up. There’s no doubt the draw distance is amazing, but shadows are extremely jaggy and low-res, along with the textures, and there’s a degree of pop-up during driving sections. At night it gets substantially better, though there are some problems with screen tearing, and certain shadows still look poor. Animation also looks odd and is downright terrible on faces, especially the lip syncing, so it does take some shine off of the presentation. However, whoever compiled the soundtrack deserves a medal. David Bowie, Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash, anyone?

Remedy said they spent so long developingAlan Wake because they wanted it to be as perfect as possible. While it may not reach the realms of perfection, it’s still a stunning title that’s almost worth the long wait. The Finnish developers have built a believable universe surrounded by a strong narrative, impressive storytelling techniques and enjoyable combat with a unique twist. It has its flaws with repetition, linearity and some poor presentational issues, but this is a world ripe for a sequel to improve upon every single aspect. It might take another five years, but you can guarantee it will probably be worth it.

The story certainly strays wide of any substance, though it’s admirable enough to keep you interested throughout. Told via three distinct methods – CGI, in-game and animated cutscenes – Dante’s Inferno tells the story of Dante and his journey through Hell to rescue Beatrice, the love of his life. She made a dumbfounded wager with the Devil that if Dante remained faithful to her he would return home from the Third Crusade unharmed. Of course, it’s never a good idea to deal with the Devil and Dante eventually succumbs to temptation, unknowingly condemning Beatrice to the underworld for all eternity. It’s certainly an interesting premise, and while the small cast of characters are fairly bland, the use of CGI and animation to tell the story is impressive and serviceable enough to complement the gameplay and provide a good enough reason for venturing through the Nine Circles of Hell.

Of course it’s within those Circles that the bulk of the action takes place. Dante’s Inferno is, to put it lightly, a God of War copycat. From the use of light and heavy attacks, the fixed camera angles; the way you open doors, health and magic viles; the crate and lever puzzles and the QTEs to finish off enemies. The list could go on and on but I think you get the point. Sure, it’s derivative, but that doesn’t stop it being fun. Armed with Death’s own scythe and a Holy Cross, Dante’s certainly equipped to deal with any of Hell’s deadly minions. Combat starts out fairly basic with the scythe used for light and heavy combo attacks, and the Holy Cross as a useful ranged weapon, but eventually you’ll kill enough enemies to earn souls and upgrade both pieces of equipment to add an element of depth and variety to proceedings.

It’s here that Dante’s Inferno adopts some originality with holy and unholy upgrade trees. Whenever you grab an enemy for a brutal finishing move you can decide to either punish or absolve them, earning unholy or holy souls. These souls will open up more and more powerful abilities for you to buy for the scythe (unholy) and Holy Cross (holy) so choosing whether to punish or absolve an enemy carries a degree of strategy depending on what area you want to improve upon. As you reach the higher levels you’ll be able to purchase and utilise a variety of devastating moves for your two weapons and magic attacks, so there’s a lot of freedom to the combat allowing you to pick and choose which moves suit you. Combine this with different augmentations that give bonuses to particular areas and Dante’s Inferno has a case for stating its own identity.

It’s still very much derived from the God of War franchise with familiar and unoriginal combat; however, combining all of the light and heavy attacks with the Holy Cross and magic is wholly satisfying and stops combat from ever seeping into repetition. Plus, Dante’s Inferno has a unique setting and character designs going for it as well. Your descent into Hell will be a frightening one as you pass through each of the Nine Circles: limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery. It’d be easy to fill each Circle with rivers of lava and molten rock, but Dante’s Inferno goes for a much more gruesome look, spectacularly earning its mature rating. Death is all around, whether it’s the terrified screams of lost souls falling from above, or even the architecture itself; often moulded from the limbs and vital organs of the deceased. Everything about it signifies our worst nightmares, and as you venture deeper and deeper the environments will begin to represent each stage of the Nine Circles. Lust is full of phallic shaped towers and other such imagery, while gluttony sees you travel through the fleshy innards of a giant creature, eventually appearing out of its mouth. Even the enemy designs follow a similar pattern, with the controversial unbaptised babies waiting in limbo and bulbous, vile creatures eating anything that moves in gluttony. They’re fantastically grotesque and a joy to rip apart with your scythe.

Sadly these brilliant designs don’t far outstretch the first three Circles. While everything at the beginning of the game is new and exciting, enemies are eventually rehashed in each subsequent Circle. The only new enemy types you have to look forward to are mages and a couple of the other enemies re-branded, and it doesn’t make much sense that creatures seemingly specific to gluttony will appear in violence later on. It’s a shame because the few enemies you are introduced to are great, but you end up fighting them throughout the majority of Dante’s Inferno’s seven hour playtime. Even the level design carries a similar fate. There are a few standout moments past the first three Circles, but that initial grandiose scale is lost as you’re shuffled from room to room, forced to fight respawning enemies till the exit door opens. The only thing in-between these rooms are simple crate and lever puzzles and some light platforming. The sense of exploration and awe from your first few hours in Hell eventually fade away as the level design turns to tedium, culminating in fraud (the 8th Circle) where you’re forced into ten identical challenge rooms before you can face off against the last boss. They’re monotonous, frustrating and disrupt any excitement that could have been built before the grand finale; ultimately reeking of lazy level design.

Dante’s Inferno starts off big, consistently introducing new enemy types and grand environments, but by the end of the game that initial excitement turns to repetition as you fight through wave after wave of the same enemy type in increasingly familiar territory. The core gameplay is enjoyable enough to keep it interesting and fun throughout, with myriad upgrades and a unique punish and absorb mechanic to sink your teeth into, so it’s a shame the rest of the game couldn’t keep the momentum going. It might not be original but if you’ve never owned a Sony system before, Dante’s Inferno is an enjoyable alternative to Kratos’ Greek adventures, though the rest of us may want to wait until March.

You take on the role of Isaac Clarke, an engineer sent out with his crew to answer a distress call from the massive deep space mining ship, the USG Ishimura. They think they’re being sent to fix a routine mechanical failure, but it’s never that simple. Upon arriving they find the crew dead with the majority turned into alien life forms known as Necromorphs. Dead Space takes a lot of influences from classic horror movies such as John Carpenter’s The Thing, Event Horizon andAlien, and this is none more obvious than with the Necromorphs. They still maintain some of their human features, but they’re vile creatures that manage to get even more grotesque as the game goes on. The designs are outlandish and highly inventive which just makes it a lot more enjoyable to blow them up. They come in all shapes and sizes and you’ll need to adapt different strategies to defeat each one. It manages to keep you on your toes as you never know what kind of foe you’ll be dealing with next.

The Necromorphs are also a lot harder to kill than your average enemy. They cannot be killed by conventional methods, so headshots are out of the question; instead you’ll need to resort to using Strategic Dismemberment. This is the process of incapacitating enemies by shooting off their limbs or alien tentacles. Each enemy has a different area to attack so you’ll need to differentiate your methods for each fight. The starting enemies can be taken down by shooting off their legs to drop them to the floor, and then finishing them off from there; whilst others will require a lot more thought, but I won’t spoil that here.

Strategic Dismemberment is what separates Dead Space from other shooters and gives it an identity of its own. It’s an excellent gameplay mechanic that changes the way you’re used to playing, especially in regards to the usual headshot dynamic we’ve become accustomed to over the years with survival horrors.

Of course it’s difficult for Isaac to get his hands on conventional weaponry anyway. Being an engineer as part of a deep space mining operation he has access to many powerful mining tools; these can cut through solid rock, so using them on flesh would be the logical thing to do. There are plenty to chose from, each coming with a secondary fire option. You’ll spend most of your time with the default weapon, but it’s perhaps the most effective. The secondary fire lets you switch between vertical and horizontal shooting, and using the two is essential for most of the enemies.

To pack a much bigger punch you can also upgrade your weapons at one of the many work bench’s spread around the Ishimura. You’ll find power nodes around the ship and then the work bench lets you apply it to different categories such as damage, capacity and reload speed. You can also upgrade your suit and stasis and kinesis modules. Stasis lets you slowdown objects and enemies for a short amount of time, proving handy when dealing with foes or environmental puzzles and kinesis is very similar, allowing you to pick up objects instead.

You’ll want to upgrade your suit to take less damage, but also to give Isaac more air time. There are many points in Dead Space where you’ll need to venture out onto the hull of the ship, giving Isaac a short amount of time before he suffocates. These section speed up the game, and can get pretty frantic when dealing with enemies and floating debris, although it doesn’t quite compare to the excellent zero gravity sections. Here you’ll need to jump around the environment to reach your goal, whilst the Necromorph will also float after you. It shakes the usual gameplay up a bit, and it’s amazing to look at. You’ll see drops of blood floating in the atmosphere along with decapitated heads and other human limbs. Just trying to figure out a path up along the ceiling and walls is a puzzle within itself.

Dead Space is a stunning game to look at, the lighting and shadow effects are phenomenal, adding to the creepy and tense atmosphere aboard the ship. There are some aliasing issues with shadows on Isaac’s suit, but it’s not noticeable enough to detract from the experience, and the rest of the ship is superbly lit with ominous shadows that will keep you guessing what’s up ahead. Some sections of the Ishimura – especially those with views out into space – are simply awe inspiring, and it really catches that sense of claustrophobia even though it‘s huge.Dead Space may not get the recognition it deserves because of the vast amount of top quality games being released at the moment, but it’s definitely one of the best looking games ever seen.

Saying that, the audio manages to surpass even the stunning visuals. Necromorphs will move around the ship via vents and the sound does a brilliant job of freaking you out as you hear them rustling all around, never knowing where they’re going to pop out; they’re shrieking cries adding to the freight. However, the stand out moments comes when you’re outside the ship, as sound becomes muffled as if you were under water. Isaac’s yells echo within his suit, and enemies are almost inaudible. It adds a new dimension as you can barely hear what’s around you until it’s right behind you ready to rip its claws into your back; now we know what Alien was on about.

Put simply, Dead Space has production values out of this world. Everything comes together to create a cohesive experience that can match up to any of the best survival horrors of recent years.

It does, however, have its bad points. They’re few and far between, but they are there. One of the main gripes is with the amount of backtracking you’re forced to do. It makes sense in the context of the story, but with a ship as big as the Ishimura you would expect to visit brand new locations on every mission. It doesn’t hinder the experience too much, especially when there’s a handy navigation tool to help you out, but it can get a little tiresome. And the same can be said for the combat. It’s a great system, but after a while it does get a little repetitive. New enemies keep things fresh but there aren’t too many of those either. But of course it is the beginning of a new franchise, so we can expect more and more of this universe to be explored in the future.

And Dead Space isn’t a bad way to start a new IP. It creates a creepy, disturbing atmosphere that is often unnerving, and combines that with a deep and engaging combat system that is simply one of a kind. Dead Space may have floated under your radar, but it should be in plain sight by now; it’s one of the best survival horrors in years and looks set to become a prominent figure in video gaming in the years to come.

“Lost in Nightmares” is the first of two new pieces of downloadable content to be released for Resident Evil 5. It adds a new chapter to the game which will take the player around an hour to complete. Logistics aside, the enjoyment of the new content depends solely on the player’s level of immersion in the Resident Evil universe. If you love the story behind Resident Evil, then you’ll most likely enjoy it. However, if the Resident Evil back-story holds little interest to you, then this content does not offer enough to be worth your money.  Don’t expect more of the same, as this new chapter in the ever-expanding world of Resident Evil brings a few new game mechanics to the table in comparison to RE5, due to its “retro” nature.  Describing these new mechanics will force me to give away some of the events that take place, so be warned that the following may be considered a spoiler.

“Lost in Nightmares” covers an event which precedes the main story of Resident Evil 5. During the man campaign, Chris has a flashback of a mission he previously undertook with his former S.T.A.R.S partner Jill Valentine. The two have teamed up again to hunt down the man responsible for the creation of the Umbrella Corporation, Oswell E. Spencer. During the main game, small portions of this aforementioned mission are shown via cut scene flashbacks.  The scenes show Chris and Jill, sporting attire reminiscent of their clothing in the series’ original outing, infiltrating a mansion.  Sound familiar to anyone? This content is meant to bring back some of the classic Resident Evil style and moments.  The mansion is reminiscent of the mansion from Resident Evil 1 while the mode reintroduces several game mechanics from the original entry. Some of the original (and unforgettable) score has been amped up to today’s sonic quality and reused, which adds to the overall atmosphere of the game.  The gameplay is mostly puzzle and adventure based, forcing players to start with little equipment and relying only on items found within the mansion (unlike other modes in RE5, equipment doesn’t transfer over).

The recreated Resident Evil 1 mansion

Unfortunately, the thrilling experience provided by RE1 is not recreated. These mechanics were groundbreaking in the older games, but over the last decade the franchise and it’s core mechanics have evolved.  After spending time playing RE5, players have become accustom to the action the game delves out in spades.  But this content strips all of that away, leaving the player to complete mundane and trivial tasks in order to move deeper into the mansion.  These “puzzles” are very easy, requiring the player to merely look in several corridors for passwords and a crank. Some new information is presented about Oswell E. Spencer’s whereabouts over the last few years, but is doesn’t really provide a wealth of new information to overlook the shortcomings of the gameplay.

The next section of the game introduces you to a new enemy type, The Guardian of Insanity. As the name suggests, these enemies require a lot of ammunition to kill. Unfortunately, the lack of available equipment and items makes the task more frustrating than need be. This was a design decision made by the developers to recreate certain survival aspects from previous entries in the franchise. But, once again, this mechanic doesn’t transfer well to this new section of the game. RE5 is different from the other entries in the franchise as the survival elements are less profound. If you strip the player of the equipment needed to initiate this action it disturbs the delicate gameplay balance achieved in RE5.  Unlike the zombies of the original mansion, the enemies in this mansion are much larger and more difficult to defeat and the player simply doesn’t have the necessary arsenal to adequately deal with such difficult foes.

Only a couple of shots?! Oh common!

The biggest problem with “Lost in Nightmares” is the archaic mechanics. Capcom managed to recreate a nostalgic atmosphere from RE1, but at the same time, disrupted the core enjoyment derived from RE5′s combat.  Poor puzzles and unbalanced survival elements are inferior replacements for the suspenseful and thrilling components in RE5.  Completing the new chapter felt more like a chore than anything else. Therefore, this piece of DLC cannot be recommended to anyone besides fervent fans of the Resident Evil series.

Written by Casey Corrigan, Edited by Doug Buffone