Actually, in terms of what the game's really trying to communicate, there isn't much to say beyond "hey, hey, SHOOT EVERYTHING". What is of note, however, is the setting of Africa.
Accusations have been flung that the game is depicts largely uncomfortable images to the American public on the basis of the game being set in a "not-Africa" country.
I'm here to assert those accusations are entirely correct.
Were I to keep it brief, I could point to the fact that most of the monsters you shoot have been changed from outright dark skinned Somalians to a mix of Iranians and Quasi-Asian characters. Sure you still get the occasional jet black character, but for the most part your opposition has been bleached. Capcom was attempting to avoid something, there's obviously some basis to this argument.
Being that our game buying and playing public has never heard of PC games before (as they are dead you see, the tombstone reads somewhere around 2004), nobody remembers the game Delta Force Black Hawk Down. Based on the movie/operation of the same name, you played as Sgt. Joe Shmoe as he goes in to kill everyone in Africa in his quest to bring one single really evil African (you know so as he wears glasses, the heathen) to justice... lead justice. The game was fun and very much ahead of it's time, jingoistic worldview aside, as it played like a combination of Medal of Honor and Call of Duty 4 before such a game existed.
As you meandered about the African countryside killing rebels- I assume, as your only motivation to kill everyone is that the government dictates so- you'd inevitably end up blasting your way through countless shantytowns and villages. What's surprising, however, is that the game faithfully rendered women and children in these villages as well. Not only would they run away from you, they'd even insult and chuck rocks at you.
Fitting then, that your only interaction with them was violence. Not only could you shoot them, they could be killed without mercy or penalty.
Why am I talking about this game within the context of RE5? Well, both have a section where you need to dodge alligators so my digression isn't completely lost. Above that, however, is that RE5 lets you perform the same actions and actively encourages you to slaughter that ever present "other".
Let's take a typical boneheads defensive post about the game FROM THE INTERNET. It's scary I know, don't worry, I'll hold you. These are all from the same fellow and his responses to another person who thinks like myself:
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To be honest, I don't care. You know why? You are always gonna offend someone, if you mean to or not.
I really don't think painting attrocities happening in a war torn african country is that hurtful, seeing as, you know, a lot of attrocities actually DO happen in africa, so it's not exactly an unrealistic liberty they are taking to show attrocities in a civil war torn land.
Uh.....what?
I've seen footage of africans beating their own people before, and of all sorts of violence...
Yes images of black people being violent were used as racist propaganda back in the day, but just because something depicts black violence does NOT mean it is evoking that spirit.
Maybe it tells you something about the people who draw the parelles between racist artwork and this, than the people who just see it as a violent scene without noticing race?
It's interesting how the ones shouting racism seemed to notice the race of the violent people, whereas most took it what it was: a violent scene in a war torn country. I know which of those two groups sounds like the real racists to me.
--------------------------------------------------------------------Blah blah blah his boring point goes on and on. Now, before we discuss how he's a hood short of attending a Klan rally, let's debunk the counter arguement many players will have: Resident Evil 4.
RE4 had you visit, as the sexy white man you were, a completely fictionalized version of Spain where peasant farmers still exist. Obviously the were infected with the monster virus and you need to kill everyone. One person on the web even put forward a very interesting argument that you were taking part in the Spanish Inquisition as all the bosses/royalty characters lived in luxury with exotic torture chambers while the pesants toiled the fields. I'm not one to argue with that assesment. The fact you explore villages, castles, dungeons, and caves only supports it further.
Thing is, however, every monster you fight genuinely looks like something inhuman. Case in point:
http://www.gamethink.net/IMG/jpg/re4_ps2_2005_villagers_attacking.jpg
They speak pig-latin Spanish, sure, but from that blurry image you can see they're set up completely inhuman.
Now, let's look at RE5:
http://theblacksentinel.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/resident-evil-5-20070726113937477.jpg
A bit more realistic but, hey, it is Africa. I can dig it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj7pOOFcK5w&feature=related
Skip to around the 50 second mark, notice how they try to dodge a bullet by making the "kidnapper" character paler.
Nice try Capcom, you're not fooling anyone.
See this wouldn't be a big deal if the blonde girl was an established character. Problem is, what you see here is all that you see of that girl. She is set up to merely scream, be raped, and then quickly killed off. Why was she necessary? In Resident Evil 4 you could argue that Ashley provided a similar role, but her purpose was a game mechanic as well. You had to protect her lest you wanted your game to end. Here, we see a white, blonde woman in the middle of a quarintined African warzone. There is absolutely no justification, plotwise, why she should be here.
If you wanted my take on it though, which you're going to get since you're reading this, it's to play on white boy fears.
Now, another good counterpoint would be the recent Far Cry 2 game. You play a whitey in that, why is that suddenly ok?
Simple, all the enemies are as well armed as you are. In RE5, they're lucky to find enough pots and pans to toss at you. You could also argue that in FC2, Africans are being forced to kill one another and you by other Africans. RE5, on the other hand, very plainly sets up a collection of white villians manipulating the lives of Africans.
We also can't forget that the African female lead has a collection of Alternative outfits, once of which is her naked barring a rag and warpaint. Meanwhile the white male gets a whole safari outfit.
I could also point out the fact that one of the bonus multiplayer modes has you killing the infected Africans with a partner, trying to score more kills than the pairs in the level. Keep in mind, of course, that the female lead is the only other African character you can play as.
Speaking from a gameplay angle, it's fine and a fun concept. Video games are different from a boardgame or math equation though due to that external layer of graphics and sound however. Taking those rules within the context of setting, well...
They also resort to spear chucking enemies, can't forget that.
Of course, my concern about such things is because I'm entirely a racist of course. Yes, indeed.
Anyways, review of the actual gameplay is forthcoming. If you want a bite sized snipped you can take this to heard: A fun game exists beneath all the tangental bullshit mechanics they ruin it with.
Imagine having to play a Left 4 Dead map for 15 hours. Now imagine you had to do it with only 2 people and one of them was a bot. Now imagine if you and this bot had to share ammo.
Edit: Just have to add part of this other internet writing on the game. It's about the spear tossing zombies. Italics mine.
"I didn't think the game was racist at all. It's just based in a different country. The people who are all dressed like ancient tribal africans are just meant to have gone mental and reverted to some primal instincts or something, there was a diary about it in the game somewhere. Other than that, what the fuck is meant to be racist in the game?"
So wait... ancient Africans operated on primal instincts alone... oh dear.
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