Desperate Escape is a forlorn DLC for Resident Evil 5 that you might regret purchasing. While its predecessor, Lost in Nightmares, was a fond revisiting of spooky mansions and puzzle-making, Desperate Escape offers a familiar, straightforward, key, key, bang, bang.
(If you have not completed Resident Evil 5, the following contains spoilers).
Desperate Escape follows what happens to Jill Valentine after Chris and Sheva free her mind. Exhausted, she collapses after Chris and Sheva leave. Keeping with the game's multiplayer spirit, Josh Stone wakes her, says he's going after Sheva, and Jill joins him.
It's difficult not to feel Jill's romp is unnecessary. Essentially, her goal is to tell Chris Wesker's weakness. But there are two problems with that:
- Why not tell Chris when she initially insists he go after Wesker?
- Does her advice really make a difference?
The result is a mission where you kill a lot of guys, get a key, and open a door, so you can kill a lot of guys ... repeat. Think of it as playing a chapter of the game while being bombarded by the amount of guys in Mercenaries. It's a little challenging, mildly entertaining and an extra hour of content. But unless you're desperate for "new" Resident Evil 5 gameplay and achievements, it might not be worth purchasing.
Ideally, Lost in Nightmares would be an apologetic revisiting of what Resident Evil fans love, and Desperate Escape would be a worthwhile story that allowed a glimpse into Resident Evil 6. It would be good marketing, too, by the way. But according to Resident Evil 5’s producer, Masachika Kawata, there might not be another Resident Evil at all. And if there is going to be a Resident Evil 6, it will be 4-8 years away.
Bottom line: Better than Resident Evil 4's Assignment Ada, but you have to pay for it.
Article comments
1 - Ken Edwards
I can answer your questions:
1) It is a video game, that is why she couldn't tell him in that scene. But seriously, it had to match what was in the original game, of course.
2) At that point in the game, yes her advice answered the question of how to actually defeat him.
The expansion was okay, it did not have a boss fight but they threw the kitchen sink at you in the finale before your "desperate escape."
But Lost in Nightmares was MUCH better. Good old school RE1 type game play, not Gears of War meets Resident Evil.
2 - 2dreviews
Oh Ken, I'm so excited! A discussion on video game intent and theory! It's so rare. Thank you for this opportunity.
1) I mean logically. If it was so important, perhaps in her plea to convince him she should have mentioned it. To be fair, she just got back control of her mind after like, 2 years or whatever it was, but, you're right. Script must stay the same
2) I won't deny it "aided" in his defeat, but if he was just going to transform anyway (come now ... you know it's true, that's what the enemy always does in RE) and rocket launcher beats all, then ... really? Is her mission that important?
You're right about the kitchen sink though.
Thanks for the comment!