The newest batch of Resident Evil 5 DLC was just released this past Thursday for PSN and Tuesday for XBL. This time around, you play as Josh Stone and Jill Valentine after her liberation from Wesker’s grasp at the hands of Chris and Sheva. It details their escape from the harbor area and shows their epic battle against the countless number of Majini.
But does this DLC have enough content to satisfy fans of the series? Lets take a look at the HOTs and NOTs of this DLC.
HOT
Fillls In Story Gap
Desperate Escape does a good job of answering a major story hole left in the game. Ever wonder what happened to Jill after she was freed from Wesker? And how did she end up in a helicopter with Josh at the end of the game? This DLC details their struggle for survival every step of the way. And the entire trip is intense.
New Characters
Along with the purchase of Desperate Escape comes two new characters for Mercenaries mode, Rebecca Chambers and Josh Stone. Each comes with their own loadout and unique move sets. Josh’s revolve around wrestling type moves such as piledrivers and elbow drops, while Rebecca’s involve flamethrowers from a spray can and pepper spray. Both are enjoyable to play as and bring their own unique feel to the table.
Addition to Trophy Count And Achievement Points
For any Trophy/Achievement hunter, this is good news. The addition of more things to nab for bragging rights give the game more depth and substance as well as a reason for replayability. There are 5 new ones to grab and aside from beating it on Professional, they can be easy to obtain.
NOT
Length
Desperate Escape is not long by any means. Expect to blow through it in about 45 minutes, although it feels alot longer. Luckily the replay value and Mercenaries mode offset this to give it more substance.
Purchasing Extra Costumes?
This is a problem when it comes to this DLC. Released alongside Desperate Escape was a costume pack for Chris and Sheva that was priced at $1.99. Why not put this into the Desperate Escape package instead of making us buy it separate out of our wallets? In a time where its a luxury to be able to get a nice game once in a while it would also be nice if we didn’t have to be squeezed out of every last dollar to have all the content for the games we love. It seems to be a rip off to make us shell out extra cash for two costumes that they could have easily put into the main package.
VERDICT
In all, Desperate Escape is a nice little chunk of DLC that does a good job of filling in a story gap with intense action and lots of replay value. Although it’s a bit short, this is offset by the amazing Mercenaries Reunion Mode and the two extra characters it brings to the fray. This is a recommended download for anyone looking to add some more play time to their copy of Resident Evil 5. And if you don’t already own it, you should definitly consider purchasing the Gold Edition of the game coming out this month which will have both Lost in Nightmares and Desperate Escape, as well as both costume sets and the main game.
[Editor’s Note: Resident Evil 5: Desperate Escape was reviewed on a Xbox 360 platform. The DLC was provided to us by the publisher]
