If you've checked out the recently released demo for Resident Evil 5, you've probably encountered the charming gentleman featured in the screenshot above.  You've also probably died horribly because the controls are a bit wonky, and seem, well, old school, to put it nicely.  (For that matter, what's with not being able to skip cut scenes?  That seems so 2003.)  Friend, you are not alone, just ask the MTV Multiplayer Blog.

Capcom only went halfway with “RE5″’s new controls. You can run and “look” simultaneously, but not run and shoot (”Dead Space” did not make this mistake.” In “RE5,” you still need to stop, line up a shot, holster the gun and run away. Even though the enemies in the “RE5″ demo are slow moving, they come in great numbers and often sneak up behind you. The inability to run ‘n gun combined with a too-close camera that obscures enemies not right in front of you makes “RE5″ unnecessarily frustrating at times.

After playing Gears of War 2, Left 4 Dead, and other highly polished, well tuned games, the control scheme of RE5 does leave much to be desired.  One could argue that the odd controls add to the tension and sense of unease in the game, though.  I hate to say it, but playing the demo moved this from "must buy" to "maybe on sale" for me.  What say you, reader?  What are your thoughts on the RE5 control scheme?

Read The Full Article: Resident Evil 5 Controls Freak People Out

I downloaded the demo, but still haven't tried it. I imagine this will be a quick pickup for me, given my past love of the RE series and my excitement over coop in it.

In general, with RE's controls, the having to stop and shoot thing never bothered me (and I've gone back and replayed a couple of them within the last year or so). Once i get used to it, I accept it as one of the mechanics of the game.

See - the only problem I have here is - the controls can be set up exactly as Resident Evil 4 was...and people seemed to like that okay. Yea, they're clunky, but they worked for 4, and this time you're expected to have a buddy cover your back.

I dunno, this will be an interesting controversy...but I'm still interested, and that was my 2 cents on the subject.

The controls do add to the tension, in that you must be very deliberate with your actions and limited resources to survive, but at the same time they can feel clunky and almost intentionally difficult. The demo, which should make me want more (e.g. Bioshock/Crackdown demos, which I played repeatedly) seems not worth the effort. Unskippable cutscene, struggle to gain bearings, die from attackers behind you, repeat unskippable cutscene, die...play something else). Hopefully it is just a bad demo and not representative of how the entire game gets you up to speed with the controls. The game does look great, and I want it to be good, given the great co-op potential.

For the record, I didn't like the RE4 control scheme either (until the Wii port), so this could be just a bad scheme for my limited gaming skills.

Had a lot of fun with the demo. I tried it out in coop with my brother, and we were able to beat both levels with little effort. No complaints against the controls either, so we'll both be picking up copies on launch.

Also you can skip the cut scenes by pressing the Back Button in the 360 demo, and if you're in coop you both have to press it to skip them.

I find it silly that people are actually getting upset about the control scheme. Resident Evil has always been a survival horror game. They took a big risk with RE4 and it worked out wonderfully. If it hadn't been for Dead Space or any those other games, people would consider the controls would be fine. It's how Resident Evil has always been played. Run. Stop. Shoot. The game is awesome and I can't wait for it to come out.

First of all, i'm not sure what you guys mean by not being able to skip cut scenes... i was able to press the back button (select) and skip every scene. I just tested it again to make sure before posting.

The thing is, this game would be amazing if it was released several years ago (ignoring graphical improvements) because it's basically the same RE game formula as always. they stick with what works... except they have competition. Do they not realize that nowadays games are improving on that old style? New improvements are coming to recent games and newer games are expected to have them or else they will be uncomfortable and unwieldy.

The controls never bothered me and still don't, but they seem to be living in the past. There are just certain things they need to improve upon but they are leaving alone, presumably because "it's worked before, it'll work again".

If i had the $ to buy it, i'd still wait for it to be on sale, because there doesn't seem to be anything about it that makes it a "must buy", despite it being the Resident Evil we all know and love.

I have to say, new(er) to the xbox scene and all, the controls do leave a lot to be desired. Coming in with games like L4D, this feels like a step back. Hell, I just picked up the original Gears of War and I think he controls are better in it. Granted I haven't played the previous RE games, so maybe it's continuing a theme, but as a first time player I will most likely skip this. Survival horror or not, if I get frustrated with the controls then the fun fizzles.

I was a big fan of Resident Evil ever since I played the first on on the PS1. So, I've come to realize that the controls are a bit of a learning curve and that once you get em down, you can blast zombies and run with the best of em.
However, I can't say that I'm all that excited about RE5. It follows in the path of RE4 with the more action based style, but something about it makes me miss the old days. Back in the times of fixed cameras to add to suspense and only taking on a few enemies in a dark hallway. And remember the door scenes? That, in my opinion, is what RE is to me.
That said, I agree that this game just fell off the must buy list. Controls were part of the problem, but there were more.
Also, I didn't try with all cutscenes but pressing the Back button skipped them for me.

When I'm talking about some games (the ones I like or don't like), everyone asks: What are the controls? How do you control it? (You don't like it because it's hard to control?)
Controlling games was never a hard thing to me. I sit down, press all the buttons (not at the same time ), and then I know how to do this and that. With RE5 it's pretty much the same, I can play with it, even if it's odd that you can't move and shoot at the same time. There are still some games that use this mechanic, and yes, it seems odd, but they only could make the game like this, and we have to play it that way

It really has dropped to an 'on sale' game for me too.

It was like learning to play the first Resident Evil, the controls were difficult at first but then they became a bit easier to handle. My problem came from the camera. The angle felt wrong for some reason. I felt open to attacks from the left at all times. Other than that and a few minor issues, I had no problems with the demo.

While I agree with this idea, i.e., controls are similar to RE4/older RE games so people shouldn't be surprised, and this time you have a buddy to cover you so it's a little bit better, there's the catching point you highlighted Razor.

It's not just Dead Space, but lots of games since RE4 have been released that have improved upon the older survival horror control schemes and still manage to keep up the tension without using clunky controls that essentially cripple you and make the game frustrating to play. Nostalgia for nostalgia's sake isn't always good game design.

While I can understand Capcom's desire to keep with tradition, there's a basic question that must be asked: who is the larger audience they're targeting; traditional gamers of the RE franchise that want to play that game, but with updated graphics, or a broader gaming audience that has played other survival horror games? Targetting the former means Capcom is willing to take a hit on sales as not everyone (as evidenced by this article) will be fans of the control scheme. There are even long time RE fans that aren't happy with it anymore. Targetting the latter may mean upsetting a few die-hard RE fans that want the same RE experience every time, but chances are, they'll still play it because they love RE. And here's the bigger point: for co-op games, control schemes really have to be dead on; easy to pick-up, easy to play, and welcoming for all. A game's frustrations should come from something other than the controls as frustrating controls for solo play can make a co-op play exponentially more frustrating.

For my 2 cents, the control scheme has turned me off this game, and yes, I played and really like RE4. But again, that was then, and this is now. With few exceptions (i.e., re-releases of older games) I don't expect games to keep a control scheme when better ones have come along. For games like RE, it's not the control scheme that should be considered part of the game's universe, it's the characters, setting, and story that should be retained and consistent throughout.

As far as the skipping cutscenes goes, I pushed every button on my controller repeatedly trying to skip it. Of course, I was playing in co-op mode, so that didn't work. Both players have to hold the back button at the same time, eh? Good to know, but, again, this is 2009 and should I really have to hear how to skip cutscenes on the internet?

Resident Evil's control system is terrible. It always has been. But it's what was there. Most people dealt with it, because it's a great series of games. Others felt the games were ruined by the clunky system. I love the series, but my only playtime is a few hours of the original, and the RE5 demo. Playing a game, any game, shouldn't feel like work, and this does.

Back button to skip ahead? Stop moving to aim your gun? Typical Capcom controls.

I had fun with the demo, but I'm not going to buy this one. Too many better ways to be scared and to shoot zombies.

I hated the demo so much that I tried it once, getting to the above referenced boss and dying, and stopped playing ever since. Seems like a worse version of Dark Sector in terms of camera and mobility. Aiming is just abominable. Inventory management is such a pain. I'm wouldn't play it if someone gave it to me.

Sounds like a "maybe" to me

oddly, All the demo did was make me wish I was playing L4D.

At risk of redundancy, press BACK to skip cutscenes.

The look, controls, and overall feel of the game are meant to emulate that of Resident Evil 4. One thing a number of publishers should take note on is that you should be wary when tampering with a formula that already works. RE4 did incredibly well on sales for each of the platforms it was released on, so Capcom decided to go with what works.
The controls argument can be used against earlier entries in the series [headshots? good luck, buddy], but the fact of the matter is that they are purposely making the experience unique to set it apart from other titles like Dead Space and Gears of War. I believe we as gamers would become tired of a stale formula that "works" for everyone. Imagine playing Gears, then putting on Halo's newest installment just to get the same over-the-shouler shooter experience set in Halo's landscapes, then playing Bioshock 2 just to find the same button layout and 3rd person scheme that someone deemed "tolerable"?

For this reason, hit or miss, Resident Evil 5 is the way it is. Whether the controls are good or bad is solely a matter of opinion. If anything, adding player-customizable key mapping might help boost sales of the final product.