unlikely Resident Evil remake to happen. Still, RE5 has a lot of redeeming qualities that could be adjusted in a remake to make it into the survival-horror co-op experience that gaming currently lacks.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Resident Evil 5.]
Resident Evil 5 takes place in West Africa, where Chris Redfield has been sent to investigate a viral outbreak. He's partnered with Sheva Alomar for the mission, but he's cold toward her since he's still mourning the loss of his previous partner, Jill Valentine. Chris and Sheva's partnership is what allows for co-op throughout the story of RE5, and it doesn't take long to find out that familiar villains are behind the outbreak in West Africa.
Resident Evil 5 should be remade with a reimagined story like Resident Evil 4's remake. There's a good foundation for the developers to work with, and the action-oriented style of RE5 could be converted to a style and gameplay more fitting of a survival-horror game. A remake could also open up the opportunity for characters like Sheva to return in other Resident Evil titles, since she, like many of the other protagonists, is dedicated to the fight against biohazards.
Resident Evil 5's Co-Op Alone Justifies A Remake
For all its flaws, the co-op in Resident Evil 5 is a great option for having fun with a friend. Plus, there's a significant lack of co-op survival-horror games on the market right now, and a Resident Evil 5 remake is a great option to help fill that void. Resident Evil has a hard time with multiplayer, but the co-op in RE5 worked well enough, especially in the Lost in Nightmares DLC, and a remake would have the chance to refine it. Lost in Nightmares took RE5 in the right direction with more of a survival-horror style while keeping the co-op elements so it could be enjoyed with a friend.
The biggest problem for RE5's co-op style is not having a human to play it with since the companion AI isn't very helpful. Capcom has put the elements of a great survival-horror co-op game throughout its Resident Evil titles, and now it's time to take the best of those elements and combine them. It's difficult to find a decent horror co-op game to play with a friend, and Capcom has the chance to make a great co-op horror game by remaking Resident Evil 5.
