Resident Evil 5 and 6 review for Nintendo Switch

In its never ending quest to be a weird catch-all platform for popular game franchises, the end of October brought with it the Switch versions of Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6. The 4th game in the series had been released prior, and all three are available in a piecemeal form via the eShop, or as a collection through retail channels. While it?s fairly easy to sell people on the merits of Resident Evil 4 (which may explain why it released solo), I know the fanbase has long been fractured on these two follow-ups. Personally, I love Resident Evil 5, and mostly enjoy Resident Evil 6, and thankfully these Switch ports are pretty well done. 

Resident Evil 5 continues in the direction of its predecessor putting a heavier emphasis on action over horror, but it certainly doesn?t abandon the horror elements altogether. It?s still a nice blend of the two, featuring more diverse, outdoor locations mixed in with some traditional Resident Evil style. It also introduced two-player co-op, which of course remains intact for the Switch. If you?re wondering whether that co-op A.I. has improved for playing solo, well, not so much. However, I never found the A.I. to be as superbad as the internet tends to suggest, so I didn?t have much issue with that aspect here. 

This version of Resident Evil 5 also comes with additional extras/DLC from the original 360/PS3 release. The Mercenaries United blends together The Mercenaries and The Mercenaries Reunion, offering up a lot of score-based challenge right of the bat, and remains one of my favorite additions to the Resident Evil series in the past 10 years. You?ll also get access to the story-based DLC Lost in Nightmares and Desperate Escape, and the Versus mode, along with a bunch of costumes and additional Mercenaries characters. It?s a comprehensive package for Resident Evil 5, so if you?ve never played the game or didn?t spend much time with it post-release, this is basically everything you?d need. 

esident Evil 6 is handled pretty much the same as far as content goes. The added modes, like Agent Hunt, are all present and accessible from the start as well. One thing worth mentioning, especially if you?re intrigued by the aspect of playing co-op, Mercenaries, or any other mode online with strangers, is that neither game seems particularly well populated. I could find players online, but not very many, and depending on the time of day none at all. When I did get into a game or lobby with someone else, everything worked well enough, but you may want a more dedicated crew of friends if you?re looking for online co-op or any kind of multiplayer here. 

This port of Resident Evil 6 also holds up really well in my opinion. It?s a nice looking version of the game and runs really well on the Switch in both docked or undocked modes. It?s also an interesting game to revisit, I don?t think I?ve re-played it much since the original Xbox 360 release, and going back to it now I found myself enjoying it more than I remembered. I appreciate the larger scope of the game and the option to select which character storyline (amongst four) that I want to tackle first. It?s better than I think people give it credit for, and it?s certainly worth a second look here. 

As it stands, these are both really solid ports of some pretty fun video games from the last generation brought to portable life on the Switch. If you?re in the market for more Resident Evil on the go, then you?ll likely want to pick both up when you have a chance. 

Note: Capcom provided us with a Resident Evil 5 and 6 Switch codes for review purposes.