Resident Evil 5: Lost in Nightmares DLC
“Lost in Nightmares” is the newly released DLC (downloadable content) for Resident Evil 5. As most who have played RE5 will know, this episode is about a memory that Chris Redfield has. He remembers the night that he and his partner, Jill Valentine, encountered their long-time nemesis and former leader, Albert Wesker.
In the main game, we are treated to a flashback where Chris and Jill find Wesker standing over the corpse of Ozwell E. Spencer, one of the founders of Umbrella, the company responsible for the zombie outbreaks in Raccoon City. The duo gets the crap kicked out of them matrix-style, compliments of Wesker’s superhuman abilities. He tosses the two of them around like a couple of stuffed pillows, and after a few minutes, Wesker effortlessly grabs Chris by the throat and is moments away from ripping out his heart when Jill makes the ultimate sacrifice by latching onto Wesker and flinging herself out a window, where the two of them presumably fall to their deaths.
In this DLC, you get to relive that fateful night. When you first play, it’s obvious that it is a tribute to the very first Resident Evil game, and fans of the RE series will appreciate that. The layout of the mansion is almost identical to the original, and there are very subtle nods to the first game that will make you smile with nostalgia. However, you would think that such an interesting scene would have gotten better treatment, but the Lost in Nightmares chapter ends up being an unfortunate disappointment.
The chapter is simply too short. You can beat the entire scenario as both characters in an hour or less on your very first time. There are hardly any enemies to face. You’re pitted against some strange creatures that look like a combination of the executioner in RE5 and the tyrant from RE2, and you also encounter a handful of “ground zombies”. These are pretty much identical to the ones you find on the conveyor belts in the factory chapter of the main game. And, of course, there’s the fight with Wesker, which feels bland and dull, especially since you know how it ends. I would have preferred to have a major battle with other creatures before walking in on Wesker, and just leaving the cut scene as the ending.
The only thing that makes “Lost in Nightmares” worth the price is the Mercenaries Reunion mode. You initially start off able to play as Fairytale Sheva, Warrior Chris, Excella, and Barry Burton. There are four other characters, although I’m not sure if you eventually unlock Heavy Metal Chris, Business Sheva, Josh Stone, and Rebecca Chambers, or if they will come with the second planned DLC, “Desperate Escape”. All I have to say is that I have always wanted to play as Barry in an RE game, and now I finally have the chance (and I don’t count the crappy RE Gaiden on Gameboy). I don’t need to say anything about Mercenaries mode, you either like it or you don’t. It would have been nice if these bonus characters and outfits were incorporated into the regular merc or versus modes, but Merc Reunion stands on its own.
Lost in Nightmares could have been pretty sweet, but instead it leaves you wanting more. For $5, it’s not a complete loss, and you do get the extra merc mode. I just find it to be a shame that the chapter was full of potential, but instead falls flat before it even begins to scratch the surface of awesomeness.
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