Resident Evil 5

Resident Evil 5 sends veteran Chris Redfield to a fictional African region, where investigating a bioweapon deal quickly turns into a fight for bare survival against infected locals. At his side stands local agent Sheva Alomar, and this duo is what defines the whole entry: the game was designed from the ground up for co-op, and a second player can join at any time, whether on split-screen at the same console or online. Sharing ammo and healing items and jointly opening doors or pulling each other up onto a ledge makes this one of the most thoughtfully designed cooperative action games of its time.

The gameplay follows on from the previous entry, meaning an over-the-shoulder view, an aiming mode, and a system of quick melee finishers on a staggered enemy. It was controversial at the time that the character couldn't walk while aiming, which led to deliberately tense situations where you had to judge whether you could still get a shot off or should instead dodge back. Enemies arrive in waves, flank, and use weapons, so the game becomes more of a tactical shooting gallery about managing space and resources than a horror game. Boss fights are spectacular, and the final act closes out one of the series' longest-running plotlines.

Technically the game was cutting-edge on PlayStation 3, mainly thanks to sharp daylight lighting, dusty effects, and detailed character models, a striking shift for a genre used to dark corridors. Reception was commercially extraordinary and critics praised the co-op, though there were also objections that the series had lost its horror identity, and the game also faced discussion over its depiction of the African setting. Today it's worth playing specifically as a pair: solo with the AI partner it loses its charm, but with a friend it's a brisk, well-paced action game. The offering is further expanded by bonus modes including a timed attack where you rack up score for quickly and precisely clearing waves of enemies, which is among the most addictive things the game offers.