Resident Evil 5: Lost in Nightmares Review

If you feel a bit overwhelmed by the slew of Resident Evil 5 downloadable content and repackaged versions of the game coming in the next few months, here's a crash course: Resident Evil 5: Lost in Nightmares is the first of four downloadable add-ons for Resident Evil 5, and it is one of two add-ons that contain additional chapters. Desperate Escape, which launches in early March, contains another chunk of story-driven gameplay, but the other two DLC packs only contain costumes and characters for a new Mercenaries mode called Mercenaries Reunion.

All of this content will be included in the upcoming Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition, so if you don't have RE5 yet, it's probably best to wait until March 9th when you can get it all in one neat package. For those who are still in possession of the Resident Evil 5 disc, you have the convenience of grabbing only the DLC you want, which is cool, since many RE5 fans who would like to explore the additional story segments, like Lost in Nightmares, may not necessarily want to play dress-up with Chris and Sheva.

Lost in Nightmares is a short "bonus chapter" that explores the back story of Resident Evil 5. It runs just over an hour in length and isn't particularly in-depth, but at $5.00, devoted Resident Evil fans should definitely check it out. The segment follows the original Resident Evil duo, Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield, to a deja vu-inducing estate owned by Umbrella founder Ozwell E. Spencer, the man behind the mansion in the first game. The first half of Lost in Nightmares is almost a parody of classic Resident Evil, with ample in-jokes and nods to the roots of the survival horror genre. You'll spend more time finding crests and cranks than engaging in combat, although the latter half features an occasional shoot out and a boss fight.

While the aforementioned boss fight may feel recycled to RE5 veterans, the penultimate portion of the DLC is probably the best reason for checking it out. In this section you play a game of cat-and-mouse with a new breed of enemy. A lack of useful weapons has you setting traps and baiting the creatures instead of outright blasting them away. It's all rather old-school and fits well with the theme the add-on establishes.

Unfortunately, the story comes to a halt right when it seems to be picking up, and the content falls short of Resident Evil 4's bonus Ada missions in their excellent ability to extend the main game. However, Lost in Nightmares also includes the first installment of the revamped Mercenaries mode (an arcade-like mode in which players take on waves of zombies) called Mercenaries Reunion, which certainly bolsters its value to anyone who didn't get their fill of Mercenaries a year ago.

Of the two included characters, Barry Burton and Excella Gionne, the latter is the most interesting, with an arsenal that includes an awesome automatic pistol, flash grenade launcher and a surprisingly lethal backhanded slap. Pairs of additional characters will be made available in each installment of the forthcoming DLC, but you can play all of the original Mercenaries levels with these two characters all you want by merely investing in this pack.

Fans of RE5's co-op experience will be happy to know that you can play Lost in Nightmares' story mode and Mercenaries Reunion with another person in split-screen or online. To add a bit of additional replay value there are leaderboards for both modes -- in story mode you can collect hidden Score Stars to augment your rating, which is a nice touch. There are also a handful of new Achievements/Trophies linked to the story mode and the option to play as Jill instead of Chris to make a second playthrough worthwhile.