Resident Evil 5: Lost in Nightmares Review

By Kristan Reed Published 18 February, 2010

Found its form.

Version tested: Xbox 360

Strange as it might be for downloadable content to arrive almost a year after the game's release, few will complain when it's as good as Resident Evil 5's Lost in Nightmares. Available for around four quid on either PSN or Xbox Live, it includes not only a fantastically enjoyable new chapter, but the added bonus of a 'Mercenaries Reunion' mode featuring new playable characters.

Set in 2006, Lost in Nightmares taps into the franchise's almost bottomless well of back-story intrigue by fleshing out a flashback touched upon midway through Resident Evil 5. If you've played the game already (if not, skip this paragraph) you'll recall Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine duking it out with the perennially annoying Albert Wesker before flying through a window to their apparent doom. Originally destined for the main game, it was cut to ensure that your co-op partner remained consistent throughout.

With such concerns irrelevant in the context of a standalone episode, this new vignette catches up with the hour or so leading up to that climactic stand-off, as Chris and Jill uncover the unsavoury mysteries of Ozwell E. Spencer's mansion. As you scope out the grand building for cranks, emblems and passwords, Lost in Nightmares feels comfortingly familiar.

Instead of fighting a relentless, repetitive rearguard action against the Majini hordes, the emphasis switches back to the more thoughtful, slow-burn, explorative style of old. The change of direction and the slower pace instantly cranks up the atmosphere several notches as you creep tentatively through darkened corridors, expecting a slavering apparition to burst through cobwebbed windows at any moment. Occasionally these moments arrive right on cue, but most of the fear comes from the sheer anticipation of it all. Moments of panic-stricken violence are saved for later.

'Resident Evil 5: Lost in Nightmares' Screenshot 1

First rule of Resident Evil: never trust a corpse.

Of course, no sooner have you made yourself at home in the salubrious, delicately detailed and high-ceilinged opulence, than you take to smashing up the furniture in anger, mostly in the vague hope of finding a hidden stash of weapons. Usually you wouldn't even blink at such random acts of vandalism, but Resident Evil has never looked so lovingly crafted, to the extent that it feels somehow wrong. Not that it stops you.

Some things never change, though. In a throwback to the old-style Resident Evils, you're desperately ill-equipped, armed with little more than a pistol and a few clips and expected to make every bullet count. But for the first section, at least, the absence of combat puts the focus firmly on puzzle-exploration, as you work on finding the necessary components required to open up Spencer's festering basement.

Once beyond this pleasingly understated throwback, Lost in Nightmares starts to come into its own with a tense sequence of set-pieces which neatly demonstrates what was sorely missing from the parent game.

Armed with just enough ammo, you find yourself squaring off against malformed axe-wielding sentries, undeterred by the bulging mutations rippling through their flesh. Squeezed down narrow prison corridors, it's the usual race against time as the pair of you frantically blast every last slug into rancid, cankered torsos.

But it's the third quarter of the episode where the old Resident Evil design genius really returns. With minimal resources at your disposal, you're forced into the kind of true survival-horror scenario that makes games such as these so compelling. No longer is it about the accuracy of your aim, but how you utilise the environment to your advantage to get the better of your vastly overpowered foe.

Eventually, of course, we catch up with Wesker and engage in the usual cat-and-mouse shenanigans as he, yet again, does his best Neo impression and dodges every bullet with lightning balletic grace. By the end you're left in no doubt that you've had your money's worth, in what has to represent one of the best-value slices of DLC yet.

With an assortment of added bonuses there are even more reasons to be cheerful. Most significant is the new rejigged Mercenaries Reunion, where you get to play the ever-popular score attack mode with a bunch of new characters and skins.

'Resident Evil 5: Lost in Nightmares' Screenshot 2

They should know by now that they're going to lose.

Available from the word go are Excella Gionne, the glamourous CEO of Tricell Corporation, as well as STARS Alpha Team member Barry Burton. Once you get good enough to achieve an 'A' rank on each map you'll also be able to unlock other characters, such as Rebecca Chambers and rather amusing new versions of Chris and Sheva (including the leather-clad 'Warrior Chris' and hood-wearing 'Sheva Fairytale' and more which we won't spoil for you here). In keeping with the free Costume Pack it's all throwaway stuff, obviously, but in the best possible way. There's nothing quite like a Village People version of Chris Redfield.

The obligatory presence of online leaderboards for your solo and duo excursions adds a tremendous degree of replay value, so the opportunity to run through all eight familiar maps and compete for honours again holds the same curiously moreish allure it always did. As with the main game, it's far more enjoyable to play alongside a buddy than to run solo, giving you the opportunity to take the fight to the Majini with a broader selection of weaponry. With split-screen available alongside online options, one of the best co-op experiences around now has even more to offer.

Having received a fair bit of criticism over the handling of its previous Versus DLC offering, Capcom more than makes up for some of its questionable decisions a year ago with Lost in Nightmares. Whether you play this via DLC or as part of the forthcoming Gold Edition of Resident Evil 5, it's an essential episode. For the price, you can't go wrong, and it bodes extremely well for the Desperate Escape DLC next month.

9 / 10

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Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (77) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Diogo_Ribeiro #1 2 years ago

    Man, if only this had a PC version :/

  • Hobo #2 2 years ago

    Examine the main hall's front door three times and you get to play the mansion with old school static camera angles too.

    I love the DLC, but would've liked to have seen stats recorded for it similarly to how it was for the main game.

  • the_dudefather #3 2 years ago

    does it feature any amazing double/ crossover jumps?

    instant purchase if so

  • penhalion #4 2 years ago

    Great if I hadn't already gotten rid of RE4 in disgust ages ago!

    Edit: Oops did I say RE4 I mean't the travesty that was RE5. I actually enjoyed 4. My bad!
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 13:58

  • the_dudefather #5 2 years ago

    Lucky it's not DLC for RE4 then ;)

  • MORZTAN #6 2 years ago

    YES!!!!

    So glad I didn't sell it. This is instabuy!!

    Is RE back? :D

  • beatwolf #7 2 years ago

    bought this yesterday and can only confirm the reviewers opinion. You really have to be a poor sob not get this for the 4 quid it costs.

  • patchbox360 #8 2 years ago

    can you run and shoot now?

  • telboy007 #9 2 years ago

    Right, so this is worth getting Resident Evil 5 for then? As I'm not going to dirty myself playing that rubbish shadow of it's former self mockery of a resident evil game.

  • hello_fi #10 2 years ago

    I imagine if Ellie had reviewed this, it would have said "Same controls as Resident Evil 5 so loses two points, and has a woman in it, who has tits, so loses more points. 6/10"

  • Paulie_P #11 2 years ago

    Sounds like this is exactly what Resi 5 should've been. Its a pity I've already sold it but maybe this gives hope that the eventual Resi Evil 6 will be good.

  • mcmonkeyplc #12 2 years ago

    FUCKING CUNTS! I traded this in a few weeks ago!

    No one told me there was actual decent DLC coming!

    Time to find a cheapo copy ! Bah!

  • Hobo #13 2 years ago

    "No one told me there was actual decent DLC coming! "

    This DLC was announced MONTHS ago.

  • mcmonkeyplc #14 2 years ago

    I wasn't paying attention! /o\

    It's only £14.99 from Amazon. Good good. I made money on it :)

  • MaFlippinHeadHurts #15 2 years ago

    Crikey, I didn't see this coming!

    I was so disappointed with Resi 5, especially after the sheer genius of 4. Sounds like they've listened to people and gone back to being a more edgy/intense game
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 11:53

  • kinky_mong #16 2 years ago

    I wish Resident Evil games were still clumsy controlled, dull survival horrors with no replay value, rather than the revolutionary experience and fantastic co-op game that 4 & 5 were respectively.

    Actually no I don't because I actually like to enjoy games that I play. Will be getting this DLC this weekend, sounds fantastic.

  • Widge #17 2 years ago

    I'll grab this with the old gemarcwand thing comes out.

  • Gunzberg #18 2 years ago

    gets a 0 from me for no PC version. I am a customer too Capcom.

  • DiamondIce #19 2 years ago

    I was about to play through RE5 again, so this DLC will accompany that nicely.

  • spekkeh #20 2 years ago

    Interesting. I was pretty underwhelmed by RE5. But I may have to reconsider and give this a go.

  • ParanoidZombie #21 2 years ago

    No new maps for mercenaries mode, then? I 'll buy the gold edition, but if and only if they put some new maps innit, I played through the old ones to death...

  • MrE26 #22 2 years ago

    I didn't even realise this was out! Just started playing, & it already feels far more like RE than the entirety of RE5 did. Classic RE environments & atmosphere, I'd love the next game to be done in this style.

  • GamesConnoisseur #23 2 years ago

    RE5 was a good fun whilst co op with your mate but no so fine on your own, the dlc I would say has all the same main flaws with regards to game, but I accepted that and Lost in Nightmare has a more stronger link to the orginial' RE1 with the mansion, traps, the fear of unknown or unexpected. Just wish a bit more busier in content as only took me just over an hour for first playthrough.

    But it was a fun hour and would so love it if Capcom had tried to go full monty on turning the dlc into more fleshed retail game but with Dead Space move n shoot.

    Gears of War/Uncharted 2 third person shooter wouldn't work as too quick on feet and overpowerful. So need some form of restriction in movements and shooting to ratchet up the fear. That is the problem for the sequel.

  • Tomo #24 2 years ago

    Bullshit, sold my RE5 copy ageeees ago :/

  • muscleblade #25 2 years ago

    Would have bought this no matter what, but after this review im really exited. The game was my third favourite last year.

  • thes #26 2 years ago

    Village People leather Chris - sold!

  • miiiguel #27 2 years ago

    Lovely bite-size episode, last Wesker's fight not so good though.
    More of this plz, plenty more. Lots of games could do this mini-episodes thing, it would be another way to fight 2nd hand market.

  • MrFuzzles #28 2 years ago

    I would so buy this for PC. I have re5 for both my console and PC, but had way more fun on it on PC just because that's where I can play with my friends. I was bored out of my mind playing it singleplayer, but have clocked in over 80 hours on PC (which is all 100% coop) between multiple campaign runs, mercenaries, and trying to beat our scores.

    I agree that the game has issues, but I find the coop experience is so immensely enjoyable that it outweighs any shortcomings by far.

  • rogermellie #29 2 years ago

    Bugger it, I only sold my copy a few days ago.

  • gelf #30 2 years ago

    Wow this almost makes me want to get RE5 which I had little interest in because of the style of gameplay compared to the old games. Sounds more like the modern update of Resident Evil I always wanted.

  • thewool #31 2 years ago

    Can someone please comment on the LIN technical performance on 360 or PS3 - especially stutter, framedrops, tearing, etc.

    I'm guessing that because the game world isn't as vast, they should both perform better?

    Ta very much.

  • FogHeart #32 2 years ago

    Must...resist...buying....resi...5....wait....for....arc.... version....so...long.....

  • spazmo #33 2 years ago

    "Strange as it might be for downloadable content to arrive almost a year after the game's release"

    I remember a time thinking this would be the norm. How naive i am.

  • NoKamiFujiwara #34 2 years ago

    @thewool:

    Well, it's all here, is it not:

    [link url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/face-off-res ident-evil-5-article
    ]http://ww w.eurogamer.net/articles/face-o...[/link]

    If memory serves, the PS3 version has less tearing when upscaled to 1080p, but it is otherwise slightly inferior to the 360 one (crude water reflection effects, less texture detail, etc.)

    EDIT: Ah, the PS3 version actually has no tearing at all. My bad.
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 13:15

  • Rubarack #35 2 years ago

    I certainly am in doubt as to whether this is worth the 400 points. I'm imagining about 15 minutes of content here which puts it in the position of being the best value DLC at this pricepoint to date, but still rather ludicrously overpriced. If there's actually a decent amount of content in this it doesn't really go without saying.

  • muscleblade #36 2 years ago

    @Rubarack

    15 minutes?

    It has replay value in spades. Good thing i like getting the achievements as it will take a few playthroughs with different approach. Playing through on normal for the S rank and on proffesional for that achievement. Two very different playthroughs i imagine.

  • coderkind #37 2 years ago

    Sold the very disappointing RE5 a while back. Slightly tempted to buy it back, but not enough to do it.

    Sort things out for RE6 please Capcom.

  • Hobo #38 2 years ago

    A 15 minute guess is ridiculous. You'd be looking at 40 minutes to an hour first time through. Not to mention replayability (a lot of objects and enemies spawn in different places on repeated playthroughs, you can play as Jill, not to mention you can play the mansion with old school RE static cameras, and pro mode once you've completed veteran).

    Not to mention it also throws the two extra Mercs characters at you (Barry fucking Burton for one!) so that batters the 15 minute mark in itself.

    Oh, and whilst i'm here, there's a second DLC pack in two weeks called Desperate Escape starring Jill and Josh just in case anyone's not aware of that one as well.

  • krudster #39 2 years ago

    Took about 80 minutes on the first playthrough, and then hours for Mercenaries Reunion. The replay value is surprisingly high.

  • Mark1412 #40 2 years ago

    Yeah we played through it three times, our first took 45 minutes, second an hour on veteran and we did a sprint in 11 minutes. That's two hours without mercs and a professional run. It's definitely good value for money.
    Edited by 2 at 18/02/10 @ 13:36

  • thewool #41 2 years ago

    @NoKamiFujiwara

    Thanks for that, I think I've read that article before, but I was wondering specifically about the Lost in Nightmares episode. I know it's still very new but I was wondering if the same stutter, tearing problems were apparent. Or have the smaller game envronments (corridors, rooms, etc.) cured them.

    My plan was going to play the main game (hopefully co-op online as the SP seems broken to me) on my PC. Then pick up a either a cheap 360/PS3 version to play the DLC...

  • krudster #42 2 years ago

    Running in 720p on a 37", the game ran smooth as silk throughout.

  • Zebula77 #43 2 years ago

    Hmf, sold my copy of Resi 5 quite a while back. Imo that game was not survival horror, but an action shooter with monsters. This sounds closer to the glory days of Resi. Oh, well.

  • thewool #44 2 years ago

    @krudster

    was that on the 360? cheers.

    edit: just checked your profile and I think it will be the 360
    Edited by 1 at 18/02/10 @ 14:46

  • MrE26 #45 2 years ago

    @ TheWool,
    I'm playing it on the 360 at 720p on a 42" plasma & it looks gorgeous. Silky smooth so far.

  • feistycheese #46 2 years ago

    Bollox, just traded in my Resi Evil 5 last week!! Didn't know this was coming out or would have kept it.

    Oh well :/

    (Dont suppose having the game data still on hard drive means I can still get this? Anyone?)

  • thewool #47 2 years ago

    Thanks for the info MrE26 :0)

  • Koborover #48 2 years ago

    Don't play Resident Evil 5 at 1080p, apparently Capcom games tend to tear a lot if you're not using 720p. My friend had this problem on his 360 connected through HDMI, setting his 360 to 720p solved everything. 1080i should work too but I've always learned that interlaced is less suitable for fast moving images like in shooters.
    Edited by 2 at 18/02/10 @ 15:57

  • rhinoxious #49 2 years ago

    RE5 and all the DLC on a disk for £25, not a bad deal at all:

    http://ww w.game.co.uk/Games/Xbox-360/Res...

  • MrE26 #50 2 years ago

    @FeistyCheese

    No, the new modes & missions are accessed through RE5's main menu screen.

  • JackyB #51 2 years ago

    @ rhinoxius.

    Not as cheap as if you buy it all seperately. Be about £20 - £12ish for the game, and then £4 each chapter

  • retrological #52 2 years ago

    @ rhinoxius.
    For the xbox version the DLC is not on the disc I believe. You just get a card with the DLC codes.

    As Koborover said set your xbox to output 720p and you should have zero tearing over HDMI. If you set xbox to output at native res of your tv 1344 x 768 or whatever it is you will be in tear city as I was when I first played the demo. Capcom really should advertise this fact a bit more if it is the case with all their games.

    Great game anyway. Not as epic as 4 but still fun. I found partner AI quite good on Normal at least. Only picked it up last month as all the outcry put me off but ended up being pleasantly suprised. 8/10.

  • My1stLoveJak #53 2 years ago

    Dangnammit all to heck! I'm broke as it is, I can't afford the gold edition!! But I want it SO bad! *sob*

    It's a fantastic time to be a gamer, but also a bad time...who has the time to play all the amazing games coming out, let alone the resources? I need to win the lottery

  • DAN.E.B #54 2 years ago

    i sold mine so i will probably pick it up again at some point

  • trip919 #55 2 years ago

    What I’d like to know is whether the puzzles are any good are not, as the puzzles have always been insultingly easy. I think they should at least be doing something more imaginative in that area as the franchise could really benefit from it.

  • defiantroyroy #56 2 years ago

    I played it through last night, why they never just made a redux of one of the earlier games I'll never know cos this chapter made me brown my pants a couple of times!

  • LazyNinjaUk #57 2 years ago

    Very disappointed the story mission was only one chapter that took me 45 minutes to complete. :(

  • spookyzombie #58 2 years ago

    Does anyone know if the extra costumes can only be worn in Mercenaries or if you can use them in the main game too?

  • krudster #59 2 years ago

    I'm always disappointed when my pint only lasts 25 minutes.

  • Demiath #60 2 years ago

    Sounds awesome, and much better than the well-produced but ultimately forgettable and inconceived RE5. DLC FTW!

  • mika1h #61 2 years ago

    Would buy this but I have the Steam version :/

  • hardboiledpete #62 2 years ago

    ..just to point out some miss information in the review, the only new characters you have access to in Mercenaries Reunion from this are Excella and Barry, the new versions of Chris and Sheva are part of a separate costume pack, Josh and Rebecca will be included with the 'Desperate Escape' dlc next month

  • RandomTerrain #63 2 years ago

    This sounds amazing, I can't believe this is so different from the main game. I'll have to give this a go.

  • vx-chemical #64 2 years ago

    I reckon i should finish RE5, it just isnt very good

  • krudster #65 2 years ago

    Yes, my mistake, Chris and Sheva's new costumes aren't free. I just saw a lot of people playing with them, and assumed they were unlockables, which, of course, they're not.

  • icematt12 #66 2 years ago

    I loved the final puzzle, now that is some old school Resi. Wesker is a frigging pain though, even when I seem to get the QTE he still manages to hit me. I'm not looking forward to pro, even on Vet I was out of ammo and had to run, sacrificing points to get to the end. I seem to pick up less equipment after my first playthrough, haven't seen MP5 or proximity mines since.

  • Graftonator #67 2 years ago

    Played this to completion with my co-op buddy last night. I'd like to say short but sweet but, well, sweet just doesn't seem to be the right word!

    Brilliant DLC, bring on the next one!

  • darc #68 2 years ago

    Awesome! My wife and I had a ton of fun playing the main game co-op split screen. I'm sure we'll enjoy this episode, too.

  • uzivatel #69 2 years ago

    @icematt12: it seems to be random

  • MORZTAN #70 2 years ago

    Haha! I can see that RE5 is at the top 2 spots at rentals from SWAP game :D

  • djed #71 2 years ago

    No pc version? Then who cares? I dont want to fight zombies and frame-rate at the same time!

  • VMerken #72 2 years ago

    Downloaded and played the Xbox 360 version. Tearing overload. Hard to fix? Still, 400 points is definitely a steal for what you get.

    Anyway, it's sad when one episode outclasses the game it anchors upon, but there it is.

    I enjoyed the first part of this DLC a lot, although I have three - minor to slightly minor - gripes here:
    (1) Since the focus lies on exploration, RE1 style, there should have been much more items to examine, more text to read. Having the opportunity to read Chris' and Jill's personal opinion on the environment - especially since it's so familiar to them - would have been sweet.
    (2) A *few* enemy encounters/scares wouldn't have hurt - would have been nice if the butler was still prancing about, for example...
    (3) Why no "Master of Unlocking" comments, Chris? Jill's just begging for it - twice :)

    The second part was great, especially once you open the minimap in the latter part and realise that you're basically playing Pac-Man, including four Power Pills to kill the ghosts with. Awesome wink to a timeless classic :)

    The third part (Wesker battle) is a downer. Too short, too familiar, especially since every RE5 player probably completed the main game at least once by now.

    Well, if it's the same price, I'll definitely be there for the Josh/Jill DLC. Besides, Josh is probably the most interesting new character introduced by RE5. Anyway, this installment somewhat restored my faith in Capcom - RE6 just might end up being great again.
    Edited by 1 at 21/02/10 @ 00:25

  • MORZTAN #73 2 years ago

    Played it and finished it. Really good, actually. However, the first third of the game in the mansion, with fixed cameraangles almost brougt a tear to my eye :) That is pure Resident Evil.

    Capcom! Bring back tank control and fixed angles for RE6. That, is where the horror lies.

    Speaking of the first third, REmake actually looks better than RE5. Incredible achievement on the cube.
    Edited by 1 at 22/02/10 @ 08:53

  • DFawkes #74 2 years ago

    FInally got around to playing this, and it's absolutely fantastic stuff - I felt the same unease I got all those years ago playing Resi 1 :)

    I hadn't even played Resi 5 yet, but thankfully it seems spoiler free, given it takes place before the main game anyway.

  • muttler #75 2 years ago

    Glad I didnt trade Resi 5 on now, I'll give this dlc a try for sure.

  • knightmt #76 2 years ago

    Enjoyed the Coop. I was never sure if I should of maxed out the basic weapons or just upgraded the later weapons as much as I could afford as I did?
    Cannot wait for a motion controller version, RE4 is one of the few games I enjoyed on the Wii.

  • muscleblade #77 2 years ago

    @knightmt

    If you think the Wii can handle RE5 at the same quality your a moron.

    RE4 was Gamecube game so that was another thing.