Conspiracy theory alert!

Conspiracy theory alert!

[Archive - article first published on the defunct website mydigitallife.co.za]

I have been thinking of a way to sugar coat this, but there is no way so I will come out and say it…there has been rumors that developers like Capcom intentionally create bad artificial intelligence so that you have to play co-op. What does that mean?

There is a conspiracy theory that has been floating around the internet about the new Resident Evil. The theory goes: the artificial intelligence is intentionality bad to force you to play with a partner.

 In the new Resident Evil 5 if you don’t play co-op with a friend you have to partner with the computer controlled Sheva Alomar. The thing about Sheva  – she is suicidal. She would happily ride a conveyor belt into a blazing furnace, walk in front of bullets and while you carefully plan an attack by laying down traps, she will walk right behind you picking them up!

Why would Capcom give you a partner that stupid? This is 2009 surely by now they can give you a partner not as self-destructive as Lindsey Lohan? That’s where the theory comes in.

 

Sheva annoys you so much that you WANT to play with a friend. That way another person has to buy Resident Evil, and both of you have to pay Microsoft for a Windows Live account to be able to play together. This is the kind of shenanigans you would expect from Microsoft but not Capcom. 

 Searching online I could not really find any evidence that support this. The closest I could find is product reviews that states trying to control Sheva is an awful experience. Posting about this in Capcom’s forums someone remarked that it is “plausible”.

 

So everyone agrees that she is annoying but no one is sure if this was intentionally done so that you HAVE to play with a friend.
 

I guess that this theory will keep it’s conspiracy status.