Resident Evil 4
GameCube
Nostalgia Factor:
It seems silly in retrospect, but back when I first heard that they were changing the classic Resident Evil formula, I was not happy. From the moment those dogs came crashing through the windows in the first game of the series, I had been hooked on Resident Evil's unique blend of exploration, puzzle solving, gun play, and big time scares.
True, the series and its tank controlled formula had been getting a little stale. Both of Resident Evil's sequels as well as RE: Code Veronica handled pretty much exactly the same. So maybe a change wouldn't be that bad after all. Still, I was apprehensive.
Turns out I had absolutely no reason to be.
This game puts you in control of Leon Kennedy. You will remember him as the zombie blasting cop from Resident Evil 2. Years have passed since the Raccoon City incident, and he now works as some kind of special forces operative. He has been sent to a remote village in the middle of Spain to discover the whereabouts of the President's daughter, who has been kidnapped.
After his partner is killed in action, you take control of Leon in the middle of the woods. After a little exploration you discover an old house, with a not so friendly local inside. This game is also a departure from previous games in the sense that zombies as we know them are no more. The enemies you encounter in this game are regular people who have been infected by the Las Plagas, a virus that possesses people and controls them to commit murderous acts.
True, the series and its tank controlled formula had been getting a little stale. Both of Resident Evil's sequels as well as RE: Code Veronica handled pretty much exactly the same. So maybe a change wouldn't be that bad after all. Still, I was apprehensive.
Turns out I had absolutely no reason to be.
Story:
This game puts you in control of Leon Kennedy. You will remember him as the zombie blasting cop from Resident Evil 2. Years have passed since the Raccoon City incident, and he now works as some kind of special forces operative. He has been sent to a remote village in the middle of Spain to discover the whereabouts of the President's daughter, who has been kidnapped.
After his partner is killed in action, you take control of Leon in the middle of the woods. After a little exploration you discover an old house, with a not so friendly local inside. This game is also a departure from previous games in the sense that zombies as we know them are no more. The enemies you encounter in this game are regular people who have been infected by the Las Plagas, a virus that possesses people and controls them to commit murderous acts.
Over the course of the game you explore the origins of this mysterious plague while also searching for the President's daughter, Ashley. Your journey will take you through foreboding forests, cemeteries, ancient castles, haunted lakes, the obligatory overrun laboratory, sewers, cave systems, mine shafts, and many more fully detailed locales.
Gameplay:
Resident Evil 4 is so different from its predecessor that it is barely distinguishable as being a Resident Evil game. The action takes place in a fully 3D world, from a behind the back / over the shoulder perspective. Emphasis in this game is placed more on shooting and action, but this is still Resident Evil at heart. You save at typewriters, you use green and red herbs, you combine items in your inventory, etc.
On your search for the President's daughter, you encounter many of the aforementioned infected. In one of the early sequences of the game (a sequence that personally made me fall in love with this title) you must wipe out an entire village of the infected. Villagers swarm at you from all directions. And these aren't just mindless drones like the zombies in previous installments. They use weapons such as grenades, knives, pitchforks, (as well as their teeth) to try to take you down. Enemies react to where you shoot them on their bodies, which is awesome. Shoot someone in the leg, and they are apt to fall down where you can take them out on the ground. Or go for a headshot, which will either kill them, or make them stagger around covering their eyes defenseless for a few precious moments.
As if the carnage of destroying an entire village of infected civilians isn't sweet enough, just wait until the chainsaw wielding maniac with the bag over his head comes out. Such a shocking moment for me when I first played this!
The enemies you encounter aren't simply just infected villagers either. In true Resident Evil fashion, expect to encounter dogs, ogres, mutated lab experiments gone wrong, as well as some really big, really bad bosses. In addition to the traditional knife and handgun you start out with, you also get a lot of pretty cool weapons as well, like grenades, shotguns, magnums, sniper rifles, rocket launchers, and much more. The creative ways you can kill enemies in this game are limitless.
While this doesn't really feel like a traditional Resident Evil game, nor is it really that scary at all, the thing that makes this title stand out the most is that it is just flat out FUN. It's fun to explore. It's fun to wipe out hordes of enemies at a time. It's fun to kill enemies one by one. It's fun to collect things. Even when you collect Ashley later on in the game and have to escort her around, it's still fun and not tedious at all. If you are at all into gaming, I don't see how you don't love this game and have a great time playing it.
Graphics:
The graphics are amazing, even by today's standard. To think this game is 20 years old at the time of this review is pretty incredible. The characters look terrific, the animations are great. The environments are dark and creepy. Everything from the detail you see in the castle interiors to the lighting and reflective effects are all really wonderful.
The way to play Resident Evil 4 is in the dark, with your headphones on. While it is not as scary as the previous games in the series, this is a highly atmospheric title, and in order to get the full experience of playing the game, it is best to jump in. All in. The work that has been put into the details of this game is unprecedented. This is a world you want to be immersed in.
Sound:
The sound effects and the eerie music combined with the detailed locales really suck you in. Audio clues also can tell you when an enemy is lurking nearby, which you may miss if you are not paying close attention.
The world of this game is so dark and unique. Wind howls, water drips, crows let out their cries in the distance, enemies whisper to one another as they stalk you. I feel as if to get the full experience with this game you really need to take my advice, like I just said above, and play this with headphones on.
Overall:
While this game's storyline isn't fantastic it is still enough to keep you going. What really fuels Resident Evil 4 is its immersive environment and its fabulous gameplay. There are few titles that come to mind before Resident Evil 4 when I think of games that are just flat out fucking fun to play from beginning to end. There is never a dull moment in this game. I could fire this up at literally any time and have a wonderful time with it.
This is one of the greatest games of all time, and the fact that it still holds up SO strongly is a testament to its staying power. This is about as close to sheer gaming perfection as you can get. If you are new to gaming, or perhaps just really young, and have never played this game before, don't let its age deter you. If you have never played a Resident Evil game before, don't be afraid to jump in. Little knowledge of past games is not necessary at all, as this is basically a reboot that starts things fresh and new.
Resident Evil 4 is one of the best games you will ever play.
THE GRADE:
A+
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