Resident Evil 4 Review
The Resident Evil series started in 1996 with Resident Evil on the PlayStation. It wasn't the first survival horror game, but its success gave the genre a huge boost in popularity. It was a truly revolutionary game for the genre. However, video game formulas, no matter how great, will become stale eventually. Some of the Resident Evil games to follow weren't necessarily bad, just forgettable. Capcom took care of this issue and took the series in a new direction. The result was Resident Evil 4.
You play as Leon S. Kennedy, the protagonist seen in Resident Evil 2. The game takes place in a European country, around 5 years after the T-Virus outbreak in Racoon City. Leon is a secret service agent, who is assigned to find the President's daughter; Ashley Graham. Ashley has been kidnapped by a mysterious cult known as Los Illuminados. While on the way, he encounters some less than welcoming villagers, the Ganados. They are infected with Las Plagas, a mind-controlling parasites which causes people to pledge allegiance to the Los Illuminados cult.
With RE4, Capcom took the genre into a new direction. This new direction turns the game into more of a Survival Horror themed shooter, rather than a full on Survival Horror game. Don't feel put off by this, the game still meets a lot of the criteria of a standard Resident Evil game. The game still has huge boss fights, only these bosses are bigger than ever before. The games atmosphere is also something that I will praise. The atmosphere is as perfect as you can get in a Horror themed game. The games eerie environments, the distant echoes of enemies. Those elements combine to keep raising the tension steadily until you are faced with enemies, and will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The music is also spine-chilling. The music matches the mood that the environments illustrate perfectly, which makes it not only one of the best horror video game soundtracks, but one of the best horror soundtracks in general.
The shooting is done well in the game. Although I have been playing through the Wii version recently, I have also owned the Gamecube and PlayStation 2 versions of the game. The gameplay takes place at an over-the-shoulder view, and zooms in whilst you are aiming, a helpful part of the shooting gameplay element. Where you are aiming is shown by a red laser when using the traditional gamepad. The control stick does it's job at aiming well, at least when it's not compared with the pointer controls. In a game with fast paced and frantic action such as RE4, and when hordes of enemies come running at you (this happens very often), the control stick can feel a bit too slow for my liking. With the pointer controls, it's much easier to pull of headshots. It instantly feels very natural and intuitive, and, before you know it, you'll think of the pointer as the definitive way to play the game.
The games took a turn towards the action genre, this time around!
The enemies are not zombies in this game, as stated when you examine the corpse of the first Ganado you encounter. It states, and I quote "He's not a zombie". The enemies are, in fact, very different. The new enemies are much smarter and quicker, they can dodge certain attacks, hold weapons, and even communicate. If one enemy catches sight If that wasn't enough, there's more. The enemy AI is head and shoulders above the AI in RE4's predecessors. Once you've pulled off an all-important headshot, don't be satisfied until the enemy falls to the ground. A Blade Plaga will sometimes burst out, which is one of the forms of Las Plagas. It has a blade which swings around to inflict damage on others.
You will, quite early in the game, locate the president's daughter. While you're with her, you'll have to make sure she's safe, even while you are shooting enemies. Enemies will attempt to grab Ashley and try to take her out of the area and in a disclosed area. You'll have to be more aware of where Ashley is, as a result. You can tell her to stand still in her current position, but this is not recommended unless a puzzle calls for it, or if she can hide. The level when you need to get past hordes of enemies, while protecting Ashely, while both co-operating to solve puzzles is a very entertaining level, and one of my favourites in the whole game. However, protecting Ashley can prove to be a bit of a chore in some levels of the game. There is one level which calls for you to play as Ashley, while you are separated from Leon. The level drags out for a tad longer than I would want.
Ashley rape is inevitable.
RE4 has a full inventory system, which is extremely well implemented. Getting to the inventory screen will pause gameplay and allow you to grab some of your items, switch weapons, and heal yourself. This ensures that you will very rarely run out of ammo, which I am happy about. Running out of ammo is a huge annoyance when you're playing a game as action-packed as RE4 is. Another thing worth mentioning is the new travelling merchant. The merchant will sell you items and weapon upgrades, but will also buy treasures which you have found during the course of the game, and items. The merchant is a very handy guy to have in the game, and will always be famous for the immortal lines: "Got some rare things on sale, stranger!"
The merchant will offer weapons and weapon upgrades. Handy indeed.
The graphics in the game are arguably the best graphics that the last generation (GC, PS2 and Xbox) could offer. The graphics were stunning, and still are, albeit, the textures are starting to show their age a little bit. Still, RE4 acts as a showcase of how impressive last-gen graphics can actually be, with some amazing lighting and particle effects. What's more impressive is that it's better looking than most games on the Wii at the moment. Obviously, true 16:9 widescreen help in the graphics department. The enemy animations are also very impressive. The enemies will react to the area of the body which you attack. For example, if you hit an enemy in the leg, the enemy will crouch and cradle his leg for a few seconds. It's at this time when running up to them and serving up some Mr Kennedy whooping (also known as the 'Roundhouse Kick') is highly recommended.
The cutscenes featured in the game also keep you on the edge of your seat. They require the controller to be placed firmly in your hand, as some cutscenes will require you to press a random combination of buttons, or shake the Wii remote. As you would expect, the cutscenes highlight the games graphics.
Overall
+ Visually stunning, and outstanding level design
+ Fast-paced and thrilling gameplay
+ The enemy AI is smart
- Protecting Ashley can sometimes be a chore
- The Ashley level
- Hmm...
It's an arguable statement, but RE4 was for the Resident Evil series what Ocarina of Time was for the Legend of Zelda series. Phenomenal advancements in not just the series, but the genre as a whole makes this game a completely essential purchase. Played the Gamecube version? The Wii version has the extras you missed out on while your PS2 owning friends were playing. Got the PS2 version? Get the version with superior graphics and intuitive motion controls. No matter how you look at it, the Wii version of RE4 is the definitve version of the greatest survival horror, maybe even the greatest third-person shooter game ever made.
You play as Leon S. Kennedy, the protagonist seen in Resident Evil 2. The game takes place in a European country, around 5 years after the T-Virus outbreak in Racoon City. Leon is a secret service agent, who is assigned to find the President's daughter; Ashley Graham. Ashley has been kidnapped by a mysterious cult known as Los Illuminados. While on the way, he encounters some less than welcoming villagers, the Ganados. They are infected with Las Plagas, a mind-controlling parasites which causes people to pledge allegiance to the Los Illuminados cult.
With RE4, Capcom took the genre into a new direction. This new direction turns the game into more of a Survival Horror themed shooter, rather than a full on Survival Horror game. Don't feel put off by this, the game still meets a lot of the criteria of a standard Resident Evil game. The game still has huge boss fights, only these bosses are bigger than ever before. The games atmosphere is also something that I will praise. The atmosphere is as perfect as you can get in a Horror themed game. The games eerie environments, the distant echoes of enemies. Those elements combine to keep raising the tension steadily until you are faced with enemies, and will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The music is also spine-chilling. The music matches the mood that the environments illustrate perfectly, which makes it not only one of the best horror video game soundtracks, but one of the best horror soundtracks in general.
The shooting is done well in the game. Although I have been playing through the Wii version recently, I have also owned the Gamecube and PlayStation 2 versions of the game. The gameplay takes place at an over-the-shoulder view, and zooms in whilst you are aiming, a helpful part of the shooting gameplay element. Where you are aiming is shown by a red laser when using the traditional gamepad. The control stick does it's job at aiming well, at least when it's not compared with the pointer controls. In a game with fast paced and frantic action such as RE4, and when hordes of enemies come running at you (this happens very often), the control stick can feel a bit too slow for my liking. With the pointer controls, it's much easier to pull of headshots. It instantly feels very natural and intuitive, and, before you know it, you'll think of the pointer as the definitive way to play the game.
The games took a turn towards the action genre, this time around!
The enemies are not zombies in this game, as stated when you examine the corpse of the first Ganado you encounter. It states, and I quote "He's not a zombie". The enemies are, in fact, very different. The new enemies are much smarter and quicker, they can dodge certain attacks, hold weapons, and even communicate. If one enemy catches sight If that wasn't enough, there's more. The enemy AI is head and shoulders above the AI in RE4's predecessors. Once you've pulled off an all-important headshot, don't be satisfied until the enemy falls to the ground. A Blade Plaga will sometimes burst out, which is one of the forms of Las Plagas. It has a blade which swings around to inflict damage on others.
You will, quite early in the game, locate the president's daughter. While you're with her, you'll have to make sure she's safe, even while you are shooting enemies. Enemies will attempt to grab Ashley and try to take her out of the area and in a disclosed area. You'll have to be more aware of where Ashley is, as a result. You can tell her to stand still in her current position, but this is not recommended unless a puzzle calls for it, or if she can hide. The level when you need to get past hordes of enemies, while protecting Ashely, while both co-operating to solve puzzles is a very entertaining level, and one of my favourites in the whole game. However, protecting Ashley can prove to be a bit of a chore in some levels of the game. There is one level which calls for you to play as Ashley, while you are separated from Leon. The level drags out for a tad longer than I would want.
Ashley rape is inevitable.
RE4 has a full inventory system, which is extremely well implemented. Getting to the inventory screen will pause gameplay and allow you to grab some of your items, switch weapons, and heal yourself. This ensures that you will very rarely run out of ammo, which I am happy about. Running out of ammo is a huge annoyance when you're playing a game as action-packed as RE4 is. Another thing worth mentioning is the new travelling merchant. The merchant will sell you items and weapon upgrades, but will also buy treasures which you have found during the course of the game, and items. The merchant is a very handy guy to have in the game, and will always be famous for the immortal lines: "Got some rare things on sale, stranger!"
The merchant will offer weapons and weapon upgrades. Handy indeed.
The graphics in the game are arguably the best graphics that the last generation (GC, PS2 and Xbox) could offer. The graphics were stunning, and still are, albeit, the textures are starting to show their age a little bit. Still, RE4 acts as a showcase of how impressive last-gen graphics can actually be, with some amazing lighting and particle effects. What's more impressive is that it's better looking than most games on the Wii at the moment. Obviously, true 16:9 widescreen help in the graphics department. The enemy animations are also very impressive. The enemies will react to the area of the body which you attack. For example, if you hit an enemy in the leg, the enemy will crouch and cradle his leg for a few seconds. It's at this time when running up to them and serving up some Mr Kennedy whooping (also known as the 'Roundhouse Kick') is highly recommended.
The cutscenes featured in the game also keep you on the edge of your seat. They require the controller to be placed firmly in your hand, as some cutscenes will require you to press a random combination of buttons, or shake the Wii remote. As you would expect, the cutscenes highlight the games graphics.
Overall
+ Visually stunning, and outstanding level design
+ Fast-paced and thrilling gameplay
+ The enemy AI is smart
- Protecting Ashley can sometimes be a chore
- The Ashley level
- Hmm...
It's an arguable statement, but RE4 was for the Resident Evil series what Ocarina of Time was for the Legend of Zelda series. Phenomenal advancements in not just the series, but the genre as a whole makes this game a completely essential purchase. Played the Gamecube version? The Wii version has the extras you missed out on while your PS2 owning friends were playing. Got the PS2 version? Get the version with superior graphics and intuitive motion controls. No matter how you look at it, the Wii version of RE4 is the definitve version of the greatest survival horror, maybe even the greatest third-person shooter game ever made.
