Resident Evil 4 caught me off-guard in more ways than oneIt's been a couple of weeks since my last Discovering Gaming Greatness blog, and I had a funny feeling I'd be writing one today. Just over a week ago, with the help of some forum-goers, I decided to give Capcom's Resident Evil 4 a shot. Originally released for the GameCube in 2005, I picked up a preowned copy of the PS2 port in late 2006 or early 2007 for the cheerful price of £14.97. I know this because when I pulled the box off the shelf, it was still bearing the price sticker from when I bought it. That's right, until a few days ago I'd never even entertained the thought of actually playing RE4, probably because of my lack of appreciation for the first three games in the series. Regardless, I took the advice of my fellow Giant Bombers and decided to try it out. After dusting off the case and peeling off the stickers, I popped the disc in my PS2 and turned on the power. Over the past week I've dedicated a couple of hours a day to it, and now that I've finished the game I can safely say it's one of the most exhilarating and intense action games I've ever played.

As usual, I won't go into too much detail about the game's story. The player takes control of Leon Kennedy, an ex-cop turned bodyguard who's been sent to a secluded Spanish village to rescue the President's kidnapped daughter. Naturally, it won't be easy (we wouldn't have much of a game if it was). The village folk have been turned into mindless slaves by a parasitic lifeform known as Las Plagas, and they're hell-bent on stopping Leon by any means necessary. It's a pretty good set-up for a plot, and for the most part it's well executed. However, like a lot of Japanese action games, there are a lot of moments that are just plain weird. Without entering spoiler territory, there's an incident about halfway through the game that should be shocking and sad, but it's so clichéd I just ended up laughing hysterically. Leon aside, there's not a great deal of character development, and you'll probably leave the experience feeling pretty indifferent about the game's cast. I know I did.

Controlling Leon takes some getting used toThe first thing that hit me when I started playing Resident Evil 4 was the game's awkward control scheme. Perhaps it's because I've been playing so many first-person shooters lately, but when I first took control of Leon all I could think was "what the hell is going on here?". The game utilises a single analog stick control method, so all movement and aiming is assigned to the left analog stick, while the right gives you limited control of the over-the-shoulder camera. It feels unnecessarily clunky at first, and it took me about an hour before I felt fully comfortable controlling Leon. After settling down with the game, you'll start to realise what the developers were going for with the control scheme. The limited movement adds a lot of tension to the game's atmosphere and really helps to emphasise the claustrophobic feel of the game's environments.

Where did I put that shotgun...Now I've got that little gripe out of the way, I can focus on what I really liked about RE4: the combat. Resident Evil 4 features some of the most engaging and intense gunplay I've ever seen in an action game. The enclosed environments and fearsome enemies allow for some really heated gun fights, especially during the later stages of the game. A lot of this is attributable to the arsenal of weapons you'll pick up as you play, all of which will be of varying use depending on the situation you're in. For example, if you're up against a lone, slowly advancing Ganado, a basic handgun will suffice. If you've been cornered by several enemies, a shotgun would be a better choice. All of your weapons can be upgraded by the Merchant at various points in the game, which adds a light RPG element to the game and ensures you're not overwhelmed during the closing stages. Learning to effectively manage your weapons and conserve ammunition is key to success in RE4, and helps to keep the gameplay dynamic and interesting.

Another thing I love about Resident Evil 4 is its difficulty. I've heard somewhere that the game's difficulty level adapts to the player, thus providing an appropriate level of challenge based on their skill level. If this is true, then it's incredibly well implemented. In an age where most action games are content to hold the player's hand and guide them through the adventure from beginning to end with tutorials and such, RE4 simply sets the player down in a hostile environment and challenges them to survive. I died a lot while playing through the game (53 times, according to the counter on the "The End" screen), but I never got frustrated. When a game is challenging without becoming annoying, you know the developers are doing something right, and Capcom are masters at it (just look at Devil May Cry). Resident Evil 4 is the most difficult game I've played in some time, and I think that definitely works in its favour.

You won't soon forget the bosses in Resident Evil 4The last thing I want to praise Resident Evil 4 for is its boss battles, all of which are nothing short of memorable. From the confrontation against Del Lago in the middle of a lake, to the battles against Mendez and Salazar, right through to the final climactic showdown against Saddler, RE4 features numerous battles against increasingly more deadly, more resilient and more visually disturbing monsters. I'm not exaggerating when I say most of the bosses in the game caused my jaw to drop, either because of their presentation, their execution, or both. All these boss battles are highly tactical affairs, and you'll invariably have to exploit a weak point before launching a full-scale attack on the boss itself. Work the game's fulfilling combat into the equation, and Resident Evil 4's bosses become some of the best moments in any action game of its generation.

I wasn't expecting a lot from Resident Evil 4, which makes the fact I really enjoyed it even more satisfying. The only thing I regret about the experience is that it took me so long to get round to it. Now that the experience is over I'll be looking for something else to play. Feel free to check out my list of games I haven't finished yet and recommend something from it. After the experience I had from my last recommendation, I'll be sure to take all future suggestions into account.


DanK

---

Currently playing - Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (PS2)