Resident Evil 4 – GC – Review

Can anyone
redefine survival/horror?  There was once a time when a survival/horror game
was so scary that we had to stop playing it.  That time was lost with the end
of the 32-bit era.

Don’t get me wrong – the
Resident Evil remake was a superb game.  Resident Evil Zero was an awesome
prequel.  Silent Hill 4’s concept was brilliant.

As praise-worthy as all
of that is, none of those games redefined survival/horror.  They didn’t
terrify us; they barely made us jump out of our seats.  You can only scare
someone with the same monster and the same story so many times.

With Resident Evil 4,
Capcom hoped to create the game that would break the cycle.  They got rid of
old villains (bye zombies!); expanded the inventory system; eliminated the
pre-rendered backgrounds; and gave the starring role to someone other than a
Redfield. 

This is exactly what the game looks like. 

The biggest news of all
came when Capcom released the first screenshots, revealing the evolutionary
change that the series’ creator had promised: new gameplay.  GameCube-powered
backgrounds replace the pre-rendered sets of the old games.  Since the camera
is no longer restricted, the developers decides to move it behind the
character (in this case Leon Kennedy), creating an eerie,
through-the-eyes-of-the-character experience.  This isn’t a first-person
shooter (which I’m extremely thankful for), but you can aim and shoot wherever
you please.  Precise headshots?  You got ’em!

The abandonment of
zombies meant it was time to create a new villain to eat your bullets.  What’s
scarier than the living dead?  Living humans!  The angry-looking men and women
you see are not defined as zombies.  Once they start climbing stairs and
ladders to get to you you’ll see why.  These guys (and gals) can think. 
They’ll put up ladders after you knock them down.  They’ll break down doors
that have been barricaded.  When one of ’em starts chasing you with a
chainsaw, RUN!  Don’t just stand there like you would have in the previous
games.  One strike and you’re dead.  Although it would make for a great
comedic effect, Leon can’t function without his head.

The new enemies and
revamped gameplay style turn Resident Evil 4 into an action game.  The element
of survival has never been more severe – you’ll run more than you could have
ever imagined.  You’ll get killed a lot more, too.  (There’s a new Retry
function that compensates for this.  I wish all games had it.)

They’re not zombies…but what are they? 

Set in a desolate town
with an old castle, Resident Evil 4 reeks of creepiness.  The horrific
scenery, relentless enemies, and the lack of places to hide give the game a
very unsettling feeling.  In time you’ll become good enough to destroy the
entranced humans, even the ones carrying chainsaws.  Until that time it’s a
game of constant fear, constant running, and constant worry.  Will I have
enough ammo to get through the night?  Are there enough herbs to heal my
wounds?

Taking a cue from
Capcom’s other action games, Resident Evil 4 rewards you for fighting, not
fleeing.  Roughly 50% of all the enemies carry ammo, money, and other valuable
items.  Kill them and the valuables are yours, so long as you can grab them
before they disappear.  The money you collect is extremely important.  It
enables you to buy new weapons and health sprays (a first for the series). 
You can enlarge your inventory (also a first), and upgrade the weapons you
find and the ones you purchase (another first).  As you might have guessed,
this does take away from the realism.  At the same time it adds to the fun,
and fun always comes before realism.

This game will affect
different people in different ways.  Some gamers will be terrified to death. 
They’ll only be able to play it for short intervals.  If it weren’t for the
human mind’s determination to see a bad situation through to the end, they
probably wouldn’t go back.  Others will be like me – excited and eager for
more, but weary of the next battle.  However you react to it, Resident Evil 4
is an unforgettable classic.  It’s going to take a lot for someone to come up
with a better game before the year’s end.  Most likely they won’t.  Most
likely Resident Evil 4 will be the game I’m praising when we select the best
games of 2005. 

Take out traps before they take out you. 

Although the story is
more intriguing than CODE Veronica, it isn’t the series’ best.  Resident Evil
3 left us with an ending that said that Leon Kennedy (the male cop from
Resident Evil 2) would do whatever’s necessary to save a little girl.  As a
result he ended up in the hands of the government.  His mission: to
investigate the abduction of the President’s daughter.  If you’re bored, raise
your hand.  What’s this got to do with Resident Evil?  Very little.  Unlike
the previous games, which had cool revelations, Resident Evil 4’s surprise has
been done before.  There’s an awesome (and relevant) twist that is somewhat
redeeming, but the main plot is disappointing.

Since Resident Evil 4 is
5% story and 95% gameplay, I think we can live with that.

Gameplay: 9.7
The most intense,
realistic experience you’ll have until the next generation comes.  Resident
Evil 4 annihilates the competition, including its own spin-offs (Dino Crisis,
Onimusha, and Devil May Cry) by putting the player in an exciting,
all-too-real atmosphere.  The first 30 minutes are the most shocking because
you feel so helpless.  I shouted "No, no!" at the screen more than once.  Not
because I was angry at the game, but because I knew the chainsaw massacre was
going to get me.  Survival/horror games no longer have the fear factor they
once had.  Resident Evil 4, however, creates a new sense of fear with
intelligent enemies and dozens of claustrophobic environments.

Graphics: 9.8
"And the nominees
for Best Graphics in a Video Game are: Resident Evil 4, developed by Capcom. 
Resident Evil 4, developed by Capcom.  And Resident Evil 4, also developed by
Capcom."

This game could easily
steal every nomination slot for best graphics.  All it takes is one look. 
Resident Evil 4 obliterates everything you’ve seen on its console competitors,
even the gorgeous, jaw-dropping Silent Hill 4.  They’re getting way too close
to achieving live action-quality visuals.  The bugs look a little fake, but
the rest is perfect, down to the tiniest texture, up to the largest explosion.

It’s almost scary to
think how realistic Resident Evil 5 will look on PlayStation 3.

Sound: 9
Another stellar
(though not scary) score for the series.  Fans will recognize the trademark
style instantly.  You can’t approach a typewriter without hearing something
peaceful.  Resident Evil wouldn’t be Resident Evil without it.

While better than before,
the story is overflowing with cheesy dialogue and moments that don’t fit in
with the rest of the series.  Now that the game has finally evolved, do you
think you could evolve the acting as well?

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Resident Evil 4
detects your weakness and adapts the gameplay if you use the Continue feature
too much.  The challenge is very high, higher than any of the previous games
(except for the boss battles – why they’re so easy I’ll never know).  Every
gamer has a chance at beating this, but the opening battles make one thing
clear: this was designed for hardcore gamers.  Nothing could have made me
happier.

Concept: 9.5
Ingenious
reinvention, exceptional execution.  Resident Evil 4 will pop your eyeballs
out of your head, twist ’em around, and shove ’em back into your socket faster
than you can say, "Get me out of here!"  The controls are flawless; the
gameplay is scare-tacular.  There is one moment in the game that I will never,
ever forget.  If you thought Night of the Living Dead spawned the Resident
Evil series, just wait till you play this game.

Overall: 9.7
Unbelievable.  I
am completely blown away.  It’s not just the new gameplay perspective, the new
enemies or the graphics.  They representation deserves all the credit.  So
many revolutionary games fall victim to repetition.  "This gameplay is great
— let’s give gamers more!"  We want that, for sure.  But not to the point
where it goes on and on.  Not to the point where it becomes repetitive. 
Resident Evil 4 isn’t like that.

Around every corner,
after every simplistic puzzle, and before and after every boss battle is a new
experience waiting to be had.  The levels are linear but brilliant in design. 
There are so many different types of objectives that you will nearly forget
you’re playing a Resident Evil game.  The clever puzzles have been scrapped,
and I can only imagine that they would have bogged the game down.  No one
wants to waste 20 minutes solving a riddle after being chased by a
Wolverine-wannabe.  We want to keep moving and see what’s around the next
corner.

You may not realize it
the first time you play it, and you may not be affected by the first gruesome
battle, but by the end of this game Resident Evil 4 will have left a mark that
can never be erased.