Title Resident Evil 4 Manufacturer Capcom System/Year GC/2005 Genre Survival Horror Players 1 Player Ports N/A Overview Back in 2002 a bomb shell was dropped to the gaming masses, with PS2 owners getting most of the pain. Capcom announced Resident Evil will be a GameCube exclusive for the next few years. This baffled the industry. Why would a game that was born and raised on Playstation suddenly jump ship to GameCube? After getting our first sneak peek at the Resident Evil remake, it didn’t matter anymore. The game blew away all those who doubted Capcom’s decision. Capcom didn’t stop there; they also announced Resident Evil Zero and Resident Evil 4 will also be released for GameCube. Well Zero came and went; now hungry fans are looking to Capcom’s next offering. Much like the road to Resident Evil 2, it was a long wait full of teasing, to an eventual project scrap, to a rebirth if you will of the series. Mikami took what you knew about Resident Evil and threw it out the window. We are now upon something grander and fresh, something that reinvents the aging series and genre. Hell, it reinvents how games should be made. With a perfect blend of graphics, new game play techniques, and that same old fear, GC owners will now experience the pinnacle of the survival horror genre. Yes, it is a great time to be a GC owner and a fan of gaming. It has been six years after the horrific incident in Raccoon City (Resident Evil 2 & 3). Umbrella is now gone and everything you knew about the T Virus is now history. Since then Leon S. Kennedy, main character of RE2, has been training with a secret organization run by the President of the United States. His first mission is to save the President’s daughter. At least it’s not as bad as his first day on job as a Raccoon City police officer. Or is it? Leon's search has taken him to a remote village in Europe where things are not what they seem. What is with the people who live here? Why do they want to kill him? They are not zombies, no way in hell. There is something much darker, more evil in their eyes. This goes far beyond what Umbrella was developing. Creatures you have never seen before that defy the laws of nature. They defy the law of reality even. Sounds like your typical Resident Evil setup, even without Umbrella. The story tells about a new enemy more evil than Umbrella and this lies the intrigue and curiousity. This makes the story worthwhile for Resident Evil and new fans alike. This is not the Resident Evil you grew up with, this is terror at a whole new level. Get ready to experience a new fear in survival horror gaming. Graphics 10/10 There are two running demos, both showing off some of the key events in the game, introducing new characters and new game play mechanics (most I explained above). When you begin a new game you get a short explanation of what has happened since Resident Evil 2, check the beginning of this review for all the details. You are then thrown right into the game and within a few moments you will see the new horror of Resident Evil 4. All cut scenes are in-game, a no brainer when you see the visuals this baby possesses. All the menus and inventory screens are easy to use and navigate. Loading can only be seen when moving into certain sections of the game, no more loading for each door. Load times are short which the GameCube is known for. Did I forget anything else? Oh yeah, no more save ribbons. Just go to a typewriter and save your game. You can also restart from continue points which makes some of the more difficult portions more forgiving. Now it’s time to talk about how amazing this game looks. When you saw the Resident Evil remake, you finally understood what this new union between the series and GameCube will bring. Resident Evil 4 is the best looking of the three GC games and probably the best looking in all of console gaming. I’m serious; the game looks that damn good. Gone are those pre-rendered backgrounds of previous games, which looked incredible. Now we have 3D environments that look better than anything Capcom has created. Chapter one and two take place mostly in the forest and village areas, outside areas is something the previous games barely touched upon. Where ever you look, the game oozes with detail and life. Capcom manage to keep the same feel by making these outside environments look evil and unwelcoming, make the question, “Should I continue?” repeating in your head. The villages look ancient giving that unknown feeling of what to expect. You have an idea but not one hundred percent sure what to see when you open a door or turn down an alley. It has that mixture of modern day and nineteen century look that is unique to the genre and makes it more frightening. Each area is filled with detail as houses look rotted, as does everything inside. You can see individual blades of grass, blood in all sorts of places, and animals roaming about. It gives the game more life and it gives that life more meaning. This is not something vacant of any kind of activity or existence. These people use to be normal, the village didn’t look this bad, and life continues all around it, sometimes right under its nose. You are not killing undead creatures; you are killing people suffering from Las Plagas. When you reach the castle and island stages of the game, the detail doesn’t weaken and continues its visual splendor. Clever lighting and fire effects, the water glistening and the moon shining on the environment. Just wait to it starts raining towards the end of the village section. Fog covers the landscape, limiting your view. Rain beating down of the enemies and the ground is truly a sight to behold. Lighting takes a bigger emphasis on this portion as once bright areas are now shrouded in darkness. Shooting out lights or putting out torches just adds to the darkness making it harder to see so shooting like crazy is a big no-no. Walking through the castle you get a sense of how grand this place is as the scale is very true to what it should be. The island portion returns us to the village of sorts with opened areas filling more claustrophobic thanks to the masses of Ganados breathing down your neck. I wish there was a bit more interactivity in the environment but that is a small nitpick on the scale of things. This is easily the most beautiful game in a long while which I gave MGS3 and Metroid Prime 2 the honor. This shows you what developers can do when they are dedicated to one platform. All the enemy types are cleverly designed, mixing the old with the new. The villagers seemed dead but yet they have more life than you if you’re not careful. You can see the detail in their clothing, skin, even down to their evil eyes. They move realistically too; buckling with certain shots, busting through doors, falling off ledges, and even performing their normal routines. Ganados, however, only have so many different types between the classes. You will run into the same five village Ganados throughout the game and since you face more than a dozen of these guys at a time, this problem is very apparent. A little disappointing but when you look at the fresh boss designs; it eases up on this problem. Bosses take center stage in overall design and quality. El Lago is very clever water boss in the beginning, something not done before by previous games. Standing next to El Gigante is just awesome; it makes you feel small and insignificant. No more monster size insects as boss characters, you now find more of the twisted creations that games like Resident Evil 1 and 2 delivered. More characters becoming twisted looking thanks to Las Plagas, more tyrant-like characters with sharp claws and menacing features, more creativity than ever before. Let us not forget the main cast either. You can see the detail in Leon as his hooks on his belt shine in the light, ridges in his clothing, to the fluid movement in his actions. The rest is great too with Ada still being the hotness. You may find yourself staring than actually shooting as you must take everything in with anticipation of what you may see in the next room. The game is drop dead gorgeous and pushes the limits of what to expect in this generation. High quality graphics that get you lost in the game and you never want to leave, even if you are screaming to get away from the masses of evil. Gameplay/Controls 10/10 First of all, forget everything you knew about Resident Evil. Umbrella is gone and the zombies are gone. Leon is the only thing you may recognize, that is if you played Resident Evil 2 which you should have by now. The series has been getting stale with the same tired controls, crappy camera, and the same old shock value. No real tension anymore. The original Resident Evil 4, the one with that whole ghostly images and crap, was scrapped, much like Resident Evil 2 was back in 1997/1998. What we have here is a new breed of Resident Evil, one that is not slow paced and cautious about wasting ammo. We have a new game that sets the bar for survival action with unique twists in the game play and some much needed changes. The game moves much quicker and is an adrenaline rush from beginning to end. Let’s dive in and sink our teeth into the latest installment. When you first begin playing you will notice the camera. The camera is no longer fixed like the other five games. The camera is locked right behind Leon’s shoulder, giving you a sort of first-person perspective. This eliminates all prior camera issues and enhances the tension you feel as you are basically looking through the eyes of Leon and staring in the face of evil. This also fixes the controls which were another issue but more on that later. You jump into your inventory screen and you will notice yet another much needed change. You now carry a case to hold you items/weapons. The case is much bigger than what you had in older games so this eases up on the pain of managing items. You no longer have to deal with running back to chests and swapping out items. You have a certain amount of space, which can be upgraded later, that holds a fair amount of items so rest easy. Each health item, weapon, and ammo takes up a certain amount of squares, which the case is made up of. Think of it as a GameCube memory card. A pistol will take about six squares, 2 x 3, while first aid spray takes about two squares, 2 x 1. Eventually when you start filling up your inventory more often you will have to move items around to make room. You get a separate section to temporarily place items for such an occasion. You can also discard items in this section too, in case you don’t need that extra grenade. Items like keys for locked doors or puzzles are now in a separate inventory screen that never fills up, so you need not worry about keys taking up valuable slots in your inventory. This takes care of two issues that have plagued previous Resident Evil titles so let us jump right into the thick of things. When you encounter your first enemy you quickly realize this isn’t your typical Resident Evil, remember there are no zombies in this game. Actually that depends on your definition of zombies so technically you can still call them that but I will leave that for those still playing. When you walk into the cabin you will come face-to-face with your first Los Ganados, or “the cattle.” He may look zombie-like, or just plain ugly, but you will quickly learn this is not the case. Los Ganados are more vicious and faster than your typical RE zombie. They are persistent, they will attack you with some strategy, and they can be found carry weapons. Doesn’t sound like zombies to me. Ganados will begin walking slowly, if you try putting some distance between them they may begin running. Their basic attack is a choke hold, which can be escaped, but Los Ganados love to attack with weapons. They can be seen carrying pitchforks, TNT, hooks, torches, anything they can get their hands on. Some may carry chainsaws and these particular Ganados are a lot stronger. They are not dumb either, well not completely. They will talk to each other, try to surround you, and they will even dodge your attacks but not all the time. Most of the time they will just run in blindly, occasionally side stepping to avoid attacks. When in more complex areas like buildings they will have a more strategic persistence. They will bust through doors, jump through windows, set up ladders to reach you in high places or catch you by surprise. They may not be zombies but they sure take a beating with decapitating their heads being a quicker end. However, Los Ganados take a more sinister form at night that continues for the rest of the game. Shooting them in the head with unveil Las Plagas, I think you have an idea what that means. This is when the similarities between Resident Evil games start forming as they seem very similar to creatures you have faced before. Shooting off the head of a Los Ganados will reveal Las Plagas. A new head, sort of, forms that is pink and covered with eyes. They have tentacles and occasionally a sharp piece of bone to cause some serious damage. The quickest way to defeat is a flash grenade but if you lack that type, shooting at the newly formed head is the only way to go. This doesn’t happen to every Los Ganados so it’s up to you if you want to take a chance in shooting off their heads. Los Ganados are found throughout the game, taking different forms in certain stages. They take the form of cultists, or zealots, in the castle stages. They behave more intelligently than the villager type and come well armed. They will now shoot arrows from their crossbows or throw scythes, trying to decapitate poor Leon. They may wear helmets, eliminating the quick head shot kills. Much like the chainsaw Ganados, the red cultists are a lot tougher to kill and are more likely to reveal their Las Plagas. Chapter five will unleash more heavily armed Ganados that carry rocket launchers and gatling guns. I hope you been saving ammo. As Ganados change, so does the Las Plagas. Cultist tend to have a short-range Plagas that can cause instant death if they catch you. Later you may run into a spider-like Plagas that can detach when the host is destroyed. They will quickly crawl to your position and try to spit acid in your face. As they change they get stronger so keep in this in mind. There are more enemy types, most of them carry Las Plagas but utilize them in different ways. Some use them to attack like the Colmillos and Armaduras. Others are weaknesses to the host like the Regenerators and Garradors. The Novistadors are the only non boss type that doesn’t have Las Plagas. Most of the bosses are the same way, using Las Plagas either to their advantage or as a weakness. As you can see this adds a new element to the series as you constantly have to be on your toes and expect the unexpected. The same tricks won’t work anymore and certain methods work better on certain enemies. You need to use more strategy which is much needed in this flagging series. If the enemies use it, you might as well use it too. This is a welcomed alteration that makes the game fresh. New enemies with new methods of attack along with new ways to fight them. We will get into that more as with cover some of the newer features in the game. This also adds to the fear that has been seriously lacking of late. We are not talking Silent Hill levels here but when you are being chased by groups of Los Ganados your adrenaline will start pumping, the tension will rise, and you will find yourself jumping out of your seat when you take that blind turn. Enemies are relentless and they will continue to come after you. They are not as dumb as zombies of the past; they will stop at nothing to see you dead. This brings Resident Evil 4 to a whole new level not seen since the introduction of the series. It may not “pee your pants” in fright but the shock value is at an all time high. Now how can you fight these new forces without some state-of-the-art weaponry? Back are some of the Resident Evil staples: pistols, shotguns, magnums, rocket launches, etc. Rifles are new to the game which can be equipped with scopes for long range attacks, perfect way to sneak up on the opposition. More variety is machine guns this time plus grenades instead of Jill's grenade launcher. Speaking of variety, there are more types of each weapon as well. There are different kinds of pistols, shotguns, and rifles. Thankfully they all use the same ammo so no need to find ammo of each pistol. This leads to my favorite part of this game; you can now upgrade your weapons. During your travels through hell you will run into merchants that will sell you upgrades, new weapons, and other items. Killing enemies, smashing barrels and boxes, or even selling your stuff will net you pesetas that can be used for buying new weapons and upgrades. You can also find valuable gems and treasures that will sell for a lot more, some may increase in value as you combine it with different items. Weapons upgrade in four categories: Firepower (strength), Reload (quicker reload times), capacity (bigger clip), and firing speed, for those slow ass rifles. The more you upgrade, the more is costs so expect to shell out some serious dough to maximize that shotgun. All your items can be sold back at a fraction of the price, however you should consider upgrading your weaponry as your progress in the game as certain weapons are stronger and can be further upgradeable. Ammo is in greater supply, thank god because you face up to a dozen enemies at a time, so don’t be too cautious with your ammunition. Don’t be wasteful either as you may need it for some of the harder parts in the game. Health is the same way too. First aid spray can be bought from merchants and herbs are in great supply. Special yellow herbs even increase your health. Our friendly merchant also sells maps, for treasurehunts, bigger cases for managing your items, and armor to lower damage. One thing you must not do is shoot the merchant. He will die and he will not show up again in this area until you next play through. All of this adds RPG elements to the game as you can enhance, sell, and easily manage your items to make progress though the game manageable. More customization as players will pick and choose their favorite weapons, or they can rebuy ones that discards or sold in the past. A little bit of freedom adds a lot to the game, making you get more involved with your character. After a few hours into the game you finally meet up with Ashley, the President’s daughter. The game turns into a protection mission as you need to save her from certain death. Unlike other games that have annoying protecting events, Resident Evil 4 isn’t too bad. Ashley isn’t annoying and doesn’t die constantly, unless you really suck. You can command her to wait, follow, or help you with switches and puzzles. One part of the game you actually take control of Ashley and the game changes to classic Resident Evil game play, without weapons of course. This section is short and not really a chore as it sounds. It's in there to mix things up a bit, a change of pace if you will. If Ashley dies or gets carried away the game is over so you can’t just ignore her. Watching for enemy sneak attacks and shooting enemies who have a hold of Ashley will become the norm when she is around but it’s not unforgiving. Speaking of shooting enemies, putting a bullet in key spots will help change a dire situation into a much easier battle. We all know about head shots but what about the rest of the body? Enemies running can be shot in the legs making their momentum send them crashing into the ground. This will leave the perfect opening for head shots. You can also shoot weapons out of enemy’s hands or just blow the arm off so they can’t use them period. Nothing is more satisfying then shooting a Los Ganados who is carrying TNT in the arm causing it to drop and explode, killing him instantly. Again this adds even more strategy to the game, no more point and shoot, praying for their head to explode. The laser sight on your weapon makes this a lot easier but it does take some getting use to thanks to the new camera angle. Puzzles are still a good part of Resident Evil 4, nothing too hard or too easy, just there is break up the action. Some are obvious or just use this key on lock door type stuff. Others take a little bit more thought but overall they are no better, no worse. They are far from annoying and they perform a nice way to catch your breath. Resident Evil 4 has changed a lot by fixing those nagging problems, introducing great ideas, and keeping the series fresh. I have only told part of the tale and there is plenty more to this story of new terrors and innovation. Sound/Music 9/10 The soundtrack rocks this time around. Reminds me of Silent Hill somewhat with the creepy music and the sudden change in tempo as the action heats up. Keeps the creepy feel going and when all is quiet, your hair remains on ends. Sound effects are incredible and continue to add to the fear factor. Moaning from the cultists, villagers talking back and forth, even the animal sounds heard from chickens and cows. Gives more life to the game and proceeds to drive home that this game is not about happiness and wholesome family values. Guns sound realistic; the cracking of thunder sounds real, you can agree the sound is the perfect complement to the visuals of this game. Voice acting is decent, better than most Resident Evils but I doubt it will win any awards. Another item to the mighty list of pros in this game. Replay Value 10/10 The game takes around twenty hours to complete. You read right, no more beating the game in less than three hours. The game is long and will not be beaten in one sitting. The game is separated into five chapters; two village sections, two castle, and the island in the end. RE vets will have no problem completing the game as health and ammo are in great supply. Boss fights are not too hard as long as you know what to use, experimenting is fun so this adds some depth to the game. The same can be said about the regular enemies too. During the game you have a few side quests that earn you free weapons and quick cash. The Targeting Range is where you shoot targets that give you bottle caps of the many characters in the game. Complete the sets will earn pesetas for upgrading and other stuff. Beating the game opens up more options. You can play Round Two where you can start the game with all the items and weapons you had when you beat the game. You unlock professional mode (hard) and new costumes for Leon, Ashley, and Ada. Ada Assignment you control Ada of course and you collect Las Plagas samples on the island base. It also adds more to the ending. Mercenaries is basically you versus legions of enemies trying to get a high score within a limited amount of time. Getting higher scores will unlock new characters like Ada and Krauser from the main story and fan favorites like Hunk or Wesker. Each character has unique weapons and abilities. Playing these modes and performing very well will unlock more weapons in the main story, as does beating the game of course adding even more replay value. There is a lot to Resident Evil 4 and you will be playing this game for weeks. Not just to unlock everything, but the game is that much fun you will be scrambling to start your next trek through Europe and all those Los Ganados. Time for them to come face-to-face with my maxed out Striker. Overall 10/10 You probably have an idea how much I love this game, and how much Capcom has changed it for the better. The visuals keep getting better and better while the sound is nearly equal level of quality. The graphics are some of the best yet and not only reach the pinnacle of GameCube but this generation as well. The music only adds to the overall experience and makes it a feast for both the eyes and ears. Once annoyances like inventory management, camera and control issues, and saving are nonexistent. Capcom fixed each issue with smart ideas that also added more to the stale series. They added to the sense of fear and make survival not a chore like previous games. The game is easier to get into and more forgiving for non experienced players. The new action sequences are a major plus as you must stay focused during the entire game while your adrenaline is flying through the roof. The game can no longer be finished in a night and now requires players to spend days on the main game to see its completion. Add in the plethora of extras and you have one of the best reasons to not only own a GameCube but being a gamer period. If this game came out last year, it would have easily won Game of the Year. It is already one of the best games in this generation in my eyes and any action, or Resident Evil fan, can not live without it. Capcom has remade one of its most beloved series and made it an instant classic. Pros: - Heavenly visuals - Music and sound complement the visuals perfectly - New innovations to the genre - Previous issues now fixed for gaming pleasure - Action sequences are a major plus and gives more control to the player - New camera heightens the fear, puts players in the shoes of Leon - Upgradeable weapons adds much needed depth Cons: - Same five character designs for enemies - No strafing, feels like it should have been in the game - Voice acting not bad, but could be better - Not a GameCube exclusive anymore - by Cold Man X