Best GameCube Game
Resident Evil 4
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Read our preview from E3 2004 >>
Rarely when developers claim to be overhauling an established franchise do we believe their filthy lies; the "overhaul" often amounts to a few superficial aesthetic changes or some irrelevant peripheral gameplay mechanic. But Capcom sure did make good on its promise to reimagine the Resident Evil series with the fourth, GameCube-exclusive installment. Resident Evil 4 is absolutely not your daddy's Resident Evil, but from what we saw and played of the game at E3, it is going to be one hell of a creepy and entertaining action adventure game.
We'd like to emphasize the "action" part of that sentence, because the biggest and best change in Resident Evil 4 is in fact its shooting-focused gameplay, facilitated by RE4's new camera and controls. The Resident Evil series has gotten a bad reputation over the years for its clunky, archaic control scheme and sometimes-difficult aiming mechanics, but RE4 throws that stuff right out the window. You'll spend the entire game looking over the shoulder of former rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy, switching to a precision aiming mode (complete with laser sight) when it's time to start shooting. The action we played was fast and furious, and it was also easy to get a handle on. Thankfully, you won't be driving Leon around like a tank the way you did in previous games.
RE4's over-the-shoulder perspective lets Capcom's artists and level designers give the game a uniquely creepy, cinematic flair that past games in the series haven't been able to match. It doesn't hurt that the graphics we've seen so far are simply some of the best yet on the GameCube. But beyond any apparent technical prowess, there's a real sense of artistry in the quietly sinister woods we crept through in the playable demo. Past Resident Evil games have reeked of B-movie schlock horror, but RE4's much subtler scares make us really curious to find out what creator Shinji Mikami and company have in store for us later this year.
The other Best GameCube Game finalists:
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Paper Mario 2
Yoot Saito's Odama
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