So good you'll tell your grand-children about it.
Resident Evil 4 puts you in the role of Leon S. Kennedy; A government agent that’s been sent to Europe to find the president’s missing daughter. But of course Leon’s rescue operation doesn’t go as planned, and before you know it, you’ll be fighting for your life against a mysterious Spanish cult that wants you dead. Moreover, if you’ve played any of the previous games in the Resident Evil franchise, then you’ll be happy to learn that more than a few familiar faces show up during your adventure. The plot in Resident Evil 4 isn’t going to win any awards, but it is interesting and offers a fitting excuse for killing lots of bad guys.
The opening sequence of Resident Evil 4 will most likely be very unnerving to any Resident Evil aficionado. Unlike previous installments of the franchise where the player would fight against mindless zombies, Resident Evil 4’s main threats to your life are much different and dare I say it, scarier? For one, they don’t walk or shuffle towards you. They run. This wouldn’t be so intimidating if they weren’t running at you while armed to the teeth with a smattering amount of weapons such as: butcher knives, pitch forks, axes, cross bows, scythes, and chain-saws. But they are. And they also have a strange look in their eyes. It’s almost as if they’ve been possessed by some mysterious force and now their only goal in life is to see you suffer which adds exponentially to every heart-pounding encounter with these strange villagers. And without spoiling anything, these guys are nothing compared to some of the more horrifying adversaries you’ll face later on.
One of the most obvious differences between Resident Evil 4 and its previous installments is that the camera system is now behind the back of the protagonist. Now you’ll always be able to see who’s coming at you. In addition, whenever you tap the “R” button, Leon will immediately draw and aim his weapon. This is where Resident Evil 4 excels. Thanks to a convenient laser sight mounted on all of Leon’s weapons, you’ll be able to target any body part of oncoming enemies. Now instead of just shooting mindlessly at enemies off screen, you’ll be able to take down foes strategically. Running low on ammo? Why not trip up an enemy by shooting them in the knee? Or you could just shoot them in the head which will more than likely result in them requiring immediate medical attention. Tapping the “L” button will make Leon draw out a knife that he can use to slash at enemies which is also vital for saving ammunition. Leon can also perform a quick 180 degree turn which is invaluable when you get the feeling that someone or something is sneaking up on you. The control scheme works so well that you’ll wish every other Resident Evil game controlled like this.
Another important aspect of Resident Evil 4 is context sensitive buttons. When Leon gets close to a foe, you’ll have the option to execute an attack (or in many cases evade an attack) by pressing the buttons that flash on screen. This new game mechanic opens up all sorts of new gameplay options that give Leon a sense of freedom as you’ll be able to dive through windows, kick the heads off enemies, knock over ladders, and dodge oncoming projectiles.
The boss battles of Resident Evil 4 are some of best in any game ever made. This may sound like a fairly bold statement, but once you play the game for yourself, you’ll find out why. Simply put they are terrifying in every sense of the word. Bosses are big, disgusting, engaging, and incredibly lifelike. One of the first boss battles pits you against a monstrous cave troll that’s very reminiscent of the one found in the Lord of the Rings. The farther along you progress in the game, the bosses only get bigger and nastier. But what’s even more incredible is the fact that all of them require a different strategy of attack. Simply shooting hot lead at it won’t always be the best tactic to use. It’s truly amazing that some of the early bosses in Resident Evil 4 pack more punch than most games contain in an entire play through.
Of course, in order to take down the many hundreds of enemies throughout the game, you’ll need to be packin’ some serious firepower. Thankfully, Resident Evil 4 doesn’t disappoint. You’ll start with a simple 9 MM handgun. But don’t fret, your arsenal of weapons will quickly expand to shotguns, rifles, machine guns, and rocket launchers. So while all of the enemies in the game may look threatening, you’ll almost always carry a grim determination with you since even the strongest adversaries will melt under a shotgun gun blast to the head.
Also, Resident Evil 4 is NOT a game for children. It’s quite simply one of the most violent, gory, bloody, and graphically uncensored games ever made. During the first couple of minutes in the game, you’ll discover one villager that’s been impaled to the side of house with a pitchfork through her face. Shooting an enemy in the head with a high-powered rifle will almost always result in an explosion of blood and all sorts of other nasty substances. But Leon won’t always be the one dishing out the pain, in my time with the game, I was stabbed multiple times, my head was cut off by a chainsaw, I drowned, my face was mauled off, I burned to death, and a pair of razor sharp claws were smashed through my face. And did I mention that all of this looks beautiful? The game uses an amazing particle effects engine that makes every drop of blood look incredibly realistic. In a somewhat stomach churning kind of way...
Littered throughout the environments of Resident Evil 4 are treasures that you can sell to a local merchant for cash. This brings up a very strategic and fresh aspect of Resident Evil 4. Unlike the original Resident Evil where you would find weapons throughout the game, in Resident Evil 4 you can actually buy weapons, healing items, and treasure maps. In addition, you can also upgrade the firepower, accuracy, reload speed, and capacity of all your different weapons which leads to some interesting decisions. Do you simply want to upgrade your pistol’s reload speed, or spend the extra money and buy a brand new hand gun altogether? These choices can mean the difference between life and death so make sure to choose wisely!
Graphically, Resident Evil 4 can only be described as state-of-the-art. Quite frankly it makes most 360, PS3, and Wii games look dated which is an amazing accomplishment. The amount of detail that went in to each one of the environments is exquisite. You’ll visit an old rustic farmyard, a castle with all sorts of amazing architecture, and an island that may just make you want to plan a vacation. They just look that good. You can’t interact with every object, but just staring at them brings its own enjoyment. Character models look phenomenal. The fire effects in particular look outstanding as you can almost feel a sense of heat emanating from them. Rain looks like it’s been sent from the heavens. All of the weapons look meticulously detailed and extremely dangerous. The only graphical blemish that could be leveled at Resident Evil 4 is that some of the character’s limbs can stick through doors and other parts of the environment. Also, Resident Evil 4 supports Progressive Scan display, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t have it. Resident Evil 4 would still look awesome on a forty-year old TV.
Let's face it. A survival horror game with amazing graphics and gameplay would be nothing if the audio was filled with banjo and accordion solos. Thankfully, the audio of Resident Evil 4 doesn’t disappoint. The music can only be described as spooky. It can definitely play with your emotions if you’re treading through a new location and you don’t know what to expect. One moment it’s dreary, the next moment it’s intense. Sound effects are also well done. The weapons sound just like they should, and I cannot describe the sheer terror that will run through your spine when you hear the sound of a roaring chainsaw coming at you from behind. The voice acting is suitably cheesy as it’s filled with all sorts of silly one-liners that make you wonder how the voice actors didn’t burst out laughing when they were recording the dialog.
Resident Evil 4 will take you around twenty hours to complete which is fantastic considering most action games take around half that. In addition, Resident Evil 4 also boasts a plethora of neat unlockables including a new difficulty level, alternate outfits, some new weaponry, and a cool mini-game called “The Mercenaries” which basically has you blasting away as many enemies as you can in a certain amount of time. You’ll also definitely want to replay the game more than once since there are a few alternate routes you can take on your way to completing the game. And did I mention the fact that you can pick up a brand new copy of Resident Evil 4 at the low cost of $20?
Overall, Resident Evil 4 is one of the most amazing, visceral action games ever made. It raises the bar for what passes as a survival horror game, and stands as the perfect example of how to reinvent a franchise for better.