Classic survival horror, challenging puzzles, new creatures makes this one quite the experience!
Leon Kennedy receives his very first assignment as a special agent, to rescue the president's daughter from a religious cult in a remote part of Europe. On the way he discovers that the situation is much bigger than a mere rescue mission. He happens to make his way through a village, a castle, and finally, an island. The story is very interesting, it has a lot of twists, and it never seems to get in the way of your enjoyment with the game.
I've never played an over-the-shoulder survival-shooter, and it honestly was better than I expected. The controls may seem to be confusing when you are first starting the game, but after an hour or so, it is very intuitive and superbly designed. You shoot your weapons by holding R and pressing A, you aim your gun around with the control stick, and sometimes using the C-stick to zoom in and out with a gun such as a rifle. Holding L will let you pull out your knife which you once again use the control stick to aim, and A to swing. B runs, and A is context sensitive. The controls are absolutely perfect in every way possible. You honestly feel scared, that you are going to die unless you figure out a way to survive. This game is genuinely scary. The game constantly has you reserving ammo, as it can be very scarce at times.
This game is what made the GameCube look like an XBOX. The environments are incredibly detailed, especially the characters. Each hair on Leon is one of it's own instead of being blocky, and having stiff movement. You can tell Capcom put a lot of love into making the graphics. The shadows, the darkness, and the rain all seem as if you're really there in that situation.
Serenity, serenity, serenity. That's the only theme you need to hear to know that this game is not with out it's emotional moments / feelings. There is a good variety of themes in this game, and each theme sets the moment perfectly, especially when you're on the island. The voice acting is also perfect, as you can clearly hear what everyone is saying. Some of the sounds never get old such as the footsteps in the long hallways, and the screeches of the creatures, and the shouts of the peasants all have their own way of getting your heart racing.
This is probably the first time I'm reviewing this certain section of game, the scare factor. The game constantly has you jumping, and it's not full of cheap scares of things coming around corners, etc. As mentioned earlier, you sense a bad feeling of harm coming your way, and you must do whatever you can to survive. It's not the scariest game ever, but it will have you on the edge of your seat and shaking.
There is quite a bit to do in this game, as collecting all of the treasures, buying every item possible, maxing out your guns capabilities, etc. Starting new "rounds" of the game carries over the stuff you had from your previous saves, but also allows you new costumes, and new weapons. It is quite a long game.
If there's any game I don't mind sitting down and replaying any day, it would be Resident Evil 4. It's not just the fact that you can use all of your overpowered weapons, but you also get to play on professional mode if you're looking for an intense challenge.
Overall, I am incredibly satisfied with this game. I will go as far to call it a masterpiece. Everything you do in this game is unique in some way, and the game never has you doing the same thing twice. With incredible gameplay, and a powerfully moving story, Resident Evil 4 is by far the best GameCube game, and one of the greatest games of all time.
Pros:
+Great visuals
+Superb voice acting
+Perfect gameplay
+Long lasting adventures
Cons:
-Nothing
Story: 10/10
Gameplay 10/10
Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 10/10
Scare Factor: 10/10
Lifetime: 10/10
Replay Value: 10/10
Overall: 10/10 "MASTERPIECE"