If
you're a traditionalist looking for more of the same
in Resident Evil 4, you might be a little bit disappointed.
For the rest of the progressive gamers out there that
want some expansion with their franchise, Resident
Evil 4 delivers a fresh and frightening perspective
on the survival horror genre. Capcom has outdone itself
with this one.
It's
hard to beat a classic but Capcom may have done just
that. Although there can never be another Resident
Evil (the original version), Resident Evil 4 marks
a new direction for the series. Rather than staying
true to the formula, Capcom has decided to mix up
the gameplay to great effect. This isn't your dad's
Resident Evil.
Gone
are the zombies. The Umbrella Corporation has all
but been rendered impotent. The government has nuked
Raccoon City and the surrounding areas. This time,
the old place is really dead.
A
new mission leads highly trained agent Leon Kennedy
to a remote European area to rescue the President's
kidnapped daughter. Blending puzzles, action, exploring,
and the use of weapons, the gameplay is incredibly
varied but cohesive. The cutscenes are all rendered
in-engine, so they too, also blend in with the game.
You are never jarred from your delusional world.
Right
from the get-go the game bursts with energy and excitement.
Instead of investigating some seemingly abandoned
town, you are immediately under attack by supernatural
entities. The CPU sets the pace, and it's frantic
as you try to run, hide and defend yourself against
these deviously intelligent creatures. Instead of
zombies you will encounter various monsters and other
non-human characters, all with different abilities
and hungers. You will have numerous tools and weapons
at your disposal but it's up to you to figure out
how to deal effectively with each horrific encounter
by what you use and how you use it.
Shocking,
scary, violent and fun. This game is on steroids.
It offers familiar controls and situations but it's
deeper than any game in the series thus far. The camera
angle is third-person, so we get to see more of the
environments when we enter them for the first time.
Monster pop up from every nook and cranny, some with
the requisite warning sounds, others appear unannounced
from out of thin air. There are no shortage of chills,
thrills, shock and awe. Did I mention gore? The blood
will flow and the guts will spill. Sometimes they
all splatter together like some kind of plasma/tissue
amoebae. It's all a bit messy. Parents should keep
young kids away from this game.
Coaxing
the gore out of the enemies is the job of the weapons
and the targeting aiming system. A briefcase contains
your inventory items which can include various pistols,
rifles, explosives and first aid kits. Weapons are
purchased instead of located. By finding treasures
you can buy weapons from merchants as well as upgrades.
Later in the game you will also be able to increase
the size of your briefcase and thus increase your
inventory. Being able to purchase weapons of your
choice allows for a greater degree of strategy, not
to mention freedom. The sniper rifle allows you to
take a more methodical approach to some situations
as you lie in wait while a rocket launcher removes
all traces of subtlety - and creatures.
The
auto aim system allows you to aim at specific body
parts. You can take out most of the monsters with
a headshot. You can also cripple some of them by aiming
for their knee if you are low on ammo. For even more
freedom an onscreen indicator will inform you of options
that you can make relative to your location and situation.
For instance, if you're trapped in a room and a monster
is coming at you while blocking the exit you might
want to jump through the window. These action options
add a new dimension to the gameplay since the choices
are realistic ones that were never available previously.
A
word here about the bosses. They are amazing. Not
only are they truly hideous to behold, they are incredibly
detailed and intelligent. No expense was spared to
bring the bosses to life. Not that the other creatures
aren't great but these are probably the finest collection
of bosses I've ever had the pleasure of getting killed
by. Each one seems better than the last.
Checkpoints
are more generous. So are typewriters where you can
save your progress. A map indicates where saves are
located as well as treasures and merchants and other
information. It really comes in handy but it doesn't
give anything away for nothing. This is still a very
challenging game.
Locations
include darkened hallways, a graveyard, a castle,
village streets, a lake, underground caves and industrial
wastelands. Regardless of how ancient and decayed
the locations appear, these are some of the most beautiful
environments to ever grace the Cube. There is detail
and dimension in every scene. Shadows appear in the
twilight, rain falls at night restricting your view,
flames flicker and water ripples. The facial animations
are incredible. You can see exactly what's going on
in their minds. The voiceovers are believable, not
overacted. The ambient soundtrack is instrumental
(pun intended) in creating the chilling mood. Surround
Sound puts you in the middle of this nightmare with
creaks, groans, shudders, slams and screams coming
at you from all directions.
Resident
Evil 4 is an absolute must-buy. With Cubes under a
hundred bucks, or even less at a pawnshop, this may
be reason enough to pick one up.
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