Pros: Lots of things needing to be shot
Cons: Lots of nerves will be shot
The bottom line: A cookie for the one who figures out what song name the title of this review is based upon.
Once one of the most vital franchises in gaming a generation prior, the Resident Evil series has somewhat taken a few steps backwards over the past few years. Other than offshoot games like Resident Evil Outbreak, the last game in the RE line was the average Resident Evil Zero, which came out in 2002. And even though Resident Evil 4 was in the cards, many had grown to believe the series had finally passed on into the realm of forgotten franchises. What a shock for those people when RE4 finally arrived in 2005, and not just redefined the Resident Evil franchise itself, but might have rescued the stagnant genre of survival/horror. The changes to the RE formula are stunning, but the intense action, lengthy playtime, and sometimes curious storyline makes up for any feelings of confusion for those who miss the zombie-blasting, puzzle solving, backtracking days of yore (and for those I recommend waiting for RE Outbreak: File #2). Though likely forgotten by fall by the what have you done for me lately game industry, Resident Evil 4 stands as the first true Game of the Year candidate in 2005, and possibly the best game to be released on the Nintendo GameCube in its nearly 4-year lifespan.

Umbrella is dead. Much to the chagrin of some who hoped to see some sort of resolution to the Umbrella storyline (CODE: Veronica didn’t really solve anything other than the destruction of the two locations the game was based in), RE4 all but kills the Umbrella story. You learn in the opening sequence that the US Government has caught the company for their crimes, and stripped them of any sort of license to conduct business, which killed their stocks and ruined the company. So how do you make a sequel? By making the story even more sinister than before. RE2 favorite Leon Kennedy is your star, and since all the Umbrella BS is gone, Leon has taken a job as a US agent. His first job is to save Ashley Graham, the daughter of the President, who was kidnapped by a strange cult you come to know as Los Illuminados, based in Spain. Leon arrives, and almost immediately the evil takes center stage…when Leon is attacked by a resident of a small village that’s connected to the cult. Things get a lot more complicated than that, but much of it is tied to spoilers, and well…I ain’t going to spill the beans. Like all RE games, the story is told mostly through files scattered around the game, revealing the truths about every event and character in the game.

For those who expect the usual RE shenanigans, such as zombie shooting, bizarre boss battles, item boxes, ink ribbons, and numerous head-scratching puzzles, you’re going to be in for a surprise. With RE4, Capcom has outright shattered the old RE formula, creating a game that’s far more action than adventure. The numerous possessed villagers are no zombies; they’ll charge at you, gang up on you, throw projectiles at you, and otherwise make your life a living hell, especially if you come across one of the infamous chainsaw-carrying townsfolk – since one hit from a chainsaw is instant decapitation and death. There are other odd creatures to encounter in RE, such as freaky cultists who look like Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars, up to the weird Regenerators. Any way you slice it, Leon has to be on his toes and be an accurate shot to take down the enemies before he gets pulverized by them.

Thankfully, Leon has a whole set of weapons to use. No longer do you find weapons lying around (well, you find a few); instead a merchant system is introduced. By acquiring money out of boxes or dead villagers, and finding various valuables scattered around the game, you can purchase upgrades to existing weapons to make them stronger, reload faster, carry more bullets in a clip, and even fire faster. Each base weapon has more variations that use the same ammo, letting you either upgrade or buy newer weapons and save cash on upgrading. You can even buy a one-shot rocket launcher that can be occasionally helpful against tough bosses. Leon can also buy a bigger attaché case for holding more (no more boxes or the stupid touch/drop system of RE Zero) items, weapons, and healing items, and later on, a vest that helps cut back damage against the more powerful enemies late in the game. The base concept of herbs returns, with the addition of a yellow herb which you can combine with the other herbs to increase Leon’s health. You can also use First Aid Sprays – and this time, since there’s no ranking once you beat the game, there’s no penalty for using them. Which is definitely good since you’ll need those health items more than ever in RE4. The merchants also have access to a small shooting gallery mini-game that you can use to fine-tune your accuracy against the real thing.

As said, the action in this game is as intense as ever seen in any action/adventure game. Though not really a horror game, it’s instead an intense shooter that sometimes can get overbearing and though ammo is far more prevalent (and acquired off dead bodies this time, amongst other locations), there are moments where enemies are many and ammunition is few, leading to the use of the different grenades to make some room. The enemy variety is pretty typical RE, with about a dozen different enemy types (though some only show up in very limited fashion, you’ll deal with villagers and cultists the most), but the strategy remains the same – kill ‘em. The human sorts are based on hit zones; shoot a villager in the kneecaps (helped by the useful laser sight on all weapons) and they’ll fall down or stagger, shoot their arms if they’re holding something and they might drop it (you can even shoot back a projectile weapon if you hit it), and shoot their head enough times and it might explode (though later in the game this is *not* a wise idea). Or of course, if you’re like me, you’ll upgrade your sniper rifle and just sit back and cap some fools before they even know you’re there (headshots have no fear with a sniper rifle thankfully, and it’s extremely powerful to boot), thinning the ranks a bit. Though this can be hard with dozens of enemies coming at you at once on a few occasions. There are seriously few moments when you have any peace and quiet, without something coming at you.

The wrinkle in the game that scared me the most was the Ashley aspect. Since Capcom hasn’t beat around the bush that you do eventually rescue Ashley, much as been talked about the escort system put in place. Escort missions are infamous for being serious pains in the butt thanks to stupid AI and other assorted stupidity. Thankfully in the case of Resident Evil 4, Ashley is actually useful and dealing with her is fine. There’s parts where she must separate from Leon and accomplish tasks, and you must protect her by killing any cultists/villagers from taking her away – if they leave the room you’re in with her, game over. She has her own health meter as well, and it too can be upgraded via the yellow herb system. In other instances, you can tell her to wait while you search around or clear an area, hide her in a dumpster, and even use her to reach higher places by piggybacking. Though most of the game you’re without Ashley, when she’s there, she’s far from a nuisance and that in itself has saved RE4.

Unlike past RE games, backtracking is minimal at best – there are a few times were you’ll have to return to other areas, but it’s kept on the down low. Since there’s frequent typewriters to save (without a need for ink ribbons), and the concept of item boxes is dead, that helps the backtracking even more. This does make the game far more linear than past RE games, but this is made up for by the more action-oriented gameplay and pace. There’s really little time to worry about linearity when you have enemies crawling up your tail looking to end your life – at least they don’t want to eat you this time. Even during some cutscenes you have to be aware of what’s going on, as some scenes can result in death if you miss the commands on-screen (the same kind for dodging attacks and the context-sensitive situations) during them. Puzzles are also kept to a minimum – there are a few, though none are as obtuse or head-scratching as some puzzles in the past.

Last but not least, the camera system has been completely overhauled. Thanks to a behind-the-back angle, you can see the whole area at once and not get caught by stupid angles, though enemies can still sneak up behind you. The controls remain the same as the originals for the most part, with the exception of being forced to press R and B to reload, which is actually a lot cooler than doing it in the menu screen. There’s also a new knife feature that lets you cut boxes or fend off enemies by pressing L and A, and it never needs to be equipped or anything like that. Though the controls weren’t totally fixed despite complaints, the new camera angle and overall gameplay style lends itself well to these familiar functions. The addition of the laser sighting helps with accuracy and makes up for the loss of auto-aim. Since the game has taken a more action orientation compared to an adventure game with some action elements, the removal of auto-aim is understandable, and the laser sight comes in handy as a replacement.

Quite honestly, there hasn’t been an action game as intense or crazy like Resident Evil 4 in years. Though some (including me) were skeptical of the different tone of the game, the lack of zombies or crazy puzzles, Capcom obviously knew what they were doing, and RE4 has single handedly brought the genre it made famous back. Though it’s far less horror (not that RE games have ever been truly scary or anything) and a lot more survival, RE4 has completely reinvented itself as one of the best Cube games released in its nearly 4 year lifespan. I cannot remember an action game as incredibly intense as Resident Evil 4, and it only gets more and more intense as you reach the climax of the story. When I beat the game, there were two emotions – first, I was kind of sad that it was over despite being very lengthy for a RE game (15-20 hours your first time through depending on skill), but at the same time couldn’t be happier that it was over before my nerves were shot from the dozens upon dozens of intense action sequences in just the last couple chapters, let alone the entire 2-disc adventure. The final boss battle was a bit of a downer considering the challenge of the game (you WILL die a lot, no question about it), but in the end, the reward is worth it.

Like most RE games, beating it the first time unlocks a horde of mini-games and extras. In addition to the Professional difficulty level, you can get brand new weapons to use in a ‘New Game Plus’ scenario – NGP also lets you use all items and weapons you had after beating the game, making the early part of the game a damn good time to get revenge on those freaky villagers. The usual Mercenaries mini-game that puts you in a time-limit situation to unlock new characters for use is in tact, and harder than ever, though as always, intense fun. Finally, there’s the Assignment Ada mini-game, which puts you in the…err…dress of the mysterious and enigmatic Ada Wong on the island stage where the game makes its end. Assignment Ada plays just like Leon’s game, though is fairly brief and yet still pretty challenging since she isn’t as tough as Leon, though you can upgrade her health with yellow herbs. Beating it unlocks yet another cool weapon for Leon to use in a NGP scenario. This alone pushes the replay value sky high – something RE games are famous for.

To say Resident Evil 4 has stunning graphics would be an understatement. From the creepy village the game starts off in, with beat-down buildings obviously ignored by the possessed villagers, to the equally freaky castle you spend far too much time in (though much of that has to do with the equally freaky Salazar), to even the fairly normal island area, the whole game screams details, and there’s going to definitely be times you’ll stop to look around and take in the artistic beauty of the game. If beauty and terror can be put together. Character designs range from normal if not a bit repetitive for villagers and cultists (though the black-robe wearing cultists are let off due to said robe obscuring their appearance), to downright weird for other enemy designs (the Plaga makes me think of oversized Lice for some reason). And thankfully, due to the camera angle presented, there are few instances where the camera is in the wrong place, letting you worry more about killing stuff rather than finding it. It’s all tied up by a solid 30 fps engine that has some moments of slowdown…but hell, when it does, any system could chug with all the crazy crap that can be happening. The always-on letterboxed widescreen angle similar to Beyond Good & Evil (something that has irritated widescreen TV owners, but for us regular folk, no big deal) lets you see far more of the screen at a time compared to the older games as well.

Though I don’t think it’s as good as RE2 or CODE: Veronica’s, the RE4 soundtrack is good and sets the mood well, though there’s a lot of repetition. It fits the more action-y pace, matching the intensity. Voice acting is pretty sharp despite some hammy lines; Leon can be hilarious with the cheesy one-liners and flirtations with Hunnigan, his radio support, and the insane characters Leon deals with are played well. The fun is with the villagers and cultists – nothing seems as weird as being screamed at or listening to chants in a language you don’t understand, and since the game takes place in Spain, the Spanish fits the mood perfectly (imagine if say, for Metal Gear Solid 3, they had the enemy voices be all Russian and you’d understand). The constant chatter is used to tip you off to enemies, and as they get closer, it gets louder, though it’s almost more useful when it’s faint, just to let you know what’s going on. The various sound effects like explosions, footsteps, screams from Ashley, etc. are also great – especially the shotgun blast. RE4 has the best shotgun fun in the business.

The Last Paragraph

Resident Evil 4 does two things right that mean more than anything. For one, they’ve kept the core of the game similar enough to old-time fans of the series that they won’t feel lost at the new direction the franchise has gone. Secondly, they’ve reinvented the series enough that non-fans of the game, or those tired of the old formula will find a brand new game that surpasses anything done yet in this series. What Capcom has done is something few publishers have figured out yet – reinventing your game to avoid it becoming stagnant and repetitive can extend the life or a franchise, and bring new fans into the fold in the process. RE4 does both equally well and that’s why this game is so great. Perhaps its less horror-based than past games, and much more survival oriented, but the intense action, lengthy playtime, hordes of unlockables and a good (but fair) challenge has brought the Resident Evil franchise into the 21st century, finally. Once, after the boredom of RE Zero, I was tired of the RE games and hoping they’d finish the story up and be done with the whole thing. Now…I can’t wait for Resident Evil 5.