Pros: Graphics, game play, enemies, bosses, everything!
Cons: Slightly awkward controls at first
The bottom line: Excellent...
In case any one has been wondering where I have been the past few weeks I can simply answer that question with being addicted to Resident Evil 4. After acquiring a game cube I needed some more games and my good friend who recently sold his game cube let me barrow this game. It is one of the most impressive games I have played for any system in all aspects. It is no wonder this was named game of the year on so many magazines. According to most reviews I have seen the earlier Resident Evil games for game cube weren’t anything special but the fourth installment is something to value greatly. It is very long with lots to do so no matter what price you end up spending you will certainly be getting your moneys worth.

The story is simple enough but unravels as time goes on. The basic set up is well executed but the game is much more mysterious than it seems. You are Leon Kennedy with the task of finding the presidents missing daughter. While you attempt to find her you are arrive in a mysterious village somewhere in Europe. There is a villager but he is unfriendly you soon discover all the villagers are possessed and evil. While tracking down the president’s daughter and finding out more about an evil cult you must fight for your life and make it to the next area.

The basic plot line is well thought out and they even provide a good amount of back story in addition. The story is one of the main areas in which Resident Evil 4 excels in. The Game play would be the next area that Resident Evil 4 is terrific in. Although the controls are slightly awkward to get used to you will soon find yourself getting more and more used to the control scheme. The way it throws you off is that you can only shoot if you are in aim mode and using the joy stick moves the gun around. The main problem is that if you find that you meet an enemy unexpected it can be hectic to pull out your gun and shoot them while trying to run away. However that problem soon disappears within the first chapter and you will soon master the controls with ease. The game play runs very smoothly for the most part and you can do most your actions with simple buttons. You can run but you can’t jump. Since you can’t do much more than move around certain instances come up when you use the action button (a) to execute certain actions you couldn’t do normally.

The graphics are some of the best I have seen for the game cube. Each area is beautifully designed and the attention to detail is wonderful. The various scenery and backgrounds range from churches to farms and castles. No matter where you are you can expect the graphics to be great. The characters and enemies are nicely colored and look quite realistic. Resident Evil 4 is just further proof that good graphics can appear on the game cube.

Since a lot of the game requires you to kill your foes one way or another, your weapons and inventory is crucial. You start out with a handgun and a knife and carry on from there. Along the way you will pick up various objects such as ammo and herbs. The herbs can be combined or used signally and you can also pick up ammo for guns you do not yet have. A nice addition of the game is the merchant. He comes around a few times in each area and is a very important factor to your success. You can buy weapons and upgrade your guns from him as well as sell some treasures for extra cash. He usually comes around at just the right time and will offer new items each time. However his prices aren’t always cheap and saving money will be needed.

When I said this game was big earlier in the review, I really meant it. This game is so big that they had to fit it all onto two discs. I have never seen them do that for any other game. There are about five full chapters each one more difficult than the last. The difficultly level is not too high but it does require some skill. Most of the objectives are fairly self explanatory and luckily you have a handy map that will tell you where to go and what direction you are in. Since it is hard to explore the areas in a short amount of time the map really gives you an idea of just how humongous the game really is. As for the bosses that are seen in the game they can get pretty challenging. However the thing with most bosses is that they look much more intimidating than they actually are. They also don’t require many strategies other than shooting it till it dies. The game carries out a good balance of challenging and easy. The types of foes you encounter are varied but the most common ones would be the villagers. They can throw axes at you and choke you and usually attack in packs. There are also villagers that turn into tentacle like creatures and require more shots to kill. Making the most difficult ones to kill would have to be the chainsaw villagers. Don’t get close to them because they will kill you. There are also more sinister looking creatures that resemble the grim reaper in some way. Although there aren’t any real zombies that I have seen so far the foes you fight are hard enough.

Overall this is one of the best games I have ever played. Everything about it is just about perfect. One of the neatest yet frustrating concepts the game has is the numerous cut scenes. Although not all cut scenes are like this but what can happen is you will be required to tap L and R to dodge an attack in the middle of the cut scene. It takes you by surprise the first few times and still can throw you off. The game features many nice surprises and the plot is very well thought out. You meet various people and you get to escort the president’s daughter to safety. I strongly urge anyone with a game cube to buy this or at least rent it since it is easily one of the most amazing games I have played. Although I haven’t played previous Resident Evil games I had no trouble adapting to it and I soon found my self addicted. It is a lot of fun and requires patience, intelligence, and quick thinking. Everything that could be great for this game is. It is a masterpiece and received many well deserved awards. I can’t recommend this game enough and words simply can’t express it. The replay factor is incredibly high and nothing is wrong with the game except for slightly awkward controls at first. There is no reason not to play this so if you have a game cube play it!

5 stars