Resident Evil 4 - First Look Preview

Capcom are preparing themselves for the most important E3 show of their history; dogged by a disastrous financial year and allegations that their alliance with Nintendo is to blame, can the Japanese developer do the impossible – actually sell the innovative games in development and more importantly breathe new life into the resident evil series.<br><br>Through secure sources (aka a blunder on Capcom USA side), it became clear last week that Resident Evil 4 will be on show at this year’s E3 held in Los Angeles. Whilst at this stage it’s unclear as to whether it will be playable, RE fans will be looking forward to see how the latest title in the series takes the franchise forward. <br><br>Whilst a remake of the original and the release of Resident Evil 0 on the GameCube have created a reasonable amount of interest, even the most hardened RE fan can’t argue with the fact that the franchise is losing its grasp on the gaming community – an outdated, unresponsive control system could possibly be the focus of the problem and it’s insistence on obscure puzzles, which have simply become too archaic. <br><br>Whilst very little is known about Resident Evil 4, we do know that this will be another GameCube exclusive (if that word actually means anything in this industry). Hiroshi Shibata, will be the leading producer on this title taking over from the series creator Shinji Mikami. Recently Shibata-san was questioned about the game he said, “The Resident Evil series has always been bound by something before, but the new full-model engine will free Resident Evil 4 of these bonds. I want to make a completely new horror game." <br><br>As Shibata-san stated Resident Evil 4 will use an all-new all-3D engine, like Code Veronica but vastly improved making use of the GameCube’s powerful 3D processor; we should be in for a real treat as RE4 attempts to recreate the stunning detail of RE0 combined with the possibilities that real-time visuals offer. <br><br>Thankfully the pre-rendered backgrounds that led to the series lacking any real interaction have gone, as well as the static ‘always the same’ fixed camera angles. Resident Evil 4 will see the step into a fully rendered 3D environment; filled with objects that Leon will be able to interact with, dark and eerie lighting effects that will help create a tight adventure filled with suspense and exploration. All that has been shown so far is a single action sequence from the game’s ‘first showing trailer’, whilst we have been advised that this is merely a ‘tech demo’ of what we should be expecting, it is clear that Capcom’s artists and designers have spent a considerable amount of time in making sure the 3D switch looks identical if not better to what we have come to expect from the previous titles in the series.<br><br>Whilst the fixed camera has become a trademark feature of the series, it’s expected that RE4 will feature a true camera system to capture the increased levels of interaction and control that players have over Leon; so hopefully the 180&#61616; twist won’t be needed any longer!!! <br><br>Again Capcom are keeping hush with regards to the plot, we do know however that the game will star Leon Kennedy, who appeared for the first time in Resident Evil 2 as a rookie Police Cop for Raccoon City. The game will centre on Leon’s efforts to infiltrate the Umbrella Corporations world headquarters in Europe. There he will discover and eventually become infected with a new super virus known as the Progenitor Virus, killing mutated zombies and rabid dogs will not be his only task, making sure he remains human will be the toughest part yet. <br><br>Speculating slightly, the fact that Leon becomes infected by the virus leads to some interesting game possibilities; the entire game could become a race against time as Leon struggles to find the antidote, whilst watching Leon change in front of your eyes could lead to some fascinating moments.