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Resident Evil 4 Review
Chris Leyton
26/01/2005
What do you mean there's no zombies...
With combined sales surpassing 25 million, the Resident Evil series has become a firm favourite with gamers, single-handedly creating the āsurvival/horrorā genre and certainly helping the difficult transition from the 16-bit to 32-bit generation. However the series hasnāt enjoyed the best of times in recent years, with many fans turned off by the exploits of Claire Redfield and Steve Burnside in Code Veronica and the apparent plight of the series on the relatively small GameCube userbase ā“ a decision that Capcom appears to have regretted with the confirmation of a Playstation2 port in October 2005.
So when Capcom confirmed the first original Resident Evil title for the GameCube (Resident Evil 0 started on the N64) back in 2002 itās fair to say that the future of the series relied very much on the success of Resident Evil 4. With tantalising claims that Resident Evil 4 would introduce drastic changes to the frustrating gameplay youāve either grown to love or hate, along with the slow drip-feed of details, Resident Evil 4 has remained on the top of gamerās most anticipated lists ā“ an accolade that sadly not many Cube titles have held in recent months.
Thankfully after over two years in development and a distinct departure from its original form, the game is finally upon us with a greater degree of anticipation then virtually any other game set for release this year; has it been worth the wait, do the changes finally evolve the series and more importantly where the hell is Resident Evil heading now?
As everybody should know by this stage, Resident Evil 4 sees you assuming the role of Leon S. Kennedy after his disastrous āfirst dayā with the Racoon City Police Department saw him becoming embroiled in the outbreak of the T-Virus in Resident Evil 2. The subsequent nuclear obliteration of Racoon City and the disbandment of the Umbrella Corporation within Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, left us to question what on earth would be left to terrify gamers across the globe, but now we know or at least we think we do...
Believing that he has left the memories of Racoon City and Umbrella way behind him, Leon finds himself employed as a Special Agent with the US government, sent to Europe on a top-secret mission to investigate the abduction of the Presidentās daughter and bring her safely back to the United States. A relatively routine operation and one that you would have thought would go smoother then his last, however sadly for Leon thatās not the case when his investigation takes him to a remote village, whose inhabitants are certainly not what they seem. Itās not long before Leon once again finds himself in the proverbial mess, knee-deep in corpses and having to survive an onslaught of what appears to be Spanish civilians not too pleased to see a US Secret Agent ā“ despite making references to āterrorismā however and the cultās obsession with cleansing America, the game isnāt too heavily influenced by strained US-Euro relations in the real world, instead you slowly discover that these unwelcoming civilians have been possessed by something, although theyāre certainly not zombies.
He is not a Zombie
Right from the start, this is Mikami-san and his team rejuvenating Resident Evil; from the moment you search the first corpse and are met with āHe is not a zombieā, you know things are never going to be quite the same again ā“ we just didnāt realise quite how significant the changes would be.
Before we start looking at the details, itās fair to say that the whole dynamic of Resident Evil has changed with the release of Resident Evil 4; benefiting immensely from the new camera system, the emphasis is now very much on action and less so on creating tension, although thatās not to say there wonāt be moments when youāre filling your pants. Right from the start youāre chucked into the deep end as youāre besieged by legions of the strange new characters known as the Ganado; despite looking vaguely familiar to the zombies, their movement along with their eyes indicate that thereās something completely different here to what Leon has experienced in the past.
During that very first scene as you realise just how many Ganadoās youāre up against, the stark thought of āhow the hell am I going to do thisā comes across your mind, but then the new third-person camera swoops into view, activating the targeting system with the right shoulder button zooms this in closer and it takes a few moments before you become conscious that Resident Evil finally has a more then competent combat system ā“ in fact itās better then that, but weāll leave more details for later.
Merely labelling the changes as switching to a traditional third-person camera doesnāt do the game justice; itās quite unbelievable just how smooth, how fluid, how responsive, how fun, how not like any other Resident Evil this is. Itās in no small part testimony to the delights of the GameCube pad and its criminally under-used shoulder buttons, which makes the overall system far more satisfying then the vast majority of third-person titles, and whilst the controls remain positively Resident Evil, somehow these seem to have improved immeasurably because of the new camera system. In addition the left shoulder button is used to thrust your dagger giving you quick access to the weapon when you need it and removing the stilted nature of having to access your inventory first; it would have been nice to have seen grenades also linked to this system, perhaps toggling between your dagger and grenades with a certain button ā“ but hey itās a small complaint against what is a remarkably enjoyable, responsive and satisfying control/camera system.
Once the euphoria regarding the new camera system dies down and legions of the Ganado have become apparent, the next thing that smacks you straight against your face is just how smart these guys are. They attack in groups, using a wide variety of weapons, ducking if theyāve noticed your laser-scope targeted towards their head and just generally moving or running with a natural, fluid style ā“ it can be damn creepy at times. However itās their ability to track you down that is the most impressive aspect of the AI; even when youāve found what appears to be a safe point on the roofs, youāll hear a shout and notice them lift ladders and climb to get to you. This ensures that thereās never a spare moment, these guys will always manage to find you, so youāre constantly on your feet and keeping an ear out for the shrieks which is more then enough to make you jump.
Placing the emphasis so strongly on action was indeed a risky decision for Mikami-san and his team; however when combat is this entertaining itās hard to find a fault with the game. The Ganadoās and various other creatures and creepy characters that from the Los Illuminados cult, have a tremendous number of hit-points, so you can really make these guys dance on the spot or take the strategic decision of aiming for head-shots and being efficient with your ammo ā“ although the vast supplies of it throughout every stage, ensures that thereās less emphasis on this compared to previous Resident Evil titles. Localised damage is even woven into the actual gameplay, with certain creatures requiring an infra-red scope so that you can target specific areas on their body, whilst the whole subject of damage is taken to the nth degree in scenes such as taking out a pack of looming Ganadoās through a closed door ā“ just blow a chunk straight out of it and keep shooting!
But, thereās far more to it then just that.
The game often chucks up context-sensitive events such as those featured within Shenmue, often requiring a combination of the L+R shoulder buttons or A+B to perform evasive manoeuvres. Unlike the aforementioned SEGA classic however, these moments are brilliantly woven into the actual gameplay and donāt stand out as a frustrating Dragonās Lair clone. Often youāll notice these moments during the epic boss encounters, such as quickly having to dodge a tentacle attack whilst trying to take down the creature at the same time; however there is one scene relatively late on into the game that sees Leon face against a character in a dagger-dual ā“ safe to say weāve never seen anything quite like it. These āquick-timeā events are also used throughout to keep the game flowing from start-to-finish; often youāll put down the pad when a cut-scene is about to begin, only to feverishly rush to grab it again when an event flashes on-screen and you realise that cut-scenes arenāt the traditional time to rest easy for a few seconds but instead semi-interactive, creating a phenomenal sense of continuity throughout the entire experience.
Which leads on to the Magic āAā Button.
The A button is used throughout the game to carry out a variety of context-sensitive actions, ranging from jumping out of windows, kicking off ladders to kicking in combat and sprinting away from colossal boulders. Thereās just something uniquely brilliant about the implementation of this throughout the game; it lends a great deal of interaction with the environment, whilst its sheer simplicity ensures that thereās a great sense of style throughout.
Itās All Changed
Resident Evil 4 is a āspecialā game which is immediately evident from the outset, thereās a multitude of smart touches and concepts working underneath that helps to create an experience wholly unlike anything else out there. Certainly one of these relates to just how random the game appears to be; there appears to be so much happening (and we donāt just mean on-screen action) at any one time, that the game has a great sense of variety and just general randomness. This is largely created via the āAdaptive Difficultyā which modifies the game to suit your skills; one particular session saw us strolling through the first village relatively easily, whilst the next time we gasped in horror as we were mowed down by the chainsaw-wielding maniac who appears to be an āindicatorā of your current skill, as you can never predict when heāll turn up. Weāve played through Resident Evil 4 on a number of occasions now and experienced a significantly different experience each time, with such examples as accidentally back-tracking into a room to witness a cut-scene we had previously missed out on.
It can probably all be explained relatively easily, but weāve never āfeltā anything quite like it; more importantly it ensures that Resident Evil maintains its āsurvivalā aspects as youāre never quite sure what lurks around the corner, when it was in some danger of degenerating into a routine third-person game, albeit a stunning one at that!
Taking a closer look at the game reveals that the vast number of changes from previous Resident Evil titles continues, one noteworthy example includes the ability to purchase from an ever-increasing arsenal of weapons along with upgrading your arms in an RPG fashion. A relatively short way into the game youāll come across a strange vendor who provides the gameās only laughable moments with his choice phrases; as weāve said before youāre free to buy and sell weapons and items to this guy who has a strange habit of turning up when you least expect him, however more importantly is the ability to upgrade your weapons in various aspects such as Firepower, Capacity, Reload Rate and Firing Speed. Throughout the first few stages youāll have the opportunity to collect treasure, which can be sold to the vendor for a hefty fee, whilst certain artefacts can be combined with other jewels to really rack in the pesetas ā“ which brings up one of the strange points, if the game is set in 2004, why on earth isnāt the currency in euros???
Resident Evil fanatics will spot many changes as youāre playing through the game, such as no longer being able to sneakily combine your ammo with the gun in the inventory screen to eradicate the time taken to reload your gun; and whilst the herbs return in their normal fashion, youāll never find yourself becoming poisoned, instead Red Herbs can be combined with Yellow and Green to not only boost your health but also increase the size of your health gauge.
So Is There Anything Wrong?
If there was one concern it would be that Resident Evil aficionados may feel a little alienated by the sheer emphasis place on action; sure thereās puzzles throughout the game, but thereās literally nothing that will have you stumped and they often feel as though theyāve been put in merely to break up the relentless action. It can be argued that the sheer unrelenting pace of the game eradicates the sense of tension of previous Resident Evil titles, where you progressed through quiet areas before leading into an intense scene and then back into the calm, however as weāve claimed above, the random nature of the game does create a certain sense of apprehension throughout. It could also be said that the overall storyline may put off the hard-core, particularly if you didnāt enjoy the tangents that Code Veronica took, as Resident Evil 4 certainly brings some closure and strays away from past Resident Evil storyline; whilst we wonāt mention story specifics, the ending does leave it wide open for future titles, although youāre left questioning exactly where it is all going.
The game is truly epic at times; as weāve stated beforehand the pace is absolutely relentless throughout, however there are a number of scenes, particular boss-encounters, which will have you gasping at the screen and are guaranteed to stay in your mind forever. Smart touches continue to become apparent throughout the game, with player actions actually having a consequence later in the game; such as saving a wolf from a bear-trap whoāll come to your rescue when you most need him, leave him in the trap and your cruel decision will come back to haunt you!
Due to the change of structure and the sheer unrelenting pace the main game is likely to take between 12-15 hours before you come to the ending, whilst thereās a distinct lack of sections that will have you stumped for any considerable time. However in true Resident Evil fashion, completing the game unlocks a number of extra modes, such as a new āProfessionalā difficulty and being able to select alternative costumes for the primary characters. However thereās plenty more to sustain your interest once youāve passed through the first time. The āMercenariesā mode intensifies the action, by placing you in one of four stages with the sole task of destroying as many Ganadoās as possible within a certain time-limit, whilst being able to accumulate additional time by collecting certain items ā“ think Crazy Taxi crossed with Resident Evil, itās a lot of fun. However it doesnāt stop there; as fans will know (and we donāt think itās much of a spoiler), Ada Wong makes an appearance within the main game, and upon completion youāll be able to play through āAssignment Adaā. This is essentially a cut-down version of the main game, which fills in details from her side along with the return of a stalwart Resident Evil character.
But What About The Graphics
It could only be so long before we mentioned the visuals and general presentation of Resident Evil 4; without making any overstatement itās fair to say that Resident Evil 4 is a monumental achievement and a reminder that the GameCube can do far more then hold its own against the likes of Halo 2.
Particularly towards the beginning, the murky, dirty look that is composed from a predominantly brown colour scheme brings up memories of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre to great effect. Both environments and character models pack a huge amount of detail, brought to life with some stunning texture work and just sheer variety. However itās the visual effects that truly bring this baby to life; touches such as depth-blurring and heat-haze help to create some of the most remarkable pyro effects weāve seen within a videogame; whilst the lighting effects, particularly during a lightening storm, truly tops the overall atmosphere and leads to many more pant-filling scenarios when you come across somebody who you didnāt previously notice. Weāve already mentioned the quality of animation featured throughout Resident Evil 4; whether itās the creepy Ganadoās or the colossal El Giganteās, every character featured within the game moves with a great degree of style and panache.
Itās worth noting that the game does run in a condensed format with borders similar to a widescreen format, however it appears that this wasnāt a cinematic decision, but crucially important to maintaining a solid frame-rate whilst packing the screen full of action and detail. We quite enjoy the style, however itās worth pointing out that the display can be a little too small if youāre playing on a 14ā portable ā“ then again thatās not how you want to be playing this game, hook it up to the Home Entertainment set-up and enjoy every last minute.
Surprisingly the actual game isnāt the only thing to witness massive changes, as Resident Evil 4 actually features half-decent voice acting for a change; sure there are moments that are classic Resident Evil, but in general both the script and dialogue are of a sufficiently high standard to completely embroil you into the experience. The same can be said for every aspect of Resident Evil 4 presentation; sound effects pack a meaty punch, whilst the subdued music kicks in during intense scenes to really ramp up the excitement.
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