PlayStation 2 Review
Resident Evil 4
December 31, 1969 by Greg KnollCall it astonishing. Call it mind blowing. Call it the game of the week, the year or maybe even the decade. Call it the best Resident Evil yet; no one is going to argue. While Capcom may have only clawed at the face of the survival horror genre with its previous installments, RE 4 full on drives a nail into its heart. This isn’t a sequel that dabbles in what previously worked or a sequel that smothers you with irrelevant new ideas. This game is evolution-Disturbing, haunting, brilliant evolution.
Resident Evil 4 is seen through the eyes of returning favorite Special Agent Leon S. Kennedy. You’ll notice the officer tagline missing from his name. That’s because Leon spent one day as a cop in Raccoon City before he retired, but one day in Raccoon City is all you need before you start making drastic changes. Leon chose to instead climb the ranks and become an agent with the government. His first assignment: Protect the President’s daughter Ashley. Six days before his job is supposed to start, Ashley is kidnapped, leaving Leon as a pistol-packing knight rather than a brooding bodyguard. With little Intel given, Leon is dropped off in a remote village somewhere in Europe. It’s up to him to find Ashley and get her out.
As Leon’s investigation ensues, he finds there is something different about the villagers…something dangerous. They aren’t zombies and he is as far away from Raccoon City as he can get. There’s a new evil he has to worry about because Umbrella-the corrupt, monster corporation that haunted every other sequel-is dead.
But the nightmares never really went away
Something has to be said about a horror game that not only plays the part but looks it as well. RE 4 is dark and gritty in the most gorgeous way possible. Lines are smooth, colors are defined and details are jaw dropping. The Ganados (zombies) are brilliant, looking somewhat human but still having slight decay and a possessed look about them. Environments are outstanding. The graves covered in moss, the decrepit walls of the castle and the eerie fog on the lake can leave you terrified, even when there’s nothing to be scared of.
The sound is somewhat dismal, though. Being a fan of Silent Hill as well, I rather enjoy the songs with lyrics that add to the emotion of the game, but sadly there wasn’t any. However, the quality bounces right back with the voice-overs. They are well acted in cut-scenes and every time the Ganados spoke, I got a chill. They never speak English and they can be quite loud. Sometimes they’re chanting, other times they are pointing you out to other villagers but when they aren’t doing either is when you have to worry. They’re plotting something, you can tell by their actions, but you never know what it is.
Save Ashley from the depths of insanity
While the entire premise of the game may seem like a rescue mission, getting Ashley out really only makes up one quarter of the game, returning her home safely makes up the rest. It sounds like a pain, I know. It’s hard enough worrying about your own survival in a Resident Evil game. But in all honesty, she’s not that bad. No, she can’t fight and she won’t pick up items that you missed but she’s still smart. Anytime you aim your gun, she either tucks herself tight behind you or she ducks out of the way. You can give her a boost to an unreachable ledge and she’ll unlock a door or turn a crank. When you tell her to hide, she will until the moment you whistle for her. She stays very close to you the entire game, hardly ever getting herself into trouble unless you’re really not paying attention. Watching her keeps you on your toes and adds to the element this game brilliantly creates.
Fear lurks around every corner
Scary? Previous Resident Evil’s were scary. A brief hiss of a Licker, a mass of zombies crowding an alley way or busting through windows worked for a time but eventually, it rotted. Having enough first aid sprays was enough to at least make me feel safe, which is why they could only cause momentary “jolt” scares. Now …I want to talk about being terrified. In RE 4, your very life is dependent on not only Leon’s reflexes, but your own. No matter how full your health is RE 4 has a good many moments where one slip up will end your life. Whether it be allowing one of the chainsaw wielding maniacs to get too close or walking right into a dynamite booby trap.
Resident Evil has interactive cut-scenes that can become quite lethal. Sometimes you find yourself running from a boulder tapping the x button to spur Leon further. Sometimes you’ll be having idle chitchat with an ex-comrade or Ganado and they’ll lash out. Suddenly, without warning, the word DODGE! flashes on the screen along with a button combination. If you’re quick enough to nail it, Leon… well, dodges. I don’t think I have to tell you what happens if you don’t.
Even boss fights make use of your button pressing skill. Take for example the lake scene. You end up fighting a huge underwater creature called “Del Lago” all inside a boat. Several times, Del Lago will slam into the boat knocking you out into the middle of the lake. The word swim flashes on the screen indicating that you again need to tap the x button. You may do it indolently at first, but when you see Del Lago’s maw creep out of the lake right behind you, I guarantee you’ll speed up.
A Macabre populace
Imagine enemies that have brains rather than eat them. Enemies that will learn your patterns in a fight, bobbing and weaving, sticking their hands in front of their face or ducking altogether just to avoid getting
shot. Enemies that will act completely harmless to draw your attention while others sneak up behind you. Imagine them creeping up to give you a false sense of security, then charging at the last second catching you off guard long enough for them to slam their teeth into your neck. Now imagine hundreds of them, maybe even thousands-communicating, plotting and planning only one thing: Your demise.
These enemies are going to swing pitchforks, hurl axes and even dynamite. They will duck behind shields and wear iron masks to prevent headshots. They will pin you inside a tower and launch firebombs right at you. They will follow you to the edge of town, climb up ladders if you decide to take higher ground and stalk you until you have absolutely nowhere left to run. Resident Evil is no longer about zombies who stick their arms out and moan as they lurch towards you. The Ganados are predators-cold, calculating hunters.
Will you be able to escape
You would have to look at the map to truly appreciate how big Resident Evil 4 is. The village alone makes the infamous mansion pale in size but that is only one area. Every time I thought this game was coming to a close, a brand new spot would open up twice the size of the previous one.
It never gets boring though. I never got tired of looking at my well designed surroundings and some of the mini-games like treasure hunting and target practice broke up what may have been a long trek. There are also a few puzzles-enough to keep you entertained but not so many that it doesn’t fit. There are a good amount of cut-scenes and dialogue as well, all intricately placed to shake things up a bit.
Or even survive
Leon has everything I would expect from a special agent. Watching some of the cut-scenes where Leon flips between rows of lasers or sick knife fights in slow motion made me realize the guy has some moves, but he’s also got the firepower to back up his slick acrobatics. RE 4 follows the same route as Nemesis as it provides with not only different guns, but different gun types. For example, there are five types of handguns that you can get. Some provide more firepower, faster reload or more stability. You can also evolve from your flintlock rifle to a semi-automatic one, choose shotguns-from the traditional pump action to a brutal riot gun-and pick wild west or modern day with both a revolver magnum and a .45.
If you like one certain gun but it’s not as powerful as you would hope, you can upgrade it by increasing its firepower, capacity, reload speed and firing speed. The merchant provides you with everything you need to customize your own arsenal. The one problem with the guns: Not enough room to hold all of them.
To say I was on edge with Resident Evil 4 is an understatement. I have never played anything that latched onto my psyche so fierce it had me enjoyably dreading every step and every scene. The graphics, the fear, the constant paranoia and the genius A.I. mesh together so incredibly that whether you’re a fan of the genre or not, you have to play it at least once to see how damn near perfect this game is. Resident Evil 4 isn’t just survival horror at its finest, but video games entirely. Grand Theft what?
PlayStation 2 Review
Resident Evil 4
March 28, 2009 by Cain DornanResident Evil 4 is a rare game. Its a game that provides a refreshing, captivating and thoroughly enjoyable experience from start to finish. Its the type of game that is never frustrating, never grows boring and never ceases to surprise. Its a game that, quite simply, is an experience that needs to be taken by almost every gamer, regardless of your preferred genres. Even after playing through the original GameCube version, exploring every nook and cranny and poking at everything it has to offer, we still had an enjoyable time playing through the game for a second time, proving that Capcom has created a sure-hit classic with their latest installment in the famous Resident Evil franchise.
Resident Evil 4 follows the experiences of Leon Kennedy, a specially trained soldier working directly for the President of the USA. After the presidents daughter is kidnapped and reportedly taken to a mysterious remote location in Europe, Leon is sent in to rescue the presidents daughter from her captors. Believing the mission to be a simple retrieval mission, he is soon proved wrong when he comes into contact with the inhuman locales, who inspire to do nothing more than kill Leon. You soon discover the reason behind the communitys strange ways, as an evil cult has taken control of the village and plans to topple American from power and gain control of the world, in classic villain style. The games sends you through a range of different locations in an attempt to destroy the evil cult and rescue the Presidents daughter, Ashley, from their wicked grasp.
Those who have played through the GameCube version will agree when I say that the single player mode in Resident Evil 4 is simply superb. The games storyline is presented in an ever-evolving and interesting manner, offering plenty of surprising twists and turns that successfully keeps you engaged throughout the progress of the game. The numerous different locales that you visit, which range from the swampy and dark little village through to a towering, evil monk-filled castle offers a pleasing variety of different locations that mixes up the gameplay, ultimately providing a slightly different experience in each area as you battle new enemies and gain further weapons.
A new addition to the Resident Evil franchise is the ability to purchase items, weapons and upgrades from a traveling salesman that manages to pop-up throughout the course of the game. By selling unneeded items and collecting hordes of coinage, you are able to purchase news weapons, useful items and extra inventory space. You can also purchase new upgrades for your weapons, which increase their firepower, capacity and reload speed.
Although the games central story mode is identical to its GameCube brother, the additional modes that are unlocked upon the completion of the game are the only true differences that set it apart from the version released earlier this year on the GameCube. The main inclusion is the Separate Ways mode, which features the mysterious Ada character that makes regular appearances in the story mode. This new Playstation 2 exclusive mode offers a different take on the games storyline from the eyes of Ada, filling in the holes of the original storyline and adding additional information. The extra mode is incorporated into the games storyline extremely well, with the gameplay following on with the same difficulty that concluded the games central story mode where you control Leon. The mode explains why and how Ada managed to make an appearance throughout the game, and also allows you to make regular use of her cool grapple gun that she showed-off during the main story mode to reach previously inaccessible areas. In addition, you are able to purchase weapons and items from the same salesman that appears in the main story mode, including a number of weapons that are exclusive to Ada. These exclusive weapons include the bow gun, which is a silent and effective means of dispatching your foes.
Other new modes include Adas Report, which is essentially an add-on to the Separate Ways mode. This feature simply allows you to view the cinematics that appear in Adas additional mode, Separate Ways. There is also the Movie Browser, which, as the name suggests, allows you to browse through all of the cinematics that you have previously viewed in the game.
Capcom has also returned the two additional modes that appeared in the GameCube version. Assignment Ada is the original, rat
her boring mode that requires you to perform such tasks as retrieving three samples of the virus from different sections of the level, which involves nothing more than simply killing a number of enemies and then moving into the next room. This mode offers little storyline or gameplay additions, making it a short-lived experience. The Mercenaries mode also makes a return, allowing you to take on a role of a number of characters from the game, including Leon, Ada and Wesker, and participate in a survival-based mode that simply involves killing an endless horde of enemies, where points are recorded for each kill, with the ultimate aim of the mode to score the highest number of points possible before you die or the time runs out. Despite the mode offering no storyline or additional gameplay inclusions, its still an enjoyable experience nonetheless.
Although there are limited differences between the GameCube and Playstation 2 versions in the gameplay aspects, visually the two different versions are quite different. As expected, the GameCube versions offers slightly superior character and environment detail over the PS2 version, coupled with the addition of slightly slower loading times in the PS2 outing. Overall, though, when considering the GameCubes graphical prowess over the PS2, these slight visual sacrifices are certainly not disappointing. The PS2 visuals still offer clean animation, well-detailed and animated characters and impressively designed environments.
Resident Evil 4s voice-overs, music and sound effects are equally impressive. Each character offers suitable and well-acted voice-overs that present a believable character, aiding in delving the gamer into the games world. The music, which is largely of orchestral theme, aids in presenting a moody world that changes according to the situation and location that you are in. The music, for examples, becomes louder and more noticeable during fights with enemies, while the music becomes quieter and spookier when there are no enemies nearby, helping to build the suspense. The sound effects are, like the rest of the games visual and audio presentation, is impressive in its quality and execution. Each weapon fire, footstep or thud is replicated in a realistic and believable fashion, contributing to the game substantially.
Playstation 2 gamers have long been waiting to get their hands on Capcoms acclaimed action survival horror, and it is for good reason. Resident Evil 4 is an impressive and thoroughly enjoyable experience throughout, revolutionizing not only the Resident Evil series but the survival horror and action genres as a whole. Its the type of game that allows classic fans of the series to instantly fall in love with the refreshingly new take on the series, all the while attracting a large number of gamers who have never liked any of the previous Resident Evil titles. Those who have not had the chance to play through the GameCube version of Resident Evil 4 need to check out Capcoms latest blockbuster title, as its an experience that is worthwhile in every aspect.
