Resident Evil 4 was released in 2005 for the nintendo Game Cube, directed by the very same Shinji Mikami who also wrote the story with Haruo Murata, it was a huge hit world wide revolutionizing with it the 3rd person shooter genera introducing the then new "over the shoulder" perspective... and with it´s fame, controversy from long time fans of the franchise.
The story fallows Leon Scott Kennedy, (survivor of the raccoon city tragedy, one of the main characters of RE2) now an agent working for the US government on a mission to rescue the president´s daughter in some rural region of Spain, he runs into some villagers that are extremely violent trying to kill Leon... now it´s all a race against time to save the girl and get away. Has the story moves forward it´s reveled the truth about what is going on but the details about how it works is in documents you find through the game.
How the game plays is where the people pretty much falls in love with the game, unlike other RE games before this one, the games takes things from the point of view of Leon with the camera being set behind the main character instead of fixed angles with the propose of allowing the player to see what leon sees. The fear factor this time doesn't come from jump scares or not knowing whats in front of you, but of your reaction time to daunting problems; is about knowing what to do when you have a chainsaw maniac coming fast towards you and having your back against the wall, is about knowing what item to use to get away of a swarm of enemies surrounding you from all sides, its about knowing what weapon is effective against what enemy and about carefully managing your inventory.
The survival horror element of RE4 were more about discovering what is the best way to solve a situation rather than fighting camera angles or controls (although RE4 has tank like controls), the puzzles are even far more easy to solve making the tricky ones optional to not stop player´s progression if they desired to get the best goodies. There is also an economy system where you earn cash though the game and use to buy more weapon and improve your arsenal... all of this mechanics are well tightly added to the game, thus feeling like a full package, that without mentioning the Wii version that not only counts with the excellent pointer controls of the wii mote, but also includes the campaign of Ada Wong (the sexiest RE girl IMO) in the game upon completing Leon´s campaign and the mercenaries mode.
The game isn´t without it´s fair share of issues however, the tank like controls is sure to feel dated for some, considering the amount of TPS that we have seen through this last generation of games; I don´t blame anybody who might feel like this game hasn't aged well thus they find it dull to play now days, I still think is not only one of the best games of it´s time but also one that marked a beginning of things to come for the gaming industry.
Has a Resident Evil game I can understand the statement of some people regarding the state of the franchise because of this game... but in Capom and Mikami´s defense, the state of the franchise back then was dwindled (sales were low, there wasn't enough public interest, etc...); it was a drastic move that was necessary to keep the franchise alive.
Resident Evil 4 is a great action game, one that not only saved a franchise from the "void of forgotten ones" but also a game that shake the industry in a way few games ever have... it has intense replay ability, enough after modes to keep you distracted and is just one heck of a fun experience! I suggest getting the Wii version, is the definitive version of this game without a doubt.
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I want to announce I am about to finish the first chapter of the comic, the finishing touches are coming, I just have to finish a few more pages!
Also, coming up a new movie marathon, Jurassic Park!
Stay tuned!
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