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Survival Bond?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: February 27, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Visually stunning, cleverly paced, narratively weak, addictively playable, completely engrossing: Resident Evil 4 isn't your typical third-person adventure game. Earlier builds of Resident Evil 4 were downright terrifying and the footage of a grown-up Leon stalking through eerie mansion halls and crypt lairs deep underground seemed like the natural progression from Code Veronica's over the top game environments. But all was not well in the developers' studio and that version of the game was scrapped. Now, looking at the recently released footage of the previous versions of RE4, the game doesn't look quite so impressive when all that juicy footage is taken back into context. Jump ahead, though, to the present where everything you thought you knew about Resident Evil was completely turned inside out and upside down.

Gameplay
The first thing you'll notice about this new game is that it plays much differently than any game out there. The semi-first person perspective makes combat a lot more visceral and complicated. Instead of the simple auto-aiming at mindless enemies off-screen, the new laser-guided aiming system makes for incredibly addictive gameplay. Now, you can target "zombies" in the eyes causing them to stumble back shaking their heads. Or, if you prefer, shoot them in the legs to drop them on their knees stopping them in their tracks. Then, in either instance, run up to them and press the new action button to perform a powerful kick to send them flying with or without their heads! In fact, there are all kinds of ways to take out enemies. Aim for their weapon hand and place a couple of well timed shots to render them fairly harmless. Blast projectiles in mid-air as they coming hurling at you. As the game progresses, many of the enemies will be wearing body armor and you'll have to be even more precise in you're aiming in order to hit at enemies who might be invulnerable in all areas but one or two key hit zones. Truly, this style of gameplay has never before been attempted and is one of the reasons why killing horde after horde of the Las Plagas never gets boring. Gameplay aside, the new perspective makes the game feel less like you're watching a movie and more like you're in the movie acting out the leading role!

New Features
The introduction of the merchant, the action button(s), interactive "movies," yellow herbs, partner protecting, and intelligent AI are all new additions to this game.

The merchant basically replaces the old item box although thankfully in this game you can discard items when you need to. Some of the things he sells besides weapons are treasure maps, larger inventory cases, first aid sprays, and weapon upgrades (ala Fatal Frame). The money you collect from dead bodies or from rare treasure hidden throughout the game can be used to buy better classes of handguns, shotguns, or special weapons like a single use rocket launcher or mine-thrower. There is an impressive arsenal at your disposal and all the weapons have their own strengths and weaknesses and some weapons completely suck until you pump in a couple of hundred thousand pesetas in them. All in all the merchant, although a little unrealistic at times, is a nice addition to THIS installment of RE.

The action button(s) come up in boss fights, short in-game cinematic sequences, and at places where the player can interact with the gaming environment. Most of these occurrences involve dodging, jumping over objects or frantically pushing one button to simulate trying to escape danger. They're not too difficult to master and add more style to the game but don't necessarily make things more enjoyable.

The new herb in this game, the yellow herb, allows you to increase the max HP for Leon. The main effect this has on the game is that as your opponents get tougher you can compensate by increasing your own stamina and thereby absorb their attack without dying.

When you rescue Ashley in the numerous episodes in the game, she will tag along with you. You have to keep her from harms way and not lose sight of her. If the Las Plagas get a hold of her and carry her away your mission is over. For the most part she is completely useless and whines like Natalie Portman in Leon The Professional whenever a "zombie" so much as farts on her but she does break up the monotony and says cute things when you try to look up her skirt.

Because this game is labeled survival horror, you can expect a lot of challenges. However, none of them presents itself as more difficult than dealing with enemies who are intelligent and cooperative (on a superficial level).

Characters
Resident Evil 4 brings back Leon and Ada from RE2. Leon is a much more mature, masculine presence in the game and is completely likeable as hero. Ada is now an enigmatic secret agent working for the notorious Wesker. Not much elaboration is made in the game itself of how they become colleagues so I don't consider this information a spoiler. Both characters are completely reborn as tough, combat veterans. There is also a girl who appears via your radio/codec called Ingrid Hunnigan who tells you where to go and what to do for parts of the game. She's a regular Miss Moneypenny.

Wesker is a part of the story but never makes an appearance in the main game. The new archenemy is an enigmatic fellow by the name of Osmund Saddler aka Lord Saddler (Osmund Saddler = Ozwell Spencer? hmmm). He's not a spectacular villain and plays out like a cheap rip-off of some cheesy Bond nemesis (ala Tomorrow Never Dies). His son, Ramon Salazar is much more amusing but not at all threatening. Nicholai Ginovaef reprises his role to some extent in the form of Jack Krauser, a cheap ripoff of the former UBCS supervisor. A nice little sub-boss that ends up being the funnest fight of them all.

Story
There are basically three levels. The Pueblo village (day and night), a castle and its crypts/mines, and an island base filled with labs/encampments. The pacing is fairly swift once night falls onto the village. The bosses make their appearance at fairly random intervals. You never anticipate when a big fight is coming which heightens the tension while playing. Sometimes an ordinary slug-fest gets turned into an all out nightmare when one of the games more cantankerous villains shows up to join the party. (One good example of this is where you get stuck in a tiny cage with a guy I like to call Edward Scissorhands.)

In general, the dialogue is performed well but a little too cheesy at times. It never seems like anyone is really that concerned with what's going on. The desperation is never really there in the voice acting (a deliberate B-movie homage?). It's kind of taken for granted that you will eventually win as there is only one ending to the game and, much like other Mikami directed RE games, completely sucks.

The one place where I felt the story fell short was during the trek through the castle. The enemies, bosses, and levels all seemed like they were put there deliberately to drag the game out a little longer. The care involved wasn't as great as in the first and last parts of the game. However, once you reached the island base, the meshing of old RE and the new gameplay really fit nicely.

Conclusion
This is the best game to come out of any production studio in a long time. It's sad that the PS2 port will cut in on the sales of what is really the biggest breakthrough title for the GameCube. The basic elements of the old RE are still there but added are the larger than life characters of Metal Gear Solid, the non-stop action and dazzling special moves of James Bond, and hints of other recent survival horror games like Fatal Frame. Some die-hard fans may not like the change in direction, but I for one love this game. I just hope the next RE game will bring back Jill, Chris, Barry, and some of that old RE melodrama that doesn't really factor into this game's story.

If Leon's guns could talk...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: April 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

You've probably read all the reviews, so instead of getting into the mechanics I'm gonna cut right to the chase....it's intense. RE has been remodeled into what could be the most action defining game to this date, managing to bring you(the player)into a cinematic plethora of heart pounding chase-downs, near death decapitators, and an arsenal that blows you away almost as well as it does to your sickle-wielding foes. Brains splatter, heads fly, riots of crazy villagers explode, and those are just the basics. Things lurk in RE4, and then pop out when you least expect it. Even near the end, when you think you've gone through every possible game mechanic RE4 has to offer, it sends you careening into a new challenge. The graphics are top notch-screen shots do justice-but playing it is like living it. The world of RE4 seems to breath, and in the rare moment that you're not fighting for your life it's hard not to want to take a picture. Anyway buy the game if you got the cash...its a good one, just don't expect to have that much free time until after killing for at least 16-20 hours.

Be Prepared..

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: June 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Cause Resident Evil 4 will be knocking at your door.
First Id like to clear things up. I am a HUGE RE fan. I loved the 3rd one the most. I have every RE game and beatin almost all of em' cept' for Code Veronica.
RE remake was brilliant and Zero was off the hook but Now....Resident Evil 4 will be the Best Game Ever...

It's bin awhile since we've had an RE story line after CV...And forget OUTBreak and OutBreak file 2 cause compared to Resident Evil 4 there crap. Now lets get to it

Pros
Leons in it and better then ever...
GRAPHICS HAVE IMPROVED ALOT SINCE ZERO..I didn't think capcom could do it...Way to go
The bad camera angles are gone...yay
First person view is now available..
The auto target or what ever it is, is now in full support
The zombies are gone...Finally...
THE STORY IS GOOD...
RAVAGIN VILLAGERS WHO WANT YOU DEAD...Why?...I donno'...
Cons
mmm....mhhh...I'm trying to think...mhhh NOTHING...

Every thing you wanted Resident evil to be is now in RE4.

The story is when Leon is assighned to find the Presidents missing daughter and he must go to some village in europe were he finds that all the villagers are mad phycos who want him dead...but thats not the whole story...there not acctually zombies and there not humans either...what the hell are they then is what you ask?....I have no clue...But it seems good.

This will also be the longest RE ever...It's bout fifteen hours or longer I think...But thats all I can tell you..

The only problem is that on amazon It says the release date is FEB, 2005...I can't believe this.

I was hoping for the game to come out in Fall but amazon may be wrong but I donno' and if anyone does know can you please post it for me because at E3 they said in the trailer that it would come out in WINTER 2004...

Well Later RE fans...I'm out....
PS..THIS WILL BE THE BEST RESIDENT EVIL GAME EVER! HELL! BEST GAME EVER!

Marvelous

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: January 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Simply put, this game fixes every problem that the other Resident Evils had.

Basically, this is more of an action game than a horror game. I haven't gotten scared yet, and this is partly because ammo isn't that scarce anymore. I have so much ammo because I have so much inventory space. Instead of having eight slots to hold items, you have around 50. A shotgun will take up some 10 slots, while a rifle will take up around 5. You can also purchase more inventory slots from the merchant. Not only will the Merchant sell you slots... You can buy a ton of weapons from him. There are some fun guns like the riot shotgun and mine thrower, then there's the rocket launcher. You only get one rocket, but that's enough.

The camera is different as well. Instead of having a fixed camera , you have a camera that follows over your right shoulder. This works extremely well. When firing guns, the camera fixes itself over your right shoulder and you can aim anywhere you want.

There are almost no puzzles in the game. I'm at the end and I honestly have seen around 5. Basically all the puzzles have you matching symbols to other symbols. There is also a puzzle where you have to make 4 pictures show 6 people hanging. There are no frustrating ones though.

Besides what's mentioned above, this game has some ideas that haven't been done before. Well, they haven't been done real well. You can now shoot zombies in key hitzones. I havent blown any arms or legs off, but I have blown plenty of heads off. One zombie I shot in the shin. He fell over and then I decapitated him from behind. Another zombie was swinging a torch at me. I shot it and he burned himself. A really fun thing to do is shoot dynamite out of zombies hands. You can even buy a sniper rifle which is really cool, and then you can knock off zombies from afar.

Leon is truly an interesting character, and there are some other interesting ones as well. One character from Resident Evil 2 makes an appearance that I didn't see coming.

Maybe the last thing you might want to hear about are the bosses. All the boss fights feel epic in a way. Especially the one with the giant cave troll thing. There aren't really special tricks to defeating each of the bosses. You just shoot them, and maybe their plants.

I thought this game was wonderful. My playing time right now is about 12 hours according to my save. I didn't even try any of the sub-missions or treasure hunting. I didn't even do the shooting range alot, but there seem to be a lot of rewards for that. This game was well worth the wait; however, waiting for Resident Evil 5 will be torture.

The ultimate must-have game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: May 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

There's little I can say about Resident Evil 4 that hasn't been said already. One of the few recent games that truly lived up to its hype, RE4 is a delightfully scary experience wrapped in stunning graphics and tight controls. It's a whole different game from the previous installments in the series, and looks to be the model for the next few games to come. There's more bullets and more weapons maybe, but that doesn't make the game any easier. Also appreciated is how lengthy the overall quest is, and for the first time Capcom has not resorted to tired fetch quests and backtracking.

Right now there's two versions of this game (with a third coming to PC). The Gamecube version is the original, and has slightly better graphics and better controls (since it was specifically designed for Nintendo's console). It's also slightly cheaper as a player's choice title. The PS2 port loses a bit in the graphics department, but packs in a bunch of bonus content such as side missions, extra costumes, weapons, and story content. It's also in anamorphic widescreen, whereas the Gamecube one is letterboxed. It might sound like the PS2 game has more value, but overall the two versions are about the same. Whichever version you choose, Resident Evil 4 should not be passed up.

Best game ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: June 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

As an adult female, I'm really not into video games. My friend had the Resident Evil games and I would watch him play them, just because I love horror and found them interesting. When I finally got up the guts to try playing Resident Evil 4 I couldn't stop. I ended up buying a Game Cube just so I could play this game. I still love it almost two years later. It never gets dull. As a non gamer, I think it says a lot about Resident Evil 4 that it is one of a few games that I own and basically the only one that I play.

Does This Franchise Ever Do Anything Wrong?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: October 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I can't tell you how long I had been waiting to get my hands on a copy of "Resident Evil 4", since the first day I saw screenshots of the beautiful masterpiece. As more about the story unfolded (Leon being introduced as the main character) I began to get even more and more excited. Then I heard about the innovations that Capcom was adding to the games, mainly the switch from the third person angle of previous games, to a semi first person view, and the addition of Zombies that weren't quite Zombires, and I didn't know exactly what to think. To be honest these statements made me kind of uneasy about the game. However after the first ten minutes of playing, every single question or doubt I had was completely erased. This is by far the most accomplished and playable RE title that Capcom has made thus far, and is a perfect addition to the Resident Evil family.

I'll answer the big questions first. How does the semi-first person view work? Actually better than you ever would have imagined. While the controls are exactly the same as ever other RE title you have ever played, the view point of this game makes navagating Leon 1000x easier than it ever was in an previous Resident Evil game. The camera basically follows behind Leon, and you control and navigate from this manner, using the R button to pull your weapon and aim in the first person view like in previous games. This addition though has done wonders for the game, and has actually made some instances a bit scarier as you can get attacked from behind and not even expect it. You must keep your guard up at all times.

Next there's the question of the new "Zombies". While the enemies in Resident Evil 4 aren't zombies, you will eventually learn they are just as worthy of the title as any of the previous were (more of that is answered in the story though, which I don't want to spoil). The enemies are surprisingly different from the "dumb" zombies of the previous games, which simply stumbled around and, if you mistakenly ran into them, attacked you. The "Ganados" as they are referred to, have a lot of human qualities, as they can actually run, dodge attacks, and attack you with weapons, making them much more interesting (but I'll admit less creepy) than the zombies we knew and loved.

The story this time shifts back to Leon, who is on a mission to rescue the President's daughter, Ashley, who has been kidnapped by a group of militants. However you quickly learn there is something not quite right about these people known as the "Ganados", and when you run across new enemies like The Salazars, things begin to take a rather different turn. Not to mention when old aquaintances like Ada, begin cropping their faces throughout the game. The story is definitely different from anything the RE franchise has done before, and in part that's what makes it interesting. If you're a fan of any previous game, you're definitely going to enjoy what this title has to offer.

The graphics are the best that the franchise has done thus far. Which is not surprising as ever RE game has surpassed its predecessor in graphical terms. The environments looks real and lifelike, and are of course in full 3D to further the effect. Much along the lines of Resident Evil Code Veronica, you get to see what Capcom is capable of doing in settings other than a mansion or city. The broken down Ganado cities, and the Salazar castle are especial memorable settings. Overall the graphical beauty the other gamecube titles were known for is still in tact on this release.

The controls are exactly like they were in every other RE game you've ever played, which means if you're new to the series, you will have to do some adjusting, and if you're a veteran you can just pick up and go as you always would. Like I said the new semi first person view does wonders for the controls and makes things from the past, like navigating small passageways, or thin bridges much easier. The controls have always added something special to the game, and right from the start you will notice this has the same great feel that any other RE title had.

Resident Evil 4 more than lived up to its hype, in terms of not only graphics, but storyline, playability and fun. This is by far the best release the Gamecube saw in 2004, and will probably see for a while with its popularity slowly dying down. This stands as the perfect addition to any fan of the series' collection and a game that shows exactly why the RE franchise has become so successful today. I loved every minute of this game (and the many minutes I played it after I beat it) and I'm pretty sure you will too. Capcom really answered the questions of all doubters (including myself) with this one. Hands down one of the best reasons to own a Gamecube.

Evil never looked so good. . .

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 15, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The mantra for all fans of Resident Evil who play the fourth installment for the Nintendo GameCube (and now for the Playstation 2) is this: "Forget all you know, or think you know."

With the new installment of Capcom's seminal horror franchise, Capcom has shed the trappings that began to drap the series down in the past. Gone are the clumsy box inventory systems, the out-dated, clumsy camera/control system has been axed, and there are no more shuffling, stupid zombies. That's right, the series that introduced gamers to the creepiest, nastiest, most persistent zombies in video game history, has axed its own staple. Now, as Leon S. Kennedy (the rookie Racoon City cop from RE2), you'll be fighting for your life against crazed European villagers, sinister monks, and far scarier. . . things.

The story, after quickly dealing with the loose ends from the Umbrella story arc of the series' past, centers on Leon. Now a special agent working for the United States government, Leon is sent to an isolated corner of Europe to find the president's daughter, who was recently kidnapped. After some decidedly strange happenings at a local village. . . well, let's just say that, zombies or no zombies, this is still a Resident Evil game, so expect the unexpected and truly horrifying. Suffice it to say, the game features some of the best boss fights of this generation, and that doesn't mean just shooting random violent villagers.

However, even that is extremely engaging and enjoyable, thanks to the game's new mechanics. Thanks to location-specific hit detection, a new over-the-shoulder camera, and incredibly advanced enemy intelligence, combat this time around is much more fun and much more terrifying. Rather than shamble slowly toward you, enemies will now run at you in packs wielding anything from axes to chainsaws to lit dynamite. They'll dodge out of the way if you shoot them and come in through windows and break down doors if you hide in buildings. It makes especially the first couple hours of the game (before you get access to the really good guns) extremely tense.

Which isn't to say that feeling goes away. In fact, Resident Evil 4, rather than relying on the jump-out-at-you shock scares, it instead creates a constantly intense and gripping tension, as you are continually hunted by crazed (possibly) humans, and worse. This is made even more heart-pounding when you are tasked with protecting Ashley, the president's daughter. Yes, it sounds like a "great, another escort mission" type of situation, but honestly, this time someone got it right. Not only does Ashley actually have a survival instinct (unlike, say, Yorda from ICO), she's also got a couple brain cells. When threatened, she'll try to hide behind Leon, and if she gets in your line of fire if you use the quick-turn (a feature new to the series that should be included in every shooter from now on), she'll duck out of your way to give a clear sight.

Which is invaluable, as you'll want very much to kill the enemies in this game. Running past them is not only a bad idea generally, it's also impossible most of the time. Besides, they'll drop coins, items, and treasure that you can use for trade with a few mysterious merchants that are scattered across the landscape. These strange salesman will help you buy new weapons as well as upgrade old ones, an oppurtunity you literally cannot pass up. There are boss fights that are literally impossible if you haven't upgraded at least one of your weapons mutliple times.

Which brings me to perhaps one of the greatest parts about the game. During the boss fights especially, as well as during several cutscenes, you'll be given the option to take part in something incredibly cinematic and cool with the well-timed press of a button or two. It's a great way of presenting the game's story while still keeping the player very much involved in the game, and it makes the razor-thin escapes and sweet fighting moves that much cooler when you're actually doing them rather than watching them.

Overall, Resident Evil 4 is not only the best game in the series, and not only the best survival/horror game ever made, but it's also one of the best games released this year. It's easily the best-looking title on the Cube, offering eye-popping characters, incredible effects, and monstrous bosses (with no slowdown whatsoever), and is hands-down one of the most engagingly terrifying experiences you'll ever have. Even if (like me) you were never that big a fan of the series, you shouldn't pass this by.

So if you like edge-of-your seet thrills, good action, or are just a fan of violence and mayhem, play this game; play it at night; play it with the lights out; and bring an extra set of underwear or three. You'll need them.

One of the Best Games of 2005, One of the Best Games in Years

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 04, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Resident Evil 4 is flawless. Its presentation, stage design, controls, graphics, and sound are unparalleled in almost any other current-generation video game.
While never a big fan of the original Resident Evils, Resident Evil 4's change in game design had me hooked right from the start, when the game immediately throws you in to non-stop action. Rather than slower-paced, puzzle-based survival horror, Resident Evil 4 can better be described as action horror: sort of a slower paced The Suffering in terms of the amount of action. The horror no longer comes from jump-out-loud-noise scares either; you will be scared just because of how intense the action gets, and how many close-calls you have on your adventure.
The gameplay is from a fixed, over the shoulder follow camera, rather than set cameras a la previous Resident Evils. This allows the action to flow much better, and better still, allows Capcom to implement their genius shooting mechanics. Aiming is crucial in this game. Aiming for the head or for the leg will depend on how much ammo you have and how many enemies are on screen. If you are surrounded, knocking down a few enemies temporarily by shooting them in the leg is a better tactic than lining up a few head shots.
Graphically, this game is in a league of its own on current-gen systems. Its real-time graphics are rivaled only by the pre-rendered visuals in previous Gamecube Resident Evil outings. The only disappointment graphically is that there is no background interaction; nothing reacts when shot except enemies. This is too bad, but not a change from Resident Evil games of the past, where everything was pre-rendered anyway.
Also, the weapons upgrade system is genius, and is the reason I kept coming back for more. It is just addicting, simple as that. Collecting money from fallen enemies and hidden treasure chests, and then spending it on new weapons or on upgrades to old weapons is strategic and rewarding.
I've been a serious gamer for fourteen years, and never before have I replayed a game so many times. Even once I had unlocked everything I found myself periodically playing through the game again every month or so. Worth getting, without doubt.

Solid, fun game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 31, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'll keep it short-

PROS:
-Controls are easy to learn quickly.
-Good graphics (not outstanding, but good enough to keep you interested)
-Entertaining
-Decent Story

CONS:
-I wish the guy would walk a little faster.

If you read the other reviews, you can get a more detailed analysis, or just check out the negative reviews. The only complaints are:

"I'm, like, such a hardcore RE fan since the original. I mean, I've been playing it since nobody else even heard of it except me and my friends cuz we're cool and know about everything BEFORE everyone else, and this game is not a TRUE Resident Evil game. Oh my God, how dare they not let me fight the evil Umbrella Corporation". Shut up. A good game is a good game, Umbrella or no Umbrella.

"I'm giving this ONE star because it's not out for Playstation." Boo-hoo, someone needs their diaper changed. I never knew that when a game is not available for Playstation, it logically follows that it's a bad game. Probably because it doesn't.

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