A truly fun and exciting experience.
First, let me tell you that I'm NOT a Resident Evil fan. I bought the original RE game way back when it first came out due to the word of mouth. The game frightened me a lot when I played it as a kid but I felt disappointed by the lanky controls and horrible item/save features. I never played any of the later RE games because I didn't have a good experience with the original. Now here comes Resident Evil 4, the game that turned me back into a fan.
I was utterly impressed by the quality and scope of this game. It basically killed off everything I hated about the previous RE games. This is definitely not the same RE game of the past. The character controls like a third-person shooter with the camera over his shoulder. Leon moves around very easily. The world is entirely made in 3D which is a welcome change. They also made aiming a snap with the Right Shoulder button and laser add-on. You should have no problems killing things in this game. One negative is that Leon can't move while he shoots. It's makes the game more challenging than it should be. If Capcom allowed Leon to walk backwards while shooting or allowed him to strafe then it would've made the game more fun. I guess Capcom wanted to keep some of the classic movements in this version. I also love the surprising button presses to get through this game. They add a lot of strategy to the game and allow you to do a lot of actions very easily. They tend to pop up in a variety of moments so it'll keep you on your toes.
Capcom also took out the limited saves feature which I sooooo hated in the previous RE games. You can basically save as many times as you want. Even if you forgot to save, every door that loads into a new section of the map is a checkpoint. You can go in and out of a room and it'll act as a save unless you turn off or reset the game. This is a true blessing since this game is so hard on your first playthrough. The items are much easier to handle even though you are regulated to a limited amount of storage space. It's good that you can upgrade the space but I found it to be a bit too limiting. Some players might find it fun to strategize what weapons/items you should keep but others who want to collect all the guns will absolutely hate this feature. I found it annoying. Another somewhat annoying feature is switching guns. If you want to switch weapons then you'l have to go into the menu which is quite cumbersome. I would've wanted a way to switch weapons on the fly. Oh well. You can also do a bunch of other stuff like buying gun upgrades, weapon/item accessories and also sell treasure. It adds a bit of RPG into the mix. Nice feature.
One odd thing in the gameplay is the lack of rumble (controller vibrations) in the game. It's all very minimal and you'll hardly feel it. I felt a little disappointed by it since there were plenty of moments in the game where they could've taken advantage of it. The rumble feature is sorely lacking in this game. Pity.
The graphics are absolutely amazing. The character models are some of the most detailed I'd ever seen on a home console. Their lips move perfectly with the voice actors and the little details in their weapons, items and other accessories move with true realism. The particle effects and textures are truly beautiful. Capcom really put a huge amount of work to make everything look real and act real. But really, the character models are just breathtaking to watch (even in close-ups!). And the bosses in this game are just absolutely amazing to see. The lighting is also very beautiful. But there are minor problems. Some items look blurry up close and most don't break, there are many points in the game where you see objects clipping against other objects, etc. It's not perfect but the graphics are so impressive, you'll ignore some of the minor flaws. Gorgeous game, period.
The sound is also excellent. The sounds of the voices and weapons/explosions/items are great. The voice actors are surprisingly good. I'm glad since many of the previous RE games had horrible voice acting. RE4 redeems itself with a cast of impressive voice actors. One odd thing is the lack of subtitles. You'd think they would have that option for people who wanted to read what people were saying, weird. The music is creepy but minimal. Another nice effect are the ambient sounds all around you when you're just moving around. The birds in the forest, the water and echoes in the caves and other effects really add to the immersive nature of this game. Great job with the sound department.
Last but not least, the story is very intriguing. I guess a lot of RE fans will enjoy this even if it doesn't directly involve the stories of the past RE games in the series. I found the story addicting even if it didn't have a lot of plot twists. It's a pretty straight-forward story. Some might like it, some might not. But the story isn't that interesting compared to other action games of this type. The game has creepy moments but it's not as scary as the previous games. There's a lot more action and lots of subtle humor to keep things upbeat. Leon is such a badass that he'll make you feel like you can take on all the weird things in this game. Fun story overall. Ashley is such a cutie! :P Once you finish the game, there's a bunch of extras to complete for some additional goodies so don't think you're done with it once you beat it.
Resident Evil 4 is an awesome action game with lots of memorable (and surprising) moments from all the enemies and situations you come up against. Whether you're a fan of the series or not, this is a game worth playing. It's excellent and entertaining (and that's coming from a non-RE fan like me). Get it now!
I was utterly impressed by the quality and scope of this game. It basically killed off everything I hated about the previous RE games. This is definitely not the same RE game of the past. The character controls like a third-person shooter with the camera over his shoulder. Leon moves around very easily. The world is entirely made in 3D which is a welcome change. They also made aiming a snap with the Right Shoulder button and laser add-on. You should have no problems killing things in this game. One negative is that Leon can't move while he shoots. It's makes the game more challenging than it should be. If Capcom allowed Leon to walk backwards while shooting or allowed him to strafe then it would've made the game more fun. I guess Capcom wanted to keep some of the classic movements in this version. I also love the surprising button presses to get through this game. They add a lot of strategy to the game and allow you to do a lot of actions very easily. They tend to pop up in a variety of moments so it'll keep you on your toes.
Capcom also took out the limited saves feature which I sooooo hated in the previous RE games. You can basically save as many times as you want. Even if you forgot to save, every door that loads into a new section of the map is a checkpoint. You can go in and out of a room and it'll act as a save unless you turn off or reset the game. This is a true blessing since this game is so hard on your first playthrough. The items are much easier to handle even though you are regulated to a limited amount of storage space. It's good that you can upgrade the space but I found it to be a bit too limiting. Some players might find it fun to strategize what weapons/items you should keep but others who want to collect all the guns will absolutely hate this feature. I found it annoying. Another somewhat annoying feature is switching guns. If you want to switch weapons then you'l have to go into the menu which is quite cumbersome. I would've wanted a way to switch weapons on the fly. Oh well. You can also do a bunch of other stuff like buying gun upgrades, weapon/item accessories and also sell treasure. It adds a bit of RPG into the mix. Nice feature.
One odd thing in the gameplay is the lack of rumble (controller vibrations) in the game. It's all very minimal and you'll hardly feel it. I felt a little disappointed by it since there were plenty of moments in the game where they could've taken advantage of it. The rumble feature is sorely lacking in this game. Pity.
The graphics are absolutely amazing. The character models are some of the most detailed I'd ever seen on a home console. Their lips move perfectly with the voice actors and the little details in their weapons, items and other accessories move with true realism. The particle effects and textures are truly beautiful. Capcom really put a huge amount of work to make everything look real and act real. But really, the character models are just breathtaking to watch (even in close-ups!). And the bosses in this game are just absolutely amazing to see. The lighting is also very beautiful. But there are minor problems. Some items look blurry up close and most don't break, there are many points in the game where you see objects clipping against other objects, etc. It's not perfect but the graphics are so impressive, you'll ignore some of the minor flaws. Gorgeous game, period.
The sound is also excellent. The sounds of the voices and weapons/explosions/items are great. The voice actors are surprisingly good. I'm glad since many of the previous RE games had horrible voice acting. RE4 redeems itself with a cast of impressive voice actors. One odd thing is the lack of subtitles. You'd think they would have that option for people who wanted to read what people were saying, weird. The music is creepy but minimal. Another nice effect are the ambient sounds all around you when you're just moving around. The birds in the forest, the water and echoes in the caves and other effects really add to the immersive nature of this game. Great job with the sound department.
Last but not least, the story is very intriguing. I guess a lot of RE fans will enjoy this even if it doesn't directly involve the stories of the past RE games in the series. I found the story addicting even if it didn't have a lot of plot twists. It's a pretty straight-forward story. Some might like it, some might not. But the story isn't that interesting compared to other action games of this type. The game has creepy moments but it's not as scary as the previous games. There's a lot more action and lots of subtle humor to keep things upbeat. Leon is such a badass that he'll make you feel like you can take on all the weird things in this game. Fun story overall. Ashley is such a cutie! :P Once you finish the game, there's a bunch of extras to complete for some additional goodies so don't think you're done with it once you beat it.
Resident Evil 4 is an awesome action game with lots of memorable (and surprising) moments from all the enemies and situations you come up against. Whether you're a fan of the series or not, this is a game worth playing. It's excellent and entertaining (and that's coming from a non-RE fan like me). Get it now!
