Six years have passed since the Umbrella Corporation released the T-Virus into the small town of Raccoon City and turned almost the entire population in flesh-eating zombies. Leon Kennedy, one of the survivors has risen from ordinary cop to a special agent in charge of VIP security. When the President's daughter is kidnapped by a deranged evil cult in rural France he must do whatever it takes to get her back. What he discovers is a conspiracy that makes the T-Virus outbreak look like a 70s episode of Blue Peter.
For the next several hours you'll run through zillions of different environments blasting as mad villagers and collecting gold. The more gold you collect the better weapons you can buy from the creepy merchant who shows up throughout every level. Yes, it all looks very pretty. But it's increasingly tedious stuff.
Let me just say that I loved Resident Evil (the Gamecube remake) and I thought that Resident Evil Zero was quite a lot of fun too. While Resident Evil 4 is an improvement in terms of graphics and hardware it doesn't have any atmosphere or the overwhelming sensation of dread and fear. This is basically down to the style of gameplay.
Gone are the spooky camera angles for a start. Instead, this time the camera is constantly behind Leon, following him in whatever direction he goes. It's a bit tricky at first but after a few minutes you'll get the hang of it. Also, the game is not really about exploration and mystery solving and you never really go back to the same place twice. Okay, this is a good thing in some ways as it did get a little annoying before (the 'door-opening' cut-scenes are also gone) and I understand the gameplay of the franchise had to evolve but, the way it is, RE 4 just feels like a shoot-em-up.
In your long, long journey (the game is absolutely MASSIVE) Leon visits a rickety European village that seems stuck in the dark ages, onto an old castle, then to a creepy island and on into a huge fortress and laboratory. In this respect it feels a LOT like a Dungeon Siege game in regards to the constant running around in torch-lit catacombs, killing big insects, collecting treasures, trading/building up your stats and weapons and looking for that way out which seems to be miles away through endless, labyrinthine corridors.
All you really do in this game is go forward and shoot. And it gets quite boring after the halfway mark. There is some very slight puzzle-solving but I suspect this was only put in to satisfy hardcore RE fans. And what really gets on my nerves is the stupidness of it all. The RE games are notorious for having extremely convoluted plots but the story in this one will have you tying your brain in knots. And why the hell does Leon battle 20-foot tall ogres? Is this a Lord of the Rings game? The realism of the first games is absent and with it goes the sense of gut-wrenching tension. You know this game is just fantasy hokum whereas before the sense that it all could happen is what made the zombies all the more terrifying.
A s***load of homages and references to other movies are peppered through the game. Try to spot references to Splatterhouse, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, hell even Harry Potter. All interesting but still totally inappropriate for an RE game.
There are plenty of pros, like the previously mentioned brilliant graphics, the sheer size of the game is impressive, the cool extras and mini-games awarded after finishing (I did it in 15 hours and I WON'T be going through it again) and faster loading times. But the boredom of killing the zillionth evil henchman and his twin really gets mind-numbingly dull after hour 10.
I finished this in 6 days (the original and Zero took me much longer) so I suggest you rent this if you're not the obsessive RE collector type. While it is a great-looking game and very slick, it just didn't keep me as thrilled (or as scared) as it could have.
Graphics 10/10 Absolutely wonderful. The RE games on the Gamecube have always looked brilliant but it's hard to find better looking games than this. The environments and locations are all so vividly detailed it would be scary if the game were not so corny.
Sound 9/10 Again, almost perfect. But I would have had more satisfaction is blowing the heads of freaks off if the gunshots were louder and more dynamic. The musical score comes and goes and it's nothing special but if you've got it hooked up to a home theatre the best thing is hearing those freaks creep up behind you.
Extras 7/10 As with the previous games, the faster you finish the game, the better extras you will unlock. Mini games, special costumes, heavy artillery, hidden treasures and bottle caps are but some of the goodies awaiting you.
Final Thoughts I am disappointed that the game doesn't live up to it's predecessors. I understand a 4th in a series must be radically new and different but this feels too far removed from the original games and the outlandish plot connections seem false and forced. A decent shoot-em-up for a once around only. Despite the bonus unlockables, it was too derivative for me to come back.
The PS2 version is also available in a metal case.
For the next several hours you'll run through zillions of different environments blasting as mad villagers and collecting gold. The more gold you collect the better weapons you can buy from the creepy merchant who shows up throughout every level. Yes, it all looks very pretty. But it's increasingly tedious stuff.
Let me just say that I loved Resident Evil (the Gamecube remake) and I thought that Resident Evil Zero was quite a lot of fun too. While Resident Evil 4 is an improvement in terms of graphics and hardware it doesn't have any atmosphere or the overwhelming sensation of dread and fear. This is basically down to the style of gameplay.
Gone are the spooky camera angles for a start. Instead, this time the camera is constantly behind Leon, following him in whatever direction he goes. It's a bit tricky at first but after a few minutes you'll get the hang of it. Also, the game is not really about exploration and mystery solving and you never really go back to the same place twice. Okay, this is a good thing in some ways as it did get a little annoying before (the 'door-opening' cut-scenes are also gone) and I understand the gameplay of the franchise had to evolve but, the way it is, RE 4 just feels like a shoot-em-up.
In your long, long journey (the game is absolutely MASSIVE) Leon visits a rickety European village that seems stuck in the dark ages, onto an old castle, then to a creepy island and on into a huge fortress and laboratory. In this respect it feels a LOT like a Dungeon Siege game in regards to the constant running around in torch-lit catacombs, killing big insects, collecting treasures, trading/building up your stats and weapons and looking for that way out which seems to be miles away through endless, labyrinthine corridors.
All you really do in this game is go forward and shoot. And it gets quite boring after the halfway mark. There is some very slight puzzle-solving but I suspect this was only put in to satisfy hardcore RE fans. And what really gets on my nerves is the stupidness of it all. The RE games are notorious for having extremely convoluted plots but the story in this one will have you tying your brain in knots. And why the hell does Leon battle 20-foot tall ogres? Is this a Lord of the Rings game? The realism of the first games is absent and with it goes the sense of gut-wrenching tension. You know this game is just fantasy hokum whereas before the sense that it all could happen is what made the zombies all the more terrifying.
A s***load of homages and references to other movies are peppered through the game. Try to spot references to Splatterhouse, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, hell even Harry Potter. All interesting but still totally inappropriate for an RE game.
There are plenty of pros, like the previously mentioned brilliant graphics, the sheer size of the game is impressive, the cool extras and mini-games awarded after finishing (I did it in 15 hours and I WON'T be going through it again) and faster loading times. But the boredom of killing the zillionth evil henchman and his twin really gets mind-numbingly dull after hour 10.
I finished this in 6 days (the original and Zero took me much longer) so I suggest you rent this if you're not the obsessive RE collector type. While it is a great-looking game and very slick, it just didn't keep me as thrilled (or as scared) as it could have.
Graphics 10/10 Absolutely wonderful. The RE games on the Gamecube have always looked brilliant but it's hard to find better looking games than this. The environments and locations are all so vividly detailed it would be scary if the game were not so corny.
Sound 9/10 Again, almost perfect. But I would have had more satisfaction is blowing the heads of freaks off if the gunshots were louder and more dynamic. The musical score comes and goes and it's nothing special but if you've got it hooked up to a home theatre the best thing is hearing those freaks creep up behind you.
Extras 7/10 As with the previous games, the faster you finish the game, the better extras you will unlock. Mini games, special costumes, heavy artillery, hidden treasures and bottle caps are but some of the goodies awaiting you.
Final Thoughts I am disappointed that the game doesn't live up to it's predecessors. I understand a 4th in a series must be radically new and different but this feels too far removed from the original games and the outlandish plot connections seem false and forced. A decent shoot-em-up for a once around only. Despite the bonus unlockables, it was too derivative for me to come back.
The PS2 version is also available in a metal case.