Resident Evil 4 (2005) (GameCube) Reader Review

Whoa, whoa, HOLD ON! Put that shotgun back in your closet. Before you say anything, read my system of grading.

I believe in mathematical concepts, aka that all numbers can be compared with the greater than, less than or equal relationships.

This means it's either >, <, or =. In other words, I either love, accept or hate the game.

If you look at my scores that way, you'll understand what I mean.

Anyway...

Resident Evil 4. A game considered by many the greatest game ever made. Is that really the case?

Apparently, the graphics say yes. These have large amounts of polygons and fluid motions. The audio sounds accurate as well. A pistol sounds weaker than a shotgun and the music will pick up during a combat sequence, yet play a droopy tone at save stations.

The plot can be broken into "good guy rescues helpless girl, defeats evil genius, escapes exploding ending". Other than having loose ties with the RE series, it can be compared to every other action flick in theaters.

Some instances don't make sense. For example, Ada, Leon's ally, manages to do flips and stunts while in a dress and high heels. Next, only one helicopter, not the army, Navy Seals or even the police is sent by the U.S. when the PRESIDENT'S daughter had been kidnapped. Ironic indeed.

Gameplay can be summarized to fighting enemies, solving puzzles, button sequences and boss battles. Fighting enemies is a matter of aiming and shooting (which sounds complex, but it's really a press of a button). Multiple enemies require running and shooting from a distance.

Some could argue that the AI of the Ganados in particular have been upgraded from the traditional zombies. However, one should question if it effects anything at all, when I can run around and knife them, something in the old RE games that's considered suicidal.

Next, there are puzzle sequences, but the vast majority of them are fitting two pieces of a key and unlocking a door. There are some such as matching paintings or rotating lights at a picture, but these are fairly easy to do, and can be solved by luck. In REmake, a puzzle required you to find a whistle, blow it at a balcony to summon a dog, who you'd kill to get a collar, which would contain a key, which you would use to defuse a trap, which would reward you with the real key. As you can see, the level of creativity and depth in the puzzles has dropped significantly.

Finally, the boss sections are interesting, but I found them incredibly simple. Most bosses have you aiming at a specific point and shooting. Some bosses however, require button timing, which are more interesting, but unfortunately aren't as often.

RE4 impressed me with its visuals and the audio department complemented what was on screen. The plot was something I did not like because it's not new, and it's barely related to the plot of the original series, just as Starfox: Adventures is to the Star Fox series. Finally the last piece of the game, the gameplay felt like I was doing the same thing over and over, even in the bonus modes.

Overall, the graphics are REvolutionary, the plot is REused and the gameplay is REpetitive.