Being objective is no easy task when reviewing a huge title like Resident Evil 4. A big part of you wants to gush out a string of random capitalized letters followed by a series of unintelligible punctuation marks. But there’s that little voice in the back of your head that makes you wonder if you love the game as much as you think you do. However, fans of the genre will gush over every single ounce of Resident Evil 4.

Fans will appreciate the downright chilling moments that occur throughout the game’s 20-some hours of gameplay, as will they enjoy the references to past Resident Evil titles. For fans of the series, Resident Evil 4 is the best Resident Evil title they could have ever even dreamed of, and it’s likely the best GameCube game they’ve played. Period. They don’t need to read any further, because they know this game is everything they’ve ever wanted from Capcom. However, the most important part about Resident Evil 4 is that not only the fans of the series enjoy it, but just about everybody who picks it up will enjoy it too. If you like a good, chilling title with tons of gameplay, an intriguing plotline, and the best graphics of any GameCube game to date, then Resident Evil 4 should be in your collection. Period.

Features

• 20+ Hours of Gameplay
  
• Features Leon Kennedy, star of Resident Evil 2
  
• New creatures with A.I.; no more mindless zombies
  
• Completely new control scheme
  
• Progressive Scan compatible
  
• Dolby Pro Logic II compatible
  
• Purchase new weapons and weapon upgrades

It’s Not Umbrella. No, Really it’s Not
Umbrella has been disbanded by the US Government and for all intents and purposes, Umbrella is history. This is the message you get when starting RE4 and it’s true. Umbrella is not behind what is happening in the village, and as Leon Kennedy, you’re going to find out soon enough who is. That’s not how your adventure starts, however. It begins as Leon is sent on a mission to find the kidnapper of the President’s daughter. She’s been seen in a remote European area and Leon is sent in. It soon becomes very apparent that Leon’s mission isn’t as easy as may have been anticipated.

The story seems simple enough, but the further you progress, the more complex it becomes. Leon will find clues to the happenings in the area through notes left about haphazardly and through cinema and dialogue. The cut scenes that you’ll stumble into are amazingly detailed, despite being run on the in-game graphics engine. The choreography involved in some of the scenes is simply breathtaking to behold. You’ll find yourself in awe as you discover that Leon has obviously learned some tricks at the Secret Agent academy. The voice acting is also very well done, minus the extremely cheesy script. All of the characters sound great, but the dialogue is just downright silly sometimes. Leon, while bad ass in many ways, tends to sound like a fifth grader with some of his lame comebacks and metaphors. No matter who he is talking too, he is always fighting for the last word.



Resident Evil 4

Throughout his mission, Leon will come across friend and foe alike, some of whom will be very familiar to him. One of the more interesting characters in the game, however, is a merchant fellow with no name that just happens to be right there when Leon needs him. This merchant is an amusing fellow, who whips his trench coat open to reveal tons of merchandise, not unlike a black-market watch salesman. It is through this merchant that Leon can buy, sell, and upgrade current equipment. He is quite handy considering what Leon will be up against. The merchant offers a wide assortment of guns, attaché cases, and gun accessories, and he often updates his stock as you progress through the game. The attaché cases are particularly useful, as they allow Leon to carry more items. There is no magical item box that somehow channels through space and time, here. Nope, just a merchant who can. You’ll be glad he can though, because he has tons of nice equipment to purchase. After purchasing it, you’re also given the option to tune up your weapons and increase their firepower. Finally, you’re also given the option to sell treasures you’ve found throughout your quest. Combining certain treasures will often increase their sell value, proving the phrase ‘patience is a virtue.’ One odd thing to note is that the merchant offers no ammo whatsoever for anything he sells. Perhaps this is because Capcom thought it would be too easy if that were the case.