Beware The Chainsaws...

Resident Evil 4 (RE4) reinvents the RE series in a way that combines updated graphics and gameplay with a lot of established conventions and plot devices. The result is a game that plays like none of its predecessors, but is still recognizable as a RE game. If Capcom had bungled this combination, RE4 might have been a real mess, but thankfully this is not the case. RE4 is easily one of the best games I have played in years.

One of the biggest changes in RE4 is in the graphical department. This game uses full 3D polygonal environments as opposed to the pre-rendered environments used in previous games (other than Code Veronica, of course). Since all of the polygons and textures are now getting rendered on the fly, the level of detail has actually decreased somewhat in comparison with the other GC Resident Evil games, RE and RE0. However, this shortfall is more than made up for by RE4's a dynamic camera, a RE first. Instead of all of those annoying fixed camera angles, the camera in RE4 follows the player on screen. The player has the ability to adjust the angle slightly with the C-stick, but most of the time that isn't really necessary as the camera does a good job of keeping up with the action.

RE4's gameplay is drastically different than previous RE games, and the new graphical style is only partly to blame. Previous RE games were marked by the tension generated by having too many enemies and not enough ammo for the job. As a result, the player was encouraged to avoid confrontation as much as possible. However, RE4 goes the opposite direction. Ammunition for the game's varied weapons is plentiful, for enemies now drop ammo when killed. Further more, the player now has much better control over their aim, allowing for a much greater number of skull-exploding head shots. RE4 essentially combines elements of the adventure and 3rd person shooter genres inside a tasty RE wrapper. Rounding out the package, the audio production values for this game are through the roof; the music is fitting, the sound effects are creepy, and the voice acting is professionally done (although the lines being read are still as corn-dog as they have always been).

All of this doesn't really cover the game's appeal. Simply stated, this game is fun, accessible, and entertaining. Furthermore, a wealth of unlockable weapons and game modes ensures a healthy amount of replayabliltiy. I've been a fan of the RE series for some time now, but I can say without a doubt that this game is my favorite.

By Andy Rucker