Resident Evil 4

[Scabbed Angel]

First off, this thread is for discussion of the game, not whether or not Gamecube sucks (even if it does, I got mine for free heh) or if you're going to get it. This is the thread to discuss playing it.

I have had several disapointments this year regarding video game entertainment. I was really really looking forward, like some of you, to Doom 3. Now, it wasn't a horrible game, but it didn't really match my expectation either. And the ending was flat out terrible. Another game I was kind of looking forward to (i had a feeling.. I mean one year between releases?) was Silent Hill 4, the 4rth installment of my favoritie game series. Wow. It sucked as a Silent Hill game. It wasn't even that great as a standard survival horror game. It, without going into great detail (you can search for my thread about it if you really want my opinion) it blew.

So, with a limited taste in video games ("does it have monsters/zombies/ or car theft and prostitute murder? No? Nevermind."), I was leary about getting my hopes up about any game in the near future, but then a few days ago, I got to order a gamecube for free (I work partly in sales, and instead of commision, we get points that can be used for merch.) seeing as how it was 1/2 the points of an x-box, and RE4 was coming out, this seemed like a good idea. Long story short, the next day RE4 came out and my hope in horror games was restored.

This game is for lack of better words, simply awesome. I was never a huge fan of the RE series. They are decent games themselves, but I find myself more drawn to Silent Hill for the atmosphere, and it seems to be more "real" whereas RE in the past has seemed more comical. Well RE4 is right up there with the best of the Silent Hill series, something that mere days ago would have been blasphemy coming from my mouth and or keyboard. Awesome, challenging enemies with good ai (especially for zombie like creatues), they put up ladders you knock down, dodge/block attacks. The fights are awesome. They are more like battles imho, as you have to assess your enemies as they keep coming in hordes, which ones are carrying weapons, which weapons will do best against them, terrain, shelter. It's been a long time where a game like this had battles that were challenging and fun to play, even if you keep getting killed.

Every time I think the game is going to get repetative, something changes and makes it even more exciting. Atmoshperic changes, boss fights. Everything is very well balanced. Usually I hate manual aiming systems with the analog stick on consoles, because it shows the limitations from mouse keyboard combinations, and is diffucult to control. In this game, it's almost easy, very well done. It is also approriate because you can shoot weapons out of enemies hands, temporarily blind them, shoot weapons out of the air, or glorious, glorious head shots (which later in the game, unfortunately you do NOT want to do, but I'll let you find that out for yourself).

The graphics are the best I've seen from most console games. Well detailed models, great attention to detail in the environments as well. There seems to be a mild physics engine built in the game as well, which is pretty well becoming standard, and looks mostly natural, save for a few times where zombies are thrown back 10 feet with a pistol. The atmosphereic effects, rain, fog, fire, etc are all done very well and very natural. Lightning, once night comes, it a very chilling effect, especially if monsters are not near a torch, you can only hear them until the lightening flashes and they are illuminated for a moment, lumbering towards you.

The weapons are well balanced, you've got your 9mm, shotgun, rifle etc. A new purchase system is setup, where at times throughout the game, a pirate sounding vagrant mechant is found chilling and you can purcahsed weapons, weapon upgrades, health items with gold pieces you find on corpses and in breakable crates and barrels through out the environment. Has a kind of immersive charm, buying from the creepy peddler, being in the old world and all (I'm from the US).

Okay, there's still a lot more to comment on (the voice acting is suprisingly good, somtimes you feel like you're watching a movie) but I'd like to hear your opnions. If you haven't played it cause gamecube sucks, steal one. ; ) Best game I've played in a long time!

[DooMBoy]

Hooray

[gatewatcher]

It's the best NGC game.

[ragnew]

I agree, RE 4 is without a doubt the best game I've played in a very long time... :) Good all the way through!

At the moment I'm trying to blaze through the Mercenarie's levels with each of the characters so I can get my...

*** Spoilers ***

Handcannon, which in turn, I'm gonna bust up to it's infinite ammo status via it's upgrade system. Hmmm, getting a 5 star ranking on all 4 levels with all 5 characters is gonna take some time.

[DoomDan]

RE 4 is way too fucking awesome.It beats the shit out of Halo 2 and MGS3.

I was saving up for Doom 3 for Xbox till I heard its not coming out till March so I bought RE 4 instead.I dont regret my decision one single bit.

[iori]

I'll buy it on my next trip to civilization, i've heard nothing bad about this game at all, and have been an avid follower of the series for ages.

[Submerge]

I got the collector's edition of resident evil 4 just for the Hell of it. It took a couple of days, but yeah, I did eventually get around to playing it. In retrospect I should have dropped everything I had been doing and started playing immediately! Combat is a blast, the bosses are amazing, and fucking up just makes you want to try again! The fact that 80% of your actions are boiled down to the use of the A button when it shows up on the screen highlighted with 'throw' or 'jump over' etc. Is a really nice feature, and I constantly find myself thinking 'It's time to press the button again! Yay!'. But all in all, I knew I had a gem, when I would die horribly by getting my head cut off, or by being impaled, and it wasn't done in a sissy fashion like so many other survival horror games (you fall over. that's it).

RE4 is a gem! Go get it! If you don't have a gamecube, I pity you.

[Ralphis]

I WILL NOT GET THIS GAME BECAUSE THE GAMECUBE ONLY HAS KIDDY GAMES THEREFOR THIS GAME PROBABLY HAS U PLAY AS MARIO OR SOME SHIT

[Submerge]

*sigh* sadly, ralphis is right. You don't play as Leon Kennedey, You are the fat, short plumber. and that really sucks, especially when one of the ganados splits your skull open with an axe in a single blow. He's too fat to run very fast.

[Scabbed Angel]

That was only of my complaints too. I hear you can unlock yoshi if you play the game twice through! :D

[DoomDan]

Submerge said:

*sigh* sadly, ralphis is right. You don't play as Leon Kennedey, You are the fat, short plumber. and that really sucks, especially when one of the ganados splits your skull open with an axe in a single blow. He's too fat to run very fast.

Yeah I hated playing as Mario in RE4 since its so difficult to jump on top of El Gigantes head 3 times and beat him.

[Coopersville]

I was thinking about using my Doom3 money to buy RE4, until I beat it within the three days I rented it. A very good game on the 'Cube, nevertheless.