Well by this point, you can probably guess what kinds of games I prefer. Here we are again visiting the world of Resident Evil for the fourth game in the main storyline. I’ll admit, I put off playing this for years because I thought I would hate the departure from the standard survival horror (coupled with the fact that I played 5 already and that was disappointing but still fun) formula but I can honestly say that Resident Evil 4 is easily one of the best in the entire series.



The story of Resident Evil 4 seems unoriginal at first (rescue the President’s daughter from terrorists) but, like with most other games in the series, there is much more to the story than the initial impression gives. In this outing, you get to play as a Leon much more war hardened than the Leon we remember from Raccoon City. The story is bolstered by many impressive characters (new and old) and a beautifully haunting setting that might be the best locale out of any Resident Evil game. Even though the story is predictable at times, the bizarre characters keep you intrigued to the very end in typical Resident Evil fashion.



As mentioned earlier, the setting of the game (presumed to be a rural area of Spain) is hauntingly beautiful. The dank villages you start the game in certainly set the oppressive and depressing mood of the game but this pales in comparison to the castle later in the game, one of the coolest and creepiest places ever to appear in a game in my opinion. While the game isn’t normal survival horror fare, the game still manages to be quite creepy with the excellent use of sound effects for the environment and enemies (primarily the cloaked cult members). Previous Resident Evils masterfully used a variety of sounds to create a sense of impending dread and 4 is no exception to this either.



As far as the controls are concerned, I played this one on the Wii and this game seems like it was designed perfectly for the Wii’s control system (I can’t speak for controls on other versions of the game though). Besides pretty typical third-person controls (to be discussed shortly), the Wiimote provides for quick action motions that feel more natural and are more exciting than the standalone button mashing that is the only thing possible on the other consoles. The game controls similar to other third-person shooters with the exceptions that it moves at a slower pace and you can’t move Leon while aiming/shooting. I felt that this stationary shooting system was an odd choice (that should have been done away with in the more action-oriented 5) but it could be argued that it adds tension and it certainly doesn’t take long to get used to. Player movement is definitely improved over the older games thanks to this new camera angle that abolishes the static camera angles.



On top of all of this, the game lasts for a good number of hours and doesn’t get boring along the way. While the main game only offers some replay value, beating the game unlocks additional chapters where you play as Ada Wong and a Mercenaries (survival) mode.



Plot 8/10 : The story, while somewhat predictable, is bolstered by entertaining characters and captivating set pieces.



Presentation 8/10 : The fully 3D graphics are certainly a huge improvement over any past game in the series. Additionally, the game has an impressively creepy soundtrack to enforce the dread and tension of the situation.



Gameplay/Controls 8/10 : The game still has many horror/exploration elements from the older games but also ups the action quite a bit. The controls are fairly representative of a third-person shooter with great quick time events thanks to the Wiimotion controls.



Lasting Appeal 7/10 : There is not a whole lot of incentive to replay the main game but additional chapters and a survival mode are unlocked when beating the game.



Final score : 8/10