Resident Evil 4
Review
The fourth installment of the fourth...installment?
by zr122
reviewed on WII
A brief history
Resident Evil is by the far the best and longest running zombie series in existence. With over a dozen video game titles, two movies (with a third coming soon) and a book series, there is little doubt that the franchise will die out any time soon. It is almost safe to say that any gamer old enough to play a Resident Evil game -has- played one. The first game came out for the PlayStation back in 1996, well over a decade ago. If you are one of the few who haven't had the chance to play any Resident Evil game... well then you are sorely missing out. And, if you have a Nintendo Wii and you feel like shooting zombies, then you would do well to spend a paltry $29.99 and pick up this game.
As the world turns...
Resident Evil 4 features the return of Leon S. Kennedy, the male lead in Resident Evil's 2, Gaiden, and Code: Veronica. Not surprisingly, this makes Leon the most popular character in the series, followed by Jill Valentine, the only character featured in the live-action movie Apocalypse. Ever wondered what happened to the former Racoon City police officer after Code Veronica? You'll get your chance to find out with Resident Evil 4.
This most recent 'Evil' game takes place in rural Europe, back in 2004. Leon has received one heck of a promotion, and is in charge of protecting the family of the President of the United States. Unfortunately for Leon, the president's daughter, Ashlee, is kidnapped the day before Leon starts his new job. Not exactly something you can put on a resume.
The only tip the Secret Service has is that someone supposedly saw a girl matching Ashlee's description in a village out in rural England. Off Leon goes to save the young damsel, and that is the moment that the game starts to draw you in.
Two steps forward, one step back?
Resident Evil 4 sports two very distinct, very new upgrades to the series. The first is the movement system, which should appeal to every gamer on the planet no matter what their gaming preference is. Gone is the annoying movement system featured in every third-person Resident Evil game to date. The fourth installment takes an 'over-the-shoulder' approach, meaning you see everything from behind and slightly to the right of Leon. And of course, trying to walk forward actually makes you walk -forward- now whatever direction you happen to face at that time. Quite an improvement over the sometimes unintuitive controls of before.
The second improvement - and that term can definitely be disputed - is the improvement of the enemy AI. The basic 'grunts' of Resident Evil 4 are smart and are able to use the available terrain to their advantage. They use ladders to scale buildings and hide behind trees, anything to ensure your death and their survival. Leon will even have to dodge thrown weapons, trip wires attached to bombs, and even grenades!
9.0
fun score
No Pros and Cons at this time
