MY FAVOURITE GAMES - RESIDENT EVIL 4

 

As some of my friends know, I am a HUGE Resident Evil fan. I adore the games {the films on the other hand..not so much!}My favourite RE titles being RE1, RE3 and this title Resident Evil 4. This is a survival horror game with action elements created by Capcom who brought us most of the other RE games. Old school RE fans will know our hero who you play as, for anyone else you play as police officer Leon S. Kennedy who is sent on a mission to a rural part of Europe {Spain to be exact} to find and rescue the U.S president's daughter Ashley Graham who was last seen in the country having been kidnapped by a unknown {at the start of the game} terrorist organisation. As soon as you're thrown into the action the graphics are very, very good { I've played the Xbox live version and also the PS2 version however for the benefit of this review I will revert to the Xbox version}. The camera is focused over the shoulder so you can see your surroundings very well. After the first cut scene where {minor spoiler} you encounter a very unfriendly local with an axe, you are instantly under attack from a group of the local inhabitants. These are not zombies like in previous RE games, these are people who have injected with a parasite called Las Plagas which turn normal people into mind controlled animalistic murderers and worshipers of the Los Illuminados, headed by their leader Osman Sadler and is made clear that they have captured Ashley.

 

The story is very entertaining and whilst its a step away from the horror zombie gameplay that previous games have gone, its a very welcome change for the series and provides a lot of action packed and suspenseful scenes. The voice acting in this game is top notch too, while the villagers speak in varied amounts of Spanish and the main bosses in the game have great dialogue exchanges with Leon, and eventually Ashley once you find her. The creatures' movements are zombie - like, and you think you have them under control, even when a group surrounds you, but then they run quickly and violently towards you, throwing your calmness into a mad dash melee of physical attacks, shooting and all important dodges. 

 

You also run into other characters during the game, some very helpful, some not so much! The boss battles in this game provide a decent challenge and whilst ammo is available it is fleeting so sometimes running away is the best option!

 

You also encounter a Merchant, he will offer you various items throughout your adventure ranging from new guns to maps and even larger attaché cases in order to carry more guns and ammo. He is a very helpful addition to the game and just when you seem to be struggling, he appears and helps you out, provided you have the right amount of cash of course!

 

The story itself is very well written, acted and fleshed out with a few good plot twists and nerve shredding moments that are now a big part of the RE series.

 

Upon completion of the game, and if you can max out your weapons you can unlock various guns with unlimited ammo, including the fan favourite Rocket Launcher, going through the game with that weapon is a fun experience and great for people who like doing speed runs and getting the best scores. Also, upon completion you unlock a secret mini campaign featuring Ada Wong, an old friend of Leon's that you regularly run into as the story progresses. Whilst it shows a lot of the same levels as Leon's story, it ties in well with the story and fills in any missing links the player may have within the story. There is also a Mercenaries mode to unlock, a level based game where you basically kill as many infected creatures as you can within the time limit. This adds a few more hours to the gameplay.

 

The game was originally released on the GameCube and due to its enormous retail success, was ported to a Wii version along with PlayStation 2, PC, and Xbox live versions. This game is an older game now but I felt id like to share my joy as this game and it is without doubt the best game I've ever played. I've completed this game 10 times and still play it now when I fancy a RE fix!

 

Is it a perfect game? No it isn't but its a very close to perfect for me and that is why I couldn't give this game anymore than my top rating.

 

My Rating - 10/10

 

Positives - Great action, suspense, cut scenes, voice acting, boss battles, survival horror elements, good extras, and of course the merchant :}

 

Negatives - I cant find many to be honest but this change from full on horror to action/horror did divide the hardcore RE fans so if you are a old school RE fan this may not be for you.

 

Thanks for reading this classic game review guys and girls very much appreciated! If you like this review please +1 it on Google+, share it on other blog sites and /or amongst your friends and family, follow me on Twitter @MARRAMD, and if you want to check out my other film and game reviews they're in the sidebar so please check them out!

 

If you want to leave a comment and/or +1 this review that's great!

What did you think of Resident Evil 4? What console did you play it on? Did you enjoy it or were you let down by it? What is your favourite game of all time? Let me know whatever you want!

 

Take care guys and my next review will be uploaded very soon :}