Resident Evil 4

"Resident Evil 4 - a PS2 only owners opinion."

Let it be known that I only own a PS2. Not out of spite towards Nintendo or Microsoft, simply out of being cheap myself and sticking with what I'm used to. That said, the announcement that the Nintendo masterpiece Resident Evil 4 would be heading to the PS2 had me too excited for words. The following is a review from a person purely going off of the PS2 version - you won't find comparisons to the GC version here.

Game-play
The biggest change from previous Resident Evil's has to be the completely revamped control scheme. Gone are the simple hold R1 and aim your line of sight at the enemy - replaced with a completely 3D aiming system, allowing you to fire at any part of an opponents body. Even though the scheme is revamped, Resident Evil regulars should get into the thick of things quite easily, with people new to the games taking maybe a good half an hour to figure out the ins and out of aiming and firing. On the topic of aiming, the game rewards you shamelessly for spot on aim; head shots to various monsters giving more than normal damage, hitting far off objects revealing items or ammo for you to use, and even including an entire shooting mini-game to earn bonus items and money for upgrading your weaponry.

Speaking of, the upgrade system is another new system presented in RE4 that's very welcome. Along your journey you'll meet a merchant who will peddle various weapons and upgrades for the money you come across as you slaughter the monsters in your path. Planning ahead is crucial - do you want to buy this new weapon? Or save up for a new one down the path and simply upgrade your other weapons? It adds another element of strategy to the game that helps you keep you on your toes and spend your money wisely.

Another new feature is environment sensitive actions. Press your protagonist Leon up against a window, and an option to jump out of said window may appear. You can push shelves and drawers against windows and doors to keep pursuers from getting to you, and numerous other things. It keeps the game fresh and makes the environment really feel alive that you're really there, and adapting to the situation on the fly.

The difficulty ranges from medium to freakishly hard, depending on how you plan. Do you want to spend your money on a rocket launcher to beat a boss in one hit, or save the money for future upgrades and weaponry and blow ammo on the boss? It really depends on if you want to play smart, play safe, or play recklessly.

Graphics
Some of the best on the PS2, easily. Every creature is detailed down the pupils of their eyes. Though from what I can understand graphical cuts were made to make this game possible on the PS2, you certainly will not notice anything of the sort as you make your way through this horrifying adventure. From the forests at the beginning of the game, to castles, to military complexes, every environment is beautifully modelled in full 3D(a la CODE: Veronica) and completely interactive. Simply put, the game is gorgeous. Kudos to Capcom for making something so beautiful possible on the PS2.

Story
It's Resident Evil. 'nuff said. You won't find a grandiose FF style story here, but what is presented is enjoyable enough, and arguably better than the previous games story-lines. This is helped with surprisingly well done and professional voice acting. There's no "Master of unlocking" moments here. The dialogue is to the point, and even(purposely) amusing at times. Leon's voice actor, while different from RE2's(which may be a blessing) delivers all his lines perfectly and does a great job. Female protagonist Ashley is well done too. The normally shrill voice you would expect to come from a female needing your help isn't present here - Ashley is a relatively competent partner, both in game-play and in the plot.

Replay
Throw in a harder difficulty named "Professional", two Ada centric mini-games("Separate Ways", a sidestory to the main game, and "Assignment Ada" which is a to the point mini-game with no plot important), and the Mercenaries(a practice in kill 'em all for the highest score) mini-game, the game will last you a good while. My first play-through in the main game alone lasted me about 20 hours, with Separate Ways clocking in at about 6 hours, Assignment Ada making 2 or so. Mercenaries I can't tell you yet, since I'm still trying to master it. :) On average, I'd say the game would last a gamer wanting to get everything out of it a good 30 to 40 hours.

All in all, an amazing game that really, pardon the pun, brings the Resident Evil series back to life. If you like the RE franchise, or just action games in general, you owe it to yourself to get this game.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/30/05