Resident Evil 4

"The Formula Needs More Than a Little Work."

Rarely do I go out and write a review but this game was so awful I could just not help myself. I kept asking myself why it was getting rave reviews all around but I could just not answer that question. Perhaps people have very low standards? Perhaps the general media has been bought out by Nintendo? Perhaps all those people who actually enjoy this game for whatever reason actually wrote reviews? Who knows? What I do know is that this game is completely sub-par. It is one of the worst games of the series. While this will not stop whoever is reading this review from trying the game out, especially if they are fans of the series, the review itself is for my own benefit: a way to vent off steam and quibbles I have with the game.

The first problem is the most basic premise of the game itself. You go from area to area basically clearing them all of whatever stands in your way. And the game is relatively long. So you'll be the doing the exact same thing over and over again ad nauseum. This would be cool if the game played well and the combat was fun but the game does not play well and the combat is restrictive and works against the player.

The control in this game is absolutely atrocious. I have no idea who Capcom has hired but Resident Evil 4 and Outbreak must have been programmed by the same set of people. Leon feels heavy and clunky. He turns unnaturally. I think the worst part here is that the game uses the tank-like control system where your character moves more like a turret with wheels as opposed to a real human being. In actual-life one turns immediately in the direction they are going, one does not spin around slowly and then begin walking. The problem is that the game is extremely action oriented yet the character moves around like he doesn't care.

The game focuses heavily on action however there are no advantageous movements allotted to Leon. He can run and perform a quick one-hundred and eighty degree turn. The game gives the illusion of evolution but this is far from the truth. Where is the strafe? Why can Leon not perform a side-step while creeping around the corner? Why can Leon not run while shooting at enemies? Why can Leon not reload while running? Does this make any sense? Should we really allow Capcom to produce the same game over and over again under the guise of something new? As I mentioned early with the new focus on action it does not make any sense in disallowing the use of real world moves and actions.

My biggest beef with the game is how when it was released it was advertised as something new. Yet there's nothing new here. Everything has been done before it and much better before I may add. The game uses too many gimmicks. To explain this further: the game usually locks the player in a specific situation or area where one must find a specific (usually quite so) solution to said situation. For example in one part of the game the player has exited the first area (a village) and is climbing the road side. In doing so the game alerts the player of a truck approaching in the distance. With a truck coming at one full speed the natural reaction is to run backwards and head towards the town gate. But what happens when the player reaches said area? They're greeted with an “It's too dangerous to go back to the village” message and refused entry. Instead of allowing the player to use their head and play the game how they want, they are escorted by hand and given a nudge. The only solution here is to shoot the driver. You can't jump the roadside and you can't go back. You MUST and only MUST shoot the driver no exception. I can't imagine how much fun this type of restrictive “interaction” could be for those people past the age of twelve.

The amount of gimmicks and totally linear events are quite maddening that it would take far too many pages to write. However I will divulge a few here. The sniper rifle is cool, yeah, however the game does not let the player use it as one would in actual life. There aren't any good hiding spots and all of the time you're forced to stand in an open space with hordes coming towards you while you barely pick them off. Leon doesn't even kneel or crouch when shooting (and that option is never available) but instead stands in place. You'll find yourself in the same situation time and time again. You shoot a villager in the head cleanly and suddenly the entire horde in that area is alerted of your whereabouts (even if they don't notice you beforehand they magically know where you are). It loses any sense of espionage. Of course the game never says anything about stealth. It is basically all about running in and gunning down everything in sight. However, why give the player the option of a sniper rifle when they are never allowed to even use it properly? Like the scripted timed-button press scenes, boss fights are no better. You're always locked in one specific area and must fight the bosses within that space or area. Doors will magically close behind you or a large piece of debris (of anything really) will fall and block your path. If you didn't prepare beforehand, well, tough, cause you're going to have to fight it out and die in the process more likely, to learn how to defeat the boss. The whole game really is a head-first approach where you're dropped into contrived situations and must find your way out. The next knack really gets to me; Leon takes damage when villagers GRAB him. No, not attack, no, not bite, no not throw to the ground, GRAB. I would like to see how the developers explained that one. Again, common sense is completely thrown out the window. The villagers are able to grab Leon, let alone it hurts him, however all Leon can do is shoot and kick them. And that leads us into the new on-the-spot action system.

Leon is also able to perform several different actions using the X (default) button when he is in a specific situation or near a specific item. For example standing near certain windows allows Leon the ability to jump out of it. It's not really all that complicated. However it doesn't make much sense in context with how incredibly immobile Leon really is inside combat. He can jump out windows and off of rooftops but he cannot strafe or shoot while running. This contradiction boggles the mind. These new specific actions aren't anything special and aren't all that complicated. The player will get used to and take advantage of them quickly.

From a storyline perspective it does nothing new in regards to the larger picture. The story itself is stand-alone. I suppose that is a positive since you won't have to play it for continuity's sake. The story isn't so bad so much as it plays out in a dull through-the-motions fashion. Taking a page, no scratch that, ripping and tearing pages out of the Metal Gear Solid series, some scenes even play out in codec like fashion with two mug-shots of characters talking with each other. Complete with still metallic designed background and scrolling text at the bottom of the screen. Saying much about the storyline would actually spoil it.

Speaking of writing; the graphics are nothing to write home about. The character models have lots of polygons yeah but for some reason (and even with the moving-in-the-wind hair and clothes) they all end up looking so stiff. It actually has a lot to do with Leon's limited range of movements. Instead of looking like a real moving and breathing human, Leon runs around like a tank (and it feels like one is moving a tank while playing with the heavy and slow steps Leon takes) very robotic in the motions and playing out actions on command like a choreographed puppet. There's no life to the models. They all look dead and lifeless. The zombies of previous games had more character. A good example is in one scene where you must outrun a giant boulder (yeah Leon apparently didn't think of jumping to the side until after being chased for a good half minute). You'd expect Leon to have that usual piss-in-your-pants look on his face. No sir. No scared looking face for you. Leon maintains his cool whether he's outrunning giant boulders, kicking villagers in the kidneys, or falling to the ground (while clipping through the polygons at the same time. Goodie) dead. You'd think he was dead since you started playing the game the character model is so stiff. But I suppose the only indication here is that Leon either has his head sawed completely off or falls to the ground, again, in a machine like motion. Adding to the dead feel is the washed out colours. Everything in the game is washed over in nice varying shade of grey.

What I just previously said about head sawing may have sounded cool. But it's not. Not really. The game has lots of cool concepts however they all fall flat on their face or are just put; too simple. You can interact with environments now, yes, however only in certain situations and with the flick of one button. There are scripted scenes where you must press buttons in order or quickly, yes, however, these scenes are linear and constrictive. It's an action game, yes, but Leon can't perform any action oriented moves. The storyline is adequate, yes; however it adds almost nothing to the grand scheme that stemmed from Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2.

The most land mark new achievement is that the player is now able to buy and sell weapons and ammunition. And enemies drop said items as well. The way in which this is handled however really detracts from the immersion. You usually get “cash” for besting enemies. When said cash is dropped a shining spot appear on the ground indicating as such (the same with ammunition and items). It's a bizarre stylistic choice since it creates a parody in of itself. You have a serious government agent being chased by rabid killer villagers yet the game treats it all like a fun romp through an amusement park shooting gallery. “See how many you can kill! Score points with every shot! Just 2000 more points Jimmy and you'll get that new shiny gun yet.” There's even a mini-game where you shoot cardboard cut-outs of the villagers. High scores net the player bottle caps. The game has becomes a parody of the intense and frightening survival horror genre instead of adding to the genre it, ironically, once created.

Speaking of horror, this game is not scary. At least the past Resident Evil games had stuff flying out at the player. Here, you know what to expect in every area and around every corner; more villagers to shoot with the mandatory boss scene in-between. The game isn't scary however there's a strange almost indescribable feeling. However I think I've pinpointed or come close to describing what this is exactly.

The feeling the game exudes is one of hate. That is, the game itself seems to be sending a message of hate towards the player. This subtle inexplicable feeling presides over much of the game. Don't confuse it with fear; the game just really hates the player. It's noticeable in the constant barrage of villagers who have no care for their own lives (and only attack you, yes. 28 days later? Well, I don't know about you, but I could barely stomach this game for 28 seconds), the insulting amount of detail that went into the animation of Leon's head being sawed off, and the hair-ripping scripted scenes that must be followed exactly, lest you want Leon to suffer death at the face of more obvious solutions.

And so there we have it. I can't explain exactly what I was expecting. I read reviews here and there and saw the amazing scores it was getting. For some reason though, I noticed all reviews more or less left out the fact that the game has not evolved at all since it was first introduced back in the late nineties. Things have been added to the formula, yes, but there's nothing groundbreaking or new here. Resident Evil 4 is an action game through and through that fails at being an action game because Leon can do nothing more than stand and shoot.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 02/14/06