Resident Evil 4

"It's still Resident Evil 4. It's still an excellent game."

Resident Evil 4 for the Gamecube was a marvel in video games. Never before had a game been so scary and atmospheric, while also using solid, action-packed gameplay. The game was incredible, but only Gamecube owners were able to witness Resident Evil 4's finesse. Capcom took notice and has ported the Gamecube hit to the Playstation 2. Not only that, but Capcom packed in a few extra features to keep fans coming back. However, the PS2 doesn't have the Gamecube's hardware, so can a game that pushed the boundaries of the Gamecube be ported to the less-powerful PS2 successfully?

Graphics 10/10

This was probably the biggest concern with fans of the Gamecube version of Resident Evil 4. The first version of RE4 was one of the best looking games ever and truly showed how much the Gamecube could handle. Porting the masterpiece to the PS2 was a serious scare to PS2 fans; fears of sub-par graphics and muddy textures roamed the minds. On the contrary; RE4 on the PS2 looks spectacular. Very little was lost in the transition. The atmospheric mastery that Capcom produced in RE4 for the Gamecube remains scary in the PS2 port. After a richly-detailed opening sequence, Leon Scott Kennedy arrives in a quiet European town to search for the President's lost daughter. The game begins with a village filled with ambience; fog on the paths, wind in the trees, dirt in the air, everything is beautiful. Upon Leon's encounter with the first villager, everything enters a maddening tension as the aggression appears. RE4's over-the-shoulder camera style does seem like a tremendous departure, and it is, but you always feel in control. After you find even more angry villagers, you'll find a group of swarming enemies often during gameplay. The game never slows down and the entire action scene is brilliantly animated. Different enemy attacks and techniques keep the action fresh and always tense. The weapons are beautiful and their animations differ in range and ammo. Even the reload animations are stunningly realistic. The gory detail of a decapitation is incredible and the battle sequences are simply breathtaking. Although the presentation doesn't reach the Gamecube's graphic calibur, the PS2 version keeps the atmosphere in tact, despite its hardware limitations. The graphics in RE4 for the PS2 remain superb. Excellent.

Audio 10/10

Nothing was lost in audio here. Everything sounds atmospheric and scary. Leon's arrival in the village begins with some well-done voice acting, cheesy writing and all. The ambience continues with chilling winds and eerie silence. After meeting with the villagers, battles follow a tense and maddening score as the demented villagers approach. Each enemy's attacks sound solid, from a slice with a knife to the explosion of dynamite. The villagers' Spanish quips are rather entertaining as well. Weapons are perfectly sounded, with distance and enemy type being put into consideration. You can here an enemy approach by listening for a dynamite fuse or the swish of air from an attack. The entire audio system is filled with the atmospheric brilliance the Gamecube version had, leaving nothing behind in the transition.

Gameplay 10/10

If you've played any other Resident Evil game besides the Gamecube Resident Evil 4, prepare for something completely new. Resident Evil 4 changes the Resident Evil formula in nearly every way. Typewriter ribbons? Nope. Static cameras? Nuh-uh. Tank-style controls? Afraid not. Resident Evil 4 streamlines the action game formula with the revolutionary over-the-shoulder gunplay style. The ability to aim anywhere you want makes combat less of a headache. The ability to save without ribbons is a much-needed fix as well. All of these changes add up to a brand-new style of survival-horror.

The controls of RE4 for the PS2 will surprise not only Resident Evil fans, but those who played the first RE4 as well. Shooting is executed by holding R1 and pressing X. Knife attacks are used with L1 and pressing X. After holding either shoulder button, the camera focuses with a nice laser-sight, a very helpful and precise shooting reticle. This makes the fast-paced firefights much easier to contend with, but not too easy that you'll breeze through unscathed. The ability to shoot anywhere on an enemy's body adds some strategy to the mix as well. Crippling and flinching enemies is nearly essential to a successful battle, and also saves ammo. By holding square or circle and moving the left analog stick, Leon can run. The right analog stick can be tilted to get a small movement of the camera. However, those who have played the Gamecube version may have a very small issue with the menu setup. Pressing the triangle button brings up the map, with the Start button bringing up the inventory. I was surprised with the triangle button not having inventory; not being able to freeze the game and get your inventory up quickly during a fight felt a bit clunky. This problem was a bit of an annoyance, but didn't distract me much after I got a feel for the PS2 controls. If you have played the Gamecube version, you may have to adjust to the new controls, but anyone else will instantly be in awe of the fluidity of the new setup. Another minor gripe was the longer load times. Although they still aren't long, compared to the Gamecube version, they are longer and seeing the little “Loading” icon between rooms is a pain. However, if you can overcome these problems, Resident Evil 4 for the PS2 keeps the same excellent experience the Gamecube version provided.

Resident Evil 4 introduced the use of context-sensitive situations. For example, after shooting an enemy in the face, Leon can run up to them and by pressing an on-screen button combination, can execute a powerful crescent kick. The context-sensitive actions aren't just used for combat, but for navigation. If you see a window, go ahead and press the button combination to jump out. See a ladder? Climb it. See a fence? Hop over it. It's incredible how much bigger and free-roaming the areas are with these actions. Running from a swarm of enemies and being able to jump out a window on the fly adds a larger scope to gameplay. Capcom also didn't limit the context-sensitive actions to gameplay. You best keep your hand on the controller, because you can't even relax in the cutscenes. At times, cutscenes will quickly require a fast button combination, or else the consequences arise. The context-sensitive actions add so much to Resident Evil 4, increasing the scope and tension at every turn.

Weapons have gotten a major upgrade not only by the new controls, but by local merchants. Throughout the game, merchants will appear to give Leon some help. Browsing through the many different weapons is awesome, thanks to each weapon's specific advantages and disadvantages in combat. Not only that, but the merchant will even upgrade your weapons. The wide selection and amount of choice in weapons makes RE4 difficult to play the same way twice. Although ammunition is not in the merchant's sales, it's plentiful, along with the classic herbs and some treasures too.

Leon will quickly be put in charge of escorting the President's daughter, Ashley Graham, to safety. This kind of gameplay screams “escort mission”, but nimbly avoids the frustration thanks to its simplification of the controls and reliability of the AI. Ashley is controlled with two commands, both alternatively by pressing the R2 button. Press it once, she waits. Press it again, she follows. The system is extremely fluid in its simplicity. Even better is Ashley's solid AI. Instead of standing around getting captured, Ashley will hide behind you when enemies approach or duck down to avoid the line of fire. The ability to hide her in dumpsters for safe-keeping and the ability to heal her with herbs makes the whole escorting system much less tedious than expected. Although the mission's over when she dies or gets captured, the game's challenge isn't too difficult thanks to the solid design of the escort system. It's fluid, simple, and has good AI. What seemed like a scare turns out to be a major part of the game, and actually fun.

Resident Evil has always been about scares. Well, RE4 keeps the scares coming constantly. The enemies are fast-moving and smart. The bosses are epic and aggressive. Everything in RE4 is perfectly suited for what the game is supposed to do: scare you. The atmosphere is so rich and filled with ambience you can't help but tense up. Yes, there is some action, but with such excellent atmosphere, enemies, and bosses, RE4 is survival-horror at its finest.

Replay Value 10/10

As if the first RE4 didn't have enough, now we get even more. The story mode is at least 20 hours long, and even after that, Capcom has added a plethora of other modes. The classic Mercenaries mode is incredibly addictive. The inclusion of a new story exclusive to the PS2 version, Separate Ways, features Ada Wong and her own travels which coincide with Leon's. Separate Ways fills in some of the gray areas that Leon's story didn't fully explain, creating a solid expansion on the RE4 storyline. Along with the modes, there are unlockables abound, with special weapons and costumes. Resident Evil 4 is such a gripping and intense adventure that you'll want to go through down its path again. With excellent ambience and solid gameplay, RE4 is a game you will be revisiting for years to come.

Final Verdict 10/10

Capcom has successfully ported a game which pushed the boundaries of the Gamecube, to the Playstation 2. Very little was lost in this port and the addition of new modes, stories, and extras make the entire game worthwhile. In my opinion, if you do have a Gamecube, you should probably get the Gamecube version, for shorter load times, smoother graphics, and a slightly better control setup. Resident Evil veterans will pick up the PS2 version for its good expansion on the story. But, if you only have a PS2, there is absolutely no reason not to check out Resident Evil 4. RE4 revolutionizes survival-horror and action gaming on every level, bringing a streamlined control system, incredible ambience, and groundbreaking combat. Plus, you get a few extras. Resident Evil 4 is still one of the best games of 2005, whether on PS2 or Gamecube. Buy this game as soon as possible. This is an experience that cannot be missed by any means.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/14/06