Resident Evil 4

Six years after the events in Resident Evil 2, the Umbrella Company is ruined. When the T-Virus was unleashed in Raccoon City, the US government nuked the location and then ended all relationships with Umbrella. Before too long, the corporation’s stock price dropped and it retreated into obscurity. In the same time, hero Leon S. Kennedy began a career with the government, eventually becoming a highly trained agent. Resident Evil 4 begins as Kennedy is dispatched on a top-secret mission to find and safely return the President’s kidnapped daughter from a remote location in Europe.

There are no pre-rendered sequences in Resident Evil 4, but you wouldn’t know it when watching the opening cinematic, which quickly and conveniently brings you up-to-date on the situation. Always a stickler for presentation, Capcom has really outdone itself with this game, going the extra mile to deliver you truly gorgeous, beautifully choreographed cut-scenes that drive the story. What’s more, because these sequences all use the game engine, they’re seamless.

Resident Evil 4 doesn’t waste any time getting started. Only a minute after Leon enters a dilapidated cabin, the hero finds himself attacked by a menacing figure with an axe and then trapped inside by villagers who seem focused only on one goal: his death. The air is thick with urgency and despair, both of which are noticeably amplified over previous Resident Evil games. After some consideration, and much more play time, we came to realize the reason for this: more than any other entry in this series, this is true survival horror. Preceding Evil games have moved slower, enabling you to oftentimes set your own pace. In Resident Evil 4, you’re at the mercy of your attackers, and make no mistake: you are consistently under attack and on the run for your very life. Because of this truth, the game is heart-thumpingly frightening and this state of fear and panic is continued for great lengths of time. When you finally do escape, if you’re so lucky, you will breath a sigh of relief and savor your accomplishment.

Traditionalists, however, will not be left in the dark. Or, actually, they will. Although the game moves at a quicker, frenzied pace as Leon runs through the region while blasting villagers, there are still some good old-fashioned scares to be found and just as satisfying as before, if not more so. Some enemies lurch forward from blackened hallways, moaning and chanting. Others kick open doors and come streaming in. And we don’t want to give away any spoilers, but rest assured that the game features the franchise’s widest selection of creatures, all of them amazing and twisted in their own unique ways. In one mid-game area, Leon finds himself trapped in a hedge maze and realizes that he’s not alone: rabid, four-legged beasts are on the prowl, and these monstrosities are definitely not man’s best friend. The old-school scare factor is magnified more due to new mission styles that put you in control of the weaponless Ashley, daughter of the President. Armed only with a flashlight, the nearly helpless girl must slink by robed enemies and rapidly raise and lower gateways before her attackers can catch her. Playing through levels like these, it’s impossible not to notice just how far Capcom has come, and why it continues to lead the way when it comes to survival horror.

Bringing both gameplay types together is a control scheme that for the most part remains disappointingly unchanged from previous Resident Evil games. Kennedy is manipulated minus true analog control. Push the analog stick and he walks. Hold the B button down and he runs. Same as it ever was. Also, in our play experience with the game it became abundantly clear that many of the battles would have benefited from a dodge or strafe function, which Capcom has chosen not to include. And yet, despite all of this, the process of controlling Leon is far improved thanks to a combination of a flexible new camera that shoots the action from behind the character’s back and a new action button that enables context-sensitive functionality.

When Kennedy nears certain objects or interacts with some enemies, an indicator on-screen will let you know that you can tap the action button or a combination of buttons to either execute an action or evade an attack. A seemingly simple addition, this new mechanic actually goes a long way to enhancing both the overall sense of freedom that you have as you explore and Leon’s arsenal of moves. Using the action button, Leon can jump off the rooftops of structures, dive through windows, fend off enemies, kick over groups of foes, dodge thrown objects and moving opponents, and more. He can also perform context-sensitive movements, such as riding in a lift or mine cart. The action system is also well integrated into many of the ferocious boss battles in Resident Evil 4.

And speak of the devil, we’re not entirely sure how Capcom pulled it off, but the boss characters and fights are some of the most varied and all-around engaging in any action-adventure to date. Not only are the character designs unequaled in their originality and detail — these beasts and villains come to life with a level of realism never before seen on Nintendo’s console — but they are just as fun to challenge as they are visually appealing. There is a huge salamander that lives underneath a lake. The horrible thing thrusts upward from the water to reveal protruding fangs and a series of wiggling worms inside its mouth. The creature is also roughly five times the size of Leon’s boat! There is an ogre-like monster known only as El Gigante by the locals and the putrid mutant looks as though he were borrowed directly from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies. And these two represent only a small handful of the evil things that lie in wait. As you journey deeper into the game and square off against more humongous bosses, you’ll begin to learn that these entities — just like the villagers — are not exactly as they seem. You’ll find yourself wondering what could possibly be more grandiose and spectacular than the last boss, and then you’ll be amazed when Capcom tops itself, again and again. More impressive still, each boss requires a different attack strategy to fend off. There’s much more to killing these enemies than pointing and shooting. You’ll need to examine the fight environments and use them to your benefit, while searching for weaknesses in each character’s attack. Extremely well done.

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