Resident Evil 4- Perennial lightning in a bottle.
Few games have usurped a franchise’s norms and simultaneously revolutionized a genre. Resident Evil 4 is one of those quintessential masterpieces that have achieved just that. Even if your first impressions of this game were through the much-maligned PS2 port like me you still were in awe of its unmitigated majesty. The presentation of the game exudes excellence through every pixel and polygon gracing your visage. The sound design is superb lending to a serenade of tension and adrenaline when appropriate.
Let’s first get into the technical aspects of the game that made Gamecube’s around the world purr with supremacy over the PS2. The PS2 port, while no visual slouch is obliterated by the Gamecube original in terms of lighting, particle effects, and ambience. The Gamecube original could easily be mistaken for a PS3/360 title given the eye candy on display. The main drawing point towards the PS2 version and later ports is the inclusion of Separate Ways. I find this campaign rather ancillary and a distraction from the main draw almost as much as Assignment Ada is. The PS2 and subsequent versions of the game neuter the ammo drop rate obfuscating the arcade feel of the original. The extra costumes break the game and make the professional gameplay mode a walk in the park (via Ashley’s impervious suit of armor).
The gameplay is probably where this game exemplifies Shinji Mikami’s brilliance. Not only are you freed from the constraints of tank controls (which in fairness led to some breath taking prerendered backgrounds) but you are given an over-the-shoulder aiming perspective. In addition to this you stop in motion as you aim giving the game a pop and shot shooting gallery feel. This was relatively unique for third person shooting games of the time and the inability to move while shooting made for more tense encounters and epitomized the arcade like B movie horror the game was aiming for seemingly. The shift from straight up survival horror to action horror was jarring to many fans but the grace and elegance at which it was done led it to be an influential masterpiece that helped shape the future of gaming as we know it.
In addition to the main campaign there is the often celebrated “Mercenaries” mode unlocked by completing the main campaign. This amazing mini-game traverses you through four stages that you can pick each with their own mini bosses. You kill enemies and collect time extensions to increase time. There is a combo count of the enemies you kill within a certain amount of time and this attributes to your final score. Depending on your score you can unlock various characters for mercenaries mode like Ada or a special weapon for the main campaign provided you master each stage with five stars.
Numerous developers from Gears of War creator CliffyB (Cliff Bleszinski) to the creators of Deadspace and on herald this game as the inspiration for their own works of art. The game was so revolutionary and respected it received an amazing remake like the second game. I will say while some things the remake like Separate Ways feeling more unique it feels very tonally clashed as opposed to the GameCube original. In ways it feels like the PS2 revision of the original Resident Evil 4 only magnified. While it amplifies the horror and survival aspects of the game these were never meant to be center stage in Resident Evil 4. It tones down the goofy segments and introduces free movement also amplifying the action. I mean in the remake while parrying chainsaws is cool as hell it reduces one of the most intimidating enemies via there instant death mechanic if they get close enough to being a more standardized enemy. The remake while a fantastic game is not the perennial lightning in the bottle the original game was.
Pros
- + Ethereal Graphics
- + Celestial Sound design
- + Surreal Gameplay
Cons
- - The ports lose track of what makes the original so majestic.
- - Assignment Ada is pointless
10
Gameplay
Revolutionary and refined
10
Graphics
10
Story
10
Sound
10
Replayability
10
out of 10
Overall
This game will endure throughout the ages as a revolutionary title that changed the course of gaming as we know it.
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, fixed a few images and added back a cover image. Hope that’s fine. 
