![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Resident-Evil-4-Review-Pics-1.png?resize=790%2C565\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Resident-Evil-4-Review-Pics-2.png?resize=790%2C445\")
<\/figure>\n<\/strong>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Released on January 11th, 2005, \u201cResident Evil 4\u201d is actually the 15th game released in Capcom\u2019s landmark Resident Evil series, if you count the remakes, spin-offs and mobile releases; however, it is the fourth game chronologically. It was both produced and published by Capcom and directed by Shinji Mikami, who has worked on several other Resident Evil games and many of Capcom\u2019s franchises. Players control Leon S. Kennedy, returning from \u201cResident Evil 2.\u201d Taking place six years after the events of \u201cRE2,\u201d Leon has gone from rookie cop to government agent, working to stop various bioterrorist threats. This time, guided by his dispatcher Ingrid Hunnigan, Leon is sent to a rural village in Spain to save the president\u2019s daughter, Ashley, from a mysterious and dangerous cult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During his mission, he must deal with the infected villagers (referred to as \u201cGanados,\u201d which translates to cattle or livestock), under control of the cult, called Los Iluminados, through the use of a mind-controlling parasite called Las Plagas. Leon also meets several characters, both old and new – including a returning character, seductive and mysterious spy Ada Wong – who originally appeared in \u201cResident Evil 2\u201d alongside Leon. Other characters introduced in \u201cRE4\u201d include Spanish researcher Luis Sera, Leon\u2019s former comrade Jack Krauser, and of course, the main villains; Village chief Bitores Mendez, Count Roman Salazar, and the leader of Los Illuminados, Osmund Saddler. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aside from the main story, players have access to a few different game modes and extras. These new game modes include Separate Ways and Assignment Ada, both starring Ada Wong, which offer two distinct experiences. Separate Ways is a side campaign that puts more context into Ada\u2019s mission as she works for legendary RE villain Albert Wesker, while Assignment Ada is a non-canon minigame where Ada must collect five Las Plagas samples. Last but not least, there is Mercenaries, an arcade-style mode where players can take control of Leon, Ada, Krauser, Wesker and HUNK, a character last seen in \u201cResident Evil 2\u2019s\u201d \u2018The 4th Survivor\u2019 mode. Mercenaries task players with killing as many Ganados as possible within a strict time limit, using your character\u2019s varied loadouts. All of these modes provide plenty of extra fun while also gifting players with new weapons and tools to use in the main campaign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unsurprisingly, \u201cResident Evil 4\u201d was immensely successful upon release. It sold 11 million copies and was ported to 13 different systems across its lifetime. It became a landmark title for Capcom, and not only inspired the company itself with future titles, but would go on to become a major influence on many other landmark games. \u201cGears of War,\u201d \u201cDead Space,\u201d and \u201cThe Last of Us\u201d can all thank \u201cResident Evil\u201d for bringing them to life in one way or another. A remake of \u201cResident Evil 4\u201d was also developed by Capcom and released in 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cResident Evil 4\u201d is a drastic departure from previous games in the series. It ditches the fixed camera angle of its predecessors in favor of an over-the-shoulder perspective. Rather than the camera being stuck in a cinematic position, it is now glued to Leon\u2019s back. This camera angle was used exclusively for most other entries following 4, up until \u201cRE 7\u201d which used a first-person angle. Another major departure was a much heavier focus on action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For a game released so long ago, the graphics hold up astonishingly well. While most people nowadays might not think the graphics or textures are too impressive, it feels natural just going back and playing such an old game. In particular, the character models and animations are smooth and natural and actually look like human beings, contrasting the usually robotic movements of the original three games. I would say the most impressive aspect of \u201cRE4\u2019s\u201d graphics presentation is the timelessness of it all; none of it looks dated or old school, and the environments rarely look out of place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One aspect that is still present in \u201cResident Evil 4\u201d from previous games is tank controls, and for some modern players, I can see how this might be an issue. Tank controls were a staple of the old \u201cResident Evil\u201d titles, and are vastly different from what most are used to. Basically, instead of having movement relative to the game\u2019s camera, movement is based on the character\u2019s position. Because of this, Leon doesn\u2019t exactly move in the most natural way; He can\u2019t strafe left or right, and he doesn\u2019t turn around all that quickly. He also can\u2019t move while shooting his gun; while aiming down sights, you are stuck in place. I\u2019ll be the first to admit this new control scheme caught me off guard. I struggled against the first enemy, and barely made it through the first enemy arena. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another part of the game which may alienate newer players is the inventory system. In \u201cResident Evil 4,\u201d there is no quick switch option for weapons; instead, players will need to pause the game in order to select a new weapon. At first glance, this system may seem clunky, and it could be argued that it takes you out of the experience. Aside from that, managing inventory space may also be a pain for some. The player is going to be spending a lot of time in the pause menu manually organizing every weapon, ammo, health item, and treasure you have collected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, I got used to both of these systems incredibly quickly, and over time it\u2019s amazing how natural the game feels. Also, a lot of the standard gameplay is made for this movement and playstyle. While Leon can\u2019t turn all that quickly on his own, there is a quick turn feature that instantly turns him around, which is incredibly useful for evading and fighting enemies. When it comes to aiming, each weapon has a red dot sight that tells you exactly where your shots will land. You will also get used to the inventory system very quickly, and pausing the game to select a new weapon will become second nature to you as you progress. On top of that, organizing the inventory space can be oddly satisfying, especially when you put all of your kit in the exact places you want them to be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The game is also tailored around Leon\u2019s movement to make it more balanced. Due to the fact he can\u2019t move and shoot, enemies don\u2019t swarm you at aggressive speeds. Instead, they move relatively slowly, aside from the occasional strafe and sprinting charge. These make fights much more fair, even during the more difficult stages of the game. Leon can also perform various moves which give you much-needed space; he can kick stunned enemies, which knock down anyone nearby, and he can knock down ladders to keep them from climbing up to him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Various audio cues are also present, which help give away certain actions. The whispering of the Ganados lets you know where they are, and things like a fuse being lit and a distinct woosh sound let you know when dynamite is being thrown and when axes and scythes are being hurled at you. It\u2019s these tweaks which greatly improve the overall experience and make fighting off enemies easier, yet still satisfying. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For one, their design and the sounds they make are guaranteed to unnerve you. Second, as their name suggests, they regenerate from any damage you deal to them. Thankfully, they are made easier to deal with due to the inclusion of the Thermal Scope, which shows the Plagas inside their bodies. Shoot these, and they\u2019ll pop like balloons. Other enemies and mini-bosses encountered in RE4 are the giant troll-like El Gigante, the water-lurking monster Del Lago, the blind, claw wielding Garradors, the insect-like Novistadors, and the sub-bosses Verdugo and X-3. These enemies not only provide plenty of variety to the enemy encounter but their own challenge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cResident Evil 4\u201d also gives us some incredibly memorable boss fights. In total, there are eight boss battles that Leon faces throughout the game; El Gigante, Del Lago, Verdugo, U-3, Mendes, Salazar, Krauser and Saddler. To say these battles are a spectacle is putting it lightly; They each take place in different arenas, and some are much more challenging than others. I wouldn’t say any one of them is crushingly difficult, although there are those which will cause you more trouble for sure; The U-3 and Krauser were the ones I struggled with the most. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, each boss has its own gimmick to deal with; Mendes\u2019 boss battle takes place in a cramped, burning barn, the Verdugo is incredibly durable yet can be frozen with liquid nitrogen, the Del Lago fight takes place on a boat and must be shot with harpoons, while Krauser is a tough battle at first, but he can easily be defeated with the knife. These certainly aren\u2019t the greatest boss battles in video game history nor are they that challenging, but will provide plenty of amazing setpieces and memorable gameplay sections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, dealing with these various enemies wouldn\u2019t be as fun without some toys to play with. Thankfully, \u201cResident Evil 4\u201d truly contains an incredible selection of weapons. Starting with a standard 9mm pistol, Leon\u2019s arsenal evolves to include a pump action shotgun, a TMP (a submachine gun), a scoped rifle, a magnum, a rocket launcher, and plenty of others. Weapons can be purchased or found naturally as they progress through the story, and some specific weapons, such as the Infinite Rocket Launcher and the Chicago Typewriter (A powerful Tommy Gun with infinite ammo), can be unlocked through specific parameters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Weapons, along with various other goodies, can be purchased from the Merchant, a mysterious yet friendly Ganado that provides a safe haven for players. Using Ptas, a currency found throughout the game world, players can purchase things such as health sprays, larger inventory space, and maps of specific areas. Players can also sell various treasures and gems they find while exploring the world. Later on in the game, players also gain access to his shooting range, where they practice their shooting skills and earn bottle caps, and collectibles which are figurines of most of the game\u2019s characters. Not only is the Merchant a Godsend who provides many useful tools, but he also gives some of the best lines in the game. I\u2019ve never heard somebody turn a line as simple as \u201cWhat are you buying?\u201d into something so magical. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, there is one part of this game that some people will swear up and down is the worst part of the experience: Escorting Ashley. Considering it\u2019s the main reason Leon is in Spain in the first place, a large portion of the game revolves around leading Ashley through various arenas and levels. So many players consider escorting Ashley as an absolute nightmare, and that she is beyond annoying to try and keep alive. Keep in mind: I am someone who absolutely despises escort missions, and thinks they should not exist. Next to water levels and forced stealth sections, I can\u2019t think of any other mission type which gives me as much frustration as escorting some NPC through hordes of enemies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet, despite my feelings about escort missions, the hate for the Ashley sections is extremely overblown. Now if you want to argue that Ashley is a completely useless character, then I\u2019ve got no arguments; basically all she does throughout the game is follow Leon, and get captured like three separate times. Gameplay-wise, however, the act of leading the president\u2019s daughter through danger is a perfect example of an escort mission done right. The main reason why escort missions are usually such a pain is because the AI is so braindead that they will often either get themselves killed, or will straight up get in your way and cause your demise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ashley, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. She is constantly glued to Leon\u2019s back, and if she does manage to wander into his line of sight, she will duck down when he\u2019s aiming his weapon. On top of that, you have the option to make her wait outside of the enemy arena, and some stages let you hide her in a dumpster, making her completely safe from any danger. If she is ever grabbed by an enemy, the scream she lets out is absolutely grating, but that\u2019s the point. If she gets caught, it is entirely the fault of the player. The most annoying thing about Ashley is the fact she has her own separate health bar, so you are required to share health items with her. However, I am man enough to admit that the times Ashley died during my playthrough were entirely my own fault; the result of my terrible aim and my completely forgetting about the wait command. So, all in all, people need to stop complaining about these sections. They are not that bad, and considering my thoughts on escort missions as a whole, that should speak volumes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lastly, I want to discuss the main reason I would say \u201cResident Evil 4\u201d is so beloved by RE fans: the writing. Now, \u201cResident Evil\u201d has always been pretty goofy, from the very first game in the series. It had this B-Movie cheese to it, which added so much charm to the characters and story, and anybody who thinks \u201cResident Evil\u201d hasn\u2019t been ridiculous clearly hasn\u2019t been paying attention. \u201cResident Evil 4\u201d takes that B-Movie cheesiness and amps it up to 11, to the point where it\u2019s impossible not to love it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Leon, despite being a highly skilled government agent, is a bit of a dork; spouting one-liners that would make a middle schooler groan (\u201cNo thanks, Bro!\u201d and \u201cYour right hand comes off?\u201d), along with some pretty hilarious quips (\u201cWhere\u2019s everyone going? Bingo?) and dealing with the most bizarre situations with an astonishing level of indifference. The main villains, Saddler and Salazar, are two of the most entertaining antagonists ever put to screen, and their radio conversations with Leon do a lot to make the story worthwhile. Whether it\u2019s Salazar\u2019s slimy, pompous attitude or Saddler\u2019s delightfully devious delivery, these two steal every scene they\u2019re in. Krauser is also a memorable antagonist, due to his personal relationship with Leon, his intriguing motivations and an incredibly tense boss fight. The writing does fall into traditional conventions sometimes, namely, the villains not killing Leon when they had the chance, but considering the ridiculousness of everything around him, it\u2019s easy to look past these aspects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If the villains can be endearing and entertaining, then you can be sure that this translates into the other characters. The interactions between Leon and his allies give birth to not only some iconic moments but some of the best lines in video games. Luis, a character who doesn\u2019t even appear in the game all that long, is given such a likable and entertaining personality that makes you wish for more. Luis also gives us the famous \u201cBallistics\u201d line, which is one of the best quotes in the entire game, if not of all time, and I don\u2019t care what people say. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The interactions between Leon and Ashley are also golden; while you can argue all day that Ashley in the original isn\u2019t the most developed character, some of the dialogue she shares with Leon is still a joy to listen to. Lines such as \u201cI knew you\u2019d be fine if you landed on your butt\u201d and Ashley\u2019s request for \u201cOvertime\u201d at the end will leave you with a smile on your face for sure. Even if you don\u2019t like the gameplay, the game\u2019s goofy charm and dialogue are sure to bring you in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cResident Evil 4\u201d is a game everybody needs to play at least once. Even if some players might not be able to truly appreciate its influence nowadays, the game\u2019s frantic action, tightly balanced gameplay, enjoyable story and undeniable charm will certainly make them appreciate \u201cResident Evil 4\u201d as a game on its own merits. I can confidently call \u201cResident Evil 4\u201d a timeless masterpiece, one of if not the best games in the \u201cResident Evil\u201d series, and one of the greatest games of all time. I hope anybody who plays it comes out of the experience feeling the same way I did.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BY NICK McCOY There are few games out there that can be considered timeless masterpieces. Games that, despite being decades old, have survived the passage… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":73206,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[56,12390,55,10490],"tags":[14765,15281,1556,10046,15260,1729],"class_list":["post-73200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-editorial","category-opinion","category-video-games","tag-nick-mccoy","tag-resident-evil-4","tag-video-game","tag-video-game-review","tag-video-game-reviews","tag-video-games"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Resident-Evil-4.png?fit=512%2C288&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=73200"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73213,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73200\/revisions\/73213"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/73206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=73200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=73200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=73200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Resident-Evil-4-Review-Pics-3.png?resize=640%2C480\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Resident-Evil-4-Review-Pics-4.png?resize=790%2C439\")
<\/figure>\n
<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
While the previous entries emphasize atmosphere and inventory management, \u201cRE4\u201d is more in line with a standard third-person shooter. It still maintains some elements of survival horror, and there are genuinely creepy moments, but for the most part, the horror is toned down slightly. This hardly does anything to derail the experience, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Resident-Evil-4-Review-Pics-5.png?resize=679%2C1024\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Resident-Evil-4-Review-Pics-6.png?resize=790%2C444\")
<\/figure>\n
<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Leon faces several different enemies as the game progresses, which are much tougher than the regular villagers. One of the most iconic is Dr. Salvador, more commonly known as just the Chainsaw Ganado. This enemy wears a burlap sack over their head and, you guessed it, wields a chainsaw. Not only are they much tougher than standard Ganados, but they will kill you in one hit if they get too close. Another iconic enemy is the Regenerator, which you encounter in the latter half of the game. These are some of the most nightmarish enemies ever put into a video game, for a couple of reasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n