Resident Evil 4

aka: Biohazard 4
Moby ID: 52872
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Picking up six years after Resident Evil 2, the fourth game in the series follows a former cop (now US agent) Leon S. Kennedy to Europe on a top-secret mission to investigate the disappearance of the president's daughter Ashley. As Leon encounters unimaginable horrors, he must find out who or what is behind everything. Old friends...and enemies...lurk around every corner as Leon attempts to find out who is truly behind the kidnapping of the president's daughter.

Resident Evil 4 is a major change from the previous installments. Instead of a fixed third-person perspective, the game features a new "behind the back" movement camera angle and an "over the shoulder" aiming feature that allows players to control their gun movement for specific body part hits. It features a brand new AI system and more open environments that allow enemies to work together to capture and corner Leon. Enemies are now humans, which allows them to climb up ladders, open doors, and use weapons throughout the game.

The entire item system has also been revamped, so that smaller items no longer require an entire item space to hold. Instead, items take up blocks of space in a briefcase according to their real-life size, to allow for many more items and weapons. Leon can collect treasure from enemies or from the surrounding area, and visit the infamous "merchant" to purchase bigger briefcases, treasure maps, weapons upgrades, and powerful weapons such as the one-shot RPG.

There is also the Mercenaries from Resident Evil 3, which allows the player to play survival scenarios as characters such as Hunk and even Albert Wesker himself.

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Credits (GameCube version)

165 People (149 developers, 16 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 96% (based on 113 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.2 out of 5 (based on 157 ratings with 9 reviews)

Solid Snake VS Leon S. Kennedy

The Good
What's not to like in this game, it's taken one step forward in all elements, including the story timeline. You're playing Leon S. Kennedy who we all know as an RPD rookie cop from Resident Evil 2. He didn't change much, still not knowing what's happening around him, yet equally skilled at kicking butts. Sent in to recover Ashley (huh, I sound as if talking about an object, but on the contrary, she's a cute little package that will give you nothing but troubles in return), Leon will face the strange looking villagers who alas don't speak english but spanish. That of course doesn't present any problem for Leon since he's familiar with the universal language of a high caliber gun and hence the dark overture was about to start for him... nor dark enough as promised, though.

The graphic is something unspeakable, with even more surprises for being for GameCube. I didn't know it can look that good, definitely on par with fanciest MGS game, and gameplay is great (kinda believe mouse would help me much more at aiming at the parasites, though). Furthermore, cinematic scenes are great, direction was fantastic and I've never seen anything so cool as Leon and Ada facing each other. Heh, believe it or not, I liked Ada a lot for the short time she appeared in RE2, and am kinda glad to see she survived (assuming she's something alive, that is, lol) the big fall.

This game is not short as the most of early Biohazard games, and is more on par with Code: Veronica, not just by its length but by the various boss battles and tricks required to dispose of them, by the direction of action sequences, and by the richness of the world to explore. Although, I gotta say that Umbrella Corp. seemed much more menacing, I'm still looking forward to where this story will lead us next. Maybe we'll get a game that will feel the gap one of these days.

Wesker!!! The coolest badguy's here, not that we see it but we hear him alright. I can't wait to see what'll be when he appears next time around. Rumours say he might in the PS2 version of this game, guess time will tell but I'm hoping for the best ;)

Oh yeah, and quick-time events on par with Shenmue games are here, and they're fantastic. This works so well with cutscenes, almost better than just watching them. The game is generally very dynamic, the creatures are smart as suicidal, and the action is something you won't miss a bit.

The Bad
Soundtrack is nowhere near as good as in the rest of Resident Evil games, this one seemed way too atmospheric and oftenly created sounds you couldn't tell if it's the music or sound effects you're hearing. Keeping you on your toes, that's okay, but they could add some cool BGM someplace in the game, God knows they're capable of it, Capcom did plenty of awesome soundtracks (Needless to say I'm more than happy with my Biohazard Sound Chronicle box).

And what's with the smugglers? Looks like they exist only to help Leon, they'd be out of the business otherwise, huh?

Probably the most disappointing thing is that we all knew Leon is going to be infected with the virus from the trailers. Furthermore, we knew he's going to feel something due to being exposed and that something will alter his vision of reality. Well, we thought we knew that because Capcom suckered us big time. What you see on the trailers and making of disc is nowhere in the game's actual story. Yes, Leon does get infected, but it gives very little to influence to actual player. Discarding all this concept of altered vision makes this game that less scary and I'm glad for it, but it sure looked like an interesting and original concept to experience. I felt a bit cheated like when Kojima-san pulled that joke with all of us regarding MGS2 title and surprised us with Raiden as the main character. Like, what the heck!!??? :))

The Bottom Line
What a fine game this one is, ya got tha'?

GameCube · by MAT (240759) · 2012

A Whole New Resident Evil.

The Good
Resident Evil always had this reputation for being terrifying and very bloody. Well I hope you got a strong heart because Resident Evil 4 takes it up to a whole new level in terror and gore.

The thing I noticed immediately when I began to play Resident Evil 4 is that it was no longer 3rd person. It was more over-the-shoulder. The graphics are the same during cut scenes and gameplay which I thought was terrific. Most games use cut scenes with CG and such but Resident Evil 4 doesn't. It proves you don't need CG to make cut scenes.

The story has changed. It doesn't used that same old recycled pattern. Umbrella is history, Raccoon City is history, and zombies are history. It has been 6 years or so and the rookie cop with the funny hairdo is now a special agent working with the government. Yes ladies and gentleman Leon Kennedy from Resident Evil 2 is back with a tough look. He must rescue the president's kidnapped daughter Ashley. He stops in a village and is attacked by crazed people. He doesn't know why. Never fear! Leon has weapons. He has a gun with laser targeting. This makes the game more fun as you can shoot of the enemie's head, legs, or arms. The story is something that interested me very much. I just wanted to figure out how the villagers became the way they were.

The gameplay is something that remained the same. However, unlike other games with cut scenes, you need your hands on the controller at all times! During cut scenes you can never relax. You're talking and the next minute you have to hit a button. Beware!

Resident Evil 4 is one of the most scariest and bloodiest games ever. If you shoot somebody (or something), they just bleed. If you shoot a villager in the head, pretty much there goes their head. The bosses in this game are so scary and SOOOOOOOO hard that I actually had to look up how to beat them. (I hardly don't do that at all!) The Village Chief is one of those that scared me. One minute he's human, next minute he looks like a 20 foot centipede sticking out of his bottom half, the next, he's swinging like a monkey. The one that gave me nightmares was the last boss (won't give his name away). He was just terrifying. He looked like a spider except had more legs and was WAAAAYYYY bloodier. Oh yeah, HE HAS EYES ON HIS LEGS!!! Yes people, eyes on his legs. Creeped me out!

This is just one of those games you are so scared of but you can't help but play it until the very end. And believe me, at the end you get a surpirse.

The Bad
The game is great. Action, horror, blood. Sadly, this game had some flaws.

For some reason, whenever Ashley was kidnapped (Believe me it happens more than once) I actually wanted to shoot HER and not her kidnappers. She is kind of weak and she should run. Oh wait, that would take away the extra missions Leon has to do.

Another thing that bugged me was the lack of what Resident Evil made Resident Evil. You don't feel like you're playing Resident Evil. At some points during the game, I just felt like playing a horror game with a guy named Leon Kennedy. It was ONLY Leon who reminded me I was playing Resident Evil. Trust me, if this game was called something different, you'd probably wouldn't even notice the difference except for Leon and the character who makes an appearance at the end.

The Bottom Line
Overall, the ultimate terror game. Scares around every corner and the villagers are downright relentless. They jump out at you and it scares you like I can't even describe. Go out and get Resident Evil 4. But be warned, it is not for the weak at heart.

GameCube · by NightKid32 (39) · 2005

Dark. Interesting. Terrifying. Amazing.

The Good
From the first few seconds of this game, you are pulled into a world filled with pure dread. Not so much as what may be lurking around the corner anymore, but above you, below you, and just anything in the general vicinity. Gone are the days of cramped hallways and tight spaces. Leon Kennedy now deal with sprawling woods, expansive lakes, caves, villages.... And if you think these wide open areas diminishes the fright factor in any way, you'd be dead wrong.

The new enemy is not longer slow-witted or sluggish anymore. This new threat will chase you down, screaming to its kind to join in on killing you. Locking yourself in a place doesn't work anymore. They'll throw bombs through the window. Running upstairs doesn't help anymore. They've already put up a ladder outside, and are coming through the windows for you. It's not so much little jumps and scares anymore. It's a swarming, overwhelming "I am totally screwed" attitude that perseveres throughout the game.

Graphically, this is about as good as it gets for Gamecube. Sure, games like Metroid Prime, Final Fantasy, Soul Calibur II, and the other RE games are stunning, but this looks like an interactive movie. The transition between cinematic to gameplay is seamless. It's beautiful. Detailed, disgusting, but just jaw-dropping.

The same goes for sound. The silent ambiance while walking through the woods is creepy. So are the moments of wading through water, or passing a creaky door. The music, when it happens, pushes up the tension as it always has the the previous installments, and it works just as well here. And the voices? No more goofy "Master of Unlocking" comments. The new dialogue is intelligent and well-acted. It keeps the mood with the more "serious" approach to conversations.

Gameplay has been so defined for this, it needs its own paragraph. Gone are the days of stiffly moving troopers who take forever to get through a door or climb a ladder. Same for not being able to climb over something that should be, or pointless puzzles to solve, or even the common sense question of "why doesn't he just shoot the lock off?" It's addressed. And it puts the game on a whole new lever. Game for aiming weapons. So much better done. So more intuitive. Not to mention being able to buy things now, and upgrade weapons. Plus, the knife is no longer a stored item, but a secondary one that can be used at all times.

The Bad
There's not a lot that I can say in this category.

I miss the storage boxes, though you can increase and rearrange items and item space. But there are times that I wished that I had the convenience.

The game is also presented in widescreen. Some people may not like this, but after years of watching DVDs, it wasn't until much later until I realized this.

People may also miss the "zombie" aspect that has always been Resident Evil, but this new alternative is in many ways, much more disturbing. The slow-moving and groaning zombies could send chills, but screaming villagers running full speed at you, especially in packs, gets pretty intense.

The Bottom Line
Resident Evil 4 has taken everything good about the RE series, threw it in a blender, and the results are astonishing. This sequel improves on the entire series in such major ways, that it's very impressive. And yet, it stays true to its roots, which most majorly reworked games have difficulty remaining to. The changes are intelligent, well executed, and long overdue.

If you like RE, the changes are going to keep you involved. If you've had issues with previous RE games, there's enough differences to warrant a look at this game. It's no longer zombies and cramped hallways, or illogical puzzles and bad voice acting. And the main character now moves and reacts sensibly. More than ever before.

It surprises me that people can still criticize Gamecube for having "kids games", or not being able to reach a broader audience. Critics should be silenced after playing this game, and Nintendo fans should rejoice for having such a brilliant game to call their own.

When the dust clears, this will become one of the newer "classic" games, and a high mark on the series as a whole.

Highest possible recommendation, with a few more positive comments thrown in because it deserves it.

GameCube · by Guy Chapman (1748) · 2011

[ View all 9 player reviews ]

Trivia

Development

The earliest version of the game was announced for the PS2 under Resident Evil 2 with director Hideki Kamiya. This build was eventually cancelled as a Resident Evil installment and became the title known as Devil May Cry. Eventually, development was moved to the Gamecube console and another build emerged. This was the first version to feature Leon from RE2. The game's main menace was to sport a hook on one of its hands, and the logo for the game reflected this (this can still be seen in the final logo). More versions were created and cancelled before Shinji Mikami took over and transformed the title into what it is today. Of all the builds developed, only one of them was never unveiled to the public (it was the one that was being worked on right before Mikami took over). Early in the development stages the game's setting was Japan, not Europe.

German index

On June 30, 2005, the English version of Resident Evil 4 was put on the infamous German index by the BPjM. For more information about what this means and to see a list of games sharing the same fate, take a look here: BPjS/BPjM indexed games.

References

  • There is a laser room (hallway actually) much like the one in the original Resident Evil movie, where Leon has to dodge laser beams and pull various stunts. He survives the lasers, however, unlike the S.T.A.R.S. team in the movie.
  • The Killer 7 handgun was named after the title of a Shinji Mikami-produced game.
  • Krauser and HUNK's music that plays in The Mercenaries game mode is actually from P.N.03: the music from the 4th and 8th mission, respectively.

Sales

According to publisher Capcom, the GC version of Resident Evil 4 has sold 1.6 million copies worldwide since its initial release (as of June 30, 2016).

Voices

In the typical fashion of depicting Spanish inhabitants, the voiceovers were made by Mexican actors (some of them trying to do Spanish from Spain) rather than by real Spanish actors.

Weapons

All the weapons used by Leon in the game are based on real weapons. The standard handgun looks similar to a Beretta 92 (with nickel plating, which the original gun wouldn't have); the Punisher handgun looks somewhat like the H&K VP70; the shotgun is a Remington M870; the Striker is an actual shotgun developed in South Africa; the rocket launcher is a Russian RPG-7 (which can actually be reloaded and fired again). The "Red 9" 9mm pistol is a "Mauser C-96" from the World War I era. The Red 9 version actually had the number 9 carved on the grip, painted in red. It was heavy and slow to reload, but offered good power and range at the time.

Awards

  • 4Players
    • 2005 – Best Game of the Year
    • 2005 – Best GameCube Game of the Year
    • 2005 – Best Graphics of the Year
    • 2005 – Best Successor of the Year
  • Game Informer
    • January 2006 (Issue #153) - Game of the Year 2005
  • GamePro (Germany)
      1. February 2006 - Best Console Game in 2005
      1. February 2006 - Best Console Action-Adventure in 2005
  • GameSpy
    • 2005 – #2 Game of the Year
    • 2005 – GameCube Game of the Year
    • 2005 – GameCube Game of the Year (Readers' Vote)
    • 2005 – GameCube Action Game of the Year
  • Golden Joystick Awards
    • 2005 - GameCube Game of the Year
    • 2005 - Best Film-Based Game of the Year
    • 2005 - Editor's Game of the Year
  • IGN
    • 1 by IGN Reader Reviews

Information also contributed by Big John WV, glidefan, kelmer44, MAT, MegaMegaMan, sealboy6, Tiago Jacques, TonicBH, Xoleras

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Corn Popper.

GameCube added by MegaMegaMan.

Additional contributors: MAT, MegaMegaMan, CalaisianMindthief, Patrick Bregger, piltdown_man, legofan94.

Game added September 14, 2011. Last modified March 11, 2024.