Resident Evil 4

I got this game yesterday, and already it is kicking a lot of ass. The action is already intense, and I know I'm am NO WHERE near the halfway point of the game.

Pros: Just about everything! Graphics, action, and enemy AI have never been better in the resident evil titles. Very few games out there can match the AI and action. The game even has a decent sense of humor, and the game challenges you from the start.

Cons: Saving is still not that easy. Though those annoying, horrendous ink ribbons are finally gone, you still need to find a typewriter to save the game. However, there are several located throughout the game. Like I said, the game challenges you... A LOT. This is one of the hardest games I have, and I own more than my fair share.

Overall, this game is easily the 2005 game of the year. If you have a gamecube and not this game, why? What are you waiting for? If you have a PS2, go out and get this NOW. I said the game was hard, but I, like many others, love a challenge. Though it may seem hasty to submit a comment the day after I get this game and haven't beaten it, this should give you the idea of how great it is.

10/10. Brilliant.

While not a die-hard RE fan, Capcom has always presented exceptional games in every aspect of play (My personal favorite is the Onimusha Trilogy). Even is the early Street Fighters, the graphics for an old system were something else. Now, with the latest installment in the Resident Evil series, the greatest graphics in the world have possibly been found.

Thus, I shall start with graphics. The graphics in the game are so intense that I can only describe them as Onimusha tripled (sad to say). This, coupled with spectacular shots and "camera" movements make for the most spectacular "cinematography" in a video game ever. (Sadly enough, though it's a close tie with Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, the latter lacks the astonishing graphics and shots in the few cut scenes to make it just right.) It's amazing to finally see a video game that presents realistically moving body parts, such as the finer details like the hair. However, the chief flaw in these is the lack of definition on more minor things, such as enemies. The Old-Western hue of everything and the fall scenery and dull enemy clothing provides a difficulty in seeing your enemies (unless, of course, they're brandishing scythes or sticks of dynamite.) Otherwise, the game merits some sort of award for graphics.

And, the crucial component: gameplay. The over-the-shoulder shooting style is a new and unique fighting mode that prevents you from moving while attempting to shoot. Of course, this provides more of a sense of realism. You can't ACTUALLY aim quite as well as C.J. from GTA: San Andreas while speeding in a car or running from the cops. This style also provides you with an intense problem when you're being attacked in large numbers ("en masse!"). If you've got people surrounding you, you've gotta break out of shooting mode to run away, and that's a half-second that you never have to spare. Which, in turn, brings me to another original aspect of gameplay: split-second input! I have never seen a game with interactive cut scenes. You can never stop to just watch the cut scenes anymore. Now, you must be on the lookout for either the "L+R" or "A+B" button combinations in order to avoid gruesome death. In some cases, you just have time to catch the colors before you can press the combination. And, while there are only two possible combinations, you can NEVER be sure which one it is. Each time you play the scene or point in gameplay, the combination could potentially change. If you don't like a challenge, DON'T PLAY THIS GAME! As for voice-acting, it still has the occasional corny line in all Capcom games, but from other Resident Evil games, it has improved. However, in all actuality, it lacks a sense of realism. That, and something else I can't quite put my finger on. I'll get back to you.

All-in-all, one of the most intense, visually stunning games I've ever played. 9 outta 10.

I always loved the idea of the Resident Evil games, the settings, the story lines and the atmosphere, but the games were getting repetitive, and simply the control system was plain annoying, you never truly felt involved.

I knew Resident Evil 4 was going to be a change, but what a change, if there has ever been a comeback for a gaming series then this is it. I don't care about people saying, oh there are no zombies etc.. all i know is the enemies in this game are simply better, and a whole lot of fun to fight against, the control system is a revelation, making perfect use of the control pad in what is essentially an FPS. The enemies have amazing AI, wherever you can go, they can, you will feel like you're fighting them for real, their animations are astounding, shoot them in the leg, they react exactly how would expect them to. The weapons are so satisfying, you will get such a buzz from using them.

The graphics -- i've been upgrading my PC to super levels to play Half Life 2 etc.. graphics that will blow your face away, who would have thought the Gamecube could give a visual experience to rival anything on the PC.. these are the best console graphics ever, at times you feel like you're playing an FMV, i'm being serious. The art design of this game is something only the Japanese game makers could do, there is more visual invention than any movie.

i don't normally like scary games, but this game was just too fun to miss out on, there are moments when you will get your heart beating, for once there is a real feeling of survival horror, the concept of Resident Evil has finally been fulfilled.

my only complaint is maybe the game is too short, well 20 hrs isn't short just right for this type of game, and well it was just so addictive i couldn't put it down, so really it isn't a short game, but you're having such a great time it just flies by.. even still Capcom have added some bonus games, that are actually worth your time, and will add a few more hours to it all.. i'd say a healthy 30hrs is there.

anyway -- unmissable, simply amazing. the Gamecube has few titles, but the ones that shine, really take some beating.. and although it will be coming out on the PS2 at the end of this year, Res Evil 4, is yet another strong reason for getting a Cube. STRONGLY RECOMMENDED 9.7/10

I'd be lying if I said that I've always been a big Resident Evil fan, but upon hearing so damn much about the fourth installment, I decided to see what the fuss was about. I was not disappointed.

I figured that the game would be enjoyable for a while, but I wasn't sure about longevity; I didn't think it would hold my interest. I assumed that once I'd played it for ten minutes, I'd basically seen all it had to offer. I couldn't have been further from the truth. The game's strongest point (there are many, believe me) is its sense of horror. While this may seem obvious, many games (Alone in the Dark, Eternal Darkness etc) fail to accomplish this. No zombies in RE4; you'll be up against fast, smart humans (not to mention some seriously creepy monsters). The sense that you are constantly battling for your life is unrivalled, yet the rewards are also great. The feeling you get from defeating one of the spectacular bosses is reward enough, but there are several unlockables to hold your interest for a LONG time.

Even if there was nothing to unlock, it wouldn't be important; I found that as soon as I completed the game, I wanted to start again. The game's length is superb too. At roughly 20 hours long, it provides days of entertainment without being overly long.

How can I go this far without mentioning the graphics? I'm sure you've heard all about them already; the best fire ever seen in a video game, along with excellent water and outstanding character models and locations make RE4 the best looking console game ever.

What more can I say? The voice acting is much better than we're used to from videogames, helping the narrative involvement. But the best thing to do is go out there and play it yourself: although I don't think I could make myself recommend it to squeamish gamers...

There's one standard that I always use to judge the quality of a game: If my girlfriend actually encourages me to play so she can watch, I know it's good. Very few games have passed this test - the original Silent Hill, Blood Omen, Resident Evil 1 and 2, and now Resident Evil 4. Not only is it totally immerse to play, but it's even fun to watch.

I'll admit that when I first played the demo (for about five minutes) I was a little nervous: The new over-the-shoulder camera setup was a little "un-Resident Evil," and the crazed hillbillies weren't comfortably familiar, like the lumbering zombies in the previous games. And some of the new moves (like diving through windows) seemed cheesy and over-the-top. However, after hearing from so many places that the game was great, and seeing so many reviews that had to rely on principle or nitpicking to find a problem with the game, I forked over fifty bucks.

And all I can say is, daaaamn. The only problem I've found with this game is that it'll make all the previous Resident Evil games suffer by comparison. This is what I really wanted - and just about got - from all of them. Who hasn't watched Dawn of the Dead and wanted to run around blasting the undead with a hunting rifle? Well, here's your chance, and you can even watch their heads explode in glorious 3-D. Ever wanted to shoot a monster in the knees, then mow it with an automatic weapon while it's down? Step right up.

Yes, lots of changes have been made to the game. Some of them seem like natural outgrowths of one another: It would be too easy to pinpoint aim and kill slow-witted, slow-moving zombies, so the enemies here are a little sharper and quicker. The camera no longer obstructs your view of a scene, which was frustrating but also a familiar hallmark of the previous games. And there are some RPG elements added that make the whole thing more "game-like," like a merchant who sells weapons and gun upgrades, and who buys treasures you find around the game. Enemies drop money, ammo, or health items when they die; the new "yellow herb" increases your maximum health. But all of these work to make the game a little more open-ended and a little more engaging (it's so much fun seeing in numbers just how powerful your magnum is). One mini-game, the shooting gallery, is unbelievably addictive, but well worth it: As a reward for completing each set of cheesy wooden targets you get money and a collection of "bottle caps" - little action figure-like models of enemies and allies from the game, who play low-fi recordings of their character sounds. It's downright hilarious.

For all its changes, though, Resident Evil 4 still FEELS like a Resident Evil game. It contains elements obviously important from the ultra-slick movie franchise - like slow-motion fight scenes and a challenging laser-dodge sequence - and other fun, over-the-top action movie tropes (pressing the action button near a second-floor window causes you to dive through the window, roll, and get to your feet), but it also contains the Resident Evil trademarks. The monsters are all weird perversions of real creatures - from humans to insects - the environments are atmospheric and creepy. the ever-more-powerful weapons are too much fun to play with, the characters interact in melodramatic shouts and cheesy one-liners, and, most importantly, you get the feeling that the enemy plans to win by sheer numbers.

It took me exactly twenty hours to beat the game: at the end my kills tallied up at just over 1,000: this game is huge. My girlfriend asked near the end of one chapter, "Is this the end?" and I said, "No, there's still another disk left." The graphics are so lush and beautiful that at least once I actually stopped between slayings to admire the backgrounds. The water effects and superb and the fire effects even better (the scene even wavers with heat); the environment is beautifully textured and some new elements - like destructible barrels and boxes and the ability to hop over obtrusive railings or fences - add an unprecedented (for a RE game) level of interactivity. When a beast dies its blood flies out in all directions; if your decapitate an enemy with your shotgun the bony stump spews blood with graphic detail.

After finishing the game you get a harder difficulty setting, and two mini-games become available: Assignment Ada, in which you play as Ada Wong through the final portion of the game, and The Mercenaries, a timed endurance round with four super-cool unlockable characters. I can't wait to play through it again.

There's also one other thing that, for me, really made the game. At one point you are in a run-down chapel inside a demonic castle, and you see an elaborate chest inside a glass case. Inside the chest is a (holy) hand grenade. I laughed out loud.