|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Review |
|
Preview |
|
Videos |
|
Screenshots |
|
Cheats |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| | Title:
Resident Evil 4
..............................................
System:
Playstation 2
..............................................
Genre:
Survival Horror
..............................................
Publisher:
Sony
..............................................
Developer:
Capcom
..............................................
Release:
..............................................
Online:
No
..............................................
ESRB:
M
..............................................
 |
These zombies will scare you. They will chase you, hunt you, bite you; these aren’t your typical zombies. But Resident Evil 4 for the Gamecube wasn’t your typical Resident Evil game nor is the soon-to-be released Playstation 2 port. Resident Evil 4 took every established gameplay mechanic of the series and tossed it out the window, creating an experience that has pushed for a new standard in the survival-horror genre. RE4 sold an incredible amount of units on the Gamecube (many feel that if RE4 had been a launch title that the Gamecube would have performed much better in this console generation). Now the Playstation 2 --the system RE4 was originally meant for-- will soon be receiving this amazing piece of gaming art. Capcom is making sure Playstation 2 owners are rewarded for their patience, by crafting a list of extras that will make Gamecube owner’s jaw’s drop.
Resident Evil 4 follows the story of Leon Kennedy. Leon was last seen in Resident Evil 2 (the best in the series until RE4 came along) as a rookie police officer trapped in the zombie infested Raccon City. Leon has grown up since that terrible ordeal as he now works for the United States Secret Service. Things haven’t gotten any easier though. Resident Evil 4 catches up with Leon as he is traveling to the remote European country side to find and rescue the President’s daughter. She’s been kidnapped by a cult organization bent on world domination. Typically the rescue mission quickly goes from bad to worse as Leon’s ride is killed by a group of crazed villagers, and he is trapped inside a Victorian house with savage villagers banging on the door.
Resident Evil 4 takes a new approach when it comes to scaring gamers. In past games, the scaring was more of a “jump out at you” scare then a literal fear. RE4 plans to make gamers literally fear for Leon’s life. He’ll find himself in situations where there seems to be no escape, or where the odds are so stacked against him the prospect of getting out alive is not an option. The new enemies of RE4 are the reason for this. Gamers used to the typical zombie that would walk slow and groan better take a closer look. The zombies have been replaced by flesh eating, scythe swinging, chainsaw chasing, grenade tossing, machine gun blasting villagers who are not only smart but take many more bullets to be brought down. The A.I. has significantly been increased in RE4 to the point that the only option is to fight or die. It’s not just villagers who will be after Leon, a list of creatures that defy description await him and you as well.
Don't worry, though, Capcom has completely changed how Leon controls. Gamers will have every opportunity to defend themselves. The biggest change was the camera. In all RE games the camera received the biggest criticism, and it’s a wonder it took this long to come up with an alternative. The camera of RE4 is fixed directly behind Leon as an over-the-should viewpoint. This plus the fact that RE4 scrunches the top and bottom of the screen to create a wider peripheral view means few villagers can sneak up on the gamer. Thanks to the a large list, firearms are not in shortage, including the ability to upgrade them. Leon will quickly become killing machine as combat will focus on firearms, however, Leon does not just shake off an enemy once he's been attacked. Leon can now blast into an enemy, and once it's dazed, the option to kick the enemy appears by pressing the button flashing on screen. With a powerful blow, he can kick them back and do great damage, or go so far as to kick their heads completely off! Also a nice touch is the body part reactions. Shoot a villager in the foot and he stumbles, shoot him in the arm and he recoils back, shoot him in the head and he grabs his face --yes the shotgun has returned, and yes heads can be blown into pieces.
Resident Evil 4 is also the first videogame ever to create an “escort” portion of the game that is not frustrating. Escort missions are types of gameplay where the player has to protect a certain object or person as well as him or herself. In the past these have lead many great games down the path of bad gameplay (even Grand Theft Auto has this problem). But in RE4, Leon’s journey while protecting Ashley (the President's daughter) is not only fun, but removes all the annoying parts. I won’t spoil them in the preview but rest assured, it just adds to the scare factor of the game.
What the PS2 version of RE4 promises to bring is not only better control, but also additional weapons, as well as new minigames. Let’s be honest; the Gamecube controller was awkward when playing RE4. It took a few hours to become familiar with it and avoid those stupid mistakes. The PS2 controller is (arguably) a superior controller by design and should provide a much more intuitive and rewarding experience. In several screenshots released by Capcom, Leon is seen holding a new type of firearm. Being light silver in color the firearm looks to be a laser gun dealing out good amounts of damage. How ammo will be handled in regards to this weapon is unknown. This laser gun is specific to the PS2 version alone. Finally, Capcom is promising a large list of extras for the PS2 owners. One can only assume that one of these will be additional costumes (since Capcom loves to do that sort of thing), as well as some other mini-games.
The only aspect of RE4 that will be inferior to the Gamecube version will be the graphics. The Gamecube has a more powerful graphics processor than the PS2 and as a result the PS2 graphics are less "clean." Edges will be rougher, and clarity from far away could struggle. It's not a bad looking game by any means, and games like God Of War show us what the PS2 can do. Capcom may polish up the graphics before launch and surprise us all.
Resident Evil 4 is finally coming back to the system it was meant for; the PS2. While the graphics will obviously be inferior to the Gamecube version, the addition of minigames, a better controller, and new firearms makes up for it. Look for Resident Evil 4 to be released sometime in Winter 05.
|
|
| |
 |
|
|
|
 |
