ZRC Video Game Review: Resident Evil 4
The most recent game in the Resident Evil main series is Resident Evil 4. Originally released for the Nintendo Gamecube, it was eventually ported to the Playstation 2 and Nintendo Wii. The latest installment has radically changed the way the series is played, and is hands down the best game in the Resident Evil series.
Technically the enemies in Resident Evil 4 aren’t zombies. They’re just slow moving cult members possessed by large parasitic insect creatures who would love take a chunk out of your flesh. If the zombies in 28 Days Later were just humans infected with the rage virus and technically weren’t undead, I’m comfortable calling these things zombies too.
Resident Evil 4 is one of the most amazing video games you will ever play. It’s really that good. The first 20 minutes of this game set the stage for an adrenline soaked rush to the finish that rarely lets up. You start in a rural, Eastern-Eurpoean town investigating the kidnapping of the president’s daughter. Out of nowhere, hundreds of zombies attack, and you seek refuge in one of the nearby houses. They beat down doors and crash through windows as you try and brace them with pieces of furniture. You hear the chainsaw before you see the hooded man wielding it and it’s a pants-wetting moment as your gunshots to him barely slow him down. And this is all in the first 20 minutes folks!
The rest of the game is equally awesome. You progress quickly from place to place with little or no backtracking. It’s a nice change from so many other games where you are forced to search around for items, get lost, go back, etc. The boss fights are epic in scale and tons of fun to play. There are a few puzzles here and there, but a far cry from the esoteric and confusing puzzles of the previous Resident Evil games.
The controls are so fluid it becomes second nature. The game allows you to target individual body parts which has many advantages - you can shoot a pitchfork out of an enemy’s hands, or take out his kneecaps so he can’t pursue you. Press the action button once to open a door, or quickly tap it twice to kick it in. It just all works so smoothly and cinematically.
Nuby Tech released a Chainsaw Controller for use with the game. It doesn’t add any new functionality, but it sure does look cool. Speaking of new functionality, Capcom also released a Nintendo Wii port of the game takes advantage of the motion-sensing capabilities of the Wii remote.
