Shattered_Fixtures
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I have beaten Resident Evil 4. As of right now, -and probably the rest of the year- it's the best game of 2005.
It also has the best mini-game of 2005.
Resident Evil 4 is a game where you are thrown into the maw of insanity, and given an obscene amount of guns and ammunition to destroy everything you find in there. The Resident Evil series, as a whole, is made up of games that put you into an insane situation, and expect you to do a lot of running. Sometimes shooting things, but mostly running. Why the change all of a sudden? Seeing Shinji Mikami's name under the title of "director" might have something to do with it.
Shinji Mikami stopped personally directing the series after Resident Evil 2, a game which was significantly more action-packed and ambitious than it's predecessor. Now he's back, and he's made the core focus of the series action, rather than horror. Leave the horror to Silent Hill, right? I mean, the game is still creepy and everything; hell, it even has some "Silent Hill moments".
The environment of Silent Hill definitely had an influence on some parts of this game. It's right there. For all to see. And that's okay. Resident Evil 4 is a game made up of a lot of influences; there's Indiana Jones, 28 Days Later, a bit of H.P. Lovecraft, and...Devil May Cry
Years ago, Capcom set out to make a new kind of survival horror game. This was supposed to be a Resident Evil game. They were worried that the series was starting to look stale in the eyes of some gamers. This new Resident Evil would be more action oriented, with a main character who would destroy zombies with ease. Well, as fate would have it, that Resident Evil game was never made, and instead we got Devil May Cry. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; DMC is the best kind of mistake, in more ways than one.
The first way that it's good is that we received a brand new franchise from Capcom. The second way that it turned out well is that Capcom got plenty of practice ****ing around with action in a horrorish setting. The result of this practice is Resident Evil 4.
This is the game Capcom originally set out to make before they stumbled upon the formula for Devil May Cry.
You can't jump forty feet into the air, blowing away ****ing huge flaming spider demons from ****ing hell with dual segregated infernal pistols, but you can buy a machinegun. In the first hour of the game. I mean, shit, do I really need to say anything else? You know that this game is gonna throw a lot of enemies at you with heat like that available so early.
The enemies aren't zombies in the rotting flesh bag definition either, but rather the mindless slave definition. They run really fast too. And speak Spanish...they often say "shit" in Spanish, actually.
...
You're probably wondering just how, exactly, Indiana Jones influenced this game. Let's just say "flying through an abandoned mine/ancient temple on a...mine...cart, while enemies throw dynamite at you". Plus, like, almost none of the enemies speak English! And they ****ing hate Americans!
Yeah, the control scheme of this game is basically the same as the old RE games. You pivot left and right by pushing the corresponding direction on the analog stick, and walk forward by pushing up on the stick. You hold down the B button to run, and you hold down the right shoulder button to ready your weapon. You can freely aim your weapon now, too. The over-shoulder-perspective thing (not as over-the-shoulder as I thought it would be, to be honest, but that's a good thing) basically just helps with the free-aiming of your gun; so if you had problems with the control scheme before, you're still gonna have problems now.
The Main reason that RE4 is more action oriented -with the exception of a higher body count- is the addition of the "action buttons". Sometimes (well, a lot of the time) you might need to dodge a super powerful attack from a boss creature; when this happens, a little icon will flash at the bottom of the screen. The icon will depict either the A and B buttons, or the L and R buttons. If you press these buttons at the right time you'll dive out of the way of an attack. Sometimes you'll even get an icon telling you to tap the A or B button really ****ing fast, or die.
This "action button" feature brings me to my "Video Game Moment of 2005".
This moment, -one that involves pressing the action buttons with the skill and precision that only atrophied gamer muscles can afford, or else die a quick and precise death- will likely go down in history as one of the finest examples of story progression combined with gameplay, ever. It's certainly something you could see in a movie, and have it be cool, but it's something that can only be in a video game and be mind-blowing. In a movie, this moment would be tense, for sure, but you already know the outcome. In Resident Evil 4, all those action buttons you have to press are randomized; meaning, that if you die because you ****ed up while pressing the A and B buttons at the same time, you might have to press the L and R buttons on your next try. It adds a level of intensity that constantly keeps you on edge; you want to listen to the information that's being revealed to you, but if you listen too closely, without paying attention, you'll be dead...with a quickness.
Most all games strive for an equal balance in the quality of their stories and their gameplay, keeping the person behind the controller playing because the story is good, and the game is fun. Resident Evil 4 has perfected this balance, and contained it within a two minute sequence.
You might think that I have a lot to say about the story. Well I don't, so **** you. Now now, you know I'm kidding. There isn't really as much continuity between previous Resident Evil plotlines as you might think. I'm mean, it's there, and it's enough to make you go against Shinji Mikami's warnings and pee your pants, but there really isn't a lot of it. It sets itself up perfectly for many, many, sequels with the use of kick-ass foreshadowing, and many, many, prequels, with intentional plot holes. This is probably a smart move on Shinji Mikami's part; he wants to give you a little bit of story now, carefully plan the next games in order to avoid unsightly plot holes, and then assault you with revelations at some later date.
I said that RE4 had the best mini-game of 2005 as well. I didn't lie, but I don't feel like talking about it. Just know that you get levels that were made just for this mini-game alone, a selection of five characters, (two of which are awesome surprises) a time limit, a variety of weapons, and the goal of killing as many enemies as possible within said time limit. It's fun. Trust me. I've been playing it...like a ****ing maniac.
Okay, I'm done...Anata wa kusoyarou desu! LOL!
Everything in this review is ©2005 Evan Kaigle. Don't **** with it, or I'll blow your ****in' face off with a harpoon gun.
I have beaten Resident Evil 4. As of right now, -and probably the rest of the year- it's the best game of 2005.
It also has the best mini-game of 2005.
Resident Evil 4 is a game where you are thrown into the maw of insanity, and given an obscene amount of guns and ammunition to destroy everything you find in there. The Resident Evil series, as a whole, is made up of games that put you into an insane situation, and expect you to do a lot of running. Sometimes shooting things, but mostly running. Why the change all of a sudden? Seeing Shinji Mikami's name under the title of "director" might have something to do with it.
Shinji Mikami stopped personally directing the series after Resident Evil 2, a game which was significantly more action-packed and ambitious than it's predecessor. Now he's back, and he's made the core focus of the series action, rather than horror. Leave the horror to Silent Hill, right? I mean, the game is still creepy and everything; hell, it even has some "Silent Hill moments".
The environment of Silent Hill definitely had an influence on some parts of this game. It's right there. For all to see. And that's okay. Resident Evil 4 is a game made up of a lot of influences; there's Indiana Jones, 28 Days Later, a bit of H.P. Lovecraft, and...Devil May Cry
Years ago, Capcom set out to make a new kind of survival horror game. This was supposed to be a Resident Evil game. They were worried that the series was starting to look stale in the eyes of some gamers. This new Resident Evil would be more action oriented, with a main character who would destroy zombies with ease. Well, as fate would have it, that Resident Evil game was never made, and instead we got Devil May Cry. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; DMC is the best kind of mistake, in more ways than one.
The first way that it's good is that we received a brand new franchise from Capcom. The second way that it turned out well is that Capcom got plenty of practice ****ing around with action in a horrorish setting. The result of this practice is Resident Evil 4.
This is the game Capcom originally set out to make before they stumbled upon the formula for Devil May Cry.
You can't jump forty feet into the air, blowing away ****ing huge flaming spider demons from ****ing hell with dual segregated infernal pistols, but you can buy a machinegun. In the first hour of the game. I mean, shit, do I really need to say anything else? You know that this game is gonna throw a lot of enemies at you with heat like that available so early.
The enemies aren't zombies in the rotting flesh bag definition either, but rather the mindless slave definition. They run really fast too. And speak Spanish...they often say "shit" in Spanish, actually.
...
You're probably wondering just how, exactly, Indiana Jones influenced this game. Let's just say "flying through an abandoned mine/ancient temple on a...mine...cart, while enemies throw dynamite at you". Plus, like, almost none of the enemies speak English! And they ****ing hate Americans!
Yeah, the control scheme of this game is basically the same as the old RE games. You pivot left and right by pushing the corresponding direction on the analog stick, and walk forward by pushing up on the stick. You hold down the B button to run, and you hold down the right shoulder button to ready your weapon. You can freely aim your weapon now, too. The over-shoulder-perspective thing (not as over-the-shoulder as I thought it would be, to be honest, but that's a good thing) basically just helps with the free-aiming of your gun; so if you had problems with the control scheme before, you're still gonna have problems now.
The Main reason that RE4 is more action oriented -with the exception of a higher body count- is the addition of the "action buttons". Sometimes (well, a lot of the time) you might need to dodge a super powerful attack from a boss creature; when this happens, a little icon will flash at the bottom of the screen. The icon will depict either the A and B buttons, or the L and R buttons. If you press these buttons at the right time you'll dive out of the way of an attack. Sometimes you'll even get an icon telling you to tap the A or B button really ****ing fast, or die.
This "action button" feature brings me to my "Video Game Moment of 2005".
This moment, -one that involves pressing the action buttons with the skill and precision that only atrophied gamer muscles can afford, or else die a quick and precise death- will likely go down in history as one of the finest examples of story progression combined with gameplay, ever. It's certainly something you could see in a movie, and have it be cool, but it's something that can only be in a video game and be mind-blowing. In a movie, this moment would be tense, for sure, but you already know the outcome. In Resident Evil 4, all those action buttons you have to press are randomized; meaning, that if you die because you ****ed up while pressing the A and B buttons at the same time, you might have to press the L and R buttons on your next try. It adds a level of intensity that constantly keeps you on edge; you want to listen to the information that's being revealed to you, but if you listen too closely, without paying attention, you'll be dead...with a quickness.
Most all games strive for an equal balance in the quality of their stories and their gameplay, keeping the person behind the controller playing because the story is good, and the game is fun. Resident Evil 4 has perfected this balance, and contained it within a two minute sequence.
You might think that I have a lot to say about the story. Well I don't, so **** you. Now now, you know I'm kidding. There isn't really as much continuity between previous Resident Evil plotlines as you might think. I'm mean, it's there, and it's enough to make you go against Shinji Mikami's warnings and pee your pants, but there really isn't a lot of it. It sets itself up perfectly for many, many, sequels with the use of kick-ass foreshadowing, and many, many, prequels, with intentional plot holes. This is probably a smart move on Shinji Mikami's part; he wants to give you a little bit of story now, carefully plan the next games in order to avoid unsightly plot holes, and then assault you with revelations at some later date.
I said that RE4 had the best mini-game of 2005 as well. I didn't lie, but I don't feel like talking about it. Just know that you get levels that were made just for this mini-game alone, a selection of five characters, (two of which are awesome surprises) a time limit, a variety of weapons, and the goal of killing as many enemies as possible within said time limit. It's fun. Trust me. I've been playing it...like a ****ing maniac.
Okay, I'm done...Anata wa kusoyarou desu! LOL!
Everything in this review is ©2005 Evan Kaigle. Don't **** with it, or I'll blow your ****in' face off with a harpoon gun.
