Coming in at 20 hours, 2 discs and a whole lot of "not zombies" is 2005's biggest contender for game of the year.I can't write a lot about Resident Evil 4 that hasn't been said already so I'll just reinforce that this is one of the best games out there today.
Previous entries in the series have been of the campy b-movie sense, were game-play is a bit slower and paced a little more cinematicly with main obstacles being strange puzzle designs that didn't make a lot of sense to obtain keys to further your progress. After Resident Evil 3: Nemisis the series started to loose steam with its sub-plot games like Code: Veronica and Outbreak to the point where a release wasn't all that much to get excited about.
Capcom knew this and as a result set off to turn the series on its head and not release another RE game until they had a product that was fresh, beautiful and very exciting to play. Their dedication has been noted by their continuous scrapping of potential products. It wasn't until the third time trying to make the newest Resident Evil game that they knew they had something with a whole lot of potential.
The newest game is set 6 years after Nemesis with our old friend Leon now working for the U.S. secret service on an assignment to check out the disappearance of the presidents daughter. He's brought all the way to Spain and discovers a cult with its followers under the influence of some greater power that causes them to disregard any personal well-being, as long as they head strong their orders; the orders in our newest adventure is to stop Leon at all costs, which in return leads to all sorts of intense and bloody situations.
Capcom has made it clear time and time again that you are not fighting zombies in this game. And it's true that your not fighting the traditional type because these new enemies (oh the variety and volume!) have some of the smartest AI I've ever seen. Draw a bead from your gun on their head and they dodge the shot. Stand in place for too long and they instinctively swarm you.
Qualms from past games have thankfully been addressed such as the camera and controller issues synonymous with the series. Now you'll find the camera positioned behind the protagonist, drawing in closer when you take aim also dropping peripheral vision by about 15%. And you can also forget about conserving ammo! For the most part anyway. If and when you're low, cap a mother in the knee to bring them down and try out the new melee moves accessible with a quick and intuitive press of the "A" button. You won't find any deep fighting mechanics but drawing from the newly implemented "hot spot" situations, the "A" button will account for a variety of moves from jumping out windows, pushing down ladders or round housing a not zombie who gets in a little too close.The addition to all this new gravy is the merchant and money system which deepens the game very effectively. Do you upgrade to a stronger weapon (which there are plenty), or upgrade the cashe you have with stronger attributes such as faster loading, larger magazine or more fire power? Another question is, do you have enough room to hold everything you want? Some quick resource management and shuffling items around your item box will answer that.
But you better save some space for a whole lot of fire power because you're going to need it for the bosses Capcom has lined up for you. The fact is, Resident Evil 4 has some of the coolest, most satisfying boss fights ever created. You're put up against some absolutely huge, amazingly designed creatures that lurch or stomp around with such a sense of heaviness that'll be sure to give you goose bumps.
The amount of variety, fun gun play, locals, situations, new shop/upgrading features, controller set up and pacing of events have easily turned this into an instant classic.
Resident Evil 4 comes with the highest recommendation.
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