[here] The Evil Returns To Horrify And Delight (RE 4 Review)

Earlier this year, Japanese developer Capcom released the eagerly anticipated survivor-horror game Resident Evil 4 for the Nintendo GameCube. The latest installment in the series once again trusts you in the shoes of U.S. agent Leon S. Kennedy who has been dispatched to a European city in order to locate the president’s kidnapped daughter. Upon his arrival to the city, Agent Kennedy (who survived the horrors of Raccoon City in Resident Evil 2) soon realizes that he’s not welcome and is mobbed by a group of possessed locals.

Prior to Resident Evil 4, the famed Capcom franchise grew tired and gamers started to feel the strain. Instead of progressing, each entry in the series had the same gameplay elements. From sequel to sequel, the sense of déjà vu remained, and the franchise became bland and unoriginal. The sixth entry in the series (Capcom released the series prequel Resident Evil 0 and a spin-off entitled Code-Veronica) almost followed up with the same dull formula - that is, until the development team behind the game decided to scrap the project and restart the undertaking with a new vision in mind.

This latest sequel is still very much a Resident Evil title at its core. You’ll still find your fair share of puzzles to solve, and backtracking to do, but the game is now more action oriented. Instead of trying to avoid a nasty slew of zombies in order to conserve ammo, your character is actually encouraged to bring down his foes to survive his latest ordeal. The game also does a great job distributing ammo. You will not only find ammunition scattered throughout the levels, but downed enemies will reward you with additional slugs on occasion.

Resident Evil 4 features a new angle that replaces the clunky camera views of past iterations. Read more…

The “For the Gamer” column is a weekly article that I write for [here] magazine based out of Moncton New Brunswick, Canada.