"The world’s best survival-horror game is back with a fresh new face."

Let me begin by saying that being the best survival-horror game is like being the best case of chicken pox. It's not really saying much. So many survival-horror games have tried their zombefied hands at scaring the general public, only to become another laughingstock of the gaming world. With that in mind, this really is one of, if not the best, games I've ever played.

Gameplay: 10/10

First, a simple sentence. NO BAD CAMERA ANGLES!!! This series has been notorious for having the worst in camera angles. Threats were always off-screen, making it difficult for you to kill any enemies before you were in any real danger. This is no longer a problem with the newest installment in the Resident Evil saga. The people at Capcom have been gracious enough to give you a third person camera that hovers over Leon's shoulder. This gives you a new perspective on things, as threats can be seen by simply turning your character around.

The new camera adds another new gameplay mechanic to the game. By pressing and holding a certain button forces your character to aim their current weapon. A laser sight shows exactly where the gun is pointing. Using your movement thumbstick will move where you're aiming, with a red dot appearing on a shootable item. The thankful thing is that the camera takes on an over-the-shoulder 3rd person perspective. This makes aiming more difficult and, unlike in other games, more fun. Shooting enemies in certain areas does various amounts of damage, so picking where to shoot is a huge part of a player's strategy.

The guns in the game cover a wide variety of ranges. There is a diverse set of weapons, including the obligatory shotgun and sniper rifle. Almost all of the weapons in the game carry upgrades. These weapons can have their firepower, reload speed, firing speed, and weapon capacity upgraded. Completely upgrading the guns will enable an “exclusive” upgrade that'll push one of the categories past its maximum, making the weapons even more useful. The guns also add a level of strategy to the game, making certain weapons ideal for certain situations. Room crowded with a boatload of enemies? Clean it out with the shotgun! Possibly the best gun in the game is the Broken Butterfly, a .45 magnum revolver.

Items are held in an upgradeable attache case with a certain number of spaces that each item takes up. Guns take up the most room, so choosing which guns to take and which guns to leave is an important part of this game. Everything you find and buy will be held here, so equipping different guns requires you to pause the game to get to your case to equip your weapon of choice.

Another new element added to the game is an actual health meter. This tells you exactly how much energy your character has before they take the dirt nap. In previous games, you had to rely on a heart meter to get an idea of your status. Now, you have to monitor this meter closely in order to stay healthy.

A while into the game, you have to escort the President's daughter, Ashley Graham. You have to keep her alive and from getting captured in order to keep from seeing the game's “Mission Failed” screen. It may be annoying, but she adds a level of excitement. Most of the time, escort missions are very irritating since you have to baby-sit them. Here, Ashley is actually a joy to escort. You get a chance to tell her to follow you or to hold her position. In this way, you could run into a boss battle without having to worry about her.

Puzzles abound in this game, as you have to go from one room to another to look for a piece of a key that you need in order to progress. This may get somewhat tedious, but the boredom is subsided by the often-times-added stream of enemies that you have to deal with before you can even consider yourself safe.

Even the cutscenes are better than in other games. You can't simply kick back and enjoy the two-minute scenes. Certain parts of several cutscenes and even some actions mid-gameplay involve a QTE. A QTE is a Quick Timer Event. Essentially, a command will appear during certain cutscenes, and you have to hit the buttons within a certain amount of time. Failing to do so during a cutscene will usually end in a rather bloody mess as the game hits you with the “You Are Dead” game over screen. Failing during gameplay just results in damage to your character. Thankfully, in a bit of mercy on Capcom's part, Leon, or Ada, depending on what game mode you're playing, you get an infinite amount of chances to complete these moments. While one may think that these can be frustrating, I found myself actually wanting to fail these moments, just to see how Leon, or Ada, as it were, met their untimely end, usually with gruesome results.

Boss battles are a joy, too. While the El Gigante bosses can usually be peppered in the face with a handgun, most other bosses require a little strategy in the fights. This makes the Merchant's weapon selection useful, as different guns can be used to handle different situations. The game actually requires you to think about how to use your weapons, and environment, to your advantage, which usually is not too great.

Though the game strives on the horrifying types of enemies, the game manages to get in a cheap scare every now and then. Most of the time, however, you'll be panicking about how many enemies there are and how little ammo to take them down with you have. Planning will be a necessity, as it's really the only thing that can really keep you alive.

There's only one problem, and that's all the backtracking. Since I've already covered that, this would be the point in my review where I make some kind of gameplay closing statement. But, if you've ever played the game, you know that the gameplay can more than speak for itself. So, let's save some time and move right along.

Graphics: 9/10
The game looks inherently creepy, and therefore, very cool. All the textures have a dirty look to them, which implies a history of violence. Either that or the Spanish don't believe in showers. Ewww… The game carries a very dark look at night-time levels. This would be bad if it weren't for the fact that most enemies carry torches, and the ones that don't are fairly obvious, making shooting them even easier. Despite its past as a survival-horror, this game is beautifully done. Have fun wetting your pants, because less tolerant gamers may do so just from the sight of this game.

Sound: 10/10
The sound aspect of the game is also incredible. The ambient noise of the game gives an aura of suspense, making the game that much creepier. You'll know when an enemy detects you because you'll usually hear a one liner come from them. There will also be an action theme playing in the background, giving the game a much higher sense of action.

Voiceovers are especially well done, as even someone “innocent” like Ashley, or “mysterious” as Ada gets an incredible actor. I just wish the game came with a subtitle option, since the enemies speak purely in Spanish. It's alright, though, since the Spanish lines just add to the overall theme.

Even the weapons have proper audio backing. Though it doesn't seem like much, even the standard handgun offers a great sound mix, making each gun's firing believable to even the most nitpicky gamer. Overall, this game supports a great sound library, and it makes this game so much fun.

Lifespan: 9/10

This is the only aspect of the game that suffers just slightly by the set-up of the game. The majority of the game's unlockables are opened up once you beat the game for the first time. Luckily, the three new game modes can keep you occupied for a good amount of time.

The new modes are pretty fun, depending on how much time you're willing to invest into the modes. The “Separate Ways” and “Assignment Ada” see you in control of the mysterious and beautiful Ada Wong. These modes tell her separate stories parallel to the Resident Evil 4 storyline. People without time to waste can appreciate these modes, as they go quickly enough to warrant a quick shot of Evil.

Players with a little more time on their hands will enjoy “The Mercenaries.” This is a minigame where you can take control of one of five characters, select a stage, and lay the place to waste-like. A never-ending stream of enemies flows toward you, trying to make history your existence. You have to annihilate as many of them as you can within a given time-limit. Finding certain items can increase the time you have left, therefore, leading to more kills. Getting kills increases your overall score and your ranking, with a new character unlocked at a 4 star rating. People with tons of time will enjoy this mode, as they will challenge themselves to beat their own high score.

Beating the modes also unlocks new guns and outfits to use within the different game modes. The outfits can add a new style to the way you play the game. The guns, on the other hand, give new possibilities to your gameplay, mostly because some of them have infinite ammo.

Overall: 10/10
There's a lot of fun to be had here, and anyone willing to invest twenty hard earned big ones will be disappointed that they did not get it earlier. Resident Evil 4 is a solid gaming experience. It is easily the best game ever released…when, 2004? 2005? Either way, this game is an instant classic to be enjoyed by all. Buy it and love it. You and your Playstation 2 will thank you later. It's really that good.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/23/06, Updated 05/23/06