"Slightly overrated, but I still enjoyed it"

Well, it's been nearly 2 years since Resident Evil 4 made its way to home consoles (one year for its GameCube run, another year for its PS2 run), and already the hype is somewhat dying back down as everyone anticipates RE5 for the next generation systems. But then, what exactly does the game do to make it win all these awards, namely one the Game of the Year (aside from God of War)? I've been playing the game for quite a while, and much like other games I've played, I decided to wait until it wore down a little in order to write an effective review for it. That way, I can just go on about the game itself, and not about how great it was the first time I chucked it into my PS2. Unlike other games, this one took some time in order to see more and more just what makes this game work in the first place.

GRAPHICS----
The graphics do take a hit in the face with a frying pan. Though I have not played the GC version, I did see the gameplay footage from that version. Even on my computer screen, the graphics looked hot. On the PS2, the graphics have been dumbed down to a dull pencil. You have a flashlight in the game, but unlike the GC version, the flashlight doesn't illuminate dark areas. You just...have it. Instead, Capcom accommodated for it by replacing the real-time lighting effects with simple lighting that basically only paves the way ahead of you. Another hit in the graphics is the fact that some environments seemed bland and tasteless. Yeah, maybe I'm just being hard on the PS2, but I'm pretty sure the machine could handle better graphics than this. As much praise as the GC got for its stunning graphics engine, you don't really see all that going on here. However, in order to tolerate the graphics, it would probably be best to not play this immediately after playing the GC version, or else the downsizing in the graphics will really agitate you.

SOUND----
I didn't find the voice acting truly stunning, but it is serviceable at best. It didn't bother me...not as much as the first RE's voice acting did. Leon's not yelling people at not opening doors or dropping ropes in this game, so there's no alarm there. One thing I've noticed is how many of the sounds have been down-sampled just for this port. Many sounds sound crisp and clear, as others sounded like they were recorded from inside a duffle bag. Depending on how judgmental you are against these kinds of details in a game, this may or may not bother you. The soundtrack is pretty good, though, with each song matching the current situation. The music even switches up themes as the game progresses, so even the Ganado theme music shifts between quite a few versions. One gripe I had with the music was that, during many Ganado confrontations, the music cues you in on when enemies were onto you. This nearly deafened the feeling of dread and panic that you got in the earlier games when zombies would show up without warning and do whatever it is they came to do to you. And since you can't turn the music off (which I also did in the earlier games to enhance the in-game ambience), you'd just have to get used to the fact that you don't have to guess in order to be able to note an enemy's presence.

GAMEPLAY/FEATURES----
The gameplay is basically the same as what many of us know from the GC version, only with some minor tweaks just for the PS2 controller. However, what bugs me the most is that Capcom didn't add pressure sensitivity to the d-pad. In order to precisely control the aiming beam on your gun, you'll have to use the enormous analog stick. Using the d-pad may end up throwing off your aim by a few inches or so if you press into a direction too hard, but at least it works.

And about the weapons...each weapon in the game carries a laser sight that allows for precision aiming when goaling for a target. Though there are many weapons in the game that awkwardly contain this feature (ever seen an old-fashioned shotgun with a laser sight? That's like having caller I.D. on a telegraph). However, the laser sight works well, allowing you to make well-placed shots at objects and enemies, aside from the static "ready, aim, fire" technique from the past games. Many enemies can usually be incapacitated by shooting at certain parts of their bodies. Shooting at a different body part wields different results in the enemy's animation. Though there aren't many animations to begin with, it is a serviceable amount. It's just too bad ragdoll physics weren't put into the game, as shooting different body parts or shooting enemies dead would look more dynamic.

The thing with the game is that is starts off rather well and decently-paced. You start off with the necessary equipment needed for survival, and you're using whatever you know about the game already to survive the onslaughts of enemies as the sniff you out. However, as the game progresses, you start running across shop merchants that you can buy most of your equipment from. You buy equipment using money that you collect from dead enemies and from the environment itself, which is littered with crates and vases that need to be broken to retrieve the items from them. Be wary--you can pretty much upgrade your weapons to the point where strategy becomes useless throughout the rest of the game. Your crowd-controlling melee attacks become obsolete, and your knife only becomes a factor for a boss battle much later in the game. Other than that, once you've fully maxed-out your weapons, fighting enemies becomes a redundant game of "shoot, kill, die," aside from the beginning where it was a game of "shoot, roundhouse kick, run away a few meters, crowd control, stun grenade, kill, bomb, everyone dies". The second process sounds much more intriguing and sporting than just walking into a room and plugging everyone with a magnum, then moving on to the next room.

Though I would have liked the game to be somewhat longer, the game can take around 24 non-consecutive (unless you're a robot) hours to complete. On your next playthrough, even skipping all the cutscenes, the game could be 10-12 hours. However, once you max out your guns a nab all he secret weapons, you can blow through the game within about 6-7 hours.

Speaking of longer gameplay, the game does come equipped with extra features to tide you over until you start your next game. You can play the Mercenaries (a minigame in which you chose from several different characters to rack up as many kills in a location as possible in order to earn points), there's Assignment: Ada, in which you play as Ada Wong on the search through the island stage to find virus samples while fighting off Ganado hordes, and there's Separate Ways, a PS2 exclusive in which you play Ada's side of the main story. This can very well be it's own game, as it takes 2-3 hours to complete. Not terribly long, but long enough for a sub-game within another game.

I also want to note that, yes, you do have to escort an AI around in order to progress in the game. However, the AI (namely the Prez's daughter Ashley Graham) is pretty responsive, and rarely slows you down if you're in a rush. I can recall many games that had escort missions/objectives, but many times, you were just protecting something that was destined to die anyway.

STORY----
The story is what you would expect from your friendly neighborhood Resident Evil game...you play as a gun-literate person battling against a bunch of creatures and monsters while at the same time trying to accomplish a mission, whether it be rescuing someone and escaping, or simply just getting your buns outta town. You're stuffed back into a boots of Leon S. Kennedy, who underwent some rather radical changes. When we first met him, he was a rookie cop on his way to his first day of work when all the craziness happened. Now, he works for the government and is extremely proficient in firearms and combat. Seriously, now he's roundhouse kicking enemies and suplexing them with little problems. He is sent to this mysterious location to find the President's daughter a retrieve him from the clutches of the filthy sharp-toothed scum known as the Las Plagas.

Well, after you start skipping cutscenes, the story will get lost deep within the game, because most of the story depends on these cutscenes. The story itself is more like a spy thriller with a horror twist thrown in. The Las Plagas are basically fighting against the U.S. government with these viruses mainly as a takeover plot. Once you realize that, a whole buncha dudes are gonna die. So, even though the story shows up, does its job, and goes home, it does easily get lost if you just skip all the cutscenes. Then, the story just loses its purpose.

BOTTOM LINE----
I don't know if the game is worth a buy...well, not anymore. I think it's worth a one-week rental or so, but the game's redundancy and lack of improvisation during the later half of the game kind of brings it down. It's these elements that deem it overrated, but that is, of course, just my opinion. 8/10.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/23/06