Full disclosure: This is the sixth time I’ve purchased this game. (Gamecube, PS2, PC (disc), PS3 Resident Evil anthology, PSN and steam.

Leon S. Kennedy is back! This time he is far away from the previously neutralized Raccoon City and turns out his is not even a cop anymore. Instead, Leon abandoned his career in law enforcement and was hired by the President of the United States to track down his kidnapped daughter. Right away this does not sound like a typical Resident Evil story line. No zombies? No Umbrella Corporation? Well fear not. Leon travels to Europe where there are reports of the President's daughter being sighted and Leon is about to walk into his most deadly and challenging task yet. (looking back at this statement, the events that took place in this game are a cakewalk to what Leon experiences during Resident Evil 6)

Moments after arriving in a small Spanish village, Leon concludes things are not right. The villagers do not respond to any kind of civil conversation and approach Leon in a hostile manner. Villagers who attack Leon sometimes walk, sometimes run and even dodge Leon's gunfire. Some villagers will stop their everyday tasks and approach Leon carrying pitchforks, knives, axes, sticks of dynamite and even chainsaws. Right off the bat this scenario presents a series of tense and spine-chilling sequence events as this is one of the first instances where a Resident Evil character is faced with what seems like an army of intelligent beings. This is a vast departure from the mindless, roaming bands of zombie's Leon constantly encountered back in Raccoon City. These villagers show significant signs of intelligence, breaking and climbing through windows, propping up ladders and throwing weapons.

Gameplay

Leon begins with a pistol, but eventually Leon will have access to a shotgun, TMP, rocket launcher and a series of grenades, a weapon that is new to the Resident Evil series.

But merely using these weapons is not the impressive aspect of Resident Evil 4's gameplay. It is the level of detail displayed as the result of hitting an enemy: Shooting a villager in the torso and watching him stagger backwards, then Leon runs in for a roundhouse kick, blocking a stick of dynamite or knife by shooting it in the air only to have the weapons injure the enemy's themselves, shooting an enemy in the knee or leg as he falls to the ground where Leon can shoot him in the head, or the classic aim for the headshot which puts "most" enemies down for good. Another first in the RE series is the option to purchase new weapons and upgrades from a black-market dealer who resides in several locations during the game. Sometimes after killing an enemy, whether it be a villager, snake, dog or even a helpless bird, bat or fish, an enemy will drop an item you can sell to merchants, ammo or health items. Leon will find priceless jewels hidden throughout the game that he can sell to the dealer as well as most other items he finds or is in his possession.

Resident Evil's trademark camera angles are gone. Previously the games used a camera angle that became slightly annoying and a pitiful excuse to keep the game frightening and jumpy. You could never choose to see what was around a corner, for the camera angles were fixed in one spot and the only way to see what was growling or moaning was to continue walking and wait for the camera angle to change again. In Resident Evil 4, you now have the luxury of constantly and comfortably looking over Leon's shoulder in a much improved third person view. In addition to the new camera angle, Leon can no longer lock onto a target like he was so used to doing in Resident Evil 2. Players must use the right analog stick to aim with a sighted-laser on where exactly Leon wants his bullets to go. This opens up an entirely new style of gameplay that was not present in prior Resident Evil games such as: the ability to shoot down objects hanging from the ceiling, solving puzzles that involve breaking something and even some incorporated action-adventure styled gameplay which include kicking villagers if they are off balanced from Leon's gunfire. Around certain environments throughout the game, Leon can jump through windows, off of rooftops, over water, kick down doors and dodge obstacles and boss attacks, all by simply tapping two buttons on your gamepad (which is required) when promoted on the screen. This feature brings an entirely different dimension and enjoyment never before experienced in a survival horror game. Also, do not think you can sit back and watch the flashy cut scenes without consequence. Many cut scenes required players to hit certain buttons which are key to Leon’s survival. If you do not press them in time, you will die.

When engaging enemies, if Leon happens to run out of ammo, no more entering the items menu to equip the knife. A quick and easy hold of R1 will enter Leon into his knife stance ready to cut up some meat. Leon can also use the knife to open crates, break windows and cabinets that might gain him access to other items.

Graphics and Sound:

Graphically Resident Evil 4 for the PC is a bitter disappointment. Granted, they did upgrade the game playing graphics to look pretty good, but they failed to update the cinematics and cut scenes from the previous version. The bottom line is it is a horrendous port and will probably take away a lot of the eerie and subtle spookiness that the Game Cube version was so successful in delivering for first time players. At some points the cut scenes are barely recognizable and all a player will make out is a bunch of brown blocks. The loading scenes through doors are also poorly done which was an essential part of the creepiness of past RE titles.

The sound effects are relatively the same across platforms and save what could have been a total loss for the Resident Evil on PC. Crows chirp on trees as Leon walks through the forest, and the moaning of townsfolk can be heard in the distance and when one sights you, they will speak in a primitive language. The voice acting in Resident Evil 4 is again top notch and will not distract gamers from what is happening on screen like the original Resident Evil was known for.

Pros: Outstanding gameplay control, top notch story and voice acting, the spookiest RE yet, the new content in PS2 version is also in steam version, the longest Resident Evil story date,

Cons: Poor port results in blocky cut scenes and cinematics, quick time events

Bottom Line: This game inherits all the qualities of a Resident Evil game as well as subtlety incorporating newer action game mechanics.

Full disclosure: This is the sixth time I’ve purchased this game. (Gamecube, PS2, PC (disc), PS3 Resident Evil anthology, PSN and steam. Leon S. Kennedy is back! This time he is far away from the previously neutralized Raccoon City and turns out his is not even a cop anymore. Instead, Leon abandoned his career in law enforcement and was hired by the President of the United States to track down his kidnapped daughter. Right away this does not sound like a typical Resident Evil story line. No zombies? No Umbrella Corporation? Well fear not. Leon travels to Europe where there are reports of the President's daughter being sighted and Leon is about to walk into his most deadly and challenging task yet. (looking back at this statement, the events that took place in this game are a cakewalk to what Leon experiences during Resident Evil 6) Moments after arriving in a small Spanish village, Leon concludes things are not right. The villagers do not respond to any kind of civil conversation and approach Leon in a hostile manner. Villagers who attack Leon sometimes walk, sometimes run and even dodge Leon's gunfire. Some villagers will stop their everyday tasks and approach Leon carrying pitchforks, knives, axes, sticks of dynamite and even chainsaws. Right off the bat this scenario presents a series of tense and spine-chilling sequence events as this is one of the first instances where a Resident Evil character is faced with what seems like an army of intelligent beings. This is a vast departure from the mindless, roaming bands of zombie's Leon constantly encountered back in Raccoon City. These villagers show significant signs of intelligence, breaking and climbing through windows, propping up ladders and throwing weapons. Gameplay Leon begins with a pistol, but eventually Leon will have access to a shotgun, TMP, rocket launcher and a series of grenades, a weapon that is new to the Resident Evil series. But merely using these weapons is not the impressive aspect of Resident Evil 4's gameplay. It is the level of detail displayed as the result of hitting an enemy: Shooting a villager in the torso and watching him stagger backwards, then Leon runs in for a roundhouse kick, blocking a stick of dynamite or knife by shooting it in the air only to have the weapons injure the enemy's themselves, shooting an enemy in the knee or leg as he falls to the ground where Leon can shoot him in the head, or the classic aim for the headshot which puts "most" enemies down for good. Another first in the RE series is the option to purchase new weapons and upgrades from a black-market dealer who resides in several locations during the game. Sometimes after killing an enemy, whether it be a villager, snake, dog or even a helpless bird, bat or fish, an enemy will drop an item you can sell to merchants, ammo or health items. Leon will find priceless jewels hidden throughout the game that he can sell to the dealer as well as most other items he finds or is in his possession. Resident Evil's trademark camera angles are gone. Previously the games used a camera angle that became slightly annoying and a pitiful excuse to keep the game frightening and jumpy. You could never choose to see what was around a corner, for the camera angles were fixed in one spot and the only way to see what was growling or moaning was to continue walking and wait for the camera angle to change again. In Resident Evil 4, you now have the luxury of constantly and comfortably looking over Leon's shoulder in a much improved third person view. In addition to the new camera angle, Leon can no longer lock onto a target like he was so used to doing in Resident Evil 2. Players must use the right analog stick to aim with a sighted-laser on where exactly Leon wants his bullets to go. This opens up an entirely new style of gameplay that was not present in prior Resident Evil games such as: the ability to shoot down objects hanging from the ceiling, solving puzzles that involve breaking something and even some incorporated action-adventure styled gameplay which include kicking villagers if they are off balanced from Leon's gunfire. Around certain environments throughout the game, Leon can jump through windows, off of rooftops, over water, kick down doors and dodge obstacles and boss attacks, all by simply tapping two buttons on your gamepad (which is required) when promoted on the screen. This feature brings an entirely different dimension and enjoyment never before experienced in a survival horror game. Also, do not think you can sit back and watch the flashy cut scenes without consequence. Many cut scenes required players to hit certain buttons which are key to Leon’s survival. If you do not press them in time, you will die. When engaging enemies, if Leon happens to run out of ammo, no more entering the items menu to equip the knife. A quick and easy hold of R1 will enter Leon into his knife stance ready to cut up some meat. Leon can also use the knife to open crates, break windows and cabinets that might gain him access to other items. Graphics and Sound: Graphically Resident Evil 4 for the PC is a bitter disappointment. Granted, they did upgrade the game playing graphics to look pretty good, but they failed to update the cinematics and cut scenes from the previous version. The bottom line is it is a horrendous port and will probably take away a lot of the eerie and subtle spookiness that the Game Cube version was so successful in delivering for first time players. At some points the cut scenes are barely recognizable and all a player will make out is a bunch of brown blocks. The loading scenes through doors are also poorly done which was an essential part of the creepiness of past RE titles. The sound effects are relatively the same across platforms and save what could have been a total loss for the Resident Evil on PC. Crows chirp on trees as Leon walks through the forest, and the moaning of townsfolk can be heard in the distance and when one sights you, they will speak in a primitive language. The voice acting in Resident Evil 4 is again top notch and will not distract gamers from what is happening on screen like the original Resident Evil was known for. Pros: Outstanding gameplay control, top notch story and voice acting, the spookiest RE yet, the new content in PS2 version is also in steam version, the longest Resident Evil story date, Cons: Poor port results in blocky cut scenes and cinematics, quick time events Bottom Line: This game inherits all the qualities of a Resident Evil game as well as subtlety incorporating newer action game mechanics.