The game that changed things forever. 17 years ago, RE4 breathed new life into the Resident Evil franchise by pioneering a brand new style of gameplay with the over-the-shoulder camera and free aim system, something that has been copied by hundreds of games since.
RE4 was an upgrade in many ways. Leon was more skilled and competent than he had been in RE2; the Ganados were more coordinated and dangerous than the zombies; the environment was completely different and the gameplay mechanics were vastly improved over the old system.
Even to this day, Resident Evil 4 holds up as an amazing game that any gamer worth their salt ought to play at least once. The bosses are varied in their designs; the enemy synergy is damn near perfect, you have freedom to customize your playstyle and nothing quite beats that first Village fight.
Resident Evil 4 is lightning in a bottle, a stroke of absolute genius on Capcom's part and a landmark masterpiece in gaming history. It doesn't take itself too seriously either, which is in contrast to a lot of the dark, edgy, serious games of the current era.
The game isn't without its faults, of course. Many things could be improved upon, such as the removal of the unnecessary QTEs and giving the player more fluid movement and gameplay mechanics, as this game will feel stiff for some. The Separate Ways mode for Ada, while being a lot of fun, is disappointing due to Capcom's refusal to remake the cutscenes for it, as they continue to be 480p video files whereas all other cutscenes in the game are rendered in real time in-game.
The Mercenaries mode, despite lacking a little in character and map numbers (5 and 4 respectively) is arguably the greatest Mercenaries in the entire RE franchise, striking a perfect balance between difficulty and strategy, with World Records still being set 17 years since its initial release.
It's no secret that Resident Evil 4 is my favourite Resident Evil game and one of my favourite games of all time. This game is a must-play, whether you're a fan of RE or not.

The game that changed things forever. 17 years ago, RE4 breathed new life into the Resident Evil franchise by pioneering a brand new style of gameplay with the over-the-shoulder camera and free aim system, something that has been copied by hundreds of games since. RE4 was an upgrade in many ways. Leon was more skilled and competent than he had been in RE2; the Ganados were more coordinated and dangerous than the zombies; the environment was completely different and the gameplay mechanics were vastly improved over the old system. Even to this day, Resident Evil 4 holds up as an amazing game that any gamer worth their salt ought to play at least once. The bosses are varied in their designs; the enemy synergy is damn near perfect, you have freedom to customize your playstyle and nothing quite beats that first Village fight. Resident Evil 4 is lightning in a bottle, a stroke of absolute genius on Capcom's part and a landmark masterpiece in gaming history. It doesn't take itself too seriously either, which is in contrast to a lot of the dark, edgy, serious games of the current era. The game isn't without its faults, of course. Many things could be improved upon, such as the removal of the unnecessary QTEs and giving the player more fluid movement and gameplay mechanics, as this game will feel stiff for some. The Separate Ways mode for Ada, while being a lot of fun, is disappointing due to Capcom's refusal to remake the cutscenes for it, as they continue to be 480p video files whereas all other cutscenes in the game are rendered in real time in-game. The Mercenaries mode, despite lacking a little in character and map numbers (5 and 4 respectively) is arguably the greatest Mercenaries in the entire RE franchise, striking a perfect balance between difficulty and strategy, with World Records still being set 17 years since its initial release. It's no secret that Resident Evil 4 is my favourite Resident Evil game and one of my favourite games of all time. This game is a must-play, whether you're a fan of RE or not.