Resident Evil 4, the game that took an excellent game series, and improved it using some of the tricks of the trade that other popular games use. The result? One of the best shooters in the history of the genre, and definitely one of the best GameCube games available. Read on to find out more. (And, I don’t really need to, but remember, all my reviews have spoilers, so be careful)

Graphics: RE4 has some awesome graphics. And, really, the game has to have them, as the camera shows the action so close. Enemies look great, and the blood/gore is realistic, but never over the edge (you can make the enemies bleed/blow off their heads, but no guts, or anything else too gross). The backgrounds are great, the only complaint I have is with the tree leaves, they’re slightly pixelated. All in all, the graphics are great, some of the best I’ve seen on the GameCube, especially the weapons, they’re really excellent. Also, one of the things that really improves the mood of the game is the bleak/dead style that is found throughout the game in the enemies and in the areas.

Audio: Audio was nice, all the talking in the game was done with voice overs, and all the voice actors are really great. One odd thing about the game is the fact that all the enemies speak Spanish (the game takes place in Spain), so I was able to understand everything they said. This ranged from “Behind you, imbecile!”, to “A foreigner!” to the odd “Brains, brains, brains…”. Overall the Audio is excellent.

Gameplay:Anyone remember the fixed camera in previous RE games? It’s gone. In its place is an over the shoulder cam that really enhances the horror feel of the game. The game is an adventure/shooter hybrid, as along the course of the story, you’re allowed to pick up certain items (perishable or loot to sell), and can collect/buy over 10 different, fully upgradable weapons. That’s all good, but the game really shines in the implementation of enemies’ “critical spots”. If you shoot an enemy in the leg, he falters/falls to the ground; in the arm, and he drops his weapon (should he be carrying one); shoot him in the head, and yeah, you blow it off. This is really nice, as sometimes you’re forced to fight groups of up to 20 zombies at a time.

Boss fights and cinemas both use something called “action sequences” (I think that’s what it’s called) where you’re forced to press a certain combination of buttons, or mash a certain button, all in order to keep yourself from getting killed. All in all, the game does what you want, and does so in a very smooth manner, and transitions from one area to another are quick and relatively painless.

Play/Replay Value: My first playthrough took me about 15 hours, making the game worth it even if you never replay. However, beating the game once opens a lot of new options. You get: A new, harder difficulty, the ability to replay the game while keeping your items/upgrades and money, a mini game that follows one of the side characters and her mission, and the grand-daddy of minigames: Mercenaries (I’ll be talking about this in a later post). All in all, if you like the game (which you will), you’ll be investing a lot of time in it, definitely upsetting the dollar/hour ratio.

Rent or Buy?: Are you kidding? Buy the game! If you’re still not convinced after reading my review, then I can’t convince you. However, with the amount of replay value this game has, and the $20 price tag, there’s no reason not to get the game.

Will I Buy the Sequel?: If there is a Resident Evil 5, it’ll most likely be for a next gen system, so I probably won’t get it. Unless, of course, there’s a DS version/sequel.

I guess I have to mention that this game is a horror game, and it really fills that role. RE4 is one of the scariest games I’ve ever played. Don’t believe me? Play the game for the first time at midnight while you’re alone, and you’ll be convinced. Stay in tune for some RE4-related posts.