Resident Evil 4 -- Final Opinion

I'm currently in Chapter 3-1 of my second play-through of Resident Evil 4. That's right, I'm replaying it immediately after completion. And not really for the unlockable features and extras. It's just that good. It's just that fun. Capcom set out to redefine the genre they popularized. They succeeded wildly. They fixed what was wrong in combat and more importantly, the camera system. The graphics are amazing. The character models are great, both in game and in cutscenes, for the most part. Capcom has never been able to do eyes that look alive. Everyone still has that dead glassy-eyed look to them. The sound is very well done. Better than any other in the series. They've redone most of the sound samples for this game. Only one instance I can think of where they used an actual sound sample from the previous games. The music is still very much the traditional horror film score approach. They've altered how they've employed it though. There is a slight Silent Hill sound and use to the score. There are tracks to let you know it's safe, or that you're not alone. The story is actually well done, while still retaining the cheese the series is famous for. I like the character of Ashley quite a lot. They included an updated version of Resident Evil 3's mini-game The Mercenaries. This was the genesis of what would later become one of the best games ever made, Dino Crisis 2. They also added in special costumes, a ton of extra weapons, and harder difficulty to increase replay value. They included Assignment Ada to help flesh out an aspect of the story that's rather clear in the main game, but hammer it home for those who are oblivious. This bit further ties the game to the series' past, and tells of the series' future. They didn't really need to add all of that for people to want to play this one again. The game itself is its own best reward. Not everything was entirely perfect, especially the collision detection, which bothered me from time to time. All-in all though, the game delivered way beyond my expectations and even my hopes. I'm giving it a 9.5. Would this have been my Game of the Year for 2004 had it made it out on time? Quite possibly. Will it make it for 2005? Hard to tell. How much will it being a January release hurt it? We'll see. Bring on Resident Evil 5, and Los Illuminados' plan B.

Next up should be initial impressions of another Capcom game, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap.