Resident Evil 4

Released January 11, 2005

Developed by Capcom

Published by Capcom

NWR Reviews: 10 - 10

Retrospective by Steven Rodriguez

The GameCube was labeled as the "kiddie" system during its generation, in part because of its lack of mature titles. Although the 'Cube had its share of quality games, it was missing that one title that people over the age of 18 could hold up as justification for owning the console.

One year after the GameCube launched, that game was announced as Resident Evil 4. Along with four other exclusive Capcom games, RE4 was to be built from the ground up only for the GameCube. At E3 2003, Capcom wowed us with the first footage of Leon S. Kennedy walking down a blue-tinged hall. As development continued, we learned that they scrapped the original concept and took development in another direction. The game's more than two-year journey finally ended in early 2005, when it was released exclusively for the GameCube.

What a game it turned out to be.

Resident Evil 4 is as close as you can get to gaming perfection. The game was so well designed, so perfectly paced, so much fun; it was such an exhilarating experience to play through, you wanted to go back to it a second time to experience it all again. Every minute of the 20-hour adventure was action-packed. The "zombie" villager horde came with torches, pitchforks, and anything else they could throw at you. Boss fights were of the epic variety, and the battles between them were just as memorable. Even during cut-scenes, players had to stay alert and ready to act at a moment's notice for fear of death. There was barely any time to stop and rest, as there was always something happening.

RE4 also unlocked the GameCube's full potential. Graphically, there are almost no games of the same generation that are on the same level as Resident Evil 4. It was as if a window to another world was opened in your television, shown in the widescreen, over-the-shoulder view that turned the clunky original RE control scheme into a thing of beauty. And let's not forget to mention the incredible use of sound; closing your eyes and hoping the scary things would go away didn't stop the dreaded chainsaw getting closer and closer. If it got too close, it was off with your head.

Resident Evil 4 can make a very strong case for being declared the game of the entire generation, nevermind the best game on the GameCube. Though Capcom gave in to stockholder pressure and eventually released it on the PlayStation 2, by then RE4 had already staked its claim on our list of the GameCube's greatest games. Titles like this don't come around very often, but when they do, everyone who has played it should be grateful they had the opportunity to do so. Years from now, don't be surprised if people mention Resident Evil 4 as one of the greatest games of all time. It very well might be elite enough to deserve such an honor.

Evan Burchfield: "Resident Evil 4 has everything that made Resident Evil great to begin with, except this time it was playable and streamlined. Leon controlled so well that just moving him around was fun, and shooting zombies was proportionally difficult to the amount you sucked at gaming. In terms of game design it showcases the power of fully linear gameplay - at no point do you get to stop and "sandbox." Likewise there is very little backtracking. There are parts of the game so minutely controlled that you are required to use a specific weapon in a specific way, otherwise you will most likely die. In this regard, RE4 shows us how most games are really puzzle games: their presentation is what sets them apart from one another. We will herald this game forever, this small bright light in the gloomy GameCube neighborhood."

Mike Sklens: "I went out Wal-Mart to buy this game at midnight when it was released. I played it for hours afterwards. It's so incredibly atmospheric. The action is great, especially since Capcom finally backed off on the few things they 'insisted' made RE scary (the crap controls and low ammo). In doing so, they unlocked the full potential of the series."

David Trammell: "Aside from the near perfection in general, I really liked the feel of Resident Evil 4. The typical Resident Evil controls combined with manual aiming and an over-the-shoulder camera really made the experience feel unique."

Jon Lindemann: "Resident Evil 4 is so much better than any Resident Evil game before it that comparisons are pointless. The RE series has always provided immersive environments and a riveting game world, but RE4 fleshes out that world and lets you run around in it - literally. It set a graphical benchmark on the console that no other game matched, with immensely detailed environments and increasingly twisted enemies. The gameplay switches up just enough to feel fresh all the way through, and the scope of the adventure is expanded so much that RE4 feels like the start of a whole new franchise. Who could have predicted that the best RE game of the last generation would initially appear on GameCube?"

Jonathan Metts: "I was a certifiable RE hater for years, and even the E3 demo of RE4 didn't convert me. But when I finally got the game and began to play through it, I was delighted and surprised at every turn. This game is not only the savior of its mediocre series but is, on its own, one of the greatest games ever made. Oh yeah, and it's REALLY LONG."

Karl Casteneda: "I bought this game on Day 1, and played through a good chunk of it. Oddly enough, though, I sort of lost track of it. Then I re-discovered it about a year ago, and fell in love all over again. The super-tight gameplay, knockout graphics, and endlessly quotable B-Movie dialogue makes it one of the best games of any generation, let alone the GameCube's."

Steven Rodriguez: "Resident Evil 4 is so good, it commands to be played through twice, at least. I've only played through it once, but I'm holding on to my copy so I can come back to it when the time is right. It looks so good, I know the flashier graphics of the next-gen won't spoil me when I do get back to it. I can't wait to tackle it again."

After the release of Resident Evil 4, the GameCube became the exclusive home to the entirety of the original Resident Evil canon. Only on Nintendo's family-friendly purple box could you experience every single game in the most notorious blood-and-gore mainstream gaming franchise ever created. Ironic, no?

After releasing a glorious GameCube recreation of the original Resident Evil, Capcom played the prequel card (which they are quite good at doing, by the way) and delivered Resident Evil 0, a new game that took players through the sequence of events leading up to that fateful night in the mansion. A few months later, Capcom inexplicably released full-priced, non-enhanced GC ports of the PSone sequels in the series. Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis didn't show their age very well, especially when compared to the remake of the first game. Later that year, Capcom gave the Dreamcast's Resident Evil: Code Veronica the same straight-port treatment. With the release of RE:CV, everyone on the Nintendo side of the gaming fence was completely caught up with the history of the franchise in time for the impending release of RE4.

Of these, Resident Evil 0 , the Resident Evil remake and Resident Evil 4 are the only ones that can honestly be called "GameCube games." The others were nothing more than ports to make Capcom some quick bucks. Still, Nintendo can make a pretty boisterous claim: They "own" an entire major third-party franchise. Despite holding a virtual monopoly on the Final Fantasy series, Sony can't say all twelve primary games in the series can be played on a PlayStation system. However, you can play all the Resident Evil games on the GameCube, which is saying something considering all the other games you couldn't.