Resident Evil IV: If Hollywood made movies as good as this game, I'd go to the movies more.
Perhaps the best quote I can come up with for Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition comes from those English dudes in the Guinness commercials. So let's bring those gentleman and here what they have to say:
"Desolate Forest Location with creepy, run down shacks?" Brilliant!
"Fast moving, intelligent villages that seem human... yet are seemingly inhuman?" Brilliant!
"Interested and extremely varied design that keeps you on your toes at all times?" Brilliant!
Ok, you get the idea. This game is brilliant. Stemming from research and development that stretches all the way back to 1998 (when Capcom visited Spain to study architecture there), this game reflects a long, painfully meticulous development cycle. No gaming stone seems unturned here.
From the get go, the quality of presentation knocks you on your butt. Quality voice acting and a swift little flamenco ditty set the scene, and there you are: Leon S. Kennedy, the best sort of Japanese designed American hero: is tough enough for the men, "Emo" enough for the women.
Now, I had never played any survival horror game. I don't like horror movies, which is why I've always avoided the RE games in the past. But of course, with this game coming out on Wii with improved controls and a discount price, I had to try it.
And very, very quickly, my fears were realized. The moment of dread upon walking in that first cabin is tremendous. I was shaking in my gaming boots upon walking into that first house, not quite knowing what to expect. And when the first bad guy struck, I was so senseless in terror that I was quickly dispatched.
Soon, however, I became used to the setting, and I could play the game with more skill. And you do have to play the game in a skilled way: mindless blasting is not rewarded. Instead, strategic shooting of limbs, ammo conservation (use the very satisfying melee attacks when you wound enemies), and sometimes just plain running away are the order of the day. I love how realistically the opponents react to getting shot: often you can bail yourself out of a sticky situation by a few well timed shots to the feet.
But just when you start to get used to things, and the game begins to lose a little bit of luster, Capcom changes things up, and you are flipped upside down, facing new enemies, new areas, and therefore needing different stratagies. I can't congratulate Capcom enough for this outstanding balance. I'm not sure I've ever played a game where the game is so perfectly balanced in this way. Let me put it this way: you will never, ever be bored, and there are no tedious moments to be had here.
As for controls, I can't comment on how the original controlled, but of course using the Wii remote to shoot makes perfect sense. But the interesting decision to use the thumbstick for turning, as opposed to the "bounding box" technique of the early Wii FPS games, really sets this one apart. Although poor for fast, run n' gun action, this sort of "turn first, then shoot" style works great for this style of game. You'll find yourself getting into a good position, often a corner so you can't be ambushed, and then stopping to pick off opponents.
The narrative is fully realized and well done. Though some might think the whole "Prez's daughter is kidnapped!" storyline is cliche, that doesn't matter, as that is always going to be a fine premise for an action game. It's the stuff in the middle that counts. And RE4 delivers with great characters that are a lot of fun. In particular, a little midget named Salazar steals the show, in a comedic tour de force that only makes you eventual showdown all the more satisfying. And of course Ada Wong is terrific as the femme fatale character.
Few games are as refined in the cutscene department as well. Cutscenes are shot with Hollywood flair, but of course have "action button" sequences to spice up the waiting. I found that these had a fair margin of error, and that you didn't have to be exactly precise to succeed.
Graphically, this game is beyond reproach. Only Gears of War and Twilight Princess can match the art design (yes, RE4 does not have the high-res graphics, but that is a simple matter of polygon pushing, not artistic skill). Unlike Gears, however, all the symbols adorning the walls actually have meaning, and it is clear that a lot of detail went into each room. The art, for instance, is often a demented version of a renaissance design, featuring twisted evil versions of the period art.
The sound starts out very, very sparse, with little music. But this really builds the tension of the game. Later on, however, a wonderful tapestry of audio is established, and soon you'll be recognizing different enemy types completely based on their music alone. The monster sounds are suitably horrific, especially the creepy "regenerators."
All in all, how can anyone give this anything but A+? Of course I will not deviate. I will give it the same grade. To me, this is the finest game I've played since Twilight Princess, and while RE4 does not have the amazing last 4 hours that TP has, TP doesn't have the amazing first several hours that RE4 has, so I call that contest a draw.
Get this game, now.
Spoiler Commentary: WARNING!!!!!
I loved how they told the story of the villagers in the credit sequence. Really, the villagers are a very sad and tragic character in this tale. I like how the first pencil sketches depict the villagers in what must have been their normal lives, playing guitar on the steps, farming, and playing with children. Then you see a cloaked figure rallying them, and then pictures of the Plagas being injected into them show up, followed by various images of death and despair. Most chillingly, the children depicted in the scenes dissapear, and one even appears to be murdered.
Obviously Saddler manipulated these simple folk into taking the Plagas injection, although there is a contradiction here: Luis talks about the villagers helping to excavate the Los Iluminados ruins, and that there were spores from the Plagas there that infected them. So weren't the villagers already infected? Or maybe that was an engineered version of the Plagas that they injected, after the spores allowed Saddler to control their minds? Who knows. But I like how Capcom reflected on their fate in the credits.
I found the boss battle with Saddler to be the only underwhelming part of the game. I expected some kind of multi level battle, with various versions of Saddler doing battle with you. Instead, you just sorta blast its eye thing and do it in with Ada's rocket launcher. Not bad, just not quite as inspired as the Chief and Salazar boss battles.
Finally, I appreciate that the villians were depicted as anti-American (as opposed to the heroes). One of my mild beefs with Metal Gear is how you sometimes even end up fighting American soldiers (like in the beginning of Sons of Liberty on the tanker). I will never be comfortable doing that, even in fiction.
