And to think, I almost never picked this game up!
Resident Evil 4's graphics aren't absolutely amazing, but the atmosphere, the gritty feel, and the sound (yes, the sound) make the game look great. When sound can make a game look good, you know it's gota sound great. It's one of the creepiest aspects to the game. This game is meant to be scary, and there are some pretty frightening and intense parts of the game. A lot of 'em, actually. The enemies are amazing, and with similar gameplay throughout the game, it's suprising that it doesn't get too repetetive. I hear that past Resident Evil games didn't emphasize combat much, but Resident Evil 4 has combat aplenty. The guns, the aiming, the reactions (both to you and your bullets), and the strategy used in every fight you take part in makes the combat aspect of the gameplay perhaps the single most fun part of the game. From start to finish - but especially at the start - you'll have nonstop fun as you blast your way through monsters and zombie-like people the whole way to the end, stopping for suspensfully silent moments, cutscenes, and the occasional awesome boss fight. Complaints? Ok. Well, it's hard not to compare this game to the Metal Gear Solids because they feel similar in a lot of aspects, and the cutscenes look similar. However, a MGS story and cinematic presentation are done much better than this game's. The story isn't very compelling. It's mostly the action that drives the game. The cutscenes are cool and some are even interactive, but you'll never be like "that's awesome". After you've beat the game in 15-20 hours, the replay is low it seems. However, the unlocks you get from beating the game encourage you to play through again and even play an unlock more in the two mini games you unlock. Overall, you'll get plenty of time out of this game, and at $20, if you only play through it once (which I doubt will be the case) you've basically paid $1 per hour which is hardly a bad deal.
It is with my strong recommendation that you go pick this one up. It's so brilliant, fun, and polished that you wouldn't be doing anyone any favors by not buying it.