Waited to see wether RE4 was THE game of the year...
When I put RE4 in my Gamecube the first time, wearing the horrible T-shirt given when you bought the game, I was at first mesmerize by the gorgeous graphics, then by the level of details in everything you could look at, then deceived by the nearly inexistent environment interactivity. Then, I started to pay attention to the quality of every sounds, the well used music, the authentic Spanish... god, they've made quite an effort for that game. And when the real action begins, this is only then, with the behind-the-back camera, the enhanced-over-the-rest-of-the-series shooting system and the wonderful action button that you realize that you now are in control of the one game that'll make your year a happy one !
Plus, the game is around 25 hours long and you'll want to play it again and again. There are even several hidden modes, guns and clothes to hook you up for a good long time.