If you don't own this game yet, stop reading and go buy it now!
If you are not 17 or older, you are not allowed to buy this game! Ratings are in place for a good reason. This game features some strong violence, language, and gore, and should not be played by kids younger than 17.
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This game is simply amazing. After playing through this game twice now, I know exactly why this game was voted "Game of the Year" and "Best Game Cube Game" last year by practically everyone. It's that good.
The game is Resident Evil 4, the latest game in the Resident Evil series. While this one takes a bit of a turn from the other games in both gameplay and story line, that is by no means a bad thing.
The story begins with you, Leon S. Kennedy, in the back of an SUV traveling to a village, on a mission to search for the President's daughter, Ashley Grant. However, it's not as easy as going into the first house you see and asking the villager if he's seen her. In fact, I wouldn't recommend talking to any of the villagers in this game, as more often than not they would rather cut your head off with a chainsaw or blow you to pieces with a machine gun than talk to you.
So, are they zombies? Apparently not... so what should you call them? I'm not quite sure myself. I call them "not zombies" because it seems like the best term for them. They are... not zombies!
If you have played any Resident Evil games before, you will remember controlling your person from the third person view, tough challenges, very limited ammo, and a static camera. Most of this changes in Resident Evil 4. While the third person view is still here, you see what is happening from the back of Leon. When you want to aim, the camera moves onto his shoulder and you aim using a laser sight (I'll mention more on this aiming system later). The tough challenges are still here, but these are mad easier by the abundant amount of ammunition and weapons you will receive in the game. This may seem like it makes the game easier, but it really doesn't. What it truly means is that you can kill anything in the game you want to, instead of picking and choosing your way through like in other Resident Evil games. The ammo is needed in most cases, as bosses and even the infinite number of "not zombies" take tons of ammo to kill, providing you aren't shooting them in the head (which actually turns into a bad thing for you later on... I'll leave this review spoiler free though, so you'll have to figure it out yourself!). Overall, I would say this game has improved greatly on the Resident Evil series in almost all ways, although Resident Evil veterans may find this game too easy compared to other Resident Evil games.
So, back to the aiming system. This aiming system is flawless and makes it much easier to aim your shots (isn't that what all aiming systems are supposed to do!?). Some enemies can only be shot in certain places, some of which are smaller than others, so it is necessary to be able to place your shots accurately to conserve ammo and kill the enemy as quickly as possible. If you want to stop enemies from coming after you so quickly, shoot at their legs! You want them to drop their weapon? Shoot the weapon from their hand! And again, if you want to make it quick and painless, shoot for the head! I am not a great aimer on consoles (PC all the way!) but I found it very easy to pick up and play this game.
Another great feature to the gameplay is the action commands that can be performed throughout the game. Whenever you get close to something you can interact with, you press the "A" button (a flashing "A" will appear on the screen to help) and Leon will perform that action. These range from kicking enemies to knocking down ladders to firing cannons.
A merchant has been added to the game, providing Leon with upgrades, new weapons, and treasure maps! This merchant somehow is always ahead of you and always behind you, but who cares how he does it!? He has great upgrades and weapons that will help you along the game. How do you get money? Simple: Either kill lots of bad guys and bosses and hope they drop a lot of money, or sell items that you come across throughout the game. It's usually best to explore every area, because you'll never know where a precious artifact may lie! A hint for new players: Some items can actually be fit into other items, increasing the value! Examine every item to see if anything can be fit into this. An example of this: Beersteins can be fitted with three stones. Find them and you'll get more money than you would selling those separate! You don't HAVE to do this in order to buy weapon in the game, but it definately helps.
Now... if you still need to know why you should buy this game, I guess I'll move onto Graphics. Don't worry... I'm almost done!
The Graphics in this game are amazing, and not only "amazing" by Gamecube standards. The effects and movies are all done in real time, but most do not know that if they weren't told. Explosions look simply amazing (and there are quite a few of them!) and everything else looks great. Character models are well designed, and each one has a different look than the other. Sure, the "not zombies" only have a few character models, but it's not a bad thing! There is enough of a difference to normally not have the same ones standing next to each other, but you will not find 1,000 different models for each village. Do we need that? No. We just need "not zombies" to kill! That's all we ever need. Simply put, the graphics are amazing. They are revolutionary by Gamecube standards, and they are definately up to par with some of the new games just coming out. This game definately shows off the power of the Gamecube, and if it had come out a few years ago, it would have showed the potential of it as well.
The Sound is also great in this game! The voice acting is very well done. Everyone plays their part very well, and no one falls out of character. Definately some of the top voice actors played a part in this game. It definately beats those real life movies the old games used to put in instead of cutscenes. If you don't know what I'm talking about, consider yourself lucky! Besides that, if you have surround sound you are also in for a treat. It is definately very immersive to play with surround sound. Just turn the option in the options menu to "Surround sound" and begin to play the game! Nothing beats being in a village with "not zombies" coming from all directions and the sound of them coming from all directions as well. It adds alot of reality to the game, and makes it fun to listen to.
Value: One of the selling points of a lot of games. The first run through this is awesome, as everything should be brand new to you, and lasts about 18-22 hours. After you beat the game the first time, you get a couple mini games unlocked, one of which I really liked and the other I did not really get into. These games allow you to unlock some things in the game, but I will leave you to find those out for yourself. After you beat the game the first time, you can continue your saved game and begin the game again except with a major addition: You keep all your weapons, ammunition, and items from what you had at the end of the game. This adds a lot of fun to most of the second play through as well, since you can play the beginning levels with a much increased firepower ranking than when you started. Overall, once you've beaten the game a couple times and played through the mini games enough, you'll grow tired of this game and put it away for a while. However, I am almost certain you will pick this game up again down the road and play it again, since it is definately one of the best games ever made. And in the game world that we live in now, that's definately saying something.
So, you've read this far and still aren't convinced? I don't know much more to say. If you own a Gamecube and you don't have this game, you NEED to go pick it up! The ratings across the board are "9.6" (look to your right of the screen!) and that's saying something. Gamespot, the Gamespot community (you!), AND Game review sites from across the world all believe this is a superb game. If that doesn't convince you, than you're just hard to please. What if I told you it only costs $20 now? Would THAT convince you!? It should, because there's no reason not to buy this game... provided you're 17 or older!
This game is amazing. It's the best game on the Gamecube, the best game in the Resident Evil series, and one of the best games ever made.... period. The Gameplay, graphics, and sound are nearly flawless, and the only thing lacking is that the game ends... but every good thing must come to a close. Like this review! This may seem like a long review, but I barely scratched the surface of what Resident Evil 4 has to offer.
Go buy it now. If you don't have a Gamecube (first of all, why are you reading the Gamecube review then!?), buy it for PS2... or even for PC when it comes out in a little bit. Go buy it now... you won't be disappointed.