Full Review

Welcome Mista Leon Scott Kennedy!!! Here you have is what many claim to be the best sequel of the Resident Evil series, Resident Evil 4. I originally bought this game as a birthday present for my nephew, but even as a teenager he couldn't handle the horrifying game-play. I could have returned in for another game, but decided to hold onto it for myself since it was a highly talked about game. Seriously in the back of my mind I was probably buying the game for myself, but hey my nephew has played War games such as the Medal of Honor series, but this series and game is without a doubt much more horrifying. This Resident Evil game also just happened to be the first game of the series that I have actually played. It caused me to consider buying Resident Evil 0, and still awaiting the delivery of Resident Evil. Yeah I am hooked, and if you never played a Resident Evil game, then this one will get you hooked like it did to me.

Storyline
In this game you will play largely as the main character Leon Kennedy. The corporation known as Umbrella has ceased operations after having been exposed and funding has been shut down by the U.S. government. So what is the big deal with this sequel? Well the presidents daughter has been kidnapped and your mission is to find her location in Europe since it was your job to protect the presidents family. So you are out in the middle of nowhere by some small village where just about everyone is possessed. You're an outsider so clearly everyone wants to kill you. The people out to get you are not exactly zombies, but clearly they are being controlled and you are not welcome.
In this game you will find that the presidents daughter is going to be used for a new biological virus that will help your enemy take down the worlds most powerful country (the U.S.A.). While your mission is to save the presidents daughter, Ashley, you will have no choice but to do some investigating to find out who your enemy is.
Once again you will be finding memos and notes left behind that tells a tale of betrayal, virus creation, combat, and information leaking out who the real enemy is. Is it Umbrella secretly trying to make a comeback? Or maybe Albert Wesker? And Ada Wong is back, but what is she doing and what side is she working for? There is a lot of familiar characters here, but who is on what side?


Game-play
Game-play here is a whole different ball game. You have full control of rotating your character in this first-person shooter with precise aiming, weapon upgrades, bonuses, ability to run freely and smoothly, better fighting, better killing, better action. In other Resident Evil games you had to focus largely in adventuring around different rooms in some house with random zombies popping up whenever. In this game your quest is very much linear once again as are most of the Resident Evil games. The creators have reduced the number of puzzles, and have seriously increased the action. A great plus ++.
In older versions you would have limited ammo and horrible controls that would get you killed, but not in this game. Your controls are about the same as any up-to-date shooter games you have come across with the full 360 deg. angle switches. So no more getting mad at limited movement getting you slaughtered. You will do most of the slaughtering and there will be lots of ammo available, along with many types of guns for you to have your fun. You will have the same old weapons you have seen in the past like a knife, 9mm, shotgun, rocket launcher, grenades and some newer weapons, but now you possess the capability to upgrade your weapons, including the suitcase you carry. All your items are stored in this suitcase. You can arrange items so they all fit, or if they don't simply sell them.

Monsters in this game are actually quite different. Instead of facing mindless zombies, you will be up against people that are being controlled and have been given orders to kill you on-sight. In other Resident Evil games you faced a lot of mindless slow-moving zombies, but here you are up against relentless average-paced people that will hunt you down. No more being able to run to the next room and get away. These people can break down doors and jump through windows as can you. You have the ability to shoot through windows to kill enemies, kick ladders down while they are climbing up for you. Push objects to block off doors and so much more. There are a few psychos you may run into the game, but i'm not sure if they are being mind-controlled or if they are just plain crazy. Sounds funny, but play the game and you'll understand. You will come across some giant insects I guess you can call monsters. Still there clearly isn't many 'monsters' in this game besides the bosses that transform into some hideously dangerous beast.
You will have a few cut-scenes where you will have to press certain buttons (usually randomly chosen) in order to survive. This is different than any other game I have played and certainly adds a neat effect and can stress you out knowing you may have to watch an entire cut-scene again just to reach a series of button smashing for a 'cut-scene fight' or to survive some traps (such as a hallway with laser defense where you have to dodge skin slicing beams. Sounds familiar? cough Resident Evil the movie).

The Gallery/Mini-Games. Something new here. You will come across areas known as arcades where you will be able to play shooting games that unlock items. You will also have an additional quest where you play as Ada, or The Mercenaries. Something fun to mess with after you have beaten the game. RE4 is one of those games you can play over and over. First time around you can unlock items that will only be available second time playing. Plus for me it was fun going from normal to hard to see how well I have developed my marksmanship.

Graphics/Sounds
The graphics are just like every other game in the series -- spooky, clean, and perfectly fitting. While they are not as dark-natured as in past games, they do fit in quite well. You will play during night and day, but there is no noticeable clock or transitions from night to day. Would be a nice addition, but not featured. Everything from characters to objects are drawn well and stand out. In past games you would notice that objects you can interact with would be highlighted, but here you can interact with just about anything.

Sounds are a little off, but hey who needs great sound when you're killing everything right? There are a few sections in the game that will have your heart sinking from hearing eerie chants or animal chirps, but for the most part don't expect anything to keep you in suspense. The only horrific suspense you will feel is that instant kill you experience when you get hit by someone that can kill you in one shot. Those will really freak you out.

Replay value is great here. The game is not hard, but hard enough to challenge you, and fun enough to keep you playing from time to time. Other Resident Evil games you will play through once then shelf it after your frustration. This game can get you frustrated, but not for the same reasons as the others.