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RETROspectives: Resident Evil 4
We've already begun to talk about my favourite games but this game is definitely my second favourite game of all time! It was originally out on the PS2 and GameCube but I played it on the Nintendo Wii, this port worked very well with the motion sensitive controls the inovative Wii begun to usher in. Resident Evil 4 is one of those games that can easily be played again and again and many who've played it know why it is so good!
At first Resident Evil 4 seemed doomed to fail, the series was abandoning its survival horror roots which made the series a huge franchise! It was veering into unsteady waters and no-one knew what future this game had. But from this move came one of the greatest games of all time with Resident Evil 4 seeing immeadiate praise and critical and commercial success. Let's talk about the story of the game: Leon S. Kennedy, last seen in the events of Resident Evil 2, is tasked with rescuing the US President's daughter Ashley Graham from a cult operating in an unspecified area of Europe. Leon arrives in a village where the inhabitants have been infected by a mind controlling parasite and pledge their allegience to Los Illuminados, the cult which kidnapped Ashley, but the Village Chief infects Leon with the parasite too. Leon spends much of the rest of the game fighting back this parasite but he does find Ashley in a church, before losing her due to a series of traps in a Castle. This castle acts as the Los Illuminados headquarters and eventually Leon tracks Ashley down to an Island Research Facility where Leon discovers that Jack Krauser, his comrade from police training, was responsible for Ashley's kidnapping. However, it then comes to pass that both Krauser and Leon's ally in the field Ada Wong (also last seen in Resident Evil 2) are working for Albert Wesker who wants to isolate the parasite and find a cure for it. Leon and Ashley cure themselves and with the help of Ada and Umbrella Corp they defeat Saddler, leader of the Los Illuminados.
The game holds a lot of replayability too, the main campaign can be played at least three times with Leon and Ashley dressed in different costumes in each playthrough. One costume gives Ashley a suit of armour meaning you can shoot her to your hearts content (or into until you run out of ammo) for being a frustrating companion in your adventure (you will definitely want to kill her more and more the longer you play). Beating the game allows you to keep your weapons and items in the next playthrough, if you're like me and you get the Infinite Rocket Launcher the first time round the next two playthroughs will be extremely easy. But there's more than the campaign to play! Ada Wong has her own story mode which often intersects with Leon's in the main campaign. Bored of the main stories? There's always the Merecenary Mode which lets you play as leon, Ada, Krauser, Umbrella Operative Hunk and Albert Wesker as you survive waves of the infected. This also comes with enemies such as Dr Salvador (or the guy with the chainsaw), the Chainsaw Sisters, JJ (or the guy with a minigun!) and, for loss of a better comparison or name, a blind Wolverine! This gamemode was so popular it saw its own independent release on Nintendo 3DS! I have it but I can't beat the first stage, it's the tutorial, the first tutorial and I can't do it!
In the main story there is also things to collect, these are bottlecaps with figurines on the top of various enemies you will encounter throughout the game and is where I learnt the names. You can win these in a minigame in the Castle which was a genuine surprise to find, Ashley may be in mid peril but we still have time to have a go at a shooting gallery! There's also gems and treasures hidden throughout the game that can be sold to the Merchant, you know him probably, the guy in the dark cloak: "Watch'ya buyin' stranger?". You meet the Merchant at various points in the game who sells you weapons, herbs and health sprays and case upgrades. You can also use him to upgrade your weapons. He is probably one of my favourite parts of the game and the best example, I think at least, of an in-game vendor!You can even kill him if you want, but that doesn't stop him appearing at the next location!
The bosses are also something to behold, they all require you to utilise the skills you have learnt and solve puzzles to stop them. The puzzles are plentiful in this game and are all fun, except for that tile sliding game! That is horrible and in my Wii game case I have the instructions to clear it easily. The game is also full of surprises to keep you invested in the world and even maintains an atmosphere of tension throughout the game! In particular when you hear the chainsaw fire into life and know that you have to act quick to not get killed or even when you know something is coming up. Capcom did the series justice by moving away from the convention of their series and innovating the franchise as a whole. Even though Resident Evil's 5 and 6 followed this formula they suffered at the hands of critics. But to me this will be the definitve Resident Evil game. I personally have played Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, the Darkside Chronicles, the Umbrella Chronicles, Mercenaries, Resident Evil Revelations, Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil 0 and, of course Resident Evil 4! To me, Resident Evil 4 was the best in the series and the definitive Resident Evil game!
