This article originally ran under a different banner/website in January of 2019 and is now being here re-uploaded for purposes of convenience and consolidation. Please enjoy.
HEAR YE!!! HEAR YE!!! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!! YOU FIND YOUR ONE AND ONLY DOOMSAYER IN AN EXCITED MOOD!!! The past year has had me rolling my eyes at the newest announced titles, but this current year has me ecstatic for some big releases. One of those games includes Capcom’s Resident Evil 2 remake. Even since I played Dead Space, horror games have become one of my favorite genres. From the gruesome monsters to the adrenaline-pumping moments of terror, some of the most exhilarating experiences have come from horror games. So a polished-up Resident Evil 2 remake has me thrilled to experience Leon Kennedy’s debut story. What better way to get excited for that game than playing the game Leon is most known for. No, not Resident Evil 6. I am, without a doubt, referring to Resident Evil 4.
Leon’s grand adventure takes him to Eastern Europe where he tasked with rescuing the President’s daughter, Ashley. Along the way, he runs into infected zombie-like villagers, a trap-laden castle, and a colorful cast of villains trying to take over the world with their homegrown monsters. The whole game is baked in this B movie charm similar to movies like The Evil Dead or Dawn of the Dead. Leon makes wisecracks at villains and monsters, dramatically dives through windows and ledges, and doesn’t seem to be phased by danger. The villains of the piece are equally campy and enjoyable. Man-child Salazar’s tantrums whenever Leon foils his plans constantly put a smile on my face. While Saddler’s banter with Leon is good, his rant about American action heroes will always stand out to me, because I too, see the irony saying life isn’t an American action movie, when Resident Evil 4 is clearly inspired by them. Sure, Ashley and some of the other supporting characters aren’t the best, but I would say the Merchant easily makes up for all of them. One only needs to say one of his iconic lines in that gruff voice and instantly everyone pictures that trenchcoat-wearing merchant. On top of all these wacky characters, you have settings like the Salazar castle, which contains interconnected systems of secret passages and shortcuts that I love traversing. All of these elements combine to make an immense setting for Resident Evil 4.
Unfortunately, a lot of the gameplay lets Resident Evil 4 down. For starters, I absolutely hate the tank controls. I know they were popular back in the day, but they feel so cumbersome. Why would I need buttons to turn my character, when I could have my character turn with the camera. There were numerous times that strafing could have helped me, but Leon would rather turn in place than a sidestep. I also don’t like having to play Tetris with my inventory space. I am here to shoot monsters, not fiddle around with Leon’s luggage. Another big irritation is all the quick time events littered with the game. Resident Evil 4 uses QTE’s to an almost absurd degree. On top of that, many of these QTE’s can one-shot you. I don’t mind if an obvious enemy like the chainsaw villager has the ability to one-shot me, but Resident Evil 4 seemed to love throwing random QTE’s that instantly kill me if I fail them. Also using X and C for quick time events is keyboard snapping frustrating. To add insult to injury, most of those failed QTE’s result in restarting entire sections. I had to redo the mine cart scene about six times, because I didn’t instantly slam my X and C keys the second Resident Evil 4 demanded me to. Frankly, that’s not fun but borderline bullshit.
What’s worse is combining these clunky controls and obnoxious QTE into some painfully frustrating boss fights. Take the “IT” boss fight. You are stuck in this metal maze with this hideous monster looking to make you its next meal. The monster will try to swipe at you and you’ll have to perform a QTE to dodge him. Fail the QTE and the monster will take some of your health and spin you around. Really annoying when parts of the maze are about to break off. It wouldn’t be so bad if the maze had checkpoints, but it doesn’t. Fail in the final section of the maze, Resident Evil 4 sends you back to the start. This is all unfortunate to me when Resident Evil 4 set the foundation for third-person action games.
Resident Evil 4 popularized the new third chase camera that starts zoomed out but zooms back in whenever you take aim. A camera angle you will see in games like The Last of Us, The Evil Within, and Dead Space series. On top of that, Leon realizes his aim is a bit shaky, so he must stop whenever he aims his gun. It creates a tense game of fight or flight. Do you stand your ground and fire at the horde of villagers or monsters? Or do you turn tail and gain distances on your foe? I often find myself back against the wall, firing my shotgun wildly, hoping everyone dies. While the atmosphere in Resident Evil 4 is good, I found the imminent fear of deciding my next move to be scarier than any of the monsters. For me, I can’t help but feel Dead Space is the better third-person horror game. Dead Space’s Ishimura is more unsettling of an environment than Salazar’s castle, the necromorphs are more terrifying than Resident Evil 4 monsters, and Isaac Clarke is more enjoyable to control than Leon. Now, while it might seem like I am hating on Resident Evil 4, I can honestly say I had fun playing Resident Evil 4 and can see the influence in some of my favorite games. I don’t think Dead Space or Evil Within 2 could exist without Resident Evil 4’s over-the-shoulder camera and love for throwing monsters at you from all angles. Despite Resident Evil 4’s house having some flaws like tank controls and QTE’s, I can’t be mad at it when it is the foundation of some of my favorite games. Some of my favorite games are flawed, but none embraces them as well as Resident Evil 4. Nonetheless, Leon’s over-the-top save the President’s daughter is certainly enjoyable and nothing else will ignite your excitement for the remake of Resident Evil 2 more.
