Genre: Third Person Shooter
Year: 2005
Developed by: Capcom Production Studio 4
Published by: Capcom
Platforms: GameCube, PS2
#56
Feeling Like: Residence Evil
I find it hilarious that Resident Evil purists say that Resident Evil 4, the unequivocally best game in the entire franchise, isn’t a “real” Resident Evil because the controls are responsive and you can actually shoot where you’re aiming. Ok, I’m being a bit facetious, but let’s get real; previous Resident Evils didn’t become popular because of the controls, they became infamous thanks to the terrifying atmosphere, focus on horror, jump scares and cornball voice acting. I did participate in a group play of the first Resident Evil, but I never found it fun to play, only to watch. Why the hell Capcom chose to go with a tank-control scheme when you’re not a tank, I’ll never know. It was hard enough finding the right key or having enough ammunition to take down a single zombie, let alone turn around and run like a normal human being.
So, Resident Evil 4 to the rescue. I really, really wish I had the time to play the 2023 remake because apparently it’s absolutely phenomenal and that’s no surprise. The original source material is nearly perfect.
It was a surprise to see Capcom’s latest as an exclusive on the GameCube, but I knew I had to have it after seeing the perfect scores from various publications. What I didn’t know is how entranced the rest of Bigelow would be. I’ll never forget a circumstance involving playing by myself, with my door open. I loved my room in 3rd year – it was the de facto hangout for watching sports, or pre-drinking before various Bigelownians shipped off to the pub. I almost always left the door open, even when taking my mid-afternoon nap. I encouraged anybody to let themselves in and play some GameCube if they so desired – Dan and Trevor took advantage of this, and I frequently woke up to them bellowing at the referee during a testy session of NHL 2005. I agreed with them, the computer DID cheat sometimes.
Anyway, so I’m playing as Leon Kennedy. He’s a special agent in charge of finding the President’s kidnapped daughter. I wander into a villager’s home, and boy does he look haggard. Like a bundled up meth addict, he spews out something in Spanish – ¿Qué carajo estás haciendo aquí? ¡Lárgate, cabrón!
“Get the hell out, you bastard!”
HOLY SHIT, WHAT WAS THAT?!? I whipped around to see Henry W. at the door who had, unbeknownst to me, been watching from the doorway and helpfully translated the threat into English. I nearly shit a brick.
(Henry W. is the dapper fella to the right of me in the above pic).
Henry W. knew Spanish and about a million other things. He was very much like Randy Rose in that he had a ton to brag about, but never bragged. I threw myself upon his mercy when trying to figure out the online portal for our goddamn Intro to Financial Accounting homework . Remember, this was 2005 and I was really dumb. Also those online homework websites were abysmal, you’ve seen the memes.
Bullshit like that. God Forbid you refresh the page by accident, or put a space in your answer where there shouldn’t be one. Saving a draft, or smartly keeping your answers that you spent half an hour on? Fuck you, says Intro to Financial Accounting Homework Portal! I’d rather deal with infested villagers any day.
So would half the building, apparently.
I can’t count the number of guys I saw trying their hand at Resident Evil 4, even the non-gamers. Or, I’d start to draw a crowd when I got to a new area and said crowd drew a bigger crowd. It’s a great game to watch, regardless of your participation level. There’s gore galore, the graphics were mind boggling for the time, the pacing meant there was very little downtime, the fights were intense, the monsters grotesque and the Weapons Merchant is the best merchant in gaming. Has to be, right? There aren’t many that inspire goofs to impersonate them at grocery stores.
“Whaddya buyin’?”
“Whaddya sellin’?”
“Ahhhh! I’ll buy it at a high price!”
“Hehehehehehe. Thank you.”
“Got a lot of GOOD things on sale, stranger!”
This wacky purveyor of goods is hilarious, and since Capcom never takes itself too seriously, he fits right into this insane universe. Why does he sound like that? Why does he hide his face? Who cares, he’s the best. When you’re low on ammo or in desperate need of some punch for the shotgun, there is no sweeter sight than the Weapons Merchant.
“Come back, anytime!”
Oh I will, Weapons Merchant. I will.
Boy howdy, is it tempting to play the remake. I cannot believe how stacked 2023 is, it’s a crying shame I won’t get to it. The graphical leap is unbelievable and showcases how well constructed the original Resident Evil 4 was. There aren’t too many games where I can run through this many stages in my head – get to the village. Defend yourself against an onslaught of pitch-fork wielding (and worse!) peasants. The bell rings, they go away. You save Ashley. You go to a castle. You get into a ONE ON ONE KNIFE FIGHT with Krauser. You get a rocket launcher, you’re up against blind, claw swinging mutants. You have to defeat a child-adult wearing a funny hat and you use a jet-ski to rush away from an exploding island to cap it all off. There are so many set-pieces and brilliant moments that it’s hard to name them all, but they’re coming at me like an avalanche.
I don’t like being scared, but I do like being creeped out. Games like Inside, Limbo, Control and Little Nightmares 2 are a good compromise for me. They won’t make me lose sleep, but they also won’t ever let me relax. Resident Evil 4 hits that beautiful balance. I jumped a bit, sure. When a chainsaw wielding maniac lops my head off with a single swipe, yeah there’s going to be a visceral reaction. But I was never put off enough to drop the controller. I had to keep going to see which demented personality was around the corner. What Wesker was up to, what Ada’s deal was. Why Jack Krauser kidnapped Ashley in the first place. Quick time event button mashes be damned, I wanted to get to the bottom of why they’re infesting people with Las Plagas.
Screw survival horror, this is Army of Darkness. I want to snipe enemies from a mile away, I want to gun down a dozen baddies alongside my cool buddy Luis in a burning house. I want to find secrets in a gothic castle, I want to throw a giant harpoon into a lake monster’s cavernous mouth. I want to shoot crows for valuable goods, I want to tell Ashley to get a move on before she’s carried away (again).
Fuzz even got in on the challenge missions, which also provided a great thrill. I loved having all my roommates playing with me, it helped me out a lot since despite being a lifelong enjoyer of video games, I can be hilariously inept when it comes to finding an exit, or dumbfounded at the solution of a puzzle. The more the merrier. Even though it wasn’t a multiplayer game, it was a multiplayer experience which made an all-time great even better.
I may have just talked myself into trying the remake. Just look at the difference in visuals!
Future Resident Evil games were either too zany or too scary for me to take the plunge. I think they got it just right with Resident Evil 4. The mix of action, suspense and balls-to-the-wall boss fights were just what I was looking for. And it helped having a great crowd by my side.
The 500 