Hi 55 / Lo 41
|
Hi 55 / Lo 41 |
Student Publications
©1991-2007
Last modified:
Contact:
|
Volume 70, Issue 72,
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Life & Arts New 'RE' just as spooky despite lack of zombies By Derek Lanphier
Usually, a reviewer tries to start things off with something that will really grab readers' attentions, but this time the attention-grabber wrote itself -- Resident Evil 4 has no zombies. Now, before you buy this game merely to burn it for its blasphemous absence of dull-witted flesh eaters, also be aware that RE 4 is one of the best action games in years and probably the best horror game to date. In RE 4, players start off as Leon Kennedy, the cop from RE 2. Luckily, players don't need to know anything about the past events in other RE games to enjoy this one. In fact, even fans of the RE series might be a little confused by the events that take place in RE 4. One of the best parts of the game is figuring out the story, so without giving away too much; RE 4 is about Leon, who is now a government agent since the fall of the Umbrella Corporation. His job now is to rescue the president's daughter who has been kidnapped by a mysterious group in Europe. Of course, things get a little more hairy in the more than 30 hours of story in this beast of a game. When players first start, they expect zombies. Flesh eating, stupid, ugly, living-dead is what they expect, but strange, Spanish-speaking villagers who like to swear a lot is what they get. In fact, one of the first introductory sequences of the game involves Leon fighting a whole town of these villagers. These new enemies are very much alive, but the weird thing is, they are much more terrifying than their more traditional, deader cousins. They can communicate, they are smarter, and they are much more intent on ripping Leon apart with farming tools than they are preserving their own lives. At first, the villagers seem just like normal people, and it might even be hard for players to take them out, but as soon as they get that first pitchfork to the face, they'll be happy to waste hordes of the townsfolk. The game play doesn't just involve crazed villagers though, there are tons of unique bosses and a few puzzles along the way to keep things fresh. Graphics are on par, if not better, with that of the remake of the first RE and RE: Zero. The game's visual style is different in comparison to what players are used to in an RE game. The game is presented in a widescreen, very close, over the shoulder style that takes some getting used to. But once players are in the groove, the game goes smoothly, and the visual choices are really effective and make the game seem cinematic. Adding to this cramped, suspenseful visual style is an amazing slew of creepy and oppressive music and sound effects. In short, turn the lights off and the sound way up. This game is also more action oriented. In previous RE titles, every bullet was a godsend -- which meant one more headshot and one more zombie down. In RE 4, the game practically throws the bullets at you to use. There is much more shooting and less running like a scared little baby. Much of the action feels more like a Metal Gear game than it does old RE, and there is a total rip-off of a Codec-like communication device. The only valid complaint with the game is the sometimes-clunky controls. It can be hard for players to do the things they want to, and it can end up getting them killed. Plus, there is no way to switch weapons aside from going into inventory and equipping them from there; this can be a hassle in the heat of battle and slows down the intense pace the game sets up so well. Eventually the game forces players to adapt to the controls, and they start working a little better; but a quick-weapon switch would have been nice. This however, is a minor setback as RE 4 stands out as one of the most visually entertaining and challenging games in a long time. Resident Evil 4 Rated: M for mature GCN Games Verdict: It's not flesh eating zombies, but it'll do nicely. Send comments to dcshobiz@mail.uh.edu |
To contact the
To contact other members
of
 |