Resident Evil 4 Comments by Kristan Reed

Should this be the last dying breath for my Gamecube, at least its going out with a bang. Roll on March.

Well, that takes care of most of my worries. It's going on the pre-order list right now. Yes.

But...
the game is letterboxed 4:3, so you can zoom it to widescreen

Why did they do that? Grrr.

On Chapter 4 now and can't stop playing it. Fantastic game.

Controls aren't perfect but they're good enough.

Looks good

Trav: Don't ditch that 'cube just yet. If they're your cup of tea, there's at least a new Zelda/Mario due out eventually.

Not that I'm suggesting that those titles alone can resurrect the Gamecube, but they're worth *not* selling it for, especially as new ones go for around £40

Cleared the game yesterday :p

Awesome game, just awesome, it would even have been a 10 out of 10 if i were the one rating.

Why did they do that? Grrr.

what you should be asking in this time where everyone owns widescreen tellies and games are purportedly becoming more cinematic is "why doesn't anyone else do that?! Grrr."

i know loads of games have the shitty widescreen option but almost none (i can only think of ninja gaiden) is actually designed with a 16:9 display in mind. it's like playing the opposite to pan and scan. take note hideo kojima. i for one am thankfull someone has the balls to do this.

Great review Kristan, as always.
I'm midway through chapter 2 at the moment and am loving the game so far - when I get chance to play it.
Just wondered if any of the other boys had played the game and if so what would they have scored it?

Yay, my copy just arrived !

/starts freeloader

what you should be asking in this time where everyone owns widescreen tellies and games are purportedly becoming more cinematic is "why doesn't anyone else do that?! Grrr."

i know loads of games have the shitty widescreen option but almost none (i can only think of ninja gaiden) is actually designed with a 16:9 display in mind. it's like playing the opposite to pan and scan. take note hideo kojima. i for one am thankfull someone has the balls to do this.

I have a widescreen telly. I heard that this was designed for widescreen and lo, I did rejoice!

Then I find out it's not actually designed for widescreen at all. It's in 4:3 with huge borders. So I can have a small 4:3 image squished into the centre of my screen, or I can zoom it up to full screen in glorious 'fuzzy-indistinct-o-vision'.

I wanted proper 16:9 support, God damn it. Not this half-arsed 'pleases nobody' bag of monkey nuts.

it has m070rb0475

So how much can I get one of these "game" cubes for then?

That review felt strangly downbeat and negative about the whole thing. Suppose someone has to calm things down a bit (other reviews seem to be stupidly positive).

Personally I would say the letterboxing and controls/camera haven't bothered me in the slightest. I admit they felt a bit clunky at first (bit like metroid I thought), but you do soon get used to them, and it does add pressure when there are a hord of villagers slumping towards you.

"and sets the kind of benchmarks we find it hard to believe anyone will top on any console platform in this generation. "

So the GCN is the most powerful console, eh?

;)

Seriously, I'm looking forward to this game sooooo much now it's starting to hurt!!

:)

"Awesome game, just awesome, it would even have been a 10 out of 10 if i were the one rating."

Shame that 10's been squandered on an fps tech demo. :(

Woo! This is the first game I have ever tried to import. (Its on order, but not arrived yet) And viewtiful joe 2 as well. Im so looking forward to it.
Where did everyone get their copies from?

Can't wait, I only got back into playing games ( thought I had finished once I sold the C64 years back ) because my bro in law had a copy of Resi 2, I have played and loved all the Resi's since then, well apart from the last piece of crap they put out on the PS2, how dare they! at least Nintendo will do it proud.

it is a superb game

even as a gamer who had not enjoyed previous resi games, this has been inspirational

it's brilliant

9.5/10 :)

will there be a GC RE4 bundle?

Fuck waiting a year! I'm gonna get a GameCube!

This and the new Zelda are MUST HAVES!

Weeeeeell, yeah I guess they have, but maybe they haven't arrived in the rural parts yet, with their local ways.

As for the whole 10/9 debate, it was a close run thing. It's as good a nine you'll ever see, put it that way, but the control, camera nonsense just chipped off it being worthy of top marks.

Universal Hamster:
Got mine from Videogames+ (good choice as it turns out, Play Asia still haven't sent out one of my mates copies).

I would say the score was spot on, the clunkyness, while not REALLY an issue because it adds a layer of panic to the whole thing, makes the game not quite worthy of a ten.

But...
the game is letterboxed 4:3, so you can zoom it to widescreen

Why did they do that? Grrr.

The answer is in the article:

This is the price of benchmark visuals, it seems, and one we can live with for now.

Nothing wrong with the controls and camera... sure, they're initially unwieldy, but that's the point - as mentioned it contributes to the tension, the speed of the enemies is balanced accordingly, and you get the hang of it pretty quickly. There's genuine skill involved in picking off enemies from a distance, but when the chips are down, a shotgun blast at close range doesn't require much aiming.

This is a superb game - up there with Half-Life 2 for me so far...

I don't think it's worth the embarrassment of owning a Gamecube for 1 decent game, I'll be waiting for the PS2 version. The PS2 will be the best version, the PS2 has more power and Capcom will put extras into the game. I'm surprised Nintendo didn't insist on Mario getting the lead role in Resi 4, the Presidents daughter could of been Peach. This game won't make the top 20 in the UK games chart on the Cube, most of the 10 people that own a Cube will have imported it by now.

The PS2 will be the best version, the PS2 has more power

I can't believe anyone seriously continues to spout this shit.

I've never heard of this Game Boy Cube before, where can you buy one? Isn't it really expensive? I bet there's no good games on it, it doesn't have the Sony logo on it.

[/retarded public opinion]


"This game won't make the top 20 in the UK games chart on the Cube"

Actually, this is true. NFSU2 will most likely top the charts during RE4's launch week. How pathetic the industry has become.

"number four grabs those unwary testicles, twists them 720 degrees, hacks them off with a blunt instrument and promptly feasts on them before flobbing them back in your disbelieving face"

o_0

Somebody has been watching Anatomy for beginners last night!

I here the yellow cube looks quite nice next to a burberry hat

I can't believe anyone seriously continues to spout this shit.

Yeah you'd think by now people would realise that there's bugger all in it between all three machines. Well certainly not enough to get excited about IMO.

Then I find out it's not actually designed for widescreen at all. It's in 4:3 with huge borders. So I can have a small 4:3 image squished into the centre of my screen, or I can zoom it up to full screen in glorious 'fuzzy-indistinct-o-vision'.

...oh :(

That review just felt... odd. The score means that you clearly loved the game but, as Neverness said, it felt strangely downbeat and negative. Slightly irritating because this only seems to happen with Cube games - the problems with the likes of Halo 2 or GTA:SA are always glossed over or not mentioned at all or the complete pain in the arse Steam-shite which can potentially seriously hamper your enjoyment of Half-Life 2 as well as its shockingly long load times are treated as minor irrelevancies. I'm not having a go at Eurogamer but this has always struck me as a general problem with the current generation - witness the difference in approach between, for example, Mario Kart:Double Dash and Halo 2. Both games come into their own in multiplayer whilst both can be so-so in single-player. Halo 2 gets perfect tens almost everywhere whereas Mario Kart can get a kicking (*ahem* Edge *ahem*).

Few quibbles (don't worry there'll be no demanding a ten and proclaiming you heathens for not giving it one - I'm not gonna be a Halo-style fanboy). I felt the controls game together very easily and I'd never liked them in previous RE games... although I had been playing MP2 shortly beforehand and there is a lot of similarities in the control mechanics. RE4 just happens to be sans strafe which I never really found to be a problem especially as the C-stick allows you to fairly nicely tweak the camera. It's an action-adventure game not a first or third-person shooter. You have Half-Life 2 for that.

As for not noticing the people creeping up behind you, well there is a reason the game is presented in Dolby Pro-Logic 2. But I accept that not everyone has their console hooked up to a hi-fi.

You are, however, just plain wrong about every box of ammo being treated as a seperate resource hogging slot. 9mm shells bundle up automatically into blocks of fifty and you can do a similar bundling up for other amounts. The use of the attache case with the grid layout a la Deus Ex etc adds an element of strategy to the game especially in conjunction with the RPG-style weapons upgrading.

I agree that the bosses aren't terrifying per se but there are certainly plenty of seriously tense moments (which I don't want to spoil - and the line in the review "morph into tentacle wielding supermonsters " might well be a partial spoiler).

The game is very much a B-movie homage with references to loads of films and books littering its chapters although I thought the voice acting was pretty damn good especially when you consider how bad most videogame voice acting is.

Actually, this is true. NFSU2 will most likely top the charts during RE4's launch week. How pathetic the industry has become.

according to game it'll launch the same day as GT4. still i can see it reaching top 5 and even shifting a few cubes. now wouldn't that be nice.

"I don't think it's worth the embarrassment of owning a Gamecube for 1 decent game, I'll be waiting for the PS2 version. The PS2 will be the best version, the PS2 has more power and Capcom will put extras into the game"




HAHA!!!! mystic_mick aka thick_mick

Fantastic game - about 1/2 way through. I keep replaying bits to make sure I have enough ammo and health for the tough(er) sections, but even then it's fun to play. Better than HL2? In terms of sheer enjoyment I'd say yes.
Got mine from DBD box office and it arrived the weekend after the US launch (£28 including p&p - bargain!)

"HAHA!!!! mystic_mick aka thick_mick"

I see sarcasm is totally wasted on you my son.

"I've never heard of this Game Boy Cube before, where can you buy one? Isn't it really expensive? I bet there's no good games on it, it doesn't have the Sony logo on it.

[/retarded public opinion]"

Or maybe just maybe the majority of the games buying public is sick of Mario this and Luigi that and their gaming tastes are different then they were a few years back. Maybe it's games like Halo2, Riddick and GT4 that they want to play. Resident Evil and a handful of other more adult titles isn't enough to make people go out in their droves and buy a Gamecube. Also the cube doesn't play DVDs and the games can't be copied which unfortunately is a huge deciding factor for a helluva lot of people. Oh and then there's the fact that Nintendo shaft europe with game releases.

"Actually, this is true. NFSU2 will most likely top the charts during RE4's launch week. How pathetic the industry has become."

Yeah pathetic, people are buying games and playing them. Exactly why shouldn't a racing game be more popular than a horror game?

If this review comes across as "downbeat" then maybe have a glance at the GTA SA review and Halo 2 and realise that picking apart even the games we *love* is something we do routinely. It's not about having some giant OMG celebration while glossing over the flaws. We try to be as balanced as possible and highlight everything good *and* bad, but often conclude, like yourselves, that often the niggles are worth tolerating; surely that's the sign of a very good game?

"The PS2 will be the best version, the PS2 has more power"

"I can't believe anyone seriously continues to spout this shit."

Actually, haven't several developers already said that yes, the PS2 has more 'power' but it just doesn't have the 'talent' (For that read groovy built in effects that don't suck said power away).

Or some such bollocks............

/strokes cheap Tesco gamecube

Sooon my pretty :)

No seriously guys the review was very downbeat. Its strange you had problems with the controls, item storage, camera and story. But then gave it a 9. The Halo 2 and GTA: SA reviews just didn’t seem so pessimistic.

'Oh! Oh no! Where are my horse's legs?! '

I...have them...

Laugh at me when I'm playing Resident Evil 4 as Dante. And to be labelled thick from someone that comes from Doncaster, has to be a joke. andrewfromdoncaster aka andrewfromdumbcaster.

I'm sure my wife would have something to say if I bought a cube just for this. Perhaps I should investigate other Nintendo games :)

lol @ Mr Dude

*Every* EG Res Evil review has moaned bitterly and gone on to score the game very well. It comes with the territory. It's one of the most broken games ever, but makes up for it in a multitude of other ways. Less things are broken now than ever, but there is still room for improvement.

LOL. I bought a Gamecube last night just so I can play RE 4.

But I could barely get Disc 1 out of the box! The discs are stuck down so tightly to the spindle in the middle it's very hard to get them out. Anyone know a trick to getting Gamecube discs out of their boxes easily?

Looks ace, can't wait.

Although, it goes without saying the PS2 version won't be as good, so I think I'll settle for the Gamecube one :)

I also bought this Dual Shock-style controller because I have never liked the standard GC controller. It seems to work very nicely so far.

http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=801896

I'll wait till the PS2 version comes out then pick up the GC version for peanuts :)

Laugh at me when I'm playing Resident Evil 4 as Dante. And to be labelled thick from someone that comes from Doncaster, has to be a joke. andrewfromdoncaster aka andrewfromdumbcaster.

Well what you said was most certainly thick - absolutely incorrect. And whilst many people aren't achieving as well as the rest of the country here, it does not make me or them thick.


I see sarcasm is totally wasted on you my son.

maybe you should enlighten me then as to the sarcastic merits of such a ridiculous statement. Something cannot be sarcastic if it is spoken in the tone of a serious statement and does not have a smiley - remember that reading into the true meaning of text of someone you don't know is very difficult.



Or maybe just maybe the majority of the games buying public is sick of Mario this and Luigi that and their gaming tastes are different then they were a few years back. Maybe it's games like Halo2, Riddick and GT4 that they want to play. Resident Evil and a handful of other more adult titles isn't enough to make people go out in their droves and buy a Gamecube. Also the cube doesn't play DVDs and the games can't be copied which unfortunately is a huge deciding factor for a helluva lot of people. Oh and then there's the fact that Nintendo shaft europe with game releases.

Odd point of discussion that wasn't really the topic

The PS2 version might be excellent, and if the game is that good it deserves to be ported to every console.

However I'll be getting mine for GameCube :-)

I think the PS2 version will be just fine, but seeing as I bought the GCN for this game and for this game only....

GCN it is!