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Survival horror is back in Resident Evil 4. Just like the original Resident Evil from the series, this game sucks ass.
You take on the role of Leon, the mid-90's punk-wannabe hairdo-having federal agent who is faced with overwhelming odds in the form of shambling zombies. Shambling, though, is a rather meaningless term, since these zombies can pick up and run like Olympic sprinters when they so desire. They also have more moves than Leon by any measure, able to duck, sidestep, strafe and turn on a dime, moves Leon can only dream about. Keep in mind that this applies to the lowest ranking fodder enemies, I haven't even mentioned some of the other foes in this game.
On the topic of movement, it seems that this is a key method employed by Capcom to enforce horror: restrict movement capability. You see, it's far more frightening to play a game when it takes 30 seconds to turn 180 degrees. It's also a more terrifying experience if it isn't possible to run around corners, or to turn more than a few degrees while running without coming to a complete halt. This is realism at its finest, since I know that I personally am incapable of running in any direction that isn't a straight line. On the other hand, Leon can dive out of a 3rd storey window without so much as a sprained ankle. Work that paradox out. If I didn't know that this game had already been released, I would ask the developers when they planned to fix the obviously broken character controls.
Leon is also incapable of doing much of anything on the move. He cannot shoot while moving and it takes far more time to turn while in the shooting stance. Essentially, if you wish to use a weapon, you must root yourself to the ground, eliminating 100% of your movement and 70% of your already pathetic turning speed.
The game features some context-sensitive actions, like hopping over fences or diving through windows or opening doors. However, it takes a moment, a noticeable moment, between the time you arrive at the context-sensitive spot and the activation of the control. This is handy for any pursuing baddies, as they will likely get a chance to take a swing at you while you wait for the game to give you the option of jumping over a 2 foot picket fence.
Unlike some of its predecessors, this game provides you with slightly more bullets than required for suicide. However, after playing this trial-and-error exercise for more than a few hours, you may find suicide a pleasing choice. Moreover, do not confuse "more bullets" with "enough bullets". If you find that your aim isn't just about top notch or you don't take out enemies in pretty much the prescribed manner, you will quickly run your ammo supply dry and find yourself out of all options. Oh, Leon does have a knife, but with only one weak backhand slash move available, it is pretty much useless for all situations except killing defenseless boxes. In fact, if you run out of ammo, you will find that you have exactly zero options, save one: the reset button on your ps2.
The term "survival horror" only includes survival if you do things the way "you are supposed to do them". This applies to fighting enemies and progress in general. Forget exploring or finding anything interesting or alternate paths, this game is so incredibly linear that it might as well be played entirely on a track without freedom of any movement at all. This restriction of options starts at the very beginning of the game, when you have no options even for setting the game's difficulty.
On top of the horrifying control mechanisms and complete lack of options or interesting gameplay elements, this game fails spectacularly in the audio and visual departments as well. For starters, everything is supposed to be run-down, old, dark, and shabby. This is a nice way to allow for muddy, generic textures and drab, boring, repetitive environments and static scenery. This visual borefest is complimented by an equally dull audio selection. The ambient music is cued for different sequences and provides no continuity or transitions between selections, so you can go from the anxious danger music to the soft save area music in a beat, jarring any sense of immersion and making the weak implementation that much more obvious. Worse, if you reset the game more than a few times using the controller, you will find that most of the audio effects simply glitch out inexplicably. The only way to recover is the reset button on your ps2.
The voice acting in the game isn't terrible, except for three characters: Leon, Ashley (the president's daughter), and Hunnigan (Leon's radio contact/communications officer). These voice actors are simply bad. Leon and Hunnigan in particular are wooden. Flat. Terrible. Worse, when the two of them strike up a radio conversation, you don't believe they are talking on any kind of radio, because there is no background noise whatsoever. Nothing. Perfect, unbelievable silence. Worse, they don't even sound like they are talking to each other! They merely spout off their lines without even attempting to sound conversational. Ashley's vocal work is piercing, grating, and annoying. I cannot count the number of times that I have had no choice but to shoot her in order to shut her up, which is unfortunately a quick way to get the game over screen.
If you do manage to grind your way through the game, you are rewarded with a few options, like some extra missions and difficulty settings and weapons available, should you wish to play again. These bonus bits, however, cannot even begin to compensate for the tragedy that you had to endure to receive them.
All in all, this game is just bad. It has bad visuals, bad level design, bad character control and bad voice acting. Rent this heap, then send it back and get something better.
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