Resident Evil 4
Publisher: Capcom
Official Site: http://www.capcom.com/

ESRB Rating: M
Reviewed Platform: GameCube
Available Platforms: GameCube, PlayStation 2
For 1 player.

Overall: D
Violence: D
Sexual Content: A
Language: D
Alcohol/Drug Use: A

What is this game about?

Resident Evil is one of the ground breaking video game franchises. It practically defined the survival horror genre, setting the stage for games like Silent Hill and Doom 3.

Prior to Resident Evil 4, the franchise’s previous console entries (Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2, 3 and Code Veronica X) all dealt with players battling legions of zombies. And frankly, the franchise was getting stale.

So, the designers went back to the drawing board.

There’s a moment early on in RE 4 that says it all. When your character, Leon, who was featured in RE 2, kills a deranged villager who attacks him in a small European hamlet, he looks at the body and declares, ‘He’s not a zombie.’ It’s a great moment, especially for fans of the series because that one statement alone clued gamers into the fact that what they were about to experience was a rebirth of a cherished franchise.

RE 4 finds Leon being assigned to track down the missing daughter of the president. He tracks her to Europe and a strange village. Its inhabitants may not be zombies, but there’s definitely something wrong with them. Leon clues into this when he sees a dead police officer impaled and being burned in a clearing in the centre of the village.

There are also some twisted creatures roaming the land, including ones that can regenerate limbs (including heads) when they’re blown off, as well as a giant creature in a lake and something akin to the cave troll seen in the Lord of the Rings movies.

Is it fun to play?

Yes, RE 4 is a thrill ride and gamers will be drawn to its combination of strong action sequences and a story worthy of a Hollywood movie. As a game, it’s as visceral as Doom 3, but doesn’t possess the same menacing, intense atmosphere.

But the real key is that it’s fresh, and that’s something most gamers are irresistibly attracted to.

The villagers appear almost possessed, attacking you with a single-minded determination and a level of viciousness that makes for some edge-of-your-seat moments.

And the boss battles (where you fight the toughest enemies before advancing to a new chapter in the story) are demanding -- as well as inspired -- thanks to a bevy of chilling, creepy creatures.

The gameplay mechanics were overhauled so that you play from an over-the-shoulder perspective, so it’s not really a first or third person shooter. It’s a hybrid of sorts and thanks to laser targeting devices on the guns, it’s relatively easy to learn how to shoot from this perspective.

This game will test your skills and, thankfully, you’re rewarded for your efforts with a great story and the opportunity to experience the thrilling re-emergence of one of gaming’s all-time great franchises.

The two games do differ somewhat. The GameCube version came out months before the PS2 one did. So, the PS2 version features a few extras that the original doesn’t. You’ll be able to play as Ada Wong, a character Leon encountered in Resident Evil 2 and thought was dead. You’re able to play through five extra levels as Ada, which fans of the series will no doubt eat up. There are also new weapons and costumes in the PS2 game.

What do parents need to know about Resident Evil 4?

From a parent’s perspective, you’re going to find a lot of intense violence and blood and gore depicted in the game. This is understandable because it’s a survival horror franchise there are no cute and cuddly adorable creatures to be found here.

No, this is a game in which the whole point is to stay alive because everyone (from humans to bizarre creatures) is trying to kill you -- and they don’t even know you.

There are some pretty dark visuals in the game, such as that impaled police officer whose being cooked in the village, as well as chainsaw-toting villagers who are trying to carve you up.

There are some positive messages in the game, including having a sense of duty and protecting others before yourself. There’s a key part of the game in which you have to make sure nothing happens to the President’s daughter, or else you lose.

But that’s really just a minor aspect to the overall story. Resident Evil 4 is designed to scare you by sending hordes of villagers after you at a time and then throwing an increasingly difficult number of creatures at you as you progress through the story.

The violence, which includes dismemberment, chainsaw attacks, guns of all shapes and sizes, is quite explicit and the overall atmosphere is pretty creepy.

While this game isn’t as dark or intense as Doom 3, it isn’t exactly a walk in the park. However, it’s not unlike your average horror movie these days. If you believe your teen can handle a movie in which people are shot or dismembered, they’ll likely be impressed by what RE 4 has to offer. If you wouldn’t let your child watch something like that, then you may want to ensure they steer clear of this game until they’re a little older.

Because Resident Evil 4 is going to be regarded as one of the all-time classics, it’ll be waiting there for them when the time is right.

Wayne Chamberlain

© 2006 One Voice Communications. All Rights Reserved.