Happy Birthday, Resident Evil 4!!

[Veknoid_Outcast]

I remember reading a review in the back of Nintendo Power absolutely gushing about the game. I think that was my first exposure to the title. Soon after I had a copy in my hands and was ready to play

I played the RE games in a strange order, so by the time I played 4 the only other RE game on my resume was Resident Evil 2 (I played the REmake, 0, 3, and Code: Veronica later). But it worked out, since I knew a lot of the back story and many of the characters.

RE4 blew me away. Technically, it was a knockout. The graphics, sound design, character models, and cinematics were all outstanding. Mechanically, it was nearly flawless. The shooting mechanics were precise and the much-improved camera allowed greater freedom of movement and a wider field of vision. And you'd need it, surrounded as you were by all sorts of deranged and terrifying creatures.

Most of all, I was impressed by the melting pot of genres that RE4 represented. Part shooter, part horror game, part adventure, Resident Evil 4 combined several different elements to make a game that transcended the typical boundaries of survival-horror. Was it as scary and as cerebral as earlier games in the series? No. But was it a better overall game? I'd argue yes.