It even makes sure to keep players involved during the cinematics. You'll never feel safe dropping the controller, as the developers require gamers to hit certain button combinations to escape deadly situations. If you miss or hit the wrong buttons, it usually means death. This bit of gameplay also comes into its own during certain boss battles, allowing Leon to dodge specific attacks when prompted. These can be occasionally frustrating, but after a death or two, you should have no trouble passing through.
Also gone (and certainly for the better) is the infuriating save system. Typewriters still provide save points, though mercifully there is simply no need for ribbons this time out. They are spread quite liberally as well. Capcom has also been kind with the check points, sending players back to a very reasonable spot when they die. Again, this is all in place to make sure players are making progress, not to ease the difficulty. This game still has some viscous battles that will send a player to an early grave multiple times.
Those fights occasionally break up the standard run-and-shoot action. A few of the boss battles end up becoming some of the most mesmerizing skirmishes this industry has seen. An early one involving a mammoth man-eating salamander will not be forgotten for a long time to come. After all of this, the final, be-all-end-all brawl does seem a bit under whelming (and easy), but it does have its moments.
Presented in a faux widescreen, "RE4" is simply one of the best-looking video games ever produced. The cinematics are here to show off the seamless character models along with incredible lip-synch and motion capture. Multiple changes in scenery provide different effects depending on what mood the developers were shooting for. Needless to say, once you hit the dark in a pouring rainstorm with only a flashlight, you know what you're feeling.
There's plenty more to this graphical package worth mentioning. Creature design is some of the most grotesque since John Carpetner's Hollywood remake of "The Thing" back in 1982. Watching these "people" morph and mutate is as bloody as anything you'll ever see. This is not one for the squeamish and in all honesty, that "M" rating on the front may have been kind. Those with HDTV's get to see all of the bodily fluids spew out in 480p.
Going for subtlety, audio is reserved for moments that deserve it. The music kicks in full force during the battles, lays low for those long, eerie corridor walks, and stays silent while snooping around for precious ammo. Extended fights show off the soundtracks weakness as they loop in occasionally irritating fashion, but the intense (and realistic) sound of gunfire usually overtakes it. Voice acting is fair even if the script could have used a rewrite or two (expect some real cheese factor once in a while).
Article comments
1 - David
is the best game that i never seen before,i loved it,i can't separate from it.