Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 22

22: Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube/Wii/PS2/etc)
Developer: Capcom
Year: 2005

My first playthrough of Capcom’s epically awesome Resident Evil 4 was on the Gamecube. I’d wanted to buy it, but – as a poor college student – when it came out I didn’t have the money. So I just rented it and blasted through it in a few days. Then I forgot about it. I mean, I’d remembered that it was a ton of fun and had great gore and stuff, but it wasn’t something that stuck to my memory, aside from a few sequences and boss battles. Then, during winter finals during 4th year at Drake, I was “down on my luck” and decided to play the game again. But I didn’t have my Cube, just my PS2. So, I picked the game up on the cheap in a “Greatest Hits” package and was on my way back through the game. What I found were memories that were not very well kept.

My first time through I thought the plot was mediocre, dealing with Leon S. Kennedy being a bad-ass and kicking butt, meeting up with the should-be-dead Ada Wong, and foiling some messed up squid-faced Spanish folk for, well, being messed up and squid-faced. It was fun and made little-to-no-sense and, you know, that’s basically every Resident Evil game since 2. But on my second playthrough I found so much more to be entranced by, the backstory about the rival pharmaceutical companies (one of which is series-long shadow corporation Umbrella, no less) was deep and interesting, the layered rankings of the bad guys and their roles, and – especially – the interesting history between Leon and Krauser.

Speaking of, for some reason THAT fight seemed to be too difficult and pointless the first time, but on a second play of the game I found the Leon/Krauser fight to be breathtakingly complex but manageable. One could say that I’d simply matured as a gamer and learned how to play better, but I do think it was the PS2’s control setup vs the Gamecube’s odd-shaped controller. May be wrong about all of this, though. While interesting and fun, though, no fight in the game touches the battle against Del Lago in the lake; spear in hand, I expertly went toe-to-lots of teeth with a grin on my face.

Rather than study for finals or prep papers for a final grade, I spent more time in this game, collecting treasures, selling them to the enigmatic Stranger, and trying to figure out the best way to keep Ashley Graham alive. Normally I hate escort quests, especially if they run off on their own and you have to snipe to keep them safe. But for some reason, this game’s escort aspects never really seemed to drag the game down, but more sideways. It earns extra points for that.

All in all, Resident Evil 4 is one of those games that is just a wonderful experience. Being drastically different from the previous numbered games in the series was a good thing for a collection of gameplay mechanics that were starting to grow stale. Of course, the saddest news of all was that the following game in the series borrowed everything from this game, causing 4’s mechanics to grow stale that much faster. Gorgeous level design, creepy monsters to fight, a sense of dread around almost every corner, and the ability to take out a midget and his giant-sized robot version of himself is enough to make this game a must play for anyone. In my opinion, anyhow.

Classic Moment:
The game didn’t feature a ton of true “Resident Evil”-type moments after its departure from the elements that made the series a classic, but it did have one moment of pure shit-your-pants terror. At one point you have to fight one of Salazar’s (the midget mentioned) “Hands” – a pair of grotesque cloaked monsters with beaks and claws and shit. These guys are neigh unkillable and the only time you fight one is when you’re waiting for a door to open. So you run around all damn afternoon dodging and avoiding, takings shots when you can. If you’re good and have fast aim, you can blow tanks that freeze the guys, then you can blast away with a magnum (whose ammo is always in short supply). But its tough. And an awesome section of the game.

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Added April 3, 2017
This game is better than it should be, especially after all these years. One of the greats and the one time Capcom knew what they were doing when they strayed from the norm with this series. Never again have they gotten it right (note: Haven’t played 7 yet. Waiting for a bit).