Why is Resident Evil 4 So Good?

It's been awhile since I focused on one game. Previously when I nerd out about a video game, it was about Super Metroid and Mega Man X. Now it's time to go for a game that re-defined the Survival Horror genre. Is it Survival Horror though? More of an Action-Horror?

I don't know, this game was awesome!

Resident Evil 4 is the forth in the long running Resident Evil series (DUHHHHHH......). While this game was in the works, fans loved the Resident Evil series. However, it was starting to become the same old game. Clunky controls, crazy story line, and more. Even if the controls for the older ones were tank-ish, they were still really fun. My favorite Resident Evil to this day is Resident Evil 2.

I remember purchasing this game way back when it came out. It was only available on the Nintendo Gamecube at the time, which for me was no problem because I owned only a Gamecube at the time. Nintendo Fanboy for the win here! My friend Brandon convinced me that I would buy RE4 and he would buy Super Smash Bros Melee (Pretty good selections right?) We eventually got back to his apartment and played games, but we popped in Resident Evil 4 first and continued to play that. We forgot that we even purchased Super Smash Bros Melee!

Why is it so good? It basically re-defined how you play Resident Evil games. It made 3rd person shooters the staple of many games to come! After this game came out, many genres tried to emulate it somehow, it was just that good. It was unlike any Resident Evil game we had ever played. Gone were the days of your typical zombie! You were now being attacked by villagers with axes, sickles, and the most terrifying chainsaw of all time.

The story line of Resident Evil all started with a virus outbreak that took over Raccoon City. Since then, the company had fallen and Leon (From Resident Evil 2) was set out to save the President's daughter. At the time, people were not to excited for this rapid change in the story, but we waited and were presented with gold! So much had changed from the original series, but fans grasped it and enjoyed every minute.

Was it as scary as the old ones? Not quite sure I would go that far. However there were times that made me jump, but was it an overall creepy atmosphere? Not really. The first Resident Evil and the re-make of Resident Evil did that strikingly well. With the change to a more action based system, it was more about he thrill than the scares in the end, and with this game, that was OK.

The control was very fluent. Thanks to the laser sighting, you could almost guarantee a head shot every time you played the game. Which is something that you couldn't do in older Resident Evil Games. There was the quick turn ability so if you had to run the opposite direction, it was done with the click of a button. Then there was a part of the game that gave you a crazy sense of desperation...quick time events. Like them or not, these little events kept you on the edge of your seat. You just never knew when they were going to come up and either allow you to live or kill you. Specifically that part with Krauser...I died many times there.

The ability to upgrade your weapons was a whole new thing for me. I was never really one for upgrading weapons in games. I just wanted a gun and something to shoot. However, Resident Evil 4 made it very easy to upgrade weapons. Nothing was more exciting when you got the fully upgrades auto shotgun...that thing just dominated everyone! OH, and the Chicago Typewriter? Awesome!

I love this game, and you should too! I have yet to meet a person who does not like this game! It has been re-released in HD, digitally, and across all platforms. However, I think the best one was on the Wii. It has all of the extra content and the ability to use all types of controllers. There are not many survival horror games that I will play over and over, but this one definitely keeps my attention. Sometimes I don't even start it because I know once I start, I will keep playing it and not stop until I beat it!

One year, I was the Chainsaw Bagman for Halloween...it was the scariest costumes I had ever come up with!