Looking back: Resident Evil 4

Getting there

Every now and then there are titles that change the industry forever and, in the process, alter the course of the franchise it derived from completely. One such title is Resident Evil 4.

It changed its own formula significantly, so much that the sequels which followed lost track of where they wanted to go. The result was a franchise which, despite great sales numbers, plummeted towards mediocrity after greatness. Sometimes balance is key to make a game perfect.

Resident Evil 4 was born out of a lengthy development cycle following its first announcement in 1999, targeted for a PlayStation 2 release. It would undergo at least four discarded versions, one of which Devil May Cry derived from, before finally arriving as the famous survival action, horror title we know it as today. During development director Shinji Mikami repeatedly felt it strayed too away from the survival horror roots, which ironically the final product did anyway.

Prototype shown at E3 in 2003, often referred to as the "hookman" version

As the sixth generation of consoles progressed, GameCube was having increasingly troubled competition up against the massive success and domination of the PlayStation 2.

To show their support, Capcom boldly announced in 2002 what would be known as "the Capcom Five". An ambitious, five title, release schedule of Resident Evil 4, Viewtiful Joe, P.N.03, Dead Phoenix and Killer7. Of the five, only four would make it to the shop shelves as Dead Phoenix never came to fruition and was ultimately cancelled.

While the other four titles in this line-up of highly original releases saw release, their reception and sales varied, and it was ultimately Resident Evil 4 which struck gold when released in January 2005 as a GameCube exclusive.

So successful in fact, and much to Shinji Mikami's annoyance, Capcom decided to port it the PS2 for increased sales. The exclusivity for GameCube would be extremely short; releasing on PS2 in October the same year! This break of loyalty towards Nintendo angered Mikami and as he was forced to make commercially safe releases thereon, hampering his creative freedom, he would ultimately leave Capcom as a result.

Business deals aside, the multiplatform RE4 release would result in 1,6 million copies sold on GameCube and further 2 million on PS2. Changing not only the franchise for years to come but also the industry as a whole for third person action. It's widely considered one of the biggest titles of the 2000s and over time it has surpassed 15 million copies sold.

The gritty art style and subdued colour palette, emphasizing brown and grey, would massively influence action titles on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in the following generation. In addition, the over-the-shoulder, third person, camera angle would become an industry standard. Greatly influencing titles like Gears of War and Dead Space, among countless others. The approach of using horror and gore, but leaning far deeper into action, would be a style many other titles would have success with.

RE4 would influence the whole direction of the Resident Evil franchise too, with RE5 continuing in the same vein; featuring large masses of aggressive and armed, almost human, zombies attacking. Reusing elements like money and ammo being dropped by enemies, which in turn allowed players to upgrade their weaponry. RE5 sold massively as the market expanded into multi-platform releases even broader and has only this year been surpassed by the RE2 Remake in sales. 

RE6 would take the action part even further, too far in fact, and ultimately dig its own grave as the franchise strayed too far from what it used to be and completing removing any sensation of horror. While it too sold well, it brought on a lot of negative feedback and resulted in Capcom rethinking the franchise and going back to basics of pure horror in RE7.

In hindsight, one can argue that perhaps RE4 was the rise and fall of the franchise; on one hand it massively expanded the series popularity and created a brand-new genre. Yet, on the hand, it marked the downhill slope towards what became b-tier action and negative feedback, accumulating with RE6. A title which has become a school-bench example of bad design, over-exaggerated action and blending too many ideas into a multi branching, massive, repetitive experience of mediocrity.

Luckily, the franchise once again sparked popularity and a spot in the limelight as it shifted into pure horror with RE7 and would later go back and draw ideas from RE4, eventually ending up as a full remake in 2023 which you can read my review of here.

Lessons had been learnt; simply copying RE4 formula was not a given success and emphasizing too much on action was not a key to success. It's about that balance of horror and action that RE4 managed to do perfectly. Ironically, other titles in the years that followed RE4 would manage this perfectly too, but Capcom did not.

My story

My first experience with RE4 began in 2005 where I admittedly, and generically so, played it on a PS2. As a huge fan of the original Resident Evil trilogy, I found the franchise strayed massively out of what I viewed as a RE experience at the time. Having played third person titles like Max Payne 2 prior to it on PC, I wasn't overly impressed by the gameplay either.

Although I appreciated the over-the-shoulder view, it still felt slow by forcing the player to stop moving to be able shoot. A result of the single analogue stick on the GameCube directly influencing a gameplay design choice. Though, not entirely unexpected as the twin-stick, shooting layout had yet to become a standard for consoles, even though Halo: Combat Evolved had done so for shooters in 2001.

Nevertheless, it was nothing uncommon back then on console to use only one analogue stick, but having to stand still to shoot became extremely archaic when RE5 released with this same layout, yet again, in 2009.

However, I’ve since learnt that this is where the balance lies; keeping the player at their toes and vulnerable. It was the norm back then and RE4 at least offered a brand-new way of viewing and playing it in third person. 

There's just this correct number of enemies, chaos and gunfire, while you constantly must move about to get a better shot, which ends up as this dance of skills. It's what makes the gameplay challenging, yet it feels like second nature as you put a few hours into it.

Not owning a GameCube, I've in hindsight understood better why the original, pre-rendered style of the RE franchise was worn out and needed a change with RE4. Up until it's release, playing the main franchise, you'd have experienced RE1, RE2, maybe RE1: Dir. Cut, RE3, Code Veronica, REmake and RE:0, all in this camera angle, pre-rendered style.

Sometimes change is good and RE4's popularity proved this by a tenfold. 

Present day

Let's end the history lesson and fast forward to the many releases of RE4. Earlier this year, I sat down and played through the version available for my Xbox Series X; it's the 2016 release launched on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Titled Resident Evil 4 HD, it originates from the 2014 PC HD version.

Although it bases itself on the preferred original, the GameCube release, this HD release includes newer textures and assets. The original GameCube textures saw the last light of day on the Wii and the 360/PS3 releases, including the 2014 PC version as a toggle in the options.

My Xbox One version, has been lying in my backlog for years as I was a bit lukewarm to the title since my single playthrough on PS2 back in the day. It's a no-thrills port; 1080p@60fps, a typical trait of the XB1/PS4 generation. It's a fair resolution still and holds itself sharp with a solid framerate.

Overall, this port is as true to the GameCube original you'll get on modern platforms. You see, back in the day the popular internet debate was that the PS2 version was downgraded. Never as bad as people made out, but the PS2 lacked the more advanced lighting and better textures of the GameCube version.

This in turn, paved the way for aggressive discussions between GameCube and PS2 owners. Adding fuel to the fire was Shinji Mikami's public disappointment that Capcom had broken the promise of keeping it an exclusive.

I'm surprised that it's a lot more colour in RE4 than how I remember it, then again, I played the PS2 version back in the day. In addition, more detail is visible simply because of the higher resolution. Although that can be for good or worse as it was designed for CRT TVs back in the day.

Replay

Does it hold up? To be honest, newcomers wishing to experience RE4 should probably turn to the 2023 remake, it's basically the same experience with modern visuals, gameplay and some padded sections removed. 

That said, it's a remake and things have been changed significantly. If you want to replay it for the pure original experience, or you're simply curious as to how it was, then go for this HD version, readily available on PC, Xbox, PlayStation and Switch.

For newcomers; it's one of those titles that feels a like slog at the beginning, but then you get into the quirky, old gameplay loop and you just keep on going to the end credits roll. It's super addictive, even though it's a lengthy playthrough!

I've always felt that the short distance from Leon leaving the car to standing, knee-deep, in a muddy village surrounded by tens of angry, zombie infested, locals and a, one-hit kill, chainsaw maniac has always been an incredibly steep learning curve!

Somehow, even more so now thanks to struggle of getting back into the mindset of the cumbersome, old controls. Especially, the sensation of not being able to move while firing your gun.

The village chainsaw scene is a brutal and an interesting choice to throw players into at such an early stage of the game, especially for what feels like a reboot of the franchise back when it hit the shelves.

Yet, that is the very scene which makes it one of the most memorable and shocking titles of the 2000s. It's an incredibly iconic and violent scene which everyone remembers.

It sets a high bar for how you will perceive the rest of the playthrough. There's a clear message for the franchise here; a stark reminder that everything you knew about Resident Evil is gone and you need prepare yourself for a tough fight!

In addition to the difficulty, it's not about regular zombies either; simply blasting off their heads is often not enough, as the horrible Las Plagas virus grows out a nasty creature in place of a head. These whip around with sharp tentacles and make clearing out zombies even trickier. Simply shooting down a s zombie is not enough anymore, they reanimate as something worse!

With this tricky village introduction, you learn that the gameplay is about putting enough distance between Leon and the zombies to get in a few shots, then having enough time to turn around and reposition yourself.

Moving is key, as zombies attack from various angles with the more open locations compared to the predictable claustrophobic rooms and corridors of the pre-rendered titles that preceded it.

There's a sort of ballet of momentum to learn here; consistently moving to avoid zombies, then stopping and aiming with a handgun, or sniper from a distance, on single zombies. For close combat when overrun by multiple enemies, your turn to a trusty shotgun, perfect for pushing away groups of zombies as well as getting in a well-placed headshot at close range.

There are regular and flame grenades to thin them out too, even a flash grenade which instantly kills the horrible Las Plagas growing out of the heads. Stunning enemies, either with a grenade or a hurtful stomach or leg shot, allows you also an opportunity to daringly get close and kick zombies with a button prompt too.

It's not all about guns blazing, though, as you'll run low on ammo. Forcing you to get back into the fight to pick up supplies that zombies drop. This in turn is a new mechanic for the franchise as, in addition to ammo and health items, there’s money and jewels lying about. Which in turn gives you cash to buy from the famous "Welcome stranger", hooded shopkeeper. He's conveniently placed around the map and allows you to buy new guns and upgrades.

Increasing your inventory size is a clever upgrade, allowing you to carry more valuables to sell. Exploring not only obvious places like drawers and cupboards for valuables but also spotting gemstones stuck in rocks, hidden in lamps, shooting fish in waters or hitting special hidden targets will earn you cash. It's all delicately balanced; keeping you on the knife edge between comfortable stocked and low on resources.

This deliberate design grounds RE4 into the franchise's survival horror roots, but in a new way that has a upgrade progression. It rewards taking on hordes of enemies rather than fleeing while the exploring from the earlier RE titles is kept as necessity to collect ammo, health and valuables.

Yet, it throws the player in a more unpredictable difficulty with larger open areas, crowded with enemies, in a manner that feels difficult to prepare for. A contrast to the predictable nature of the predetermined numbers of enemies in each room from the earlier games. Sometimes, a group of enemies are taken down like there's nothing to it, earning you extra items and money, other times something goes wrong, and you end up losing vast amounts of health.

Make no mistake, RE4 will kill Leon without hesitation unless you get into how each gun caters for various situations, remembering to move about consistently to avoid taking damage from sneaky zombies flanking you.

Although the story is incredibly cheesy; more juvenile, with overly dramatic personalities and one-liners aplenty during conversations. At the same time, it leans into its own franchise of ridiculous bosses and dialogues with a clever approach adding tongue in cheek humour.

Leon has gone from being a young and considerate police officer to a cocky and loudmouthed bad-boy protagonist. Take it how you wish, but he's a clearer and more distinct personality now, and the cheesy story somehow gets away with it by going over the top.

It's ridiculously amount of cheese in how the bad guys are stereotypical evil leaders of a sect, culminating in the stupid little Spanish dictator in his castle. On the flipside, you have some cool friendly characters. It's a stupid premise on paper, sending one guy to save the president’s daughter, but somehow manages to pull it through with some dark humour and not taking itself too seriously. Sometimes we just need a ridiculous action plot, and Capcom managed to merge it with horror and a dark, unsettling atmosphere.

I realised there's a lot of location variety and content in my replay. The vast village area with a church, lots of buildings and a lakeside. Then there's a huge castle, an army base and even a lab. Areas full of enemies, tasks to complete and puzzles.

Just as you're getting comfortable with a certain enemy type, it throws new ones at you. From shielded priests wielding morning stars to the nerve shattering Regeneradors, the latter probably being the closest to pure horror like the earlier games.

You'll be at your toes all the way, and while the military base really pushes my limits of my action appetite within a Resident Evil context, it at least feels distinctly different from anything earlier in the playthrough.

That's what makes RE4 such an entertaining playthrough; there's something new around every corner. Sure, it's a ton of drab grey and brown colour schemes here but look past the first impression and you begin to appreciate the smaller detail and interesting environments. It looks great for such an old title.

Sure, the graphics are dated but it shows how great it did look back in the day once you appreciate its variety, detail and atmosphere it creates visually.

It's one of those games where the addictive gameplay loop and constant new ideas just pull you further in, it's probably the lengthiest RE release next to Code: Veronica, but it's so much more entertaining and keeps a better hook on you with its consistent momentum of new areas, objectives and enemies. Those 15-20 hours go past faster than you'd imagine!

Versions

For convenience, the RE4 HD version is solid. While it hasn't received any upgrades since the XB1/PS4, forever locked at 1080p, it holds up fine and is the definitive version to play on modern consoles. The lack of anti-aliasing is noticeable though, with shimmering edges everywhere. PC gamers can fix this and crank the resolution up further.

Textures are higher than the original GameCube assets but in modern terms, quite simple. Again, PC gamers can even choose the original GameCube textures, but I the upgraded ones are better suited for higher resolutions and bigger screens.

That said, let's talk old-school. This is where RE4 began its life after all, all those years ago. I tested out both the PS2 original and the Wii version, as I own both. Played on a CRT TV for that perfect nostalgia and fairness to what it was intended to be played on.

To be fair, the PS2 version holds up well when viewed on a CRT TV. Switching between this and the Wii version, which is identical to the GameCube original, was not as jarring as people online make it to be. 

Most noticeable on the PS2 version is the hit to overall lighting, there's a more advanced environment lighting and shadow system in the GameCube version, which the Wii luckily inherits.

Other cuts on PS2 include; lower polygon counts and cutscenes no longer rendered in realtime, water effects removed entirely from certain areas and less lower textures. Sacrifices had to be made to a port made in under a year, moving over an entirely different hardware.

Having the luxury of owning both versions taking benefit of a razor sharp RGB SCART picture, I focused in on the Wii version as it looks the overall prettiest with less picture noise and grainier graphics in the distance which the PS2 version has.

I've spent time with a few other Wii titles over the last year and this version of RE4 intrigued me more than just retaining the GameCube visuals; the pointer controls. Although you have the option to play it with a GameCube controller or more traditional setups using the Wii Remote and Nunchuck, the default layout is the star of the show!

The nunchuck moves Leon, while pressing the B button underneath the Wii remote brings up the sight, which your Wii Remote can control. The fact that RE4 is based on stopping to shoot, makes the pointer controls a perfect match because you're not moving while aiming and thus the gyro controls handle it perfectly.

I'd go so far to say it's my preferred way of playing the original RE4 now! It's just a perfect match of RE4's gameplay and gyro controls which aren't just a gimmick, they actually enhance the experience and gameplay!

I'm impressed with how well this Wii version looks on a CRT TV, outperforming the visuals and colouring of the PS2 version, looking identical to the GameCube version. It even has all the PS2 extras, most famously Ada's Separate Ways, but in GameCube visuals! Plus, you don't need to swap discs midway like on the GameCube, then again maybe we miss doing that?!

Connecting a Wii to a modern display with my OSSC video converter, adding scanlines and toggling the Wii over to HDTV compatibility utilising component cables, makes for a very satisfactory picture too.

Summary

In hindsight, the more I play the original Resident Evil 4, the more I realise how much I underestimated it back then. It truly stands as a landmark release, forever changing how action, horror and third person shooters were made. It combined elements from various genres, successfully resulting in a lengthy and varied experience.

While it's easy to judge it for its cheesy story and excessive usage or brown and greys in its palette, replaying it has made me appreciate the subtle differences and detail that have gone into the visuals. It's a hostile and dark environment to traverse, yet it's what makes it an unsettling horror title.

Pure jump scares have mostly gone, focusing on action more than scares, but the unsettling locations, dark atmosphere and stressing situations created by either groups of aggressive enemies or giant creatures, make up for the pure horror from the older games.

There's a distinct change in course in the path for the RE franchise when it arrived; leaving the original camera angles and style behind. It's a design choice which you either can complain about, much like I used to, or accept and then truly realise the greatness RE4 delivers. Wishing for something it is not, never gets you anywhere.

In retrospect, it might be disliked for changing the path of the franchise into increasingly action focused experiences. With RE5 going taking the action further and culminating in the stupid, b-tier title RE6 was, but judging RE4 up against its sequels is pointless.

On its own premise, it stands as one of the best game experiences of its generation and while the gameplay has aged, it's still well balanced and addictive. It's legacy for the industry, influencing many other titles, reached far into the generation that followed and even today we see it's DNA in many titles.

In my middle age years, I've grown to not only truly respect RE4, but I think I genuinely really love it now. Probably one of the most important releases through the years; forever changing a franchise, reinventing genres and pushing boundaries of gameplay. Everything combined turns into an amazing experience you'll want replay numerous times.