The NEW and IMPROVED Resident Evil

I have to say that I was blown away by this game. From its introduction to its ending, the game totally immersed me in its survival horror atmosphere.

When the original Resident Evil came out more than a decade ago, it set the bar for the genre of survival horror. Though the controls were a bit awkward, gamers pushed on to see what would happen next. With multiple sequels, many fans complained about the clumsy controls which were said to add to the experience, but in reality made playing frustrating more than anything else.

Enter Resident Evil 4. With revamped controls, this Resident Evil plays the way it should. But not only that, the graphics have been given a complete overhaul, and there is a new upgrading system so you can purchase new equipment. This new feature really makes the game fun--you acquire gems and money when you defeat enemies, and can use that to upgrade your weapons from a merchant who travels the world of Resident Evil 4.

You play as Leon Kennedy, a Racoon City Police Officer. Some of you may remember Officer Kennedy from Resident Evil 2. The game starts Leon in the outskirts of a small town in Mexico where he is sent to find the president's missing daughter. At first you will notice the new control scheme and camera, especially when you raise your pistol to take aim at an enemy. It's not long before you encounter the inhabitants of the town, and they are, well..different. These are zombies, but unlike the previous Resident Evil's, they move a lot faster and can take you out fairly quickly if you're not careful. You will encounter other enemies, but the high points are the boss battles, and they are very engaging. This game offers a nice challenge and it's refreshing to see games like this.

This brings us to the controls in the game. As mentioned before, the controls have been upgraded to allow Leon to move intuitively. You move the control stick in one direction, and Leon will comply. You lightly press the control stick and he will walk slowly. Press the control stick all the way, and Leon will rapidly run to your desired location. The aiming system in this new installment of Resident Evil has been upgraded as well. Previously you would shoot your opponent with your weapon in third person mode. Now, when you press the R trigger, you enter first person mode which makes aiming much more efficient. Leon's sidearm is also equipped with a laser sight, so when you enter into first person shooting mode, you can use your laser sight to target specific locations of your enemy. This will be a skill that you will need to master if you want to get anywhere in the game. For example, if you shoot a zombie wielding an axe in the hand, it will prevent him from throwing it--or you can shoot the axe itself and it will be deflected.

The graphics in this game are very well done. The overall mood in the game is dark, and as you traverse abanded towns, graveyards, etc. you get pulled into the game and feel as if you were there.

The sound in the game is really good as well. Zombies will yell and make weird noises, the firing of your weapon sounds very realistic, and the ambient noise is superb.

This game is a "greatest hits" title and can be picked up for less than $20. That's a steal imo. If your a fan of survival horror games, or good games in general, then you owe it to yourself to get this game. There is also a great replay incentive. You can unlock bonus levels like previous Resident Evils, and they are a blast to play. They are also quite challenging as well. One of the bonus stages features a chainsaw wielding maniac running after you while you try and kill off zombies AND collect misc. items. You also have to kill the chainsaw guy, which is no easy feat to accomplish. This game is one of my all-time favorites, and imo a classic. I applaud Capcom for making all these improvements in the Resident Evil series and look forward to its future installments.