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Monday 14 January, 2008
Summary
The game Resident Evil 4 for the Nintendo Wii follows the story of U.S. Agent Leon Kennedy as he enters a strange village full of murderous individuals who appear to be a part of a cult-like organization. The objective of the game is to travel through this corrupt little village and rescue the President's daughter. Unfortunately in order to do that Leon must fend off the village full of bloodthirsty psychopaths using various types of firearms explosives. Resident Evil 4 chronicles Leon's dangerous journey as he meets enemies, allies, and an uncertain future.
Gameplay
I purchased this game a couple days ago after hearing all of the praise it has received by several video game websites. I, not being a particular fan of horror games, was a bit hesitant when making the decision to buy it just because I was worried that it might not be my type of game. Little did I know this game was right up my alley. Sure the grotesque people and the fountains of blood was a bit unsettling at first, however there was something satisfying about blasting the heads off of sick, twisted weirdos trying to kill me. The rush of excitement you get from this game is unlike any other. Most of the time I found myself running away from the scary people, but when it came to action and the sick array of guns I had at my disposal, I was invincible. Because I've never played a Resident Evil game prior to this one it was somewhat difficult to master the controls, but after getting chainsawed a couple times I was beginning to hone my skill.
What sets this version of Resident Evil 4 for the Wii apart from other versions of the game (i.e.: PS2 and GameCube) is the feel of interaction with the Wii mote. In the other versions of Resident Evil 4 one would just moving a joy stick around, but with the Wii version I found myself bobbing, weaving, and using my skilled aiming to succeed in the game. The Wii's usage of game engagement made this game more enjoyable and incredible to play.
Gameplay
The second half of gameplay just continued to get more and more difficult. But as the difficulty accelerated, the game became more and more enjoyable. Because I mastered the basic skills in the first hour of gameplay, every mission became less nerve-racking to play. With each passing level the hoards of dangerous people became more difficult to neutralize, however that very quality is what makes this game so great.
Even though the enemies grew rapidly and became generally more difficult to destroy, my new myriad of guns took care of that problem quite nicely. After fending off an entire village full of people with a simple handgun, a friendly merchant man kindly sold me more powerful guns ranging from rifles to semi-automatic shotguns. The growing array of enemies got scarier and scarier but my growing array of guns and hand grenades took care of them quite nicely. Though I'm still at an early stage of the game I think it is safe to say this is one of the most action-packed and best all-around games out for the Nintendo Wii.
Design
One of the key elements that made this game the masterpiece it is was the graphic detail within this digital land. The horror-movie feeling is captured by the tall leafless trees, the old and eerie-looking buildings, and of course the hideous looking enemies. One particular aspect of the village people I liked was that heartless, cold, dead look that is present in their eyes. Those horrific eyes made them look less human and more like a community of corrupt and merciless monsters. The physical beauty of this game lies in the gloominess and depressed state the village seemingly emanates.
The challenge of a game is one of the most appealing aspects of a good video game. Resident Evil 4 offers a variety of missions that consistently challenge the player to surpass new heights. For example one of the missions includes a sequence when you must press certain buttons to evade an oncoming boulder. Other levels require the player to use his or her skilled marksmanship to ascend to other locations. The challenges continue to get more and more fun because of the unpredictability and levels of engagement Resident Evil 4 has to offer.
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