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Tuesday 4 March, 2008
5th GameLog: Resident Evil 4 (Game of Choice) 2nd Log
Game Play
The second time around, this game keeps getting more interesting and the story starts to unravel more. The story is the biggest reason that I keep playing this game. It's told in such a mysterious and suspenseful manner that you feel that you are watching a Hitchcock film. There are new characters being introduced and you start to get a grasp of whats actually happening. The story takes place in central Europe where the townspeople are infected with a virus called the Plaga. As you progress, you encounter different environments like towns, castles, lakes, mines , ruins, etc.
As you progress more, I have encountered more unique enemies and bosses. Enemies in this game have been placed perfectly in respect to the environments. Each environment has specific types of enemies that you encounter. If you are in the castle, you will face cult members that look and act different. These enemies are also more difficult to overcome. I also love the fact that they game the zombies weapons in this game. Some of the enemies will have dynamite in their hands and throw it at you. If you have good aim, you can shoot off the dynamite and the zombie's entire body and the people near him explode. I thought this was really cool and gave the game some really nice effects.
I also love the fact that there are a lot more weapons you can use. Most of the previous Resident Evils had a limited amount of weapons. This game has sniper rifles, rocket launchers, mine launchers, many handguns, shotguns, and other weapons that you can unlock as you progress further. There are also add-ons to weapons to make them more accurate and steady. When upgrading your weapons, you really have to make smart decisions because you want to upgrade the weapons that will give you the most advantage when facing enemies.
Game Design
One of the most intuitive elements of this game was the behind-the-shoulder action mechanic. This aspect solved all the camera angle problems that were in the previous games. Now you wont have the problem of odd camera angles getting in your way of shooting zombies. In general, it was a great idea to remove the fixed camera mechanic. Another great change was the removal of the item boxes. In previous games, you could carry only 4 or 6 items and you would have to place the other items in a box. Though these boxes were found frequently, it was tedious to keep going back and forth to exchange things. In this game, you have a suitcase where you can place all of your weapons and items.
The environments in this game are highly varied and detailed. The areas you encounter are graphically superb and express a specific tone. There won't be a moment where you will think that a specific area lacks depth. I thought the castle area was done brilliantly because the color and lighting effects were amazing. Curtains blown by the wind looked extremely realistic and there weren't any glitches in the environment.
I really thought the cut scenes were an integral part in enticing the player to play the game. The script is flawless and voice acting is on cue. There aren't any of those awkward moments in cut scenes that were present in the previous games. Another new element was the game's ability to challenge your reflexes during boss fights and cut scenes. Many times during boss fights, you would have to press buttons quickly in order to dodge their attacks. This really kept the player on guard and heightened your control pad reflexes.
I really didn't like the fact that they took out the puzzle aspect of the game. This was a key element in previous games that could of perfected this game. While playing previous Resident Evils I liked solving puzzles and finding secret doors or pathways. Since this game is more fast paced action, I can see why the developers left this element out. All in all, this was a very interesting game to play that evolves the survival/horror genre.
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