My Resident Evil 4 impressions

[SCLlama]

I got the game yesterday, and played it for about 5 and a half hours. Currently I'm about 1/3 of the way through at chapter 3-1, so feel i know what the game is about.

Here are my Likes:
1- I love the fact that you can upgrade weopons, and buy stuff from merchants.
2- So far no mindless puzzles that take an hour of running around a room to figure out.
3- Intense fights at times!!!
4- No more Ribbons to save!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5- Much better Game mechanics and camera angles than previous RE games. (more on this later)
6- Graphics are the best on GC to date (more on this later too)
7- Kick ass bosses (best of any game i've ever played)
8- Cinematics rock.

Dislikes:
1- You can't run and reload at the same time!!! This sucks big time in this game!
2- You can't shoot and run at the same time.
3- While the graphics are good, they seem to get blurry when you are running.
4- Camera is a bit to close to Leon. (still tons better than before)
5- Capcom says this game has no Zombies...... uuhhhh ok sure. what are they then?
6- Merchants sell guns, and firt aid spray, but no ammo. This sucks when you are out of Shotty ammo.
7- No True Widescreen.

All in all its a great game so far. If i had to pick my favorite game of the last 3 years or so it would be a tough one between this and Halo 2. What do you guys who have it think so far?

-Ryan

[Villanman]

As far as picking a Favorite I think I'll still be playing Halo2 long after I finished RE4. But Givin That It's Intense and I'm enjoying the Heck out of it.
I too hate the Fact that you cannot move and shoot at the same time.
As Far as widescreen, Zooming in on the Letterbox looks as well as anyother Reg widescreen game so I don't see that as a factor.
If you have a GC I highly recommend this game and If you have enjoyed any of the other REs, This game is an absolute must buy.

[quagmire]

In terms of single player game, RE4 is leaps and bounds better than Halo 2.

Also, the camera perspective is close to Leon on purpose. They didn't want to make a 3rd person game nor a first person game. This is somewhere in between. The reason it works well is it gives you peripheral vision, which you don't get in a first person game. They wanted to try and mimic real life in this sense where you can see bad guys in front and on the sides, but not behind you. I think it works quite well.

[Dean Martin]

Originally posted by Villanman
As far as picking a Favorite I think I'll still be playing Halo2 long after I finished RE4. But Givin That It's Intense and I'm enjoying the Heck out of it.
I too hate the Fact that you cannot move and shoot at the same time.
As Far as widescreen, Zooming in on the Letterbox looks as well as anyother Reg widescreen game so I don't see that as a factor.
If you have a GC I highly recommend this game and If you have enjoyed any of the other REs, This game is an absolute must buy.

The game is letter-boxed?:confused:

[quagmire]

Yes, the game is letterboxed, the same as Beyond Good and Evil.

However, if you have a widescreen TV, you can use the Zoom function to cut off the black bars and the game fills the entire viewing area on your TV. Not sure how it looks to everyone else, but in Zoom mode it looks spectacular on my set. Beyond Good and Evil did as well though.

[MisterMe]

Originally posted by quagmire
Yes, the game is letterboxed, the same as Beyond Good and Evil.


It's loads better then even Beyond Good and Evil as that game was not progressive scan on the Cube. Resident Evil 4 is progressive scan.

I really thought this widescreen business was going to make a difference with Resident Evil 4 presentation, but I have to say that it doesn't. This game looks just as good as any 'true widescreen' game out there IMO.

[FrankJ.Cone]

Originally posted by Dean Martin
The game is letter-boxed?:confused:

Yes but as long as you to not zoom it in its ok. Zoomed (and I tested Jay on a 101" diagonal screen) the low res really starts to show on all but Leon. He's made of so many polys he looks fine even blown up.

Its a lower resolution game due to the black bars on the top and bottom and yet reviewers are scoring it higher in graphics than MP:Echoes. I am not sure whether this is due to them reviewing the game on a small 4:3 TV, or the massive amount of advertising (That would be $$ sent to magazine and game sites) Capcom said they were doing with the game.

By far the best game released for GC, by far the best RE game in the series.. but best looking game... not even on GC.

[quagmire]

Originally posted by FrankJ.Cone


By far the best game released for GC, by far the best RE game in the series.. but best looking game... not even on GC.

Frank,

After spending some more time with the game, I have to agree that I do find the graphics in Metroid Prime 2 to be slightly better than RE4. So, I guess I change my vote that Metroid Prime 2 has the best graphics I've ever seen on a console, followed closely by Resident Evil 4.

[FrankJ.Cone]

quagmire you need a copy of Ninja Gaiden, maybe toss in a Panzer Dragoon Orta for good measure! 16:9 60fps and massive amounts of polys. It simply does not get more eye candy than that until you boot up the PC.

(Where is Dallas to remind us console games look terrible??)

[Dean Martin]

Originally posted by FrankJ.Cone
quagmire you need a copy of Ninja Gaiden, maybe toss in a Panzer Dragoon Orta for good measure! 16:9 60fps and massive amounts of polys. It simply does not get more eye candy than that until you boot up the PC.

(Where is Dallas to remind us console games look terrible??)

LOL. He's right though, PC games do look much better but the problem is in the question you raised above in that what kind of display are reviewers playing these games on?
If I play a game like Killzone on a 27 inch SD tv the graphics look good. If I move that same game over to my Samsung DLP or Samsung LCD the graphics start to look squiggly, jaggy and in the league of Quake 2/3 graphics.
So it would be nice to read what displays reviewers are using when they play these games.

[quagmire]

Originally posted by FrankJ.Cone
quagmire you need a copy of Ninja Gaiden, maybe toss in a Panzer Dragoon Orta for good measure! 16:9 60fps and massive amounts of polys. It simply does not get more eye candy than that until you boot up the PC.

(Where is Dallas to remind us console games look terrible??)

FrankJ.Cone,

I got them both and both do look fantastic. Still, I would put RE4 and Prime 2 over them, but Ninja Gaiden would probably take 3rd or 4th, with Panzer Dragoon close behind. Just my opinion, but the graphics and atmosphere in Prime 2 and RE4 is just really unmatched.

I also play a bit of PC games. Its not fair to compare PC games to console ones though as PC ones definitely have the edge in terms of raw power. Doom 3, Far Cry, and Half Life 2 all look amazing.

[CrocHunter]

THe game is great, but still i don't know what capcom was thinking giving a letterbox presentation.

They should know by now that dvd's are anamorphic, and the game should be anamorphic as well.

By the way that's a good question, what do these game developers and game reviewers use for their displays?

[quagmire]

Just to clear things up, I don't think Capcom wanted to make the game in letterbox. Of course they would love to make it in anamorphic widescreen, but they also wanted the game to have a solid 30 fps frame rate. They could've dumbed down the visuals some to maybe help with the frame rate rather than making it letterboxed, but they decided to stick with the fantastic graphics and just letterbox the thing.

So, yes, it stinks that the game has black bars on the top and bottom. But, if you have a widescreen TV with a zoom function, then that is easily fixed. One thing for certain is that you should not let the letterboxing detract you from playing one of the best games to come out on the Gamecube, or any console for that matter.

[NoThru22]

I'm pretty sure early demos of the game had anamorphic widescreen so the only reason it wouldn't be in the game now is performance reasons. The zoom makes the game look not so great but it's still a fantastic game.

[Villanman]

Originally posted by quagmire
In terms of single player game, RE4 is leaps and bounds better than Halo 2.

Without a doubt. However Halo 2 to me is all about the Live Multiplayer.
RE4 is the first game thats made me finally take a break from Halo 2.

[SCLlama]

Yea, I've been playing it on a 46" Samsung DLP, but This set won't let me zoom in on a 480p Signal, so i've been playing it interlaced. I may go get the component cables for the GCN and play it on my InFocus 4805 w/ 106" screen that does let me zoom in.

As for the Mixed third/first person view... I think sometimes it blocks what is directly in front of you. It gives you a blind spot where you would normally be able to see. If they wanted a "real" feel they should have gone first person. Which would be even more intense because you cant see anything that's behind you.

-Ryan

[Savageone79]

I have played halo2, ninja gaiden, and RE4 and to me RE4 has the best graphics of the bunch. Everything looks so real.. the enviroments and characters especially. Sometimes the bosses and characters look almost CG and the facial movements and character animation is amazing. Outside of Half life 2 I havent seen character design this good. I agree I wish it had been true widescreen but on a 42" plasma zoomed out it still looks very good and IMHO the best looking game on any console. The in game cinematics are just stunning and put almost any other game to shame! This is easily my favorite non online game in years.

[M O A B]

Has anyone tried it on a Samsung DLP in Wide Mode? That's most likely how I'll be playing it since it'll be running in 480p.

[Joe Redifer]

I agree with Savageone79. The graphics in RE4 are the best. Halo 2's graphics are OK. Ninja Gaiden's graphics are very good, but I think I like the environment in RE4 better. Plus NG has framerate stutter sometimes when playing in 480p 16:9 (when you do quick turns, etc). As for Panzer Dragoon Orta... I dunno... that's one damn nice looking game as well.

Online play is alright. I have maybe 2 hours of Halo 2 online time. And maybe 3 or 4 hours of single player before I got bored with it (online gets boring as well). But RE4 has not gotten boring, despite that all I do is kill zombies (what? This game doesn't have any zombies? OK I guess they are the "death-challenged persons" then). I get frustrated with RE4 at times, but never bored.

How'd y'all like the monks who chant "Go Hitler! Go Hitler! Go Hitler!" again and again?

[SCLlama]

Is that really what the monks say? i thought it sounded like "go halo go halo". but that doesn't seem right. lol

[Savageone79]

Yeah RE4 has held my interest much more then Halo 1 or 2 single player did, not that they are bad games by any means. The enviroments and character models blow away almost anything else out there.. I wish all games could look like this. The boss battles are the best I have expereinced anywhere too.

[SCLlama]

***Small spoiler warning!!***

Yea, this game just keeps getting better and better. I am close to the end now i think (5-4), and everything got much more difficult, and everything looks better. I think the Village level doesnt do justice compared to the castle, and the island graphically. There's just so much detail in areas like the labs on the island. The game is also a perfect length for me to keep me interested the whole time with out seeming short or too long-winded.

Also, I have to revoke my previous statement that this game ties halo 2. IMO, it is quite a ton better as a single player game (and i liked the halo 2 single player a lot too). Halo 2's multiplayer is the only thing that keeps it even close.

[NoThru22]

I really question what people are seeing to make people think this game has good looking environments. I think they're just blinded by the unbelievably good player and enemy models. I bitched that the village was washed out and grainy and people said "wait for the castle." Now that I'm halfway through the castle, I'm wondering what they meant. It's a little less grainy, but I much prefer the color pallet of RE1 and RE0. Those were games I was constantly wowed by. (Gameplay wise, this is still an A++. I'm utterly shocked the pansies aren't complaining about the difficulty.)

[Joe Redifer]

I think the washed out graphics really add to the game's overall feel. Kind of like slightly color-faded film.

[MinisterVado]

Originally posted by nothru22
(Gameplay wise, this is still an A++. I'm utterly shocked the pansies aren't complaining about the difficulty.)

i'm a pansy.

shoot 'em in the knees, and cut 'em while they're down, that's what i say!

as far as the graphics; i've only seen about the first 15 min of the game; and yes, it was only the character models that really impressed. the textures on that squad car just looked god-awful; and the forest/village floor was pretty bland, too. but the rest was neat.

[Savageone79]

The game is supposed to look washed out.. I agree it gives it a neat feel like an old movie. I guess maybe that would turn some people off or lessen the graphics in some eyes but for me I think it looks great. Also the amount of texture and polygons on the screen without slowdown is amazing also the number of buildings and trees etc on screen make it seem like a real place (at least in comparison to most other games) and just the variety of things you encounter is amazing. Also another thing i wanted to point out is the amazing load time this game has. I haven't ever seen a game load levels and areas faster then this especially with all the detail in the game. I wonder how they did that?

[Joe Redifer]

The Gamecube loads fast naturally.

I have seen some clipping issues like when I blow the head off of a zombie (I don't care what Capcom says... they're zombies!) the the headless body will keep walking right through me before it falls. One part in the castle had a zombie trying to mow you down with a machine gun, and when I was in a completely sealed room the shells (but not the bullets) would still fly in through the walls. And when there were some monks behind a door you could see their arms and maces come right through it.

[hdiesel1977]

How does this game look in 480p? I have played about 30 minutes of it in 480i (s-video) and while it looks pretty good i was wonder if they look any better with components at 480i.

[Joe Redifer]

Looks like every other game in the world does in 480p. It's not as nice as say... a Dreamcast on a VGA monitor, but it is almost noticeably better than 480i. Well actually I guess it is noticeable... to people like us.

[briankmonkey]

yup, one of the best next gen games to date graphically.. Plus probably the best single player experiences ever in gaming