"Resident Evil 4", known in Japan as biohazard 4 (バイオハザード4, Baiohazādo Fō?), is a third-person shooter, published and developed by Capcom. It is the sixth installment in the Resident Evil series. It was released in North America on January 11, 2005 for the Nintendo GameCube, and was later released in Japan on January 27, 2005 and in Europe on March 18, 2005. The game was later ported onto the PlayStation 2 in October 2005, and for the PC and Wii in June 2007. The game has won numerous game of the year awards.
Resident Evil 4's game mechanics have been completely redesigned to incorporate fast-paced gunplay, quick controls and shootouts involving massive crowds of enemies in large open areas. This, combined with an abundance of healing items and ammunition, results in a different gameplay experience from other Resident Evil games. Previous titles in the series have focused on exploration and conservation of ammunition. A typical play-through can result in the player killing upwards of 900 enemies.
Because the game contains no zombies, this installment is a radical departure from the series formula. Instead, the main enemies are parasitically-controlled humans referred to as "Los Ganados" (Spanish for "the cattle"). Significantly smarter and quicker than the zombies from previous games, Ganados are a very different sort of foe. These new enemies dodge, wield melee and projectile weapons, and are capable of working collectively and communicating with each other. Once simple farmers, these Ganados are the product of an infestation of Las Plagas, which are powerful mind-controlling parasites.
Resident Evil 4 also contains changes to the inventory, camera angles, and movement control system. Normally, the camera remains behind the player character, who stands just left of the center of the screen. The camera zooms in for an over-the-shoulder view when the aiming button is pressed, and most projectile weapons are given a laser sight for precision aiming. This feature was removed in the Wii version in favor of an aiming reticule controlled by the Wii Remote.
The inclusion of a laser sight gives players an unprecedented amount of control in their attacks. Previous Resident Evil games only allowed players to aim their weapon up, down, or level; Resident Evil 4 expands this considerably, and enemies respond differently to bullet impacts to various parts of the body. For example, a shot to the foot may cause an approaching enemy to stumble, while a shot to the arm might make an enemy drop their weapon. In many cases these types of shots leave enemies vulnerable to various melee attacks (such as a suplex or roundhouse kick), which often knock nearby enemies to the ground as well. This allows skilled players to use ammunition more efficiently - a feature not possible in previous Resident Evil games - by changing the focus away from item management toward combat. Additionally, ammunition is more plentiful than in previous installments, primarily because some enemies drop ammunition after they are defeated. Weapons may be purchased from and continuously upgraded by the merchant using the currency in the game, the peseta.
Item management has also undergone significant change. While previous installments restricted a character to carrying a set number of items, Resident Evil 4 bases the number of items a character may carry on a grid system in which each item takes up a set of squares on the grid. The player's carrying capacity may be expanded by purchasing larger attaché cases. In addition, key items are now kept separately from weapons and healing supplies, allowing the player to acquire them without dropping current items or backtracking to the nearest item chest to make room. Treasures may be sold to the merchant for pesetas. The healing herbs from the previous games are back. In addition to the traditional green and red herbs, the new yellow herb, when combined with a green herb (or a mixed herb) increases the player's maximum health.
Another new aspect of Resident Evil 4 is the inclusion of context-sensitive controls. Based on the situation, the player can interact with aspects of their environment: kicking down a ladder, jumping out of a window, or dodging an enemy attack. As mentioned previously, the player can perform a melee attack against enemies while the enemy is stunned or on his or her knees. There are also dynamic cut scenes, in which the player must press buttons indicated on-screen to execute actions such as dodging a falling boulder or wrestling an enemy to stay alive. These are often incorporated into the game's many boss battles, where the player must avoid deadly one-hit kill attacks.. The Wii version expanded on this concept slightly by including a quick Wii remote shake as a possible context sensitive action. The game also features a dedicated knife button, which the player can use in addition to firearms. In the Wii version, flicking the remote without using the knife button results in a weaker knife attack that is automatically aimed at the nearest hittable target.
The game features a more cinematic presentation by using letterboxing. Loading times are kept to a minimum, unlike previous Resident Evil games, where moving between areas required a load screen. In Resident Evil 4, the game loads only between areas denoted by green action text. An area may consist of anything from a few buildings to a huge military base. Doors may be opened slowly and quietly by pressing the 'action' button next to them, or quickly and violently by double-tapping the same button, often stunning enemies on the other side. Wikipedia
,_2005.jpg "Resident Evil 4 (aka Biohazard 4), 2005")