Resident Evil 4

This article is about the video game. For the untitled film informally called "Resident Evil 4", see Resident Evil 4 (film).

Resident Evil 4
North American GameCube cover art
Developer(s)	Capcom Production Studio 4
Publisher(s)	Capcom (GCN/PS2), UbiSoft (PC)
Designer(s)	Shinji Mikami(director), Hiroyuki Kobayashi (producer), Kuniomi Matsushita (director of PlayStation 2 version), Masachika Kawata (producer of PlayStation 2 version
Platform(s)	GameCube, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows
Release	Nintendo GameCube: January 11, 2005 January 27, 2005 March 18, 2005 Sony PlayStation 2: October 25, 2005 November 4, 2005 November 11, 2005 December 1, 2005 Windows (PC): September 30, 2006 October 13, 2006
Genre(s)	Action-adventure, Survival horror
Mode(s)	Single player

Resident Evil 4 (バイオハザード４, Biohazard 4) (often abbreviated RE4) is a survival horror game published and developed by Capcom. It is the sixth installment of the Resident Evil series. It was released for the Nintendo GameCube on January 11, 2005 in North America, on January 27, 2005 in Japan, and on March 18, 2005 in Europe. The PlayStation 2 version of the game was released on October 25, 2005 in North America, on November 4, 2005 in Europe, on November 11, 2005 in Australia, and on December 1, 2005 in Japan. The PC version was slated to be released on April 28, 2006, but is being consistently delayed, first until May 25, and later until September 2006.

Story

Template:Spoiler Set in 2004 (six years after the events of Resident Evil 2 and 3), the Umbrella Corporation has finally been destroyed. Following the events of the previous titles, news spreads of Umbrella's involvement in the viral outbreak which led to the destruction of Raccoon City. The news causes the company's share prices to plummet. Once the U.S. Government formally and indefinitely suspends the corporation's business and arrests the heads of the corporation, Umbrella goes bankrupt and discontinues research. For all intents and purposes, Umbrella is finished.

The player takes control of U.S. Agent and former Raccoon City Police Department rookie, Leon Scott Kennedy, as he is sent on a mission to an unnamed village in Spain (that can be seen when Wesker uses his H.C.F satellite camera to watch Ada). His mission is to rescue the President's abducted daughter, Ashley Graham. The mission naturally goes awry as Leon uncovers and clashes with Ashley's kidnappers, "Los Illuminados" (from Castilian, The Illuminated; not to be confused with the Illuminati). During his adventure, Leon crosses paths with Ada Wong, a spy who met Leon during the Raccoon City incident (the events of Resident Evil 2), and Jack Krauser, a former colleague thought to have died in a crash two years ago. He allies with Luis Sera, a researcher once involved in Los Illuminados movement who seeks to undo their work and retrieve a sample of Las Plagas (a breed of parasitic organisms that turns its victims into Saddler's servants). Luis dies at the hands of the main antagonist, Lord Osmund Saddler, the leader of Los Illuminados.

Leon undergoes a long, grueling odyssey that spans a village, a castle and a military complex on a remote island. Against monstrous odds, he manages to survive the Plagas-infected hordes and eliminate Krauser, Salazar and Saddler. He succeeds in rescuing Ashley, and escapes. However, Ada retains a sample of Las Plagas, and the threat of Umbrella begins to resurface.

Gameplay

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Leon in Salazar's Castle.

Resident Evil 4's game mechanics have been completely revamped to incorporate fast paced gunplay and third person shootouts, along with an abundance of health and ammunition items. This is the polar opposite of previous RE games, which focused on exploration and instilled a sense of fear via deadly enemies and little ammo and healing items the player can find. Though wasting ammo is not advised, the player will without a doubt fire more ammo and kill more enemies in one playthrough of this game than in all of the other games in the franchise combined (not including the Gun Survivor sub-franchise, in which the player is deliberately given infinite pistol ammo)-a typical playthrough can result in the player killing roughly a thousand enemies.

New gameplay

The new gameplay of Resident Evil 4 is more akin to that of a third person shooter than a traditional RE game. Because it contains no zombies, this installment is a radical departure from the series formula. Instead, the main enemies are parasitically-controlled humans referred to as "Ganados" (a play on the Spanish word for "livestock," but also has a second meaning, which is "earned" or "won over"). Marginally smarter and quicker than the zombies from previous games, Ganados are a much different sort of foe. These new enemies run, dodge, wield melee and projectile weapons. Once simple farmers, these Ganados are the product of an infestation of Las Plagas, parasites revived by the Salazar family to repay their debt to the religion associated with the parasite- the Los Illuminados. Although a departure from the game series, the concept of "intelligent zombies" was previously covered in the original novel Resident Evil: Caliban Cove.

Resident Evil 4 also contains changes to the inventory, camera, and movement control systems of earlier games. The perspective is an over-the-shoulder view similar to that of the Splinter Cell games, a perspective Cliff Bleszinski dubbed second-person in reference to his own Gears of War in an interview with Game Informer. Normally, the camera remains behind the player character, who is visible from the waist up (although a lower angle is sometimes used), and stands just left of the center of the screen. The camera zooms in close behind Leon for an over-the-shoulder view when the aiming button is held.

The game also features a more cinematic presentation by using letterboxing, like that used in Beyond Good & Evil. Though the controls are largely the same as previous installments, free-aiming is now possible with the inclusion of a laser-pointer for every weapon except those with telescopic sights. Previous Resident Evil games allowed players only to tilt their weapon up, down, or in front; 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. Ammo is more plentiful than in previous installments, primarily because enemies drop ammo after they are defeated. Similar to the system used in Dino Crisis 2, weapons may be purchased from and continuously upgraded by the merchant using the currency in the game, the peseta.

The combat knife no longer takes up space in the player's inventory, but can be drawn at anytime with its own button. The knife now serves as a tool as well as a weapon, and as such is much more useful than in the previous games: it can now destroy glass and specific boards, as well as crates and barrels (which often contain items or a snake). As a weapon, it's useful for finishing off Ganados that have been knocked to the ground, since unlike zombies from the past Resident Evil games, Ganados do not grab and bite the player's legs when lying down.

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, similar to the inventory system in Diablo and Deus Ex. 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 collected and sold to the merchant for pesetas. The healing herbs from the previous games are back. In addition to the traditional Green and Red herbs, is the Yellow herb, which when combined with a Green herb, or a Green/Red mixed herb, increases the player's maximum health. The Yellow herb replaces the Blue herb that, along with the possibility of getting poisoned, is gone.

Another new aspect of Resident Evil 4 is the inclusion of context-sensitive controls. Based on the situation, the player can interact with specific aspects of their environment, such as by kicking down a ladder, jumping out of a window, or dodging an enemy attack. The player can perform a mêlée attack against a Ganado (as well as other enemies) while the enemy is stunned or crouching. There are also dynamic cut scenes, (similar to Shenmue's Quick Time Events) in which the player must repeatedly press buttons indicated on-screen to execute actions such as dodging a falling boulder or wrestling an enemy. This technique is sometimes employed in boss fights to give the player a fighting chance against one-hit kill attacks.

Loading times are kept to a minimum, unlike previous Resident Evil games where moving between areas required a load screen (in Resident Evil (GCN) and Resident Evil Zero, these load screens were kept in as a homage to the original PS1 games). In Resident Evil 4, the game loads only between areas denoted by green action text. An area may feature anything from a few buildings to a huge military base. Doors are manipulated by hitting 'action' next to them, after which the character opens the door slowly and quietly or the character will give it a push or a kick (which can send enemies to the ground) if the player presses action twice. Cutscenes load almost instantaneously, keeping the pace consistent. However the PlayStation 2 version loads slower and has less quality in sound effects outside of cutscenes.

Game weapons

Pistols

• Handgun - This is the basic pistol that Leon starts the game with. It uses 9mm ammunition, and is based on the Heckler & Koch USP Tactical.
• Red9 - The first handgun that the player can purchase from the Merchant. Based on the Mauser C96, it is the most powerful and most space-consuming of the 9mm pistol class, but has more recoil and is heavy to wield, making Leon's aim wander more than with other weapons. Both the recoil and aim can be helped by fitting a stock.
• Punisher - Earned by completing the game's first subquest (or purchasable for 20,000p). Based on the Five-seveN, it has has the ability to penetrate multiple enemies.
• Blacktail - The last pistol available in the regular game. Based on the Springfield Armory XD, it is the second most powerful 9mm. It is also the fastest firing and has the fastest reload time out of all the weapons.
• Matilda - It can shoot in three-round bursts (although when the trigger is held down it's more like fully automatic). Based on the Heckler & Koch VP70, it can only be obtained after the game has been completed. This weapon is also in Resident Evil 2. It also takes up the most inventory space of all the handguns because it has an integrated stock.
• Broken Butterfly - A magnum revolver based on the Schofield Model 3, it is one of the most powerful weapons in the game, though it is slow to reload. The exclusive increases its firepower to 50.
• Killer7 - Named after the game of the same name, the weapon based on the AMT Hardballer is one of the only weapons that doesn't have an exclusive upgrade.
• Handcannon - The most powerful gun in the game. Based on the S&W Model 500, it is only obtainable after achieving a five-star rank on every level of the "Mercenaries" mini-game with all 5 characters. Its exclusive upgrade gives it infinite ammo and increases its firepower to 99.9

Shotguns

• Shotgun - Found in a house in the first village. Based on the Remington 870 Express, pellets dispererse dramatically with distance, making the ideal for close encounters. The exclusive upgrade allows the gun to have the pellets to disperse less.
• Riot Gun - A shotgun that has a larger capacity and is more powerful than the first. It is based on the Benelli M4.
• Striker - The fastest-firing and most powerful shotgun. The DAO-12, as such, is only available near the end of the game. The exclusive for this weapon is a 100 round magazine.

Rifles

• Rifle - The first sniper rifle the player can acquire. Based on the Springfield 1903, and although more powerful than the semi-automatic rifle, it is a bolt-action, meaning that Leon must exit the scope view to work the bolt.
• Semi-Automatic Rifle - The other available rifle. As it is semi-automatic, multiple shots can be fired in the scope view. It fires much more quickly than the bolt-action rifle, but is less powerful when fully upgraded. It appears to be based on H&K's SL8 sporting rifle.

Sub-machine guns

• TMP - The first automatic weapon available in the game, based on the weapon of the same name.
• Chicago Typewriter - Obtainable after the "Assignment Ada" minigame has been completed and can be purchased from the merchant for a million pesetas. This Thompson submachine gun has infinite ammunition, although the player can still change the magazine by pressing the reload button (when wearing the second special costume when playing the PlayStation 2 version of the game, Leon will not change the magazine but adjust his hat while making a disbelieving noise). If the reload is done three times in a row in the second special costume, Leon will throw his hat into the air and strike a pose. For the PlayStation 2 version, the Chicago Typewriter can be obtained (for the main game), if "Separate Ways" is completed. The Chicago Typewriter costs a million pesetas. If the player beats "Assignment Ada," this gun will be unlocked in "Separate Ways" for 300,000 pesetas. Also, when the Chicago Typewriter is equipped, occasionally the players will be able to notice Leon making different stances in the Inventory menu.

Rocket launchers

• Rocket Launcher - The most powerful weapon in the game, which can even destroy many bosses in one hit or two. A single-shot weapon that damages anything nearby, including Leon and/or Ashley. Based on the RPG-7.
• Special Rocket Launcher - Acquired in the final boss fight, it has a red tip but is otherwise identical to the normal weapon. It destroys the final boss in one hit, though is not required to win the fight. If it is unused on completion, it remains in the player's inventory and can be sold for 30,000 pesetas.
• Infinite Rocket Launcher - Obtainable for 1,000,000 pesetas after completing the game, it is identical to the standard rocket launcher except that it has infinite ammunition and is held in a different position.

Special weaponry

• Mine Thrower - Fires explosive darts with a short timer. The exclusive upgrade of this weapon allows the darts to "home" in on a target and increases their blast radius. The Mine Thrower has also appeared on Resident Evil 3.
• P.R.L. 412 - Can only be obtained when finished beating pro difficulty on the PlayStation 2 version of the game. Runs on a "battery", when aimed and tapped the fire button once, it temporarily blinds the enemies that have the parasite inside their body and kill any creature with an exposed parasite. When charged, it releases a powerful laser that can kill almost any creature with the plagas inside or outside them.

Grenades

• Hand Grenade - Explodes after a few moments, inflicting damage on all enemies within its blast radius.
• Incendiary Grenade - Upon impact with the ground, creates a large fire which continues to burn for several seconds, inflicting damage on any creature which touches it.
• Flash Grenade - Creates a bright flash that will stun any Ganados in its blast radius. The flash will also instantly destroy any exposed parasites.

Creatures

Further information: List of Resident Evil 4 creatures

Extras

In-game

• Ashley's Skirt: When Ashley is standing on a ledge waiting to be caught, if the player moves Leon over and looks directly at her, at an angle the player will be able to look up her skirt, she will blush and ask him, "Leon, where are you looking?" or say "Oh, you pervert!" or push her skirt to her knees and yell, "Hey, what are you looking at?!".

• Crows: Killing crows will give the player money, jewels, ammo or grenades.

• Snakes: Snakes appear inside some crates and attack Leon if not killed quickly. If one is killed, it will drop an egg.

• Bell: At the church where Ashley is held, shooting the bell will bring more enemies.

• Fish: The player can kill fish and sell them, or eat them for health. A large fish will completely restore health.

• Eggs: Chickens sometimes leave eggs lying around. There are three types: white, brown, and gold. White eggs replenish a little bit of health, brown a little more and gold will replenish all health. Eggs can be thrown at Ganados, which fazes them but doesn't damage them. Golden eggs can be thrown at some bosses' weak points (ex. Sadler's eye), doing considerable damage if actually hit.

• Chicken: Killing chickens will give the player jewels or ammo.

• Cows: when attacked with a knife, a cow will attack the player with its horns, thus causing considerable damage.

Unlockables

After the player completes the main game, the following features are unlocked:

• Professional - A difficulty setting available when starting a new game where the enemies can sustain and deliver more damage. The title screen also changes to a panoramic view of the village. If the player beats it on this difficulty, the P.R.L 412 laser gun is unlocked (PS2 version only) Also take note that this difficulty will only be unlocked after beating the main game on the 'Normal' difficulty setting and not 'Easy'.
• The Mercenaries - A minigame where the objective is to kill the most Ganados during a limited amount of time. The player can pick up time extensions to remain in a stage as long as possible and gain bonus points for consecutive kills or by picking up hourglasses hidden in chests. There are four stages in all, with the first three being altered versions of areas from the main game and a fourth stage (the "Waterworld" stage) exclusive to this minigame. Each stage also has a sub-boss, with the "Waterworld" stage featuring a giant version of the enemy Dr. Salvador with a double-bladed chainsaw, who is not featured in the main game. In this mode, the player can play as either Leon (unlocked by default), Ada, Krauser, HUNK, or Albert Wesker. The other 4 characters are unlocked by beating the levels with a 4 star rating or higher.
• Assignment Ada, Ada the Spy - Available in all versions of the game, except in the German PAL Version, due to regulations in that country; the censorship doesn't affect the Austrian or Swiss versions of the game. A scenario starring Ada Wong where the objective is to retrieve five Plaga samples located within the initial Island stage. Ada wears a black spy suit in this scenario instead of her usual red dress.
• Separate Ways (Another Order - PS2 version only) A scenario starring Ada, which is available only in the PlayStation 2 version and comprises five chapters that reveal previously undisclosed plot details. After completing each chapter, a portion of the documentary Ada's Report will be available for viewing.
• Movie Browser - A cut scene viewer that allows the player to select any scene from the main game. Once Separate Ways is completed, scenes from that scenario are added too. The movie browser is only available in the PlayStation 2 version.

Hidden characters (Mercenaries mode only)

• Ada Wong - Unlocked after achieving a four-stars rank in the Village stage. She wears her outfit from Resident Evil 2 in this mode.
• Jack Krauser - Unlocked after achieving a four-stars rank in the Castle stage. Can use his claw as a special attack, and uses a bow and arrow.
• HUNK - Unlocked after achieving a four-stars rank in the Island (Base) stage. Hunk was a secret character in Resident Evil 2. HUNK uses his own Custom TMP in Mercenaries, as well as using the powerful 'Neckbreaker' technique that is an instant kill.
• Albert Wesker - Unlocked after achieving a four-stars rank in the Island (Waterworld) stage. He possesses extremely powerful melee attacks for use against stunned enemies; he also carries a silenced pistol, which cannot be used in the main game, except by using an Action Replay or similar device to make it available. Wesker is perceived as the main antagonist of the Resident Evil series.

Hidden Costume Sets

• Special 1 - Leon's Raccoon Police Department uniform and a pop-idol outfit for Ashley. In the GameCube version, Ada wears her spy suit from Assignment Ada.
• Special 2 - A mafia-like outfit for Leon and a suit of armor for Ashley. The armor makes Ashley invulnerable to attacks from Ganados; she will be too heavy to be picked up by them. Even El Gigante is unable to grab Ashley, as he will cringe in pain if he tries to crush her. Ashley's Armor also shields her from Leon's weapons. Leon will also grab his back in pain when he catches Ashley from above. Whenever Ashley moves, the armor makes loud "clanking" noises (similar to the "armor suit" enemies encountered). Combining the mafia suit with the Chicago Typewriter will not only cause Leon to occasionally change his pose in the item screen, but will cause Leon to additionally pose whenever the reload button is pressed when using the Typewriter (a dramatic hat juggle for every fourth time the reload button is pressed). Special costume set 2 is only available in the PlayStation 2 version.

Graphics

The vast majority of Resident Evil 4's in game graphics are fully three-dimensional; everything is rendered in real-time (the PlayStation 2 version uses FMVs instead of realtime footage). This allows for a mobile camera - a change from most of the previous games in the series which used pre-rendered, occasionally animated backdrops with superimposed 3D characters. To keep the framerate steady, however, some objects in the game (such as certain bookcases, some trees and the hanging gloves on the Island stage) use flat, 2D images overlayed onto simple low-poly objects. (Code: Veronica was 3D, but hardly used the available camera mobility.) There is a surprising amount of detail in every scene, with raindrops bouncing off of the character's shoulders, bullet casings visibly being ejected from the weapons, realistic flames and explosions, and subtle additions such as dead leaves fluttering in the autumn wind. Due to the PlayStation 2's hardware limitations one might notice more fog in the distance to keep the poly-count down, and less graphical effects as opposed to its GameCube cousin. The game is presented in widescreen, although the GameCube version is letter-boxed only, with no anamorphic support. This may be due to the PlayStation 2's higher peak pixel fillrate, although the system still has poorer overall texturing and geometry capabilities than the GameCube.

Reaction

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The Japanese cover of the Playstation 2 release.

Resident Evil 4 is by far the most popular game in the series since Resident Evil 2 (which also featured Leon S. Kennedy as one of the main protaganists). It has received dozens of awards from various organizations (see below), and receiving a rating of over 9.0 from the majority of review sites.

The GameCube version was released in the US on January 11, 2005 with US sales exceeding 320,000 copies in the first 20 days. The European release on March the 18th mirrored this success, selling its entire 200,000 unit allocation within the first month. As of January 2006, reported sales of Resident Evil 4 show that it has shipped over 3,000,000 copies world wide. Sales totals include the PlayStation 2 port that was released on October 25, 2005.

The radical departure from the Resident Evil formula has riled some fans of the series who preferred the traditional gameplay elements left over from the 32-bit era such as claustrophobic corridors, limited save states, limited ammo and weapons, exploration over action, and frequent backtracking, and were also outraged at the game's lack of connection to the established RE story. However, many other fans were relieved by the changes, as they had been growing tired of what they viewed as "repetitiveness" in the core series thus far. In fact, Resident Evil 4 was especially popular among gamers who hadn't been fans of the RE series, or the survival horror genre in general.

The drastic changes paid off, and the game was considered by industry insiders and the casual gaming public as a top contender for 2005's Game of the Year. The fourth iteration (although, realistically the sixth game in the main series, which includes Code: Veronica and Zero) has made fans out of players who would not otherwise have given the Resident Evil series a second glance [1]. Both versions of Resident Evil 4 scored over 95% on GameRankings and 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, two review aggregator sites.

Nintendo Power also gave it a perfect 10, and also ranked it their 2005 Game of the Year. It also ranked #2 on their "NP Top 200" list (featuring the best games ever on Nintendo consoles), behind only The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The Official PlayStation Magazine named it the Game Of The Year on the PlayStation 2 . Game Informer gave both editions of Resident Evil 4 10 out of 10, and ranked it their 2005 Game of the Year.

Subsequently, Resident Evil 4 was named 'Game of the Year' at the 2005 Spike TV Video Game Awards.

GameCube exclusivity controversy

In September 2001, Capcom announced that the core Resident Evil series would become exclusive to the Nintendo GameCube with three new games: a remake of the original Resident Evil (better known by its informal abbreviated name, REmake), a prequel titled Resident Evil 0, and Resident Evil 4. This caused a stir among longtime Resident Evil fans who owned the series on PlayStation and PlayStation 2. In fact, Capcom had previously proposed a version of Resident Evil 4 for PlayStation 2, but the idea was revamped into Devil May Cry.

Many believed that Capcom would follow their actions with Resident Evil: Code Veronica, which was originally marketed as a Sega Dreamcast exclusive, but eventually made its way to the PlayStation 2 and GameCube in the form of an updated version. The fan's beliefs were helped by the financial losses Capcom took in 2002 and 2003 due to lower sales of Resident Evil (remake) and Resident Evil Zero on the GameCube, as well as high sales of Resident Evil Outbreak on PS2 (see next paragraph). Despite this, Capcom, especially Shinji Mikami, touted the three new games as GameCube exclusives. In an interview with a Japanese magazine, Mikami even claimed that he would "cut [his own] head off" (Japanese colloquial for firing a person) if Resident Evil 4 came to the PlayStation 2.

After the announcement of the exclusivity policy, Capcom still announced two Resident Evil titles for the PlayStation 2; Gun Survivor 4 (Resident Evil: Dead Aim) and Outbreak. Capcom's justification for these titles appearing on the PlayStation 2 was that they were side stories and such, were not subject to the GameCube policy, also required the use of additional peripherals (a light gun and online support) that were not available for the GameCube.

However, on October 31, 2004, Capcom officially announced that Resident Evil 4 would come to the PlayStation 2 near the end of 2005, citing increased profit, changing market conditions, and increased consumer satisfaction as the key reasons (this, and that Capcom was equally pleased with the sole sales of Resident Evil Outbreak) Resident Evil (remake) and Resident Evil Zero will remain GameCube exclusives. Similar to the fans' outrage in 2001, a vocal majority of GameCube fans were angered that Capcom had remitted three years worth of exclusivity promises.

On February 1, 2006, Ubisoft announced that they would be publishing the game on the PC. .

Special editions and bonuses

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The Special Edition chainsaw controller.

During the GameCube launch, the retailer chain GameStop released Resident Evil 4 in a limited special edition, packaged in a tin box, along with an artwork book telling the story of the series, a cel art of Leon, and a soundtrack CD. The PlayStation 2 also saw an special edition (but official, released by Capcom itself), packaged in a "fake tin" plastic case, along with the artwork book, a documentary DVD, and a cel art of Ada.

Game developer NubyTech also made a special chainsaw controller. This controller was obviously a reference to the chainsaw-wielding Ganado Dr. Salvador. Originally released in yellow for the GameCube, when the PlayStation 2 port was released, this unique controller would also be released for the console, only sporting an orange color . The controller is, without question, one of the most unique gaming peripherals due to its appearance and detail (which features blood-stains and a bloody image of Leon), although due to its less-than-ideal layout and cost, it is seen more as a collector's item rather than an enhancement to the gameplay. A report by IGN claimed that the controller is quite comfortable to use. These controllers are somewhat rare and most likely appeal to the hardcore Resident Evil fan.

Cultural inaccuracies

The currency used in the game is pesetas (abbreviated PTAS), which would seem to make little sense with the story taking place in 2004, when pesetas have been replaced by Euro in Spain. A plausible explanation to this could be that the village in question is of an isolationist mindset, where old customs die extremely hard, and the residents may have deliberately refrained from adopting the change in currency.

A larger mistake is that the enemies speak with an accent similar to that of Mexico and use words that are rare in the Iberian Spanish but are more common in Latin America. Moreover, some Spanish names of people and organizations are written in incorrect form, for example, the word “Illuminados” is correctly spelled with just one L, not two. They may have added the extra “L” so it could pronounced the same way as in Spanish. Another example is the creature called the "Garrador," which is not actually a Spanish word but has "dor" added in order to seem Spanish. Its name comes from the word "Garra" which means "Claw". The proper name of the creature should be "Desgarrador". The Spanish is largely sloppy English to Spanish translation.

Certain signposts in the villages in-game depict arrows that guide the player to the next destination. Unlike an arrow that would appear on a North American One Way traffic sign, the in-game arrows appear to only be the upper half of the forementioned arrow. This style of half-arrow is only used in Japan, and is therefore out of place in the game's setting.

Dialogue notes

In the Japanese version of Separate Ways, when Ada picks up the plagas sample, she says "this is gonna be hard to explain at Customs", but the Japanese subtitles may be translated as "now I don't have to visit the DUTY FREE [sic] shop". This refers to the stereotype that Japanese people will always visit the duty-free shop when travelling abroad. However, this stereotype is unknown outside Japan, and the different spoken dialogue reflects this.

Leon states that Los Illuminados is "a mouthful", implying the term is difficult to say. However, he pronounces the name easily. The Japanese katakana transliteration of "Los Illuminados" contains extra vowel sounds and an "L" sound that is difficult for native Japanese speakers to pronounce. Therefore, this meaning of this line does not generalize fully to the translated English version; it was designed for Japanese audiences.

After Saddler has a Ganado shoot down Mike's helicopter, he calls Leon. After a few moments into the dialogue, Leon says (quickly) "Saddler you bastard!" The subtitles at the bottom of the radio screen omit the word "bastard", either due to Leon saying it fast or its status as hard slang.

Alternative versions

Regional differences

The GameCube version of Resident Evil 4 went through slight modifications in each regional release since the initial one. The North American version was the first to be released, followed shortly by the Japanese version (titled Biohazard 4). These two versions are reportedly identical in most aspects (excluding localization), with the only difference being that animation involving decapitation were removed in the Japanese version. This was presumably due to the fact that Biohazard 4 was the first game in the series (not including re-releases and ports) to be rated by the Computer Entertainment Rating Organization, which objected to the game's depictions of decapitations. When Leon is killed by a chainsaw wielding ganado, his face is rather unrealistically mutilated. In Japan, the Assignment: Ada minigame is titled Ada the Spy.

The PAL versions of the game went through several changes from the North American version. This includes more balanced gameplay, a new Easy mode and increased firepower in some guns. In addition, the listed firing speed for rifles has been changed to reflect their actual firing speed in the game more accurately.

In terms of violent content, all the PAL versions are identical to the North American version. This is with exception to the German version of the game, which has less graphic animations for various ways that Leon dies (ie. Garrador, Chainsaw), explosions of enemy heads are almost unseen, violent cutscenes have been edited, and Assignment Ada and Mercenaries mini-games are left out. Since all PAL versions include multiple localizations, the game sold in the Netherlands is 100% identical to the UK version. Only the language of the manual is different in each country. The Swiss and Austrian version, however has all the original violence of the normal game and also includes the two mini-games that were removed from the German version while shipping with a German booklet.

PlayStation 2 port

The PlayStation 2 port of the game was released in America on October 25, 2005. Release dates for other regions are listed above. Despite earlier rumors of a downgraded port due to the PlayStation 2's hardware capabilities, impressions of the port based on a preview build have been generally favorable, with many critics stating that the PlayStation 2 version's graphics are very close to the GameCube original despite a lower polygon count, suffering only a slight loss in detail, such as those found in lighting and texture detail. A comparison has been made by the fansite The Horror Is Alive here as well as Ruliweb here and Games We Like here. The screens show a noticeable drop in overall detail. Many levels have been remade with lower polygonal counts and mostly lower texture detail, as have the character models. The overall look was comparable, though inferior, to the original GameCube game.

Although the GameCube version was noted for its real-time cut scenes, almost all of them have been converted to movie files for the PlayStation 2. This is especially notable when Leon is wearing the tactical vest or one of the unlockable costumes. Regardless of what Leon may be wearing during gameplay, he is always seen in his default outfit during cut scenes in the PlayStation 2 version, whereas the GameCube version reflects whatever his current gameplay outfit is. However since the US version is unedited, the Japanese version is still censored.

To compensate for the late release, Capcom has added new content made specifically for the PlayStation 2 release.

• A new scenario starring Ada Wong (unrelated to the "Assignment: Ada" minigame) titled "Separate Ways" (bearing the grammatically unsound title, "The Another Order" in the Japanese version). This new, five-chapter scenario runs parallel to the main scenario, covering Ada's side of the story. Ada (in her Chinese dress) can use her grappling gun to access new areas. "Separate Ways" contains new cut-scenes, fleshing out her relationship with Luis Sera and Albert Wesker, serving to explain details in the game's storyline. This scenario also includes two new weapons exclusive to Ada: a pump-action shotgun and a bowgun with explosive arrows, and includes a new boss.
• A five-part documentary titled "Ada's Report," in which Ada reveals information about her mission objective to the viewer. In each chapter, Ada analyzes her relationship with a particular character and their role in the plot. Each part of Ada's Report is unlocked for viewing after completing the corresponding chapter in "Separate Ways".
• A new weapon exclusive to Leon, known as the P.R.L. 412 (an acronym for Plaga Removal Laser). This is a laser gun which kills an enemy by destroying the Plaga parasite internally.
• New outfits for Leon and Ashley, a Chicago gangster outfit for Leon and a knight armor outfit for Ashley (the latter making Ashley invincible and too heavy to be carried off by Los Ganados, but makes her noisier.) As a small Easter Egg, Leon will grab his back and wince in pain after catching Ashley when she is wearing the knight armour.
• A cut scene viewer ("Movie Browser"), which becomes available after completing the main game once. The player can view cut scenes from both the main game (by chapters) and "Separate Ways."
• Anamorphic support for widescreen televisions, in addition to letter-boxing. True support, rather than the GCN version which was letter-boxed even on a widescreen television. Progressive Scan and Dolby Pro Logic II support remains.
• The Japanese version of the game includes a new "Amateur" difficulty setting, causing enemies to react slowly, attack infrequently, and for the player to incur very little damage.

Box art

File:Slpm66213.jpg Japanese PlayStation 2 box art.

File:Re4onps2.jpg USA PlayStation 2 box art.

File:Residentevil4boxcxart.jpg PAL PlayStation 2 box art.

PC port

A PC port of this game will be published by Ubisoft. This port is due to be released September 30, 2006 in the United States and October 13, 2006 in Europe. However, there is no planned release in Japan. The port will contain the bonus features from PlayStation 2 version, such as "Separate Ways", the new weapon P.R.L. 412 laser cannon and unlockable costumes for Leon and Ashley. Yet, no screenshots or videos have been released (except those at Ubisoft webpage, which according to their resolution, overall graphic quality and the fact that they have been released since the day Capcom announced this port, it's more than sure they are from PlayStation 2 or GameCube version of the game), but it is said that the port will have graphics potentially superior to those of the GameCube. [2]

Development history

Officially announced in 2001, Resident Evil 4 underwent a long development period in which three proposed versions of the game were discarded by the developers before the finished product was released in 2005.

An earlier attempt in developing Resident Evil 4 was made from sometime in 1998 to 2000 for the PlayStation 2, with Resident Evil 2 director Hideki Kamiya leading the project. The first year was primarily spent on R&D of what the project would be, and included a trip to Spain for the development staff to study Spanish castle architecture. The direction the project took was considered too much of a departure from the traditional Resident Evil style and the resulting game was revamped and released as Devil May Cry in 2001. In Devil May Cry, several similarities can be observed when compared to the Resident Evil games, hinting that those parts were 'leftovers' from the development of that version of Resident Evil 4, including:

• The "Phantom" boss, a gigantic spider, a monster design that has appeared in almost every Resident Evil game.
• The "Marionette" is a puppet-type enemy. They have no brain of their own and act as cannon-fodder, like the zombies from the Resident Evil games.
• The "Blade" enemy is modelled after the "Hunter" enemy from the Resident Evil series.

The development of Resident Evil 4 got its official start in 2001 for the GameCube as part of an exclusivity agreement between Capcom and Nintendo. The first proposed version, dubbed the Fog Version, was unveiled in the Tokyo Game Show in 2002 and had Hiroshi Shibata (background designer for Resident Evil 3: Nemesis) attached to the project. This version's premise featured Leon infiltrating Umbrella's HQ in Europe, getting infected by the Progenitor Virus (covered in the Resident Evil remake and Resident Evil 0) and fighting fog-like creatures. One of the most notable areas shown in this version was a flying airship. However, Capcom scrapped the second beta of Resident Evil 4 quietly and created a new version without any outside announcement.

After the Fog Version came the Hooked Man Version. First shown at the E3 in 2003, this version was set in a haunted mansion and featured Leon fighting what appeared to be paranormal enemies, such as medieval suits of armor and living dolls. It also seemed that there are two different worlds, one relatively normal and one where the bizarre enemies would apear, similar in many ways to the Silent Hill game series. The most notable enemy in this version was the aforementioned "Hooked Man", who was intended to be a recurring enemy in the game, along the lines of the role of The Nemesis. The game displayed numerous elements that have been carried over to the final release:

• The camera moves to over Leon's shoulder when his weapon is drawn. However, in the video, there are a few times when Leon aims without the over-the-shoulder camera. The game reverts to a third-person view like a traditional Resident Evil game.
• A red laser sight for Leon to use during aiming.
• The flashlight that is added to Leon's character design.
• A suit of armour suddenly attacking you when you attempt to pass it, as well as the button combination to dodge the attack.
• The ability to throw a grenade.
• The concept of assigning the L button to draw another type of weapon. You can use a grenade in the beta, but it is a knife in the final release.
• The 'struggle' feature where you have to break free from an enemy's grasp.
• Leon's health indicator. In the beta, it flashes when Leon is hurt, but in the final release the developers decided to add a HUD to display more information.

This version was so scary that Shinji Mikami himself warned the gamers with a famous quote "Don't pee your pants" prior showing the initial trailer at E3. Gameplay footage of this version was featured in the Biohazard 4 Secret DVD released in Japan only. This version was scrapped due being far too paranormal for the Resident Evil plot.

The final proposal before the finished product reportedly featured zombies as enemies once again. Not much was known about this version as it was never shown publicly. It was considered too formulaic by the developers and was discarded. After this, Shinji Mikami took over directorial duties from Shibata and began working on the version that was released.

At the last beta version, again, several things were changed during the development. Resident Evil 4 was to retain the inventory slot system, but was changed to the attache case.

In much interest, it seems that this is the first Resident Evil game in the series that reject the "Survivor Horror" theme in favour for the "Survivor Action" genre: In the packaging art in the back of the Nintendo Gamecube version it says Forget everything you know about Resident Evil, while the Playstation 2 packaging art in the back reads Forget "Survivor Horror"- This is Survival Action redefined

Media references/similarities

• Dr. Salvador, a chainsaw wielding ganado with a potato sack over his head, has been considered a cross between Jason of Friday the 13th fame and Leatherface of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It was a tribute to both of these movie icons, according to the game creator.
• At one point Leon must survive a laser-corridor in a similar fashion to the Red Queen's chamber in the Resident Evil film.
• Bitores Mendez's physical appearance and clothing is designed after The Creature in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, down to the buttons on the back of his coat.

Awards & recognition

• 2004 IGN Best of E3 Awards: GameCube Best Action Game, Best Graphics, Best Sound, Technological Excellence, Game of the Show; Technological Excellence
• 2005 CESA Game Awards - Prize of Excellence
• 2005 Spike TV's Video Game Awards - Best Graphics and Game of the Year
• IGN Best of 2005: GameCube Best Action Game, Best Graphics Technology, Best Artistic Design, Best Original Score, Best Use of Sound and Game of the Year
• IGN Best of 2005 Readers' Choice: Gamecube Best Action Game, Best Graphics Technology Overall and Game of the Year
• 2005 Golden Joystick Awards - GameCube Game of the Year and Editor's Game of the Year
• 2005 GameSpot Best of 2005: Best Action Adventure Game, Most Improved Sequel, GameCube Game of the Year and Game of the Year 2005 (GameCube Version) [3]
• 2005 GameSpot Reader's Choice: Best Action-Adventure Game, GameCube Game of the Year and Game of the Year 2005
• GameSpy Best of 2005: Best GameCube Action Title of 2005 and GameCube Game of the Year
• 2005 Edge magazine Awards: Best Game Of 2005
• Telewest Shiny Awards Games Digest: Game Of The Year 2005
• G4TV "X-Play"'s: Best Action Adventure Game of 2005 and Game of the Year 2005
• GameFAQs 2005'Best: Best GameCube Game and Game of the Year
• GameFAQs Tenth Anniversary Contest - Ranked #14 on "Best Games Ever"
• 2005 Game Informer Game of the Year
  • In addition, Leon was ranked #3 on GameInformer's "Top 10 Heroes of 2005" list.
• 2005 Metacritic: PlayStation 2 Game of the Year and GameCube Game of the Year
• 2005 Play Magazine: Editor's Choice Game of the Year and Best Graphics
• 2005 EGM Magazine: Game of the Year
• 2005 GamePro Magazine Editor's Choice: Game of the Year and Best Action-Adventure
• UGO.com: 2005 Game of the Year
• 2005 Game Revolution: Game of the Year
• Blender Magazine's Reader's Poll: 2005 Game of the Year
• NGC Magazine's Game of the Year 2005
• 2005 1UP Awards: Game of the Year and Best Action Game
• 2005 GAME: Game of the Year and People's Choice
• 2005 Gamefly Q Awards Favorite: Game of the Year and Gamecube Game of the Year
• 2005 Game Central's (UK) Game of the Year and viewers' Game of the Year(both PS2 and Gamecube)
• 2005 "Nintendo Power Awards": - Game of the Year - GCN, Best Graphics - GCN, Best Sound / Voice Acting, Best Adventure Game and Game of the Year (Overall).
• 2005 Nintendo Power - Ranked #2 on "NP top 200"
• Gaming Target's 52 Games From 2005 We'd Still Be Playing
• 2006 IGN - Ranked #1 on "Reader's Top 99 Games"
• 2006 Famitsu - 2005 Game of the Year (tied with Kingdom Hearts II)
• 2006 GameSpy - Ranked #1 on "Top 25 GameCube Games of All Time"
• 2006 X-Play - Ranked #1 on "Top 10 GameCube Games"

Cast

• Paul Mercier — Leon Scott Kennedy
• Carolyn Lawrence — Ashley Graham
• Rino Romano — Luis Sera
• Salli Saffioti — Ingrid Hunnigan
• Sally Cahill — Ada Wong
• Rene Mujica — Ramon Salazar
• Jesse Corti — Bitores Mendez
• Jim Ward — Jack Krauser
• Michael Gough — Osmund Saddler
• Richard Waugh — Albert Wesker
• Carlos Carrasco — Villagers/Zealots
• Alex Mendoza — Villagers/Zealots
• Carol Bach y Rita — Villagers/Zealots
• Ward E. Sexton — Title Call

Music

Main article: Biohazard 4 Original Soundtrack

The original 2-disc soundtrack CD for Resident Evil 4, composed by Misao Senbongi & Shusaku Uchiyama, was released in Japan on December 22, 2005 and its catalogue number is CPCA-10126~7 .

External links

• Official American site
• Official European site
• GameRankings reviews
• Good comparison between Gamecube and PlayStation 2 versions