What is Resident Evil 4?
Resident Evil 4 is a survival horror/action game developed by Capcom and originally released for the Nintendo Gamecube and PlayStation 2 in 2005. RE4 received critical acclaim, was extremely influential, and is known as one of the best video games ever made.
Analysis of Game Components
Graphics
When Resident Evil 4 was released, one of the things it was praised for was it's graphics. For it's time, I think that the graphics were amazing, and in general they still hold up now. I use the term "in general" since there are many different versions of the game on different platforms, and some look better than others. You can tell that the original versions are fairly old, as they run in 480p resolution and some of the textures are quite low res. The graphics still don't look terrible though, and the models are pretty good. They are just missing some modern features such as more realistic hair and skin.
The newest version that was released on Steam in early 2014 is the version I have been playing recently. It claims to be the "Ultimate HD Edition" even though the textures are pretty much the same. I still think that the graphics are decent, and if you take the games age into account it's pretty amazing.
Two guys, Cris and Albert, are working on a complete HD overhaul of the games textures. Lots of the game has been completed already, however they still have a lot left to complete. Below you will see some images from their site re4hd.com, comparing the 2014 Steam release textures to their HD remake.
As you can see, the RE4HD textures look a lot nicer, but the original textures could be worse.
Sound
Resident Evil 4's sound is still very good in my opinion, especially on the 2014 Steam release, where all the sounds have been upped to a higher quality. The older versions of the game seem to have a mixture of low quality sounds and higher quality sounds. For example, the item pick up sound is quite low, but the weapon sounds are higher.
Overall I think the sound design is pretty spot on. The guns sound clean, crisp and powerful. Enemies are constantly making noise and shouting to one another. This paired with stereo sound results in quite a creepy experience since you can hear people sneaking up on you etc. The games soundtrack is excellent and each of the tracks fit really well with the enemies/levels they are paired with, and makes the experience much more tense and affects the players emotions.
For example, the music for the first Ganado encounter (Ganados is the spanish name for the enemies in the game) is very loud and fits with the level since you are being attack by a huge mob of enemies. If you listen carefully it has chainsaw sound effects mixed in. This is because the mini-boss of this area is a man with a chainsaw, who is very powerful and is a huge threat to the player. These sounds could have been added to the music to make the player paranoid, and maybe become confused.
The loud and scary music in the game is then contrasted with the track "Serenity" which plays when the player enters a safe area. Hearing this makes the player feel relieved, especially if they have just completed a scary of stressful segment. It also has a slight eerie feel to it, which keeps the player on edge and let's them know their journey isn't over yet.
Selection and Construction of Content
The main campaign is made up of chapters and acts, going up to chapter 5 act 4 (5-4.) The game is paced really well, and the player moves through three big main areas during the game. The village (chapter 1-1 to 2-3,) the castle (chapter 3-1 to 4-4,) and the island (chapter 5-1 to 5-4,) each building up to a big boss fight with a main character at the end. There is technically another chapter after 5-4, which is the final boss, however it isn't listen as a conventional chapter like the others.
Upon completing the game the following content is unlocked:
- Professional difficulty for the campaign
- Infinite rocket launcher for purchase in the main game
- The first set of special outfits for Leon and Ashley
- Assignment Ada (30 minute mini campaign) Completing this will unlock the Chicago Typewriter (infinite ammo Tommy gun) for purchase in the Separate Ways campaign
- Separate Ways (2-4 hour mini campaign) Completing this will unlock the Chicago Typewriter for the main game, and the second set of special outfits for Leon and Ashley
- New title screen image
- New round (players can play the game again on the same save, keeping all their gear and upgrades.)
- Mercenaries (time/score based minigame taking place on different levels relating to the campaign) Getting a 5 star rating with all 5 characters on every level will unlock the Handcannon for purchase in the main game.
Due to all the unlocks, the game holds lots of replay value.
Narrative Structure
After the events of Resident Evil 2 where Leon S Kennedy survived the Raccoon City zombie outbreak, he was hired by the President to protect his family. When the Presidents daughter Ashley Graham is suddenly kidnapped on her way home from college, Leon is sent on a rescue mission to get her back. He is sent to a rural part of Spain, where Ashley is apparently being held. When Leon reaches the village, it turns out all the villagers are hostile, and Leon ends up in an intense battle where he has to fight for survival. Leon continues on through the village encountering different characters, such as Luis Sera, a researcher who was working for the group before turning against them. Bitories Mendes, a tall, strong man who is the chief of the village. And Ada Wong, who saves Leon from his first encounter with the chief and appears as the game goes on.
It is revealed that the group is called the "Los Illuminados," and each of them carry a mind controlling parasite known as the "Las Plagas." Leon and Ashley find out from Saddler that they have both been injected with the parasite, and his plan was to send Ashley home and cause the parasite to spread and cause havoc for America. Leon and Ashley are now racing against the clock to remove the parasite before Saddler takes control of them.
Leon moves through the village, fighting through hordes of Ganados, and eventually killing Bitores Mendes. He then moves on to a huge castle, owned by Ramon Salazar, a once normal Castellan who has been influenced by Saddler and has joined in with his evil plans to spread Las Plagas. The castle is full of creepy Cultists that all worship Las Plagas. After killing Salazars right hand man and fighting through a tower full of Cultists, Leon reaches Salazar who reveals Ashley has been taken to an island. Leon kills Salazar and travels to the island by boat with Ada.
The island is quite different when compared to the other areas, since it is like a military base. The enemies have more powerful weapons and the architecture is a lot more modern. Leon moves through the facilities fighting new types of enemy, and ends up encountering Jack Krauser, his old comrade. Krauser is now working for Saddler and he tells Leon that he is the one that kidnapped Ashley. They have an intense knife fight, which eventually ends due to Ada appearing and making Krauser run away. Leon fights U-3, a disgusting creature created by Saddler, and shortly after kills Krauser. Leon moves through waves of Ganado military and is helped by Mike, a guy in a helicopter sent to back up Leon.
Shortly after Leon and Ashley are reunited, and escape a dangerous encounter with Saddler due to Ada saving them again. They find a machine that removes the Plagas from them with radiation. Leon then confronts Saddler, and with Adas help kills him. Ada takes Saddlers Plagas sample from Leon at gunpoint due to orders from Albert Wesker. She tells Leon that he should leave the island quickly since she has armed bombs around it. She leaves in a helicopter and Leon and Ashley escape on a Jet Ski, seconds before the island explodes.
What Do I Think of the Story?
I think the story is really good. The characters that are introduced are very interesting, and some of them are quite mysterious. There are several surprises during the game, such as Jack Krauser working for Saddler even though he is Leon's old comrade. You also find notes throughout the game that give you further information about Las Plagas, and how it was resurrected.
Representation of Characters
Main Characters
Leon S Kennedy: Leon is the main character and the character you play as. He is represented positively since he is a good guy, and is trying to stop Saddler's evil plans.
Ashley Graham: Ashley is the Presidents daughter and the person that Leon is trying to rescue. She is constantly getting kidnapped throughout the game, and Leon has to keep rescuing her. This follows the typical vulnerable damsel in distress stereotype. She is represented both positively and negatively, but it depends on how the player feels really. I personally quite liked her, and felt sorry for her because of the things that she goes through. However lots of players found her quite annoying because she's always getting kidnapped and calling for help. "HELP ME LEON! HEEEEEEEEELP!"
Osmund Saddler: The main antagonist who leads the Los Illuminados. He is represented negatively since his only intentions are evil. He does follow some villain stereotypes, such as having a goal of world domination, having a creepy accent etc.
Ramon Salazar: Salazar is another main antagonist who is working for Saddler. He also has control over the Plagas parasite. He is represented negatively and is a horrible man. Under his villain shell however, he is quite clearly a coward, and often acts like a child by almost throwing a tantrum. The fact that he always has a right and left hand man protecting him at all times also shows that he is vulnerable on his own.
Side Characters
Luis Sera: Luis is a researcher who was working for Saddler to help him resurrect and spread Las Plagas. Luis leaves notes throughout the game that the player can find. They explain how Las Plagas work, and sometimes prepare Leon for new enemy encounters. Luis betrayed Saddler and instead tried to help Leon and Ashley. I find Luis to be a very likeable character, since he's quite charming and funny.
Ada Wong: Similar to Luis, Ada appears at certain points of the game and helps Leon, despite working for Albert Wesker who is a villain. She's very mysterious, and when Leon first encounters her he doesn't actually get to see her face or know who she is. She is also very vague with explaining things to Leon, and often only talks with him for a short amount of time before disappearing again.
Despite technically being a villain, Ada is represented positively a lot of the time since she helps Leon. She also ends up betraying Wesker after the events of RE4.
Jack Krauser: Krauser was once Leons comrade, however in RE4 he is working for Saddler. Towards the end of the game Krauser is sent by Krauser to eliminate Leon, and it is revealed that Krauser is the one that kidnapped Ashley, because he wanted to gain Saddlers trust. After Leon kills Krauser, Saddler reveals that he didn't really trust Krauser anyway since he was an American, and that Leon would be a better partner after the Plagas takes over his body.
He is represented negatively throughout the game since his only goal is to kill Leon. We can also tell that he is easily influenced since he was used by Saddler.
Resident Evil 4's Target Demographic
Resident Evil 4 is aimed at people around the age of 16 and above since it includes mature content. The game doesn't really include much blood and gore, however. Resident Evil 4 starts a new adventure and can be played by anyone, even newcomers to the series, since everything is explained and it doesn't really link to the older games that much.
How is the Audience Addressed?
Resident Evil 4 addresses the audience as though they are new to the RE series. The backstory is explained at the beginning of the game, which talks about the events of the first RE game. New enemies and characters are introduced throughout the game making it easy for a newcomer to play it. Since the developers were pretty much reinventing the franchise, they wanted anyone to be able to pick up the game and enjoy it without feeling lost or confused.
Analysis of the Survival Horror Genre
Resident Evil 4 completely changed the way that Resident Evil games play. The first three games used static camera angles, and the gameplay was much slower paced. Ammo and other resources were also much harder to find, and you had to use your ammo wisely.
Resident Evil 4 was in development for quite a long time, where at least four versions of the game were scrapped. In the end, Shinji Mikami (one of the games writers/directors) took over and decided to shift the Resident Evil series to a new gameplay system, since he felt that the previous system was "more of the same" and that the development team were getting bored.
The game used full 3D environments, and had a camera angle that followed the player over their shoulder, instead of being in one set place. There was a bigger emphasis on action and shooting, and things such as ammo became much easier to find. Lots of the games levels put the player against overwhelming odds, which is where the shooting mechanics really came into play.
Despite shifting towards action, the game still kept it's thick and extremely well crafted atmosphere, along with terrifying enemies and tense situations. This meant that it still resonated with fans extremely well. The developers kept things that the fans liked, but made enough significant changes to make the series feel fresh again.
However, since Resident Evil 4, the survival horror genre and the franchise in general has gone down hill. The next main instalments of the RE series were even more action oriented and almost completely disregarded the survival horror roots. The genre and RE franchise is getting back on track however, with the recent release of Resident Evil 7. The franchise has returned to it's survival horror roots, with powerful enemies, constant fear and much slower paced gameplay.
Resident Evil 4 addresses the audience as though they are new to the RE series. The backstory is explained at the beginning of the game, which talks about the events of the first RE game. New enemies and characters are introduced throughout the game making it easy for a newcomer to play it. Since the developers were pretty much reinventing the franchise, they wanted anyone to be able to pick up the game and enjoy it without feeling lost or confused.
Analysis of the Survival Horror Genre
Resident Evil 4 completely changed the way that Resident Evil games play. The first three games used static camera angles, and the gameplay was much slower paced. Ammo and other resources were also much harder to find, and you had to use your ammo wisely.
Resident Evil 4 was in development for quite a long time, where at least four versions of the game were scrapped. In the end, Shinji Mikami (one of the games writers/directors) took over and decided to shift the Resident Evil series to a new gameplay system, since he felt that the previous system was "more of the same" and that the development team were getting bored.
The game used full 3D environments, and had a camera angle that followed the player over their shoulder, instead of being in one set place. There was a bigger emphasis on action and shooting, and things such as ammo became much easier to find. Lots of the games levels put the player against overwhelming odds, which is where the shooting mechanics really came into play.
Despite shifting towards action, the game still kept it's thick and extremely well crafted atmosphere, along with terrifying enemies and tense situations. This meant that it still resonated with fans extremely well. The developers kept things that the fans liked, but made enough significant changes to make the series feel fresh again.
However, since Resident Evil 4, the survival horror genre and the franchise in general has gone down hill. The next main instalments of the RE series were even more action oriented and almost completely disregarded the survival horror roots. The genre and RE franchise is getting back on track however, with the recent release of Resident Evil 7. The franchise has returned to it's survival horror roots, with powerful enemies, constant fear and much slower paced gameplay.
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