Game Of Fame: Resident Evil 4
Console: Various (originally debuted on Gamecube)
Year: 2005
Hello one and all! welcome to another new post in my Game of Fame blog series. The first Game of Fame was easy to choose as it was always going to be my first in the series due to the impact it had on the industry. For those of you haven't read my first Game of Fame post its on Super Mario Bros and the post can be found here: http://stephensonite.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/game-of-fame-1-super-mario-bros.html
Anyway, as I was saying, choosing the first post was going to be easy, but choosing the second was a bit harder. All these amazing and classic games were rushing to my head until I though about my own second favourite game of all time: Resident Evil 4.
Capcom managed to reinvent the survival horror genre in the mid 90's thanks to the Resident Evil franchise. Headed by Shinji Mikami and inspired by a Japanese exclusive NES Capcom horror title roughly translated to Sweet Home, the team managed to create a brand new franchise which really did scare players through making the player feel under-powered by using limited weaponry and ammo, fighting tough zombies and other mutants, claustrophobic and corridor like map design and weird tank-like controls in addition to stiff movement to hinder the player. The first major three games in the series were all big hits, particularly the second one and picked up numerous game awards amongst critics and gamers alike. After three or four games of essentially the same feel, Mikami and the team felt it was time for change. Development for RE titles have never usually been straight forward as the team were literally about ninety percent done with RE2 when Mikami decided the game wasn't up to standards and thus they scrapped it. RE4 however took ages to develop. It went through multiple changes and gameplay styles before it eventually became the version which we all know today. Mikami wanted different enemies to zombies as he thought they were now becoming stale and more importantly, not scary. The team thought of many horrifying enemies to include from ghost poltergeist type enemies to crazy dolls wielding knives! Eventually the team choose the enemies, choose the new location and choose the not so new protagonist and it was all uphill from there.
The game was met with unanimous praise when it was released in 2005 on the Gamecube. The emphasis of the game changed from survival horror to survival action enticing more casual and new players to pick up and play the game. Gone are the static camera angles and clunky movements (for the most part), instead the camera is positioned right behind Leon and over his shoulder. For the first time in the franchise's history the game doesn't have zombies as the main enemies. This time around the enemies are ravenous infected villagers which can run, climb, use weapons, set traps and organise themselves. Due to these new enemies, players found themselves having to think fast as unlike zombies the infected villagers, or Ganados as the game label them as, don't mess about and stand still for long. It was a welcomed and different change for the series and helped new-comers ease their way into the series. However there was scepticism amongst RE fans as many (including myself at first) thought removing zombies from the series would be taking away a core component of the franchise; which it kind of was. But in the end this proved to be the correct decision by Capcom.
The story itself isn't anything original but it works. The president of the United State's daughter, Ashley has been kidnapped and the US government send in a highly trained agent to find her and get her out of harm's way safely and back to her father. The agent in question is one Leon S Kennedy, the same rookie cop from fan favourite title RE2. This time though Leon isn't a new rookie but a competent secret agent. Throughout the game, Leon is led to myriad of different settings from a rural Spanish village to highly secured secret base. These settings are full of atmosphere and suspense, reminding the player that the game is still a horror title and not 100% a full-on action game. This time around though Leon can find a whole war chest full of weapons. Weapons can either be found, which is quite rare, or can be bought from The Merchant. This mysterious cockney character can be found in various locations and is a chance to upgrade the weapons you have, purchase weapons and first aid sprays and sell any valuable items or weaponry. Again this adds to the more action style of play.
Another major reason for the game's success was down to the fact the game managed to balance both genres of action and horror. Even though Leon is more equipped with various types of weaponry, the mutants and possessed villagers you face combined with the haunting environments Leon and Ashley need to explore make the feel on edge and not over powered. The game is great in terms of balance, knowing when to introduce the player to a new weapon or health upgrades but also to newer more threatening enemies; like I said before, you never feel over-powered and still makes the game feel like a traditional Resi game in terms of horror. The game is also broken up into chapters and rarely does the player have to revisit locations they have previously explored. These two brand new features add to the more 'action' aspect of the game, but I feel are both welcomed additions as they better the pacing of the game. Usually after a chapter is over players are left wanting more due to these mechanics; compared to previous RE titles where the player is forced to find limited ink ribbons and constantly retrace their steps. These mechanics added to the game in terms of creating anxiety through limited saves and remembering what's behind every door, but at the same time created a more slower pace and familiar atmosphere to the player making hard to encourage the player to continue once they've found a typewriter (save point).
Resident Evil 4 really does excel in a lot of areas and it shows by the fact it has won multiple awards, is constantly being released on the newest consoles and features on many gamers' top video games of all time lists in addition to being a Game of Fame! The game is paced terrifically; contains memorable characters; has competent 3rd person gameplay, of which many other later games would be inspired to use such as Gears of War; creates a scary atmosphere using various differentiated environment; improves upon past RE titles such as the save system and control; and generally leaves gamers who play the game incredibly satisfied and wanting more. Even Capcom knew how well they struck gold when they created RE4 and set the team on the path to better it by adopting a more action orientated approach to each subsequent RE title, but they failed to create the same almost flawless experience which RE4 had managed to provide as RE4 had more than just action, it focused on the horror and side of things too. It may of became more action-orientated but at the same time knew it had to have its horror elements intact too. These reasons are why Resident Evil 4 is a Game of Fame.
Another major reason for the game's success was down to the fact the game managed to balance both genres of action and horror. Even though Leon is more equipped with various types of weaponry, the mutants and possessed villagers you face combined with the haunting environments Leon and Ashley need to explore make the feel on edge and not over powered. The game is great in terms of balance, knowing when to introduce the player to a new weapon or health upgrades but also to newer more threatening enemies; like I said before, you never feel over-powered and still makes the game feel like a traditional Resi game in terms of horror. The game is also broken up into chapters and rarely does the player have to revisit locations they have previously explored. These two brand new features add to the more 'action' aspect of the game, but I feel are both welcomed additions as they better the pacing of the game. Usually after a chapter is over players are left wanting more due to these mechanics; compared to previous RE titles where the player is forced to find limited ink ribbons and constantly retrace their steps. These mechanics added to the game in terms of creating anxiety through limited saves and remembering what's behind every door, but at the same time created a more slower pace and familiar atmosphere to the player making hard to encourage the player to continue once they've found a typewriter (save point).
Resident Evil 4 really does excel in a lot of areas and it shows by the fact it has won multiple awards, is constantly being released on the newest consoles and features on many gamers' top video games of all time lists in addition to being a Game of Fame! The game is paced terrifically; contains memorable characters; has competent 3rd person gameplay, of which many other later games would be inspired to use such as Gears of War; creates a scary atmosphere using various differentiated environment; improves upon past RE titles such as the save system and control; and generally leaves gamers who play the game incredibly satisfied and wanting more. Even Capcom knew how well they struck gold when they created RE4 and set the team on the path to better it by adopting a more action orientated approach to each subsequent RE title, but they failed to create the same almost flawless experience which RE4 had managed to provide as RE4 had more than just action, it focused on the horror and side of things too. It may of became more action-orientated but at the same time knew it had to have its horror elements intact too. These reasons are why Resident Evil 4 is a Game of Fame.
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