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[Fancy Clown]

I'm of the opinion that there can never be too many RE4 love threads on GAF, so here's mine:

Resident Evil 4, the last truly great Resident Evil game, and, as I recently re-discovered, is still undoubtably the best action game of all time. Whether you take it within the context of the Resident Evil franchise, or as a singular, genre defining, and trend bucking entity, Resident Evil 4 is also possibly the most interesting.

I had an interesting first experience with Resident Evil 4. I vividly remember reading this game informer:

And seeing this image:

I'm pretty sure my reaction was something like this:

It was especially potent because I was 11 at the time. But the thing is, seeing that image and all it's horrifying ramifications still wasn't as traumatizing as seeing it being done to your character in game.

.

And, the first time through, Resident Evil 4 was a pretty traumatizing experience. Fuck you, everyone who has played this game and says its not scary. I challenge you to tell me that your first time in the village, or this part:

or this,

or this,

or (of course), this:

didin't at least raise your heart-rate a little.

Almost every one its design choices increases tension. From the ganado's brilliantly creepy crowd attacks, to the control scheme where the lack of mobility while shooting is used to carefully drive the importance of level design and precision aiming. Even the amazing dynamic difficulty makes you feel like you're only coming out of every fight by the skin of your teeth. The atmosphere is--especially in the pitch perfect opening act--incredibly unnerving, especially when coupled with the excellent soundtrack.

The point is, the game scared the shit out of me the first time I played it. Like, I got to the village onslaught, I ran in the house, heard a chainsaw rev, and then promptly got my head cut off by a chainsaw and I had to put the control down for like 3 days. I legitimately didn't know if I was going to be able to play the game, it was too stressful. Luckily, I came to my senses and gave the game another shot. I beat the village and was promptly addicted.

Resident Evil 4 was the first Resident Evil game I owned. My only exposure to the series up until the point I bought 4 was watching a friend play RE2 N64 for 5 minutes, while I was too chicken to play. So my first time through the game was rather contextless, and it managed to blow me away.

Since then, however, I have played through most of the classic titles, and my most recent trek through 4 is situated firmly in it's context in the series--as a game changer. And maaan does it shake thing things up.

The best part of RE4, in my opinion was how it toyed with your expectations of what a Resident Evil game can be,b y either blatantly throwing series traditions out the window, or recontextualizing them in new and interesting ways. The essence of fear is in the unknown and unexpected, so what better way to mix things up then make a game designed entirely around be unpredictable. You could see Mikami playing with expectations masterfully in REmake already, but this game was a full on exploration of exactly how much he could surprise players.

Right off the bat the game tells you to forget what you think you know about Resident Evil by jettisoning the convoluted RE backstory from the forefront in the very first cutscene. And, for the next 15-20 hours or so, you are treated to a never-ending steam of new challenges, and new ways to face them. First you find yourself doing crowd management in large and complex arena, then your facing traps, then fighting parasites at night, and between all this being peppered by creative boss fights like the Del Lago and El Gigante. By the end of the first act you've already experienced more varied challenges, and better pacing than most full size games.

I absolutely love the first act and how it's structured as the tone setter, this haunting, lonely, atmosphere with bursts of crowd gameplay, and then 6 hours later just when you think the game has shown all its cards it introduces the castle environment. It's austere style and brightly lit rooms are so wildly different from the village its disconcerting. And then the game throws even more new things at you like completely new variations on the ganados with the equally, if not more, creepy los illuminados.

That chanting and laugh. *Shudder*

And the atmosphere of the castle is just as good as village's in its own way, too:

The village had its own slew of unique challenges and combat rooms. The pacing here is even more relentless and varied than the village, and the challenge kicks up several notches as well. While the village holds a special place in my heart due to its pitch perfect opening and its atmosphere, the castle trumps it from a gameplay perspective. I'm still in the castle in my current replay,

(this part in particular)

and I remember not like the island as much, but we'll see as I appreciated the castle a lot more this time around and maybe I'll like it better this time as well. i really dig how it handles the changes in tone. It reminds me a lot of John Carpenter movies.
There's the wiseass, but also asskicking, protagonist:

Escape from New York and Resident Evil 4 both start with lonely, atmospheric horror, and then once they've put their respective audiences through their paces with that they switch gears to something more action oriented, brightly lit, and medieval themed, before going all out with the climax. They both have knack for effortlessly blending tones and providing non-stop set pieces and varied pacing.

The game also has the same body horror prevalent in Carpenter's masterpiece The Thing.

Everything about the game is perfect:
-The flawless art design.
-The varied, and endlessly interesting level design.
-The weapons and the addicting upgrade/treasure hunting.
-The weapon's reload animations:

-The dialogue:
""No thanks, bro"
-90% of the dialogue in general ("Hey, it's that dog". "You're small time, Saddler".) So many great lines. The story is cheesy perfection, poking knowing fun at itself with great humor (Salazar and Leon even have a 4th wall breaking discussion about being players in a script).
-The boss fights are some of the best you'll see outside of the Metal Gear Solid series.
-Everything about the gameplay, with its focus on tense crowd management, precision aim, and a risk reward system with the melee and specific limb damaging.
-How every new level and challenge takes perfect advantage of the mechanics, from having to aim at trip wires, to actually crafting interesting, tense, and enjoyable escort missions.
-How the levels progress in a series of very specifically designed challenge rooms, but are ingrained so seamlessly into the environment, and that the game takes the time to build a cohesive world design by having you return through previous environments (while changing them significantly, like in the case of the return trip to the village at night.
-The Japanese and European box arts. Works of art:

-The merchant and his voice
-The enemy variety
-The fact that after you beat this long ass game there's still the mercenaries, new game plus, and unlockables.
-The way the death animations serve to make death far more impactful and real when the prettyboy, hollywood protagonist can have this done to him:

-Even the PS2 version on a 50 inch HD tv, crappy IQ and all, still looks beautiful thanks to the art direction.
-

-QTE's that add to the interactivity rather than strip it away, by making your input necessary to survival even in cutscenes.

The only bum note I've noticed in my replay so far is the brief section where you revisit the novistadore's as they endlessly fly at you while you hit two switches. The novistadores aren't as fun this time around because they aren't invisible, and they're not too fun to fight otherwise and it adds nothing but padding to the game, and is unusually lazy game design for RE4 by not adding any knew twists, relies on infinite enemies, and simply locks you in a linear area while you hit two things.

That's one small section out of the 10 or so hours I had played the game, which is nuts. And the game still hasn't run out of ideas. It's a shame that RE5 misunderstood why 4 was so good (it's expectation defying nature) and simply did the same but worse. After playing the first 2-3 hours of both games I even directly compared the differences in their design philosophies and found some interesting differences:

Because of this thread I replayed the first 3 hours of RE5 and then (after a fortuitous moment I found my presumed to be long lost PS2) the first 3 hours of RE4 to compare them.

Wow. Playing them back to back is quite a stark difference.

The first thing I you notice is the pacing. 5 just keeps pushing you forward, and forward and forward, and you never have any room to breath. 4 on the other hand gives you a lot more sections of quiet, and the connected village hub is a much more believable--and sinister--world than the 'tour of Africa as a series of corridors'. I did like the very start of 5 though as you are walking around the town before shit has hit the fan and you see a bunch of creepy ass things like a group of guys beating the shit out of someone, or something, tied up in a sack.

However, while 5 moves at a much faster clip, and introduces enemies much faster (in the first 3 hours of RE5 I've fought: various majini, fat majini, the executioner, dogs, two brands of parasites that pop out of majini, a tentacle monster, and the chainsaw guy. In 4 you fight various ganados, one parasite, chainsaw guy, and Del Lago.) However, despite that, RE4 makes much better use of it's scenarios (not to mention it's a much longer game and can take its time introducing things). Overall though, 5 is still pretty impressive for how many different scenarios it has in such a short span of time (even if it doesn't best 4).

For example, there are decent stretches in 5 that don't really provide any twist on the combat or level design whatsoever, or there are repetitious scenarios. In one area in the first chapter (the shipping crates by the water) the game introduces trip bombs, a maze like level design, verticality with crossbow snipers up top, and the dog enemies all in one go. It's a well designed area, and quite fun. But then, shortly after at the beginning of chapter 2, the game essentially repeats this with the train yard. It has the exact same elements except for the small tweak that the dogs can surprise you from under the trains. Again, it's a well designed area but having two of the same (very specific) thing is not necessary, especially when the game is so short. 4 rarely, if ever, repeats its set-ups in the same way twice.

Also, directly comparing scenarios that 5 lifts from 4 does it no favors either, because it doesn't improve on them, let alone even match the ones from 4. Take the opening village/executioner onslaughts: 4 is much, much harder and more tense. 5 provides a much safer feeling from the get go: you are in a defensible position, with ample barricades and supplies. Sure, it doesn't last, but compare that to RE4: in 4, when you go to the defensible house and barricade the door, the game actually escalates the tension by introducing the chainsaw guy, who is a one hit kill enemy (and much faster than the executioner).

The level desing in 4's village is much better as well, as every defensible seeming position has some vital flaw (house brings Salvador, if you go in the tower they will smoke you out, the house across the way has a locked door that simply leads to a dead end, etc), so you are constantly scrambling and engaging in the wide open center in between mad dashes to buildings. In 5, the level design goes much easier on you by providing two things: tons of explosive barrels, and no dead ends. It goes even further than simply taking away dead ends, by actually having 3 structures in the center of the map that you can simply hop between in an almost endless loop, quickly outpacing your pursuers.

And of course, 5 has Sheva, who will provide fire, heal you, and revive you, stripping away even more vestiges of tension. I still really like the execution onslaught level of 5, but it just pales in comparison to the village.

Another good comparison of the two stages, are how they handle the introduction of the sniper rifles. In 4, you are in a giant canyon area where you can pick off some enemies in high places, or blast them off the rope bridge sending them plummeting to their deaths, all while juggling a stream of ganados that come ever nearer. It's really rewarding, and well designed. In 5, it introduces the sniper by having you take cover behind a wall as you try and take out a guy on a turret. It's incredibly obnoxious, generic, and works actively against everything that is so brilliant about RE4/5's combat system.

Other observations/comparisons:

-4 is much better at little storytelling touches. For example it builds up the El Gigante fight by having you walk through the pen during the day time and you can hear something pounding on the giant doors. Then later you get a note about the El Gigante, and It's not until night time that you actually fight it. 5 has little build up or attention to detail in things like this.

-I think the ganado's might be harder/smarter than the majini. When the ganados are in a crowd they will really quickly circle you, and they dodge and duck out of your laser sight a lot. Majini either don't dodge, or really rarely do it, and they run straight at you a lot more.

-In 5 I've gotten a lot less ammo than 4, actually. But 5 you have a partner full of ammo, too so that mitigates it. Also, 4 is just plain harder. I only died twice in the first 3 hours but every encounter leaves me with little health.

-The sound design of 4 is much better, and really adds to the atmosphere. The wind howling, the crows cawing, the really memorable Ganado runts ("Lord Saddlerrrrr...."), add so much texture to the world. Not to mention the music is better. There are some scary ass tracks that play when you are engaging the ganados.

-There are some really weird typewriter placements in 4. Some come right after a chapter save, or right before.

-Wiseass Leon is so much more entertaining than mopey Chris. I love all the humor in 4.

-5 is still fun in singleplayer, but the fact that it was designed around co-op really hurts it because Sheva adds NOTHING to the game in singleplayer, and she's just an annoying entity you have to worry about/manage. The game is amazing in co-op though.

-What I really missed in 4 that was added in 5: quick weapon change. It keeps the pace of combat up a lot better.

-What I surprisingly didn't miss: Added melee moves of 5. I dunno, I like the more simple loop of 4, and there's added satisfaction and tension of knifing a ganado on the ground as more enemies come closer that is simply removed when you can just stomp them with invincibility frames. Also, while the mini map in 5 can be handy, I hate how it shows the position of bosses and enemies like the chainsaw guys; way to kill the tension of not knowing exactly where they are.

Well, I've probably already said too much about why it's so good, and could conceivably keep writing way more, but I'm gonna restrain myself. It, alongside REmake, are when Mikami was at the absolute peak of his game and coincidently represent the two best games in the franchise, and the two polar opposites of the RE franchise.

It's so good I still want it to come to other systems (Vita & PS4 please) so I can buy it and play it all over again.

If you own this game, take some time and play the game again. If you haven't played it before:

A) what are you doing in this thread?

and, more importantly:

B) Why aren't you playing RE4 right now?

 

[Majestad]

Still on my top 10 of all time. Incredible game.

I been thinking about replaying the Wii version.

 

[Fantastical]

One of those games I wish I could erase from my memory and play fresh again. I actually played it first with the Wii Edition.

 

[antitrop]

I actually started downloading RE4 HD on Steam a few hours ago. Hype for The Evil Within got to me.

So, I guess the answer to B is "Because Comcast".

 

[loaf of bread]

I played this for the first time not that long ago and well, it was alright. I feel like there are some games that are good because they were revolutionary at the time and playing them now isn't the same. Games like RE4, Halo CE, and Halflife. They were revolutionary and amazing because of it. They're still great games but playing them for the first time now after many games have been influenced by them, they don't really stand out as much.

Playing it at launch was probably awesome because there was nothing like it but when I played it recently my reaction was "Where are the zombies? The enemies are just normal dudes. Why are there all these mutant bug things" Didn't feel or play like a Resident Evil game at all by the first 10 minutes and that just kind of bugged me. Would have enjoyed it much more if it was just named something different.

 

[Mr. Fix]

The atmosphere and pacing is phenomenal. It was a joy to play (and manipulate). I definitely agree with you on weapon swapping.

It's also probably why I'm really interested in Bloodborne, despite not having played a Souls game before.

 

[Fancy Clown]

I played this for the first time not that long ago and well, it was alright. I feel like there are some games that are good because they were revolutionary at the time and playing them now isn't the same. Games like RE4, Halo CE, and Halflife. They were revolutionary and amazing because of it. They're still great games but playing them for the first time now after many games have been influenced by them, they don't really stand out as much.

I disagree because while many games have worn RE4's influnce on their sleeves, none have actually matched it's combination of gameplay and everything else. Plus, no game except RE5 and dead space have really tried to use, imitate, or expand upon 4's totally unique precision, enemy crowd management, and melee blending combat system. The game is just as good and unparlleled as when I first played it , as it's design is just so tight.

 

[frontovik]

It's definitely a phenomenal game, but it doesn't come quite as close to REmake as my favourite RE.

I still remember playing it on the GCN a few years ago for the first time; it was quite an amazing experience!

 

[Cave Johnson]

One of those games I wish I could erase from my memory and play fresh again. I actually played it first with the Wii Edition.

Same. I never wanted to play in on the PS2 because I prefered the gamecube experience.

When I found out there was a Wii edition, I immediately picked it up and damn! was that an amazing blast of intense experience. One of the best gaming experiences and one of the truly native Wii experience. I can't imagine playing an RE game without the nunchuck/remote set up, it's just not the same.

 

[EBE]

why are the reload animations always brought up here? and for those two weapons specifically? is this a GAF thing where everyone just feels compelled to mention them at every turn? it seems like an oddly specific thing to see in every one of these threads. theyre okay animations.

anyway, i liked the game. it was fun.

 

[dancingphlower]

One of the top three greatest games ever made. So much fun.

 

[IronicTonic]

The best Resident Evil. I recently replayed the PC version and its still fricken amazing. The Atmosphere, the sound design, the gameplay, it's all perfect.

 

[antitrop]

why are the reload animations always brought up here? and for those two weapons specifically? is this a GAF thing where everyone just feels compelled to mention them at every turn? it seems like an oddly specific thing to see in every one of these threads. theyre okay animations.

anyway, i liked the game. it was fun.

Eh, some appreciate unusual and exceptional attention to detail and some don't.

Not until The Last of Us was I as impressed with that aspect of a game as I was with RE4.

 

[Fancy Clown]

why are the reload animations always brought up here? and for those two weapons specifically? is this a GAF thing where everyone just feels compelled to mention them at every turn? it seems like an oddly specific thing to see in every one of these threads. theyre okay animations.

anyway, i liked the game. it was fun.

It's the attention to detail (ejecting the stripper clip from the rifle) combined with the fact that they give an even more personalized identity to the already highly differentiated weapons.

 

[The Xtortionist]

My personal GOAT; I've honestly played through upwards of 20 times across multiple platforms. It's kind of crazy how many games it inspired, yet none of them even come close. Masterful design the whole way through, plus it's like three or four modern shooter campaigns in one. The Last of Us is really the only TPS I can think of with similar length. I'd really like to know how Mikami and his team poured that much original and interesting content into one game.

Not really sure what else to say. I think RE4 is the GOAT in so many areas:

-Pacing
-Encounter design
-Economy/Upgrade system, and the associated pacing of said cashflow/upgrades
-Length
-Unlockables
-Boss fights (why have there been almost no good TPS boss fights in the last 10 years? RE4 was filled to the brim with them)
-Skillful and unique shooting - emphasizing careful positioning, situational awareness, and threat assessment/crowd control

Fuck, what a game.

 

[EBE]

Eh, some appreciate unusual and exceptional attention to detail and some don't.

Not until The Last of Us was I as impressed with that aspect of a game as I was with RE4.

It's the attention to detail (ejecting the stripper clip from the rifle) combined with the fact that they give an even more personalized identity to the already highly differentiated weapons.

i suppose i have to remember when this game came out. now i want to redownload it on my 360 lol

 

[The Xtortionist]

why are the reload animations always brought up here? and for those two weapons specifically? is this a GAF thing where everyone just feels compelled to mention them at every turn? it seems like an oddly specific thing to see in every one of these threads. theyre okay animations.

anyway, i liked the game. it was fun.

I want to feel just as badass reloading my gun as I do when I blast an enemy with it. Shitty reload animations often deflate my hype when playing shooters. I hate when I shred some enemies in spectacular fashion, only for a boring shitty fucking reload animation to put the final punctuation mark on a fight. Gotta end that shit on a high note.

 

[Astral Dog]

A masterpiece of game design,imo.
incredible how they went from RE4 to RE5 and then RE6

 

[ZeroCDR]

I can't say enough good things about the recent PC release, as of the latest patch it is hands down the best version for me. Looks amazing and plays even better at 60 FPS, they even fixed the missing effects from the 360/PSN versions.

 

[Fancy Clown]

I want to feel just as badass reloading my gun as I do when I blast an enemy with it. Shitty reload animations often deflate my hype when playing shooters. I hate when I shred some enemies in spectacular fashion, only for a boring shitty fucking reload animation to put the final punctuation mark on a fight. Gotta end that shit on a high note.

Plus there's the fact that they are footers into the combat encounters as well. The fact that you can't reload from the pause screen means you have to time your reloads in combat just like everything else added another layer of tension. And it made the reload speed upgrades all the more crucial and satisfying to get.

 

[Net_Wrecker]

I want to feel just as badass reloading my gun as I do when I blast an enemy with it. Shitty reload animations often deflate my hype when playing shooters. I hate when I shred some enemies in spectacular fashion, only for a boring shitty fucking reload animation to put the final punctuation mark on a fight. Gotta end that shit on a high note.

Not just the animation, but the sounds as well. The bolt action rifle reload is so....I dunno, clickity clacky. That combined with Leon looking like he's putting some real effort into jamming the clip in there. So satisfying.

 

[Origami Superman]

Still hasn't been beat as far as action games go. I should replay it again soon.

 

[zerotol]

One of my top 5 games of all time for sure. I bought it on gamecube, wii, 360, and even the shitty iPhone version. I've played through it more times than any other game I can think of.

 

[The Xtortionist]

Not just the animation, but the sounds as well. The bolt action rifle reload is so....I dunno, clickity clacky. That combined with Leon looking like he's putting some real effort into jamming the clip in there. So satisfying.

Great point, yeah. Sound is key. Not related to RE4 but recently I've been digging (343's) Halo's reload sounds/animations. Most of the rifle-style weapons have a similar animation that isn't super-flashy, but the sound effects really sell that the spartan is jamming that shit in there. Pretty snappy and crunchy way to handle a short reload time.

 

[Miguel81]

I loved/hated it when I played it on the PS2. Loved it because it's a fantastic action/adventure game, but hated it because it was nothing like the horror masterpiece that I was expecting(REmake, baby!).

Gamestop is selling the Ultimate edition for 11.99 right now, and I'm thinking of getting it. Since it's based on the superior GC/Wii game(s), It'll be my first time playing through the definitive version.

 

[Man God]

Simply the best action game ever created.

 

[Astral/H3X]

I remember hearing about how good the rifle animation was in TLoU, and how the designer specifically used RE4 as an inspiration for when you first get it...
So when I saw it, and he just... clicked it in... I was rather disappointed.

GOAT Rifle. Fuck the semi auto.

 

[The Xtortionist]

I remember hearing about how good the rifle animation was in TLoU, and how the designer specifically used RE4 as an inspiration for when you first get it...
So when I saw it, and he just... clicked it in... I was rather disappointed.

GOAT Rifle. Fuck the semi auto.

To be fair, the El Diablo reload animation was pretty swell. Though I think a broken-style revolver's reload would be hard to fuck up on principle. Even Ground Zeroes' was neat.

But yeah. RE4's bolt action rifle is so brilliant. "Every shot counts" is a guiding principle among the weapons, and the bolt action takes it to the extreme. Being successful with a single shot, slow to fire, small clip size, slow to reload, scoped rifle in a game where enemies continually approach the player, are numerous, and are often encountered in close quarters is one of the best feelings in gaming. Not that the rifle is weak (actually pretty devastating), it's just hard as shit to use.

 

[Papercuts]

It's still such an amazing package. Lengthy, expertly paced, and has a plethora of post game content.

*salute*

 

[TheShampion]

I was just thinking about this game today, and I realized that for me, this is the true spiritual successor to Doom.

Not just because they are both horror themed shooters, but because they both do amazing things for their respective genres that still haven't been yet bested by their peers.

Truly a fantastic game, I really need to replay RE4 one of these days.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

It was hearing the chainsaw from a distance. And in the space of time it took for me to recognize that's what it was, a burlap sack came into view. And as I was realizing how fucked up this scenario was, he had begun to sprint at me with ALARMING speed.

I literally shoved backwards with my heels until my entire body was flat against the wall. not the back of the couch, the WALL.

Of course he took my fuckin' head.

 

[The Xtortionist]

Truly a fantastic game, I really need to replay RE4 one of these days.

You reminded me that RE4 is also one of the most replayable action games ever made lol. So many ways to play. Stick with the base handgun for the headshot exclusive, ditch the handgun for the TMP, ignore semi-auto rifle, etc

 

[Papercuts]

You reminded me that RE4 is also one of the most replayable action games ever made lol. So many ways to play. Stick with the base handgun for the headshot exclusive, ditch the handgun for the TMP, ignore semi-auto rifle, etc

And then knife only to solidify your manhood.

I don't think there's any game I know my way around better, even the inner workings of the AI are second nature to me even after a year of not playing.

 

[The Xtortionist]

And then knife only to solidify your manhood.

I don't think there's any game I know my way around better, even the inner workings of the AI are second nature to me even after a year of not playing.

Every moment is just so memorable. It helps that nearly every room has a gimmick to remember them by. Kind of reminds me of the approach taken to recent 3D Mario and Donkey Kong games actually, each level largely adding its own twist to the gameplay, which is then generally never seen again. I suppose Galaxy/2 and DKCR/TF are the RE4s of their own genres, lol

 

[EightBitNate]

My personal GOAT; I've honestly played through upwards of 20 times across multiple platforms. It's kind of crazy how many games it inspired, yet none of them even come close. Masterful design the whole way through, plus it's like three or four modern shooter campaigns in one. The Last of Us is really the only TPS I can think of with similar length. I'd really like to know how Mikami and his team poured that much original and interesting content into one game.

Not really sure what else to say. I think RE4 is the GOAT in so many areas:

-Pacing
-Encounter design
-Economy/Upgrade system, and the associated pacing of said cashflow/upgrades
-Length
-Unlockables
-Boss fights (why have there been almost no good TPS boss fights in the last 10 years? RE4 was filled to the brim with them)
-Skillful and unique shooting - emphasizing careful positioning, situational awareness, and threat assessment/crowd control

Fuck, what a game.

Yeah Gears and TLoU were lacking with the boss battles.

 

[graffix13]

Played RE4 for the first time this year and I ended up playing and beating it 3 times in a row. In my Top 10 of All Time.

Great game.

 

[BaraSailey]

One of my favorite games of all time. I've beaten it too many times to count on multiple consoles, and it just never seems to get old. I love every second of it, and it's one of those games that I consider a masterpiece. I definitely need to replay it again sometime soon.

 

[Shinta]

Anyone who knows anything about games has this in their top 5 best games ever made list.

And based on that alone, a purchase of Evil Within on day one just on good faith is rational.

 

[Crimsonclaw111]

What? RE4 love thread?
http://a.pomf.se/jwqoys.webm

 

[Riposte]

I've actually replayed RE4 (third time) and RE5 (fourth or fifth time) at the same time last week too. RE4 because I wanted a complete save on my Wii U, RE5 because I wanted a complete save on Steam. I think RE5 has better mechanics and enemies, while RE4 has better pacing and more variety in level design. If I had to nail down to pacing as one thing, RE4 is very good as transitioning between set pieces, keeping you hooked so to speak, even if those set pieces are not necessarily better. I once again put forward the unpopular opinion that the distance between them is not in anyway great. I don't think RE4 is god's gift to men, it is just a videogame, a TPS among others, just a very good one at that. I want to do a professional playthrough of them soon; from memory RE5 is the much harder game on that mode. Note, I played RE5 on co-op, with various strangers, because any other way is doing it wrong.

Some random thoughts, as these are feelings I don't think I've seen often expressed:

This is the first playthrough in RE4 where I got the thermal scope and it really solidified some lingering feelings on Regeneradors. On the first playthrough, they are amazing, but in truth, they are some of the least threatening enemies when properly equipped. All bark, no bite. Super slow, you usually fight them one at a time, and can't do shit against most weapons instead of sitting there and taking it (and it can only take very little against a properly equipped sniper rifle). Given how easy it is to get the thermal scope, I don't know what I was doing before. Although they have a bit less character to them, those bug things in RE5 are better designed enemies, better used, and they even have a better version of that weakness.

I killed the two El Gigantes using a TMP, magnum, and some flash grenades. It wasn't as tough as it was hyped up to be, but it was a nice challenge. "The water room", especially if you don't do use retries or restarts and don't break it up with saving, is easily the game's peak. It is also a giant pain in the ass because FUCK ASHELY. Fighting Krauser with a only knife (and a grenade when I saw his shadow peaking from a corner) was second best.

The jetski section is as bad or worse than any of the troublesome RE6 QTE or vehicle sections. It has terrible visibility and instant-death. Because I was doing a no death run, I had to fight Saddler five times. I wasn't even mad, I was just like "...sacred cows, man".

 

[TheRedSnifit]

GOTY 2014 with the Steam release.

 

[Net_Wrecker]

Also something that doesn't get brought up enough: It managed to become top 5 of all time when like 80% of the game is an escort mission. And not like some games where your AI partner isn't really in danger, but a legit escort mission where you can be screwed up by not paying attention to Ashley.

How many things can one game be amazing at, amirite?

 

[Shinta]

What? RE4 love thread?
http://a.pomf.se/jwqoys.webm

Be still ... my heart ...

 

[Fancy Clown]

I've actually replayed RE4 (third time) and RE5 (fourth or fifth time) at the same time last week too. RE4 because I wanted a complete save on my Wii U, RE5 because I wanted a complete save on Steam. I think RE5 has better mechanics and enemies, while RE4 has better pacing and more variety in level design. If I had to nail down to pacing as one thing, RE4 is very good as transitioning between set pieces, keeping you hooked so to speak, even if those set pieces are not necessarily better. I once again put forward the unpopular opinion that the distance between them is not in anyway great. I don't think RE4 is god's gift to men, it is just a videogame, a TPS among others, just a very good one at that. I want to do a professional playthrough of them soon; from memory RE5 is the much harder game on that mode. Note, I played RE5 on co-op, with various strangers, because any other way is doing it wrong.

Some random thoughts, as these are feelings I don't think I've seen often expressed:

This is the first playthrough in RE4 where I got the thermal scope and it really solidified some lingering feelings on Regeneradors. On the first playthrough, they are amazing, but in truth, they are some of the least threatening enemies when properly equipped. All bark, no bite. Super slow, you usually fight them one at a time, and can't do shit against most weapons instead of sitting there and taking it (and it can only take very little against a properly equipped sniper rifle). Given how easy it is to get the thermal scope, I don't know what I was doing before. Although they have a bit less character to them, those bug things in RE5 are better designed enemies, better used, and they even have a better version of that weakness.

I killed the two El Gigantes using a TMP, magnum, and some flash grenades. It wasn't as tough as it was hyped up to be, but it was a nice challenge. "The water room", especially if you don't do use retries or restarts and don't break it up with saving, is easily the game's peak. It is also a giant pain in the ass because FUCK ASHELY. Fighting Krauser with a only knife (and a grenade when I saw his shadow peaking from a corner) was second best.

The jetski section is as bad or worse than any of the troublesome RE6 QTE or vehicle sections. It has terrible visibility and instant-death. Because I was doing a no death run, I had to fight Saddler five times. I wasn't even mad, I was just like "...sacred cows, man".

I actually think a lot of the mechanical streamlining in RE5 actually diminishes the tension that 4's combat is so suited at creating. Everything from little things like being able to reload in the menus, to being able to quickly dispatch downed enemies with another invincible melee attack instead of opening yourself up by rushing in to knife takes away a little from the tension of the enemies getting ever closer. I did like the realtime menu a lot though, and quick weapon swapping was pretty great. As far as better enemies I think 4 tops it still. In addition to having way better bosses you have more creative enemies like the garador, a more challenging chainsaw man than the one in 5, and in my opinion much more fun and challenging varieties of the base enemies (better AI, more interesting designs) and are used in conjunction with the level design way better (take my sniping set piece comparison for example). 5 also had the terrible descisison of having regular majini with laser sighted assault rifles rather than a rare chain gun guy, which turns a big chunk of the game into an awkward cover shooter. I like the tribal majini a lot though, they add interesting tweaks to the combat (harder to ground melee, long spears, jump inning, etc).

Yeah the two el gigante fight isn't too hard because you can take one out instantly with the lava
Pit, it's just notable because the game throws two of those fuckers at you like its nothing, and it's just one of the cool curve balls the game throws at you surrounded by a bunch of other surprising and memorable encounters. The water room is definitely a highlight in terms of challenging encounter design, and Ashley makes it better by just adding another layer of tension as you have to watch out for her and consider your movements and enemy priority even more.

I haven't gotten to the jetski part yet so I'm not sure how I'll feel about it this time around, but I don't remember it being too bad. The thing is 6 has like 4 or 5 vehicle sections and some of them are pretty long, and they're all really fast but when you try turning it suddenly feels like you're going through molasses.

 

[DedValve]

A lot of people complain about stopping and shooting but to me that made re4 so much fun. You really had to be aware of placement and distance. Playing mercy 3d on re4 maps really ruined the fun and balance, making things easier.

 

[Randam]

if only that had given it a different name and had started a new franchise.

 

[cacildo]

Which one is the best? Goldeneye or RE4?

I dont know the answer.

But i like to point this similarity between both: they are both slow games. Enemies move slowly, react to shots, you aim slowly (less on RE4 wii)

 

[Neff]

Top to bottom masterpiece. Prime candidate for the greatest game of all time. An endlessly replayable, never dull, gluttonous feast of gaming genius, crafted by experts.

But i like to point this similarity between both: they are both slow games. Enemies move slowly, react to shots, you aim slowly (less on RE4 wii)

I had a lot of Goldeneye flashbacks while playing RE4 for the first time. The enemy animations and AI are very similar and serve the same purpose, and I don't doubt Mikami took notes from Rare's game.

The jetski section is as bad or worse than any of the troublesome RE6 QTE or vehicle sections. It has terrible visibility and instant-death.

I wrapped up a run a few weeks ago and it's not bad at all imo. Easing off on the throttle briefly allows you to get to either side quickly, and it's only really the end section which requires you to make any kind of dextrous zig-zagging, the obstacles in question which can be seen well enough to evade, so long as you assume the game is going to be a jerk and place something right in front of you just as you move out of danger.

 

[Late Flag]

I love the self-aware cheesiness of this game. The way that that crow inexplicably drops a grenade when you shoot it. How people left pendants hanging around in trees and barns for some reason. The fact that the merchant follows you around and even has the courtesy to set up a shooting range for you just in case your skills haven't been properly tested. Our good buddy Mike whose time with us was so fleeting. And of course all the boss dialog.

This game nailed the feel of a B-movie better than any other game I've played. The lack of self-seriousness is such a breath of fresh air, even today.

 

[Neff]

The fact that the merchant follows you around and even has the courtesy to set up a shooting range for you just in case your skills haven't been properly tested.

Little known fact: it's not the same guy. If you look closely, you'll see that different Merchants in different areas have different eye colours. This is further compounded by the fact that if you kill a Merchant, he stays permanently dead in that area, while others remain alive and well.

I guess there's some sort of entrepreneurial capitalism (which also endows them with bad Cockney accents) Plaga the Merchants were injected with.