Number 25: Resident Evil 4, Capcom 2005
Intro:
The menus are simple lists over graphics that change depending on how much the player has accomplished in the game. Even the publisher's credits at the start are made to tone, over a golden cast cloudy sky. The game begins with a narrator detailing the fall of the Umbrella corporation, then Leon explaining his history breifly to his reflection in a car window. Things get creepy and suspicious pretty quick, between the fog and the camera angles that suggest someone is in the bushes, watching the car's progress. The player has to walk into a house after brief contact with Hunnigan, the player's guide throught the earlier parts of the game, then Leon is faced with an angry farmer.
Getting Going:
The game wastes no time, and only gives you that one farmer to try out some tricks before getting outnumbered. The player has a simple manual in their inventory, but being ambushed by three angry farmers at close range isn't the prettiest of situations for a player to step into. The game is difficult right from the start, and tension is high right from here until the end.
Fun:
The high tension is a great aspect of survival horror games, making them so personally intense that many casual players refuse to even start. The fog and miserable atmosphere heighten the mood, and even the aiming quiver is taken as a part of the opressive miasma this game presents. Playing through the game, I feel like I'm being attacked by zombie-like people, thanks to their strangely appropriate AI.
Visuals:
This is another game that suggests a greater scale than the player is allowed to access, making much of the game feel more like the player is in a part of the world, and not a disembodied tangle of paths and walls. The weather effects are pretty effective, too, where the player gets a little sunlight and fog at the start and just a couple hours into the game, the player is in the depressing and stormy night, finding the old headshots are quite as effective as they'd hoped. The graphics are intense and sharp, with plenty of detail and increasingly terrible looking monsters.
Intelligence:
Even the peons are blessed with enough smarts to raise a ladder the player has knocked down. Barricaded doors are eventually busted through, and even alone they'll try to circle and dodge the player. The AI doesn't get too much smarter, and I would have liked to see them use the environment to their advantage after the first level.
Immersion:
The spooky music and persistent atmosphere do very well to keep the player, and the tense sound design helps a lot, too. Enemies love to hide, so the player is kept vigilant for fear of bear traps, triplines, and hidden mobs of angry farmers. Loading screens take a little longer than I'd like, considering my eyes aren't distracted with anything more than black (though the load times are very quick). Managing the inventory is a little distracting, but can in itself become a game of maximizing the space at hand.
Cameras:
The over-the-shoulder third person works out suprisingly well, considering it takes the view out of the traditional over-head third person and puts it at a much more cinematic and aesthetically pleasing spot. The game will stick the camera along walls, and if the player tries hard enough a branch can be put between the camera and Leon, though the lack of hanging debris makes this a small issue. Looking around corners is a little sticky, but isn't of much concern after a little practice with the C stick.
Controls:
The controls for this game are a easy to learn and fun to use. Moving is thankfully free, and the A button doesn't just about everything short of running. The surprise quick-response moments in the middle of long cinematcs is a little bothersome, but if the player fails, they can fast forward the long part and get straight to the action. The aiming quiver is a little annoying, but the laser pointer makes aiming a lot easier. And a fast turn-around command? Very nice.
Ideas:
Curse the fools who invented escort missions! Those parts aren't especially fun, but its not a huge burden until mysterious enemies spawn where Heather is hiding and suddenly start to carry her away. Improving the movement contrls is a great idea, and making the whole game much more like a film was very well executed. Only a company like Capcom would have the resources to make that work so well.
Memory:
Any good horror game sticks with you, even if its just because it scared the poop out of you. This game's take on zombies, spectacular bosses, and interesting cast make it hard to forget, especially when the player is forced to get intimate with every foe at one point or another. Easy to use controls make the experience easy to get into, even if the enemies are tough. The consistenly high production value, tight graphics, and great art design make it stand out among games.
The menus are simple lists over graphics that change depending on how much the player has accomplished in the game. Even the publisher's credits at the start are made to tone, over a golden cast cloudy sky. The game begins with a narrator detailing the fall of the Umbrella corporation, then Leon explaining his history breifly to his reflection in a car window. Things get creepy and suspicious pretty quick, between the fog and the camera angles that suggest someone is in the bushes, watching the car's progress. The player has to walk into a house after brief contact with Hunnigan, the player's guide throught the earlier parts of the game, then Leon is faced with an angry farmer.
Getting Going:
The game wastes no time, and only gives you that one farmer to try out some tricks before getting outnumbered. The player has a simple manual in their inventory, but being ambushed by three angry farmers at close range isn't the prettiest of situations for a player to step into. The game is difficult right from the start, and tension is high right from here until the end.
Fun:
The high tension is a great aspect of survival horror games, making them so personally intense that many casual players refuse to even start. The fog and miserable atmosphere heighten the mood, and even the aiming quiver is taken as a part of the opressive miasma this game presents. Playing through the game, I feel like I'm being attacked by zombie-like people, thanks to their strangely appropriate AI.
Visuals:
This is another game that suggests a greater scale than the player is allowed to access, making much of the game feel more like the player is in a part of the world, and not a disembodied tangle of paths and walls. The weather effects are pretty effective, too, where the player gets a little sunlight and fog at the start and just a couple hours into the game, the player is in the depressing and stormy night, finding the old headshots are quite as effective as they'd hoped. The graphics are intense and sharp, with plenty of detail and increasingly terrible looking monsters.
Intelligence:
Even the peons are blessed with enough smarts to raise a ladder the player has knocked down. Barricaded doors are eventually busted through, and even alone they'll try to circle and dodge the player. The AI doesn't get too much smarter, and I would have liked to see them use the environment to their advantage after the first level.
Immersion:
The spooky music and persistent atmosphere do very well to keep the player, and the tense sound design helps a lot, too. Enemies love to hide, so the player is kept vigilant for fear of bear traps, triplines, and hidden mobs of angry farmers. Loading screens take a little longer than I'd like, considering my eyes aren't distracted with anything more than black (though the load times are very quick). Managing the inventory is a little distracting, but can in itself become a game of maximizing the space at hand.
Cameras:
The over-the-shoulder third person works out suprisingly well, considering it takes the view out of the traditional over-head third person and puts it at a much more cinematic and aesthetically pleasing spot. The game will stick the camera along walls, and if the player tries hard enough a branch can be put between the camera and Leon, though the lack of hanging debris makes this a small issue. Looking around corners is a little sticky, but isn't of much concern after a little practice with the C stick.
Controls:
The controls for this game are a easy to learn and fun to use. Moving is thankfully free, and the A button doesn't just about everything short of running. The surprise quick-response moments in the middle of long cinematcs is a little bothersome, but if the player fails, they can fast forward the long part and get straight to the action. The aiming quiver is a little annoying, but the laser pointer makes aiming a lot easier. And a fast turn-around command? Very nice.
Ideas:
Curse the fools who invented escort missions! Those parts aren't especially fun, but its not a huge burden until mysterious enemies spawn where Heather is hiding and suddenly start to carry her away. Improving the movement contrls is a great idea, and making the whole game much more like a film was very well executed. Only a company like Capcom would have the resources to make that work so well.
Memory:
Any good horror game sticks with you, even if its just because it scared the poop out of you. This game's take on zombies, spectacular bosses, and interesting cast make it hard to forget, especially when the player is forced to get intimate with every foe at one point or another. Easy to use controls make the experience easy to get into, even if the enemies are tough. The consistenly high production value, tight graphics, and great art design make it stand out among games.