|
[img width=317 height=445]http://www.gametab.com/images/ss/gcn/2993/box-l.jpg[/img]
There are a few games in every generation that will be remembered forever. Games that not only surpass the barrier of the humdrum and shovelware, but break it into a million little pieces. These games make us remember why we pick continue to pick up our controllers, and immerse ourselves in a virtual world. They remind us why we loved games in the first place. Resident Evil 4 is one of those games. It is the game that convinced thousands to pick up a Gamecube, and that Nintendo might just have a place in the hardcore market, after all. I won't be answering any questions in this review. You know this game is great, I know this game is great, and everyone else, except Survival Horror genre purists, knows this game is great. I just am going to clarify why.
Gameplay
Resident Evil 4 is a major departure from the first 3 titles in the series, in an innumerable amount of ways. The first being the most noticeable; instead of the fixed perspective found in games 1-3, the camera now was fully adjustable, and allowed for much better control and exploration. While some complain that giving the player more control takes away from the fear in a Survival Horror game; I am going to have to disagree. A genre should not list weaknesses as strengths; while there are some exceptions, universally-accepted categories such as control should not be excluded. Why? Think about this: How many great games have you played that had bad controls? Not many, I bet. Speaking of controls, Resident Evil 4 makes full utilization of the Gamecube's dual analog sticks, and allow for quick, precise movement. This is especially necessary when it comes to weapon aiming. When preparing to fire a weapon, you are given an over-the-shoulder view of the area, along with a [very, very VERY useful] laser aim that pinpoints your bullet's path. You're going to need it, too. RE4 requires you to be very conservative with your munitions, so headshots are necessary to kill enemies as efficiently as possible. This can get quite hectic later on, when enemies are faster, more numerous, and take longer to kill. But, that's all part of the fun. They don't call it Survival Horror for nothing. Throughout the game, you can purchase a variety of weapons with which to dispatch enemies, ranging from simple pistols to shotguns, sniper rifles, Grenades, and even Rocket Launchers and Mine Throwers! But, that's not to say Leon will become a walking tank. You cannot carry an infinite amount of items; everything is managed via a grid-shaped inventory screen, in which you can re-arrange items to fit everything in. Clever packers will be able to make good use of the system to manage weapons, healing items, ammo boxes, and accessories effectively. The game isn't just action, though, but there is more of a focus on it than in other games in the series; there are also numerous logic puzzles to be solved to progress through the story. Some can be solved with a glance, but others present a greater challenge; there is one "Sliding Tile" puzzle in particular that was positively infuriating, but none of them are completely unfair, and they can all be solved with a little brainwork. There was one thing that really stood out to me about the gameplay, though. It is a very rare quality that few games have, but the ones that do are phenomenally better for it: Flow. Allow me to explain. In Resident Evil 4, you are never left in the dark [metaphorically, of course] and wondering what to do next. Your next destination is always either obvious, or marked on the map screen. I didn't have to look at a guide once throughout the game's exploration sections. And that's what flow is; an addictive, perfectly paced element in a game's progression that makes it hard to put down, and RE4 has it in spades. If you're like me, and have a laughably short attention span, and can never bring yourself to finish most games, then this game is definitely for you. Resident Evil 4 is a great example of several new gameplay risks balanced perfectly with rock-solid core gameplay. Whatever complaints I had with the game were minimal, and were drowned out by the overwhelming great aspects of the game. But, for the sake of critique, I think I should say them, anyway. I stated earlier that the camera was a huge improvement from previous games. While that is true, there were still some problems with it. For one, the 3rd-person perspective innately comes with the problem of the character obscuring a portion of the screen, which is not a problem for the most part, but can become annoying in tight passageways and when aiming. Also, the camera sometimes defaults to an awkward position in certain hallways, so I have to keep holding the C-Stick in a certain direction to have a normal camera. But, as I said, these complaints are minimal. RE4 is a triumph.
Gameplay: 10/10
[img width=500 height=350]http://shellywarmuth.com/resources/Resident%20Evil%204.jpg[/img]
Story
Leon Kennedy, previously seen in Resident Evil 2, is a US government agent sent to a remote Spanish village to rescue Ashley, the president's kidnapped daughter. When he arrives, he finds that the townspeople are violent and hostile, and want him dead. Having no choice but to kill them, he proceeds through the village to look for Ashley, and eventually gets tangled up in a huge mess involving a militant religious cult, an ancient virus called Las Plagas, and even the ominous plans of the series' main villain, Albert Wesker. There is much more to the story, but I don't want to spoil anything. What I do want to talk about are the incredible boss battles in the game. Most of the bosses are horrific experiments conducted using Las Plagas, including a giant fish, ogre-like titans, and many things that are so grotesque, I'm not even sure how to describe them. The game has many cutscenes, and many have such good graphics that you can't be sure if they are FMVs or if they use the game engine. I sure couldn't tell. But, I'll get to that later. A bit of the story is told through various notes and journals that you pick up throughout the game. They are optional, but are interesting, and provide a backstory for the events in the game, and sometimes even provide hints on how to progress through upcoming segments. the story in RE4 is definitely more well-handled than I expected, but it's not mind-blowingly spectacular. There are several Action and Survival Horror games with better stories.
Story: 7/10
[img width=640 height=480]http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b263/onthe_linegyrl/resident-evil-4-20041206035724077.jpg[/img]
Sound
I'm coming to realize that there is a reason that there isn't much music in Survival Horror games. It is a matter of atmosphere, making the player feel alone and scared. While that's all well and good, and I think I understand it a bit better now in the context of the genre, there's still not very many different tracks in Resident Evil 4. But, like Luigi's Mansion, the songs that are in the game are phenomenal, and suit each situation perfectly. There are songs that send chills down your spine, and several that just give an eerie presence. The songs are re-used a bit too often, and it is very common that there is no music at all. But, I have noticed that whenever this happens, there is a very good reason. For example, when you are supposed to pay more attention to the environment around you, or when a boss battle is coming up. The game's dialog is good enough, but Leon seems to have an infinite stockpile of cheesy one-liners, which make some cutscenes cringe-worthy. The voice actors, though, are well-chosen, and speak their lines believably. The sound effects are awesome, like they should be in any game where atmosphere is a primary concern. RE4 uses Dolby Pro Logic II, just like Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, so every sound in the game can be "heard in the right direction", even if you don't have a specific speaker setup. The surround sound helps quite well when trying to pinpoint the location of a hiding enemy. Overall, RE4's audio is terrific, and stands out when coming through your TV/Speakers.
Audio: 9/10
Graphics
Now we come to the biggest part of the game, or at least the most-discussed part of Resident Evil 4; the graphics. And they are impeccable. I seriously had to think if I had ever seen any oXbox games that looked this good! They blow everything else I have seen on the system out of the water, with maybe an exception or two. RE4 uses every trick in the book, and then some, especially the gorgeous 480p resolution. It isn't something I can accurately describe with words; it is something you have to experience to understand. Despite the unmatched graphical prowess, I never once encountered slowdown, and the game always ran at a steady framerate. This is the Gamecube being pushed to its absolute limits. The oXbox was never pushed to such an extent, as far as I know, and even though the PS2 was, it never even came close. I don't think that the 'Cube was ever intended to do graphics like this, but RE4 proves that it is not only possible, but they made it look easy! I cannot stress enough how amazing the visuals are. If for no other reason, the game is worth a playthrough for them alone. "But, there was a PS2 port, wasn't there?", I'm sure you're saying. Well, you would be correct, but I played a bit of the PS2 version, and quickly discovered how noticably inferior it is to the Gamecube version. The loading times are longer, the graphics are much worse, the colors are more washed-out, the controls are more finicky, and it is overall an inferior game. You wan't proof? Check out the video below.
Graphics: 10/10
Extras/Value
Capcom always likes to add a little something extra to their Resident Evil games, and the tradition lives on in RE4. Upon completing the game, you are given two new modes: Assignment Ada, where you play a series of short missions starring Ada Wong, a character you meet up with in the second half of the story, and The Mercenaries, an arena survival mode where you must kill as many enemies as you can before your rescue chopper arrives. This mode allows you to play as 6 different people, so you're not restricted to just Leon. Also, upon completing Assignment Ada, you are given another series of Ada missions, entitled Separate Ways. There are also various costumes and new weapons to unlock, so you can be sure that there is plenty to do after you have finished the main story. The extra modes are surprisingly deep; the Ada missions can go on for longer than you would think, and it is fun to play as different characters in The Mercenaries after seeing the back of Leon's head the whole game. There was also a special edition RE4 Gamcube released, but I believe it was exclusive to Europe. Resident Evil 4 currently goes for $15 at Gamestop, so you have no reason not to pick this game up. It is criminal that someone is selling this game for so low; it should be at least $20. Also, another way to tell that the 'Cube version of the game is superior to the PS2 version is that the latter goes for $6 less. Yeah; stay away from that port.
Extras/Value: 10/10
[img width=640 height=480]http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s72/bobaloob/DSC00339.jpg[/img]
Overall
There's no mistaking it; Resident Evil 4 is a classic, and one of the best titles to grace the Gamecube, and as many say, of all time. Capcom put their heart and soul into creating it, and remains as a shining example of what electronic entertainment should be. Everything is polished to a blinding finish; it all comes together to be something that can only be described as a masterpiece. The only reason I had never played it until now was because I never was fond of Survival Horror games, but now I'm giving the genre a second try. So, even if you were like I was, you should still play RE4. Every gamer should at least give it a try, since it is a game with such universal appeal. In short, you MUST play this game.
Overall: 9.5/10
This is Lisalover1, thinking Leon looks preeettty hot in that jacket. Not so much in the zombie blood.
The launch of a new console is always an exciting event; a whole new era of promise and opportunity awaits for each new competitor in the console wars, with countless titles and accessory hardware announced. It's often easy for some things to get caught up and lost in this chaos. Unfortunately, sometimes this does happen. Certain titles that catch the eye of gamers never see the light of day, and fade into obscurity. For some, it is best that they stay lost, because they never showed much potential in the first place, but for some games, it is a real shame they are never released. These are the games that would have likely been very good additions to the system's library, and that should really be remembered. These are the best cancelled Gamecube games.
Thunder Rally
[img width=432 height=324]http://www.unseen64.net/wp-content/gallery/thunder-rally-car-battle/thunder.jpg[/img]
What Was It?:
Thunder Rally is a car combat game created by Iguana Entertainment [Later bought by Nintendo and renamed Retro Studios], and was one of the earliest planned titles for the Gamecube, all the way back in 1998, when the system was barely a prototype, and was codenamed "Dolphin". On a side note, this game was the initial reason Retro Studios was formed. The gameplay in Thunder Rally consists of a mash-up between Twisted Metal and Battlebots, in which the player can build a car, and drive it through a city, destroying other cars. Sounds simple right? Well, that's correct, but it's not the main draw of the game. TR was designed to include 4-player split screen mode, and have 4-player online play as well, making it possibly the first Gamecube game planned to have online multiplayer! The game also features very sharp graphics, from what is shown in early screenshots.
Why Was It Cancelled?:
Shortly after Retro Studios was established, and began working on games for the Gamecube, Nintendo ordered a massive reorganization of the company, which changed most of the company's staff, resources, and projects. Unfortunately, Thunder Rally, along with about 3 other titles, and Metroid Prime being the only one of these that was ever released. I would have loved to have played this game; as I have said in previous articles, the Gamecube was hurting for online games throughout its entire lifespan, and anything would have helped.
Kirby Adventure
What Was It?:
Kirby fans had to wait until 2005 for Nintendo to finally announce a Kirby platformer for the Gamecube. At E3 of that year, a trailer for "Kirby Adventure" was shown, and it seemed to be everything people expected from the series, but the exception being it taking advantage of the Gamecube's 4 controller ports. Kirby Adventure was supposed to allow 4-player simultaneous Co-Op, building upon the 2-player Co-Op introduced in the SNES Kirby games. The other 3 players controlled enemies Kirby has swallowed and discarded, making them allies. The game was meant to take the best aspects of the SNES and N64 Kirby titles, and update it for the more powerful Gamecube hardware. The graphics would be in full 3D, but gameplay would take place on a 2D plane, like in Kirby 64, and said gameplay seems to leave the formula mostly unchanged, with all the series' common conventions remaining.
Why Was It Cancelled?:
Kirby Adventure was an exciting title for Gamecube owners, and they were anxious to get their hands on it. Then... nothing. Other than delay announcements, Nintendo barely said anything after the game's initial showing at E3 '05, and fans were left in the dark. In the end, with the exception of the Game Boy Color, the Gamecube became the first [and only] major Nintendo console without a Kirby Platformer. No one is really sure why Nintendo cancelled Kirby Adventure, but most speculate that it was because they were focusing their efforts on the upcoming Revolution/Wii, and new games for it. In short, the game came too late in the GC's life to have a chance at being released. Oh, well. At least Kirby: Epic Yarn is coming to the Wii soon, so fans have that to look forward to.
Raven Blade
[img width=640 height=426]http://cubemedia.ign.com/media/previews/image/ravenblade/ravenblade13_640w.jpg[/img]
What Was It?:
After the N64 era, Nintendo was really starting to feel the hurt caused by the lack of RPGs on their consoles after the departure of Squaresoft to side with Sony's Playstation. Thus, they aimed to remedy this with the Gamecube, although they ultimately failed at achieving this goal. The best example of this was a game called Raven Blade. It was meant to be a Western Action RPG exclusive to the Gamecube, meant to be the first in a series of GC-exclusive games to fill out the console's RPG library. The game looked quite good, even in its beta phase, with impressive graphics and animation. The gameplay was meant to play like the acrobatics of Prince of Persia, combined with the framework of an Action RPG, to make something that made Gamecube owners proud. Too bad it got cancelled.
Why Was It Cancelled?:
Remember how I mentioned how Retro Studios had a huge restructuring and reorganization, and several games were cancelled? This was one of them. So, the same story applies as with Thunder Rally. It's Nintendo's loss, and Gamecube gamers' losses, too. The only good thing that came out this is that Metroid Prime probably became a much better game through Retro Studios focusing on it.
Kameo: Elements of Power
[img width=400 height=298]http://www.unseen64.net/wp-content/gallery/kameo24/kameo07.jpg[/img]
What Was It?:
Kameo was a title announced around the Gamecube's launch, and was predicted to be an early hit title for the 'Cube. Rare actually had many ambitious projects planned for the Gamecube, until they were bought out by Microsoft, and almost of them were scrapped. If you want my opinion, Rare becoming a Microsoft subsidiary company really killed their creativity and their spirit. But enough of that. Kameo was an action game in which you control a girl who can turn into different monsters to solve different puzzles, and defeat enemies. The monster changing system was actually quite interesting, as you could also summon some of these monsters to fight with you in battle. The game continues with Rare's distinctive cartoony art style, and it seemed to fit quite well with the game.
Why Was It Cancelled?:
As I said before, Kameo for the GC was cancelled because Microsoft acquired Rare in 2002, ending or heavily delaying most of their next-generation projects. The only game that Rare was allowed to finish for the Gamecube was Star Fox Adventures, which marked the very last Rareware game made for a Nintendo home console. They were permitted to continue making games for Nintendo's portable systems, but even that may change soon, with Microsoft launching Windows Phone 7. It's hard to believe that a once great developer like Rareware can go from making classics like Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country to making crap like Kinect Sports. *Sigh*... Anyway, Kameo was eventually released as an Xbox 360 launch title.
Dead Phoenix
[img width=576 height=448]http://cubemedia.ign.com/cube/image/dead01_640w.jpg[/img]
What Was It?:
Dead Phoenix was an unreleased game by Capcom planned as a Gamecube exclusive, along with 4 other exclusive games, collectively known as the Capcom Five. Four of these 5 were eventually released, although 3 of them were eventually ported to the PS2. Dead Phoenix was supposed to be a hack-and-slash action game in which the character can fly around. Think "Dynasty Warriors" with wings. There were also Panzer Dragoon-esque shooting segments to the game, as well, as you can see above. While very little, if any, information was released about the game, it seems to have been shaping up to be a very fun and impressive game, with Gamecube graphics that we can only expect from Capcom.
Why Was It Cancelled?:
I honestly have no idea why Dead Phoenix was cancelled. Capcom never released any reasons for its cancellation, so there's nothing to speculate on. It's not like Capcom lacked the resources to make the game, so that's not a possibility. We'll never really know why Dead Phoenix was cancelled, at least until Capcom says something, which isn't likely to happen. Sorry, but I just don't have anything more to say.
Unity
[img width=466 height=339]http://www.unseen64.net/wp-content/gallery/unity/tg8.jpg[/img]
What Was It?:
I saved the best for last. Which, in this context, makes it the most tragic that it was never released. Unity was a psychadelic and wild game, combining aspects from Rez, Defender, and Tempest. Suitably enough, it was created in part by Jeff Minter, who created the latter. However, it was also created by Peter Molyneux, which pretty much doomed the game to a lack of a release since day one. The game had two different gameplay segments; the first of which resembled the classic shooter, Defender, in which the player can move his ship forward and backward across the screen, shooting down enemy ships. That part is pretty basic, and we've all seen it before, but the second part puts the player's ship on a circular tunnel, and they must move around it and shoot enemies as they approach. Switching between these two styles was to keep players constantly on their toes. The presentation is phenomenal, with hundreds of glowing lights and sounds surrounding you at all times, which is highly reminiscent of Sega's classic shooter, Rez. I was seriously having trouble believing this was actually a Gamecube game.
Why Was It Cancelled?:
Two words: Peter Molyneux.
Well, that's it for now. Looking back at all of these games, it is easy to see that the Gamecube was a well of untapped potential. At least we can see that some developers tried at pushing the limits of the little purple lunchbox. Let these games forever live on in our memory as what could have and what should have been. And who knows? Maybe someday a few beta versions of these games may pop up on the internet, and we may be able to experience at least a little bit of them. It's entirely possible, and in these cases shown above, I certainly hope so.
This is Lisalover1, desperately seeking a Radio Allergy beta disc.
|
|
|
This is lisalover1's Blog.
View Profile | RSS  |
|
A look at the past, present, and even future of Nintendo's most overlooked home console. This blog will feature reviews, retrospectives, and investigations regarding the Nintendo Gamecube, or anything else that falls within this spectrum. |
|
Blog Navigation
Browse Bloggers | My Blog
|
|
Hot Entries
|
|
Hot Community Entries
| |
|
