Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

40 to 100 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Masterpiece"

Still being stuck with a PS2 and fancying a gaming change, I shopped around a bit and decided on Resident Evil 4. Having heard of the series I thought "Why not?" I had no idea what to expect... What I got was phenomenal. Resident Evil 4 really is everything it's cracked up to be and more. Tearing away from the classic "Zombies in Raccoon City" storyline, this game sees Leon S. Kennedy - a main character from Resident Evil 2 - travel to rural Spain in search of the President's missing daughter. Upon arriving, he encounters hostile locals who want nothing more than to kill him, seemingly by stabbing him or chopping his head off using a chainsaw or in other gruesome ways. Battling his way through a village and its surrounding countryside, a castle and its sewers and an industrial island, he encounters humans, parasites, giants and a whole host of other enemies. It's an exciting, action packed game. Stay on your toes during cutscenes; you never know when a quick-time event will occur. Graphically, the game looks amazing, especially on the PS2. Upgraded to HD for PS3, it loses none of its quality. Incredibly detailed, with massive levels and brilliant lighting effects, this has to be one of the best-looking games ever released on PS2. I was going to go into negatives, but other than the fact that you can't access guns without going into your inventory, which is annoying at times, there aren't any I can think of. One of the best things about this game is The Merchant. A mysterious character appearing only after you are tied up, he appears at seemingly random (at first) places and sells you anything you want, provided you have the money and he has it in stock. As the game goes on, you will be able to upgrade your guns, buy new and better ones as well as be able to buy bigger cases for your inventory and First Aid Sprays - which will come in VERY useful throughout the game. His placements, you will come to notice, are actually very strategic, often occurring before and after a boss fight, or somewhere where you may be running low on supplies having not seen him for a while. Nothing about the Merchant is ever revealed - identity, origin, background, reason for being there - nothing. His quotes have become legend amongst Resident Evil 4 fans, as well as the manner in which he says them. You will love him. I will continue to play this game for as long as possible, it is an utter masterpiece, as well as being extremely addictive - I once stayed up 'til 2:20am playing it before realising the time. Graphically beautiful, a clever and engaging plot, ridiculously brilliant gameplay and extra additions, including two Ada Wong missions unlocked after completing the game, this game not only lived up to the hype and expectation surrounding it upon its release - it far exceeded them. A fan of survival-horror or not - this is a must-have for your collection.