Resident Evil 4

Download Resident Evil 4 and face unspeakable horrors in this survival horror masterpiece! Play as Leon S. Kennedy and rescue the President's daughter from a terrifying threat. Do you have what it takes to survive? Play now!
a game by Capcom
Genre: Action
Platforms: GameCube, Wii, XBox 360, XBox One, Nintendo Switch, Wii U, PC (2007), Playstation 4, Playstation 3 (2011), Playstation 2
Editor Rating: 8.6/10, based on 7 reviews
User Rating: 7.5/10 - 244 votes
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Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4

Let me start by saying that Resident Evil 4 is my favorite game of all time. It is an absolute masterpiece and an all-time classic! While when it was first released on PC it was super rough and probably the worst version you could get. Capcom did fix this by releasing the special HD version of Resident Evil 4 on Steam and that is the one we are looking at today.

Welcome Back Mr. Kennedy

Resident Evil 4 is set many years after the events of Resident Evil 2 and Leon has been very busy since then. He has gotten himself a job as a bodyguard for the president of the USA and he has been sent to a remote European village to track down the President’s daughter, Ashley who has been kidnapped. Once in the village, Leon learns that the kidnapping was all part of a crazy plan by this cult that has ties to Umbrella! This cult uses a parasite that is known as las plagas to turn the people of the village into slaves, monsters and this is what the cult is hoping to use to take over the world. I actually really like the story and it is all told using actual game cut scenes. This is my only problem with this version of the game, the cut scenes they have used are much lower quality than the HD coated game visuals.

Forget Survival Horror This Is All About Action!

Resident Evil 4 marked a huge change in the series. First of all, the controls are no longer tank controls. You can move Leon around much easier than before, but he can still not run and shoot at the same time. The game has a very heavy focus on action and while later games in the series would take this too far. I do feel that Resident Evil 4 nailed it perfectly. There are plenty of different weapons for you to make use of and you can also upgrade them. You can make them more powerful, faster at reloading and also increase the clip size. You do this by collecting money as well as stuff that you can sell to the merchant.

Lots of Variety

When people talk about Resident Evil 4, they tend to only talk about the village part. In actual fact, the section in the village is only a very small section of the game. Resident Evil 4 has far more variety to it than people give it credit for. While the village may be one of the most memorable locations in the game. You also will find yourself in a castle, a research facility, and a mine!

Wait! Follow Me

Quite early in the game, you actually find Ashely and then you need to protect her. I know that escort missions in games tend to suck, but Ashely is not a problem. Occasionally one of the enemies will grab her and need your help and she does have a health bar so she can die, but only on a few occasions did I find myself getting frustrated with Ashley, she is also pretty good at getting out of the way when you are firing. Just make sure you do not try and look up her skirt when she is on a ladder!

Lots to Do!

This version of Resident Evil 4, as well as the HD visuals, gives you a ton of extra content. You can actually play through a side story as Ada Wong which is a lot of fun. This also gives you access to the Chicago Typewriter which is the most awesome (and expensive) weapon in the game. There are different costumes for you to get as well. I have played through this game so many times on each platform that I have lost count!

9.5

Despite being over a decade old and arguably responsible for the series losing its way. Resident Evil 4 to me is still an amazing game. This particular version is great and I would probably say it is between this and the one they released on the Xbox 360 that are the best. Without a doubt, Resident Evil 4 is a game that needs to be in everyone’s collection. I really do not have a bad word to say about this game!

Pros:

  • The action is great
  • Leon is really badass
  • You can also play as Ashley and Ada
  • The different locations are really cool
  • One of the greatest video games of all time!

Cons:

  • It did make the series go in a more action direction
  • The cut scenes do not look as good as the in-game visuals

Download Resident Evil 4

GameCube

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
Wii

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
XBox 360

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
XBox One

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
Nintendo Switch

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
Wii U

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
PC

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
Playstation 4

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
Playstation 3

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
Playstation 2

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Game Reviews

In All Honesty, I didn't realise they still peddled shite like this. A console port so insultingly cut-and-pasted that its menu systems make you weep, its refusal to recognise even the existence of a mouse makes you incensed with anger and its insistence on showering one of the greatest games of the past decade in noxious shit makes you gag. Yes, I'm pissed off.

Let's imagine you don't have a gamepad and you want to play Resi 4 on PC. Well, use your imagination - you're pretty f***ed. Controls are entirely keyboard-based - and as soon as one of the game's Fahrenheit-style timed button-bashing sequences kicks in, you'll get requests like 'Button 5 and button 6!', and you'll be staring at your tildes, inserts and right-shifts in shock, horror and growing nausea. I played this abhorration with a 360 pad in the end - but even then I had to alt tab out to find out exactly how the buttons were numbered in my computer's control panel.

What's more, Resi 4 simply doesn't look as good on PC as it did back on my lowly GameCube a couple of years ago. Weird I know, but drizzling higher resolutions onto a console game that previously had no lighting system and instead relied on textures to complement each other in their shared darkness has rendered the game stark and unlovely. A darkened cavern may now be crisper, but the more detailed rocks in its walls look silly and unrealistic - and any aid given to the game by a television's inherent blur completely evaporated. Cut-scenes too now seem cruelly dated and fuzzy -meaning that much of the 'wow' factor is now lost despite the sheer excitement that can still brim over in them...

Life On Mars

If you've been on a lunar expedition for a little while, and missed out on the fuss, then Resi 4 follows Leon Kennedy - a man who may share Ian 'H from Steps' Watkins' floppy blonde hair, but is a far more competent killing machine. He's in generic Eastern Europe to find the US President's kidnapped daughter -but not only has everyone been turned into a zombie, but some are wearing bags over their heads and waving chainsaws. Chainsaws whose distant revving noise chill your soul to its very core, and which can and will cleave your head in two at a moment's notice.

Fried Gold

Despite the bitter yellow bile Ubisoft have managed to spew into its PC iteration, Resi 4 is, remains and ever more shall be one of the best games I've ever played. It's the best zombie shooter ever thrilling, inventive, exciting and persistent in its desire to throw countless ingenious set-pieces in your direction.

From the legendary early village assault to battles with shambling minions on cable cars, scuffles with lake monsters and l thrilling knife-battles with other members of the uninfected cast, Resident Evil 4 is 24-carat gold dust that should be sampled by every self-respecting gamer on earth. Only not on PC - because when it's been so sloppily ported, it becomes obvious it doesn't belong here. Still - if for some reason you're unable to get it on console, I can't deny that you'll still have a lot of fun.

The rent check is a bit late, but Resident Evil is finally renewing its lease on terror. Leon S. Kennedy, who survived more than his fair share of horror while fighting his way out of Raccoon City in Resident Evil 2, goes straight to the source--Umbrella HQ--for the fourth proper chapter in this action-adventure series. RE4 looks to alter the genetics of both the series and the zombifying virus on which it's based: Writhing tentacles and humanoid figures materialize out of swirling black smoke, a severed stag head twitches on the floor, and Leon himself seems to be infected. And you just may be able to witness these horrors from a first-person view. Series creator Shinji Mikami's advice? "Don't pee your pants.'

License to Drive

Another first for RE4: controllable vehicles. Part of the demo we saw showed Leon zooming around on a fishing boat, fighting a giant sea creature with a harpoon. Later, he was knocked into the water, demonstrating his new swimming ability. Apparently, the boat isnt the only thing you can drive, either. Yes, there will be other vehicles, says Producer Kobayashi, but Im not tellin you what they are yet!

Grab the eagle key. Sigh. Stick the square-shaped crank into the square-shaped hole. Yawn. Use the blue key card. What, another cratepushing puzzle?

Sure, weve loved each new zombie-filled Resident Evil adventure (not including the Survivor light-gun games of course let us never speak of them again). But even fans would agree the series hasnt changed much over the past eight years, right down to the obligatory self-destruct-countdown final boss battle. Hell, even the games creators will admit it. Some gamers might say, Hey, its just another in the Resident Evil franchise.. .its nothing new, says Producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi, himself a veteran of the series since RE2. So we asked, How do we call the gamers back again? To do that, we have to change.

And change they have for Resident Evil 4, due this fall exclusively on GameCube. Just take a look at these screens and a couple big differences should be immediately obvious: fully 3D graphics and a whole new view of the action. The camera has shifted from its usual detached third-person perspective to an over-the-shoulder or first-person view, your choice. Either allows precision aiming (especially with a laser-sight-equipped pistol), which in turn opens up a whole new field of gunplay gameplay. If you shoot an enemy in the head, itll stun him, says Kobayashi. Shoot him in his knee once and he'll bend over and hold it; shoot his knee again and hell fall. Enemies will carry axes and other weapons you can shoot their hands to make them drop their weapons.

Wait a zombies carrying weapons? Thats another big change for RE4: no zombies. Zombies are slow and a bit dumb, says Kobayashi. You canlt expect much from a zombie. But these new enemies are smart. They can use weapons, plan strategies to surround you, and move a lot more quickly. So exactly who or what are these new enemies? Possessed people? Homicidal lunatics? We don't know, and Capcom isnt saying, but whatever they are, its clear theyre smarter than our old flesheating adversaries. In the short demo we played, these angry villagers dodged attacks, threw sickles, brandished chain saws even set up ladders to climb into a house Leon (RE4s main playable character) had barricaded himself in. At one point, as Leon sat in a tower picking them off, the new bad guys bombarded him with Molotov cocktails.

Other alterations and additions controllable vehicles, booby traps, a context-sensitive action button round out this rethinking of RE Could all these changes possibly mean that, for the first time ever, a Resident Evil game wont end with a self-destruct-countdown boss battle? Kobayashi smiles, Of course I cannot tell you the ending of the game.

While Resident Evil 4 has a potentially infected Leon fighting swirling black clouds of vapor that form into phantom attackers and disappearing dogs, the upcoming Resident Evil: Apocalypse movie pits a genetically altered Alice (Milla Jovovich) with superhuman strength and reflexes against the unstoppable Nemesis. Fans who can swallow this far-flung premise will be rewarded by glimpses of characters from RE3, a helicopter-versus-girl chase sequence straight out of the intro to RE Code: Veronica, and some really bitchin' S.T.A.R.S. vehicles. Maybe Milla'II kick a zombie dog in the face in slow motion again, too. There's always hope....

People say:

8

By now, you must know that RE4 completely rocks--it was EGM's 2005 Game of the Year, after all--so I won't waste your time by extolling its many virtues here. And even if you're a vet of the GC and PS2 outings, this Wii-make offers something new: RE4 action mapped to near-first-person-shooter-style controls. But moving your character with the Nunchuk's analog stick doesn't aim, it only moves your field of view, with enemies often out of view unless you wave the Remote around, holding while pressing A to shoot. Essentially, it's more complicated than it sounds, which saps some of the fun out of it. The "Separate Ways" missions that first appeared in the PS2 version are intact and practically constitute a whole new game, which means fans aren't getting cheated, especially considering the $30 price point. But it's amazing how a game that once looked so good can look so dated after a couple years of seeing games in high-def.

9

Milky's right on the visuals--RE4 may have lost that "holy f****ing s****" wow factor, but the sharp graphics still ably support its other awesome features: an engaging story, a deeply rewarding character and weapon upgrade system, and a truly creepy atmosphere no other game can match. Though they suffer a bit when things get hectic, the Wii-mote-enabled controls generally serve RE4 well: Aiming weapons, swiping your knife, and shaking off face-sucking nasties with real-world moves adds urgency to an already incredibly intense experience.

9

Unlike Milky, I never complained about the newfangled gameplay. In fact, I actually found the Wii's point-and-shoot controls made gunning down Ganados a helluva lot easier than before...maybe too easy--I breezed through tough parts that originally pissed me off in the previous versions. But I will find time to chew out Capcom for not including anything new in this old (but still amazing) game. Is it that hard to throw in some extra costumes or weapons? Hell no! Well, at least the cheapo price tag takes away some of that pain,

Resident Evil 4 is a lesson in change; a lesson that the industry should take note of. It takes the overly familiar franchise in a different direction, toys around with the proven and successful gameplay formula, and offers up something completely new - and more surprisingly, it succeeds on most levels.

How has Resident Evil changed? Well, let us count the ways'

In the first Resident Evil, you panicked because you weren't armed to deal with the situations thrown at you, and more often than not, had to flee the scene entirely. However, in Resident Evil 4, you're armed to the gills; now it's just a matter of being able to cope with all the enemies that are thrown at you.

In past Resident Evil games, you felt fear because of the restrictions imposed on you, whether it was due to the unwieldy controls, the erratic viewpoint, or some of the more archaic gameplay mechanics. You needed to conquer the limitations of the game before you could conquer the game itself.

This isn't so in Resident Evil 4. Now you feel more in control of what's happening on screen. Now, you have a fixed third-person perspective and rarely are you in need of weapons, ammo, or health. This changes a lot of things. No longer do you have to fight the confusing controls; no longer do you have constantly worry about your ammo supply; no longer do you have to worry about ribbons for saving.

However, change rarely comes without a price, and in the case of Resident Evil 4, the price of change is that it's just not that scary. It should be expected, considering the complete re-haul of the series, but now that you feel more in control of what happens on screen, a lot of the inherent fear is taken away. The atmosphere still feels tense, but you no longer feel like a helpless victim that has no hope of survival; rather, you feel like an action hero with all the right moves for a Hollywood summer blockbuster, big guns and all.

Resident Evil 4 still has its moments of terror-stricken thrills, make no mistake, but now the emphasis is on the actual action - and this isn't necessarily a bad change, either. There's a sadistic sort of satisfaction that results from blowing an enemy's head clean off with a shotgun, or better yet, clearing out a cluttered crowd with a well-placed shot from your rocket launcher. The action feels right, it flows right, and most importantly, it's a lot of fun.

What we have here is an immediately approachable Resident Evil title that offers up immediate satisfaction, and in a market known for consumers with short attention spans, it might just be what's needed to turn the series around. It's completely different from the other titles in the series, but still close enough to the original formula that die-hard Resident Evil fans won't feel too alienated. It's changed enough that even if you were previously disenchanted with the Resident Evil franchise, Resident Evil 4 still deserves a look.

Snapshots and Media

GameCube Screenshots

Nintendo Switch Screenshots

XBox One Screenshots

XBox 360 Screenshots

Wii Screenshots

Wii U Screenshots

PC Screenshots

Playstation 4 Screenshots

Playstation 3 Screenshots

Playstation 2 Screenshots

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