One Resident Evil to rule them all...

Ahhh RE4, my favorite game of all time and with good reason. It was probably one of the best console games of the previous generation. Capcom did a ballsy move throwing out all the of franchise conventions of the past. That meant no pre-rendered graphics, and more importantly, NO ZOMBIES. This proved to pay out in spades, as its still the benchmark of the survivor-horror genre.

Between the original Resident Evil 4 on the GameCube, and the PS2 port, I chose the former because of better graphics and better controls. Speaking of graphics, despite being over three years old, it still holds up surprisingly well. The controls are solid and easy to master very quickly. The third person over-the-shoulders prespective is a welcome addition and is copied countless times over. The lazer sight is also really cool and I wish more games had it. It makes headshots a breeze and its fun to shoot out peoples legs.

The story is well done, as it revolves around U.S. agent Leon S. Kennedy, who was originally a rookie cop in RE2. He has since been assigned to protect the First Family. Little did he know that his first mission was to find the President's kidnapped daughter, Ashley Graham. This suicide mission lands Leon in a nameless Spanish village. From there, he learns that the villagers are not zombies, but rather are Los Ganados, meaning "the cattle". These poor souls are the victims are the victims of the Las Plagas, a nasty parasite that turns the hosts into grotesque monsters like John Carpenter's "The Thing". From this point, things really start picking up and the action gets intense.

My favorite part in the game is the beginning in the creepy village. The enviroments really set the tone, and are truly spectacular. I don't know who designed the game, but I want to shake his hand. From the chainsaw dude to El Gigante to Salazar, the enemies, especially the bosses are just epic and a sight to behold. My only really complaint is not even a flaw, but a design choice. Why can't Ashley protect herself? I mean Leon has quite a few guns so why can't he just give her one? Ashley isn't completely useless, she does serve a purpose, but I would have liked her to help out a little more.
Alright, to wrap things up, even if you're not a fan and have never played a previous Resident Evil game (I know I didn't), you would do well to check it out.