Resident Evil 4 Revealed

[Deepak]

And sorry, IMO SH4 doesn't touch this in terms of scope, detail, textures, simultaneous on-screen enemies, etc.

I don't think you can reach on that conclusion merely on the basis of few mag scans and clips. Lets wait and watch.

 

[Li Mu Bai]

And sorry, IMO SH4 doesn't touch this in terms of scope, detail, textures, simultaneous on-screen enemies, etc.

I don't think you can reach on that conclusion merely on the basis of few mag scans and clips. Lets wait and watch.

No SH4 is "wide open" in terms of environment & gameplay elements. They're rarely texturing 2 or 3 creatures in detail during fight scenes. (if that at times) As the fighting as well has been somewhat constrained & repetetive. (the pipe) I've seen the SH4 trailer, while good & disturbing looks to be maintaining SH3's formula. Beautiful cutscene modelling, disturbing creatures, blood, gore, & horrific imagery is what the series is based upon, as well as psychological horror.

 

[casper]

Updated pics and hands-on game play info on RE4 from Gamespot. I haven't played an RE title since RE2 but reading the info on RE4 has brought back the tingles. Can't wait.

When we got our hands on the game, we were more than a little surprised by what we saw and played. Resident Evil 4 appears to be a complete overhaul of the Resident Evil experience as we know it. The game uses a fully 3D graphics engine and a standard third-person camera that, from what we were able to play, appears to be generally unobtrusive. The playable demo opened up with Leon making his way, in full-on free-roaming glory, around what appeared to be a deserted house near a recently collapsed bridge (always a surefire recipe for trouble). As we did a quick lap round the house before going in, we were able to try out the new shooting mechanic which pulls the camera in tight behind your shoulder, making it much easier to aim.

Before going into the house, we got our first taste of the A button's many context-sensitive uses when an onscreen indicator let us know we could use it to enter the house. Once inside, we met up with a pretty disturbing individual who was standing over by the fireplace. The A button let us have a brief and troubling conversation with him during which he swore at us in Spanish. Shortly thereafter we were confronted by what we initially assumed were zombies, which offered a nifty opportunity to sample the new targeting system. Once you assume the "shooting" position, you'll be able to aim at specific parts of your intended target. A laser sight on your gun lets you know exactly where you're aiming, which is a useful touch. We were especially pleased at the option to use first- or third-person when shooting, which seems to give you the best of both worlds.

Back to our targets in this escapade: Our zombie theory got a bit shakier when we drew closer to the individuals in question who, despite their odd gaits, didn't have the distinctive pallor or decomposition of zombies. In fact, the scary group of folk seemed to enjoy some limited speech. To make matters even more interesting, they reacted with a good measure of intelligence to our actions. For example, when we came upon a lone man in the misty forest, we figured we may as well do him in before his friends showed up and took a shot at him. Sadly, our aim was off a little, resulting in a miss that got his attention. Not only did he look our way, but he moved for cover and whistled, which resulted in the arrival of several more equally intelligent folk.

We eventually ran through the woods to a clearing with a few structures in it and tried to hide in a small house that offered next to no protection as the mob bashed in the front door. We retreated to a window at the rear of the house and used the very welcome context-sensitive "crash through window" option to get the hell out. Once in the courtyard formed by the houses, we used the A button again to scamper up a ladder to the roof of a building. Up top, our new best friend, the A button presented the option to kick down the ladder before we received company. From this high vantage point we were able to see our foes circling about and occasionally looking at us. We picked off a few with a rifle and then, being the masochists that we are, dropped off the roof into their midst to mix things up mano a mano. We'll be frank and say things were going reasonably well against the violent but thankfully unarmed freaks until their number was joined by a burlap sack-wearing fiend armed with a chainsaw. As any horror fan will tell you, chainsaws are the enemy of a happy ending.

We doubt anyone will be surprised to hear that Resident Evil 4 is one of the best-looking GameCube games we've ever seen. Frankly, Capcom's familiarity with the hardware has resulted in some amazing visuals. The demo we tried featured a very atmospheric area that didn't even load from disc as we moved around the highly detailed environments. The texture detail is impressively high and varied, resulting in a surprisingly rich look for an area that is mostly colored with shades of grey and brown. The mist that helped obscure things off in the distance worked nicely as a stylistic choice and gave the area a disturbing atmosphere.

Even at this stage of development, we can safely say that RE4 is one of the GameCube's best-looking games.
The character models are outstanding and, despite the game's early state, move smoothly even now. Leon moves well, with a bit of old school stiffness when aiming at specific parts of a foe. The assorted non-zombies and chainsaw-wielding freaks move equally well, although their smooth movement makes them a bit more troubling. We can't quite put our finger on it, but there's something very unsettling about seeing a form off in the distance, just out of clear vision, cautiously moving towards you.

As impressive as the demo we played was, the trailer showed off even more impressive parts of the game, such as the clip that showed Leon walking down a narrow path in the rain that's occasionally lit up by a flash of lightning. The boss fight against some sort of mutated alligator (or possibly a dolphin--we can't say for sure) was set on a dark and stormy lake. For all the impressive graphical flair packed into the game, the frame rate moves smoothly even at this early stage, which of course bodes well for the final game.

The audio in the game, while still coming together, hit all the right notes to properly unnerve us. There is effective use of silence and ambient noise even now. Given the game's setting and its already disturbing mix of typical Resident Evil elements along with brand new components, eerie silence is the last thing you want to hear as you're exploring. Another surefire arrow in the game's sound quiver are the whistles from your foes to each other as they try to coordinate against you. We expect those short cries to be the last things you'll want to hear as you play, closely followed by the rustling of many people moving toward you.

Resident Evil's detractors would do well to give this game due consideration--it's a new experience, to say the least.
While the demo and trailer gave us a taste of what to expect from Resident Evil 4, we feel it's safe to say the game will come packed with plenty of things to unnerve us. The different gameplay elements shown in the trailer, such as the binocular segments as you try to scope out your area, the use of vehicles such as boats, and the combat with your oddly intelligent foes should make for an impressive package that will be a highlight in the GameCube library and the Resident Evil franchise as a whole.

Put simply, Resident Evil 4 is the kind of game that critics and fans of the Resident Evil franchise alike have been crying out for years. The game finally takes the franchise forward (with a vengeance, we might add) and finally leaves behind its 32-bit roots once and for all. The improved pacing and control help the gameplay shine and are most definitely just what the doctor ordered. Visually, the title is gorgeous, and it's one of the all-too-few examples of the magic developers can create on Nintendo's powerful little system if they set their minds to it. Few, if any, games will come close to matching the visual quality of RE4 on the GameCube this year. If you're a longtime fan of the series who has drifted away as the various installments have lacked the impact of the first two games, you'll owe it to yourself to keep an eye out for this true return to form. Resident Evil 4 is currently slated to ship exclusively for the GameCube; look for more in the game in the coming months.

Entire article can be read here:

http://www.gamespot.com/gamecube/adventure/residentevil4/preview_6091563.html

 

[Blade]

IGN has a similar article. This game sounds like it's going to kick ass. Whether it kicks RE1's ass or not is hard to say, since RE1 was about as good as Resident Evil (or survival horror) gets.. but it looks great.

They say it's easily the prettiest game on GCN, and that it runs at a "constant" 30fps which is a relief.

I can't stand framerate issues..

 

[casper]

More pics.

 

[Jabjabs]

In regards to the self shadowing, while I can't load up the images (damn site restrictions!). Don't forget on of the large bosses in Starfox adventures had a good use of self shadowing and that was at 60fps.

It probably wouldn't be all that hard to implement at 30fps on the characters in this title.

 

[Li Mu Bai]

The texturing & detail is simply remarkable, what Mikami & his team are accomplishing is phenomenal.

 

[Evil_Cloud]

http://nintendoinsider.com/site/EpZAlpkyFyWlvicQfc.php

30 sec movie footage!

Looks like we'll have enviromental damage.

 

[Rodéric]

Something fun, here in france RE4 exclusive goes to.... PS2 Magazine !
Now, if that's not the lamest error in the history of video games advertising, I'd like to know what it is...

Giving exclusive coverage of a game that WON'T be released on the console a mag is talking about is rather.... STUPID !

 

[Cyborg]

Something fun, here in france RE4 exclusive goes to.... PS2 Magazine !
Now, if that's not the lamest error in the history of video games advertising, I'd like to know what it is...

Giving exclusive coverage of a game that WON'T be released on the console a mag is talking about is rather.... STUPID !

Then again, teasing ps2 fans and make them salivate, then say oops, its not on ps2 but its on gamecube, could make them go buy one to play RE4

 

[Bohdy]

Since the first link is down there is another source to the 35 second video here:

http://www.gcadvanced.com/commercials/re4.wmv

Very nice!

 

[PC-Engine]

The fire in that video looks really impressive. Probably the best real-time fire in a game I've ever seen.

 

[London Geezer]

The fire in that video looks really impressive. Probably the best real-time fire in a game I've ever seen.

Fire in RTCW is still very nice, and that's a VERY old game...
Strange how fire is such a difficult thing to recreate realistically, whether real-time or not.. I mean i've been struggling to make "real looking" fire for ages with Maya.. Even most of the fire effects in Hollywood movies look "nice but not real"... It either looks or moves "odd"... If you know what i mean... Unless they go the digitised way, which is cheating

 

[Deepak]

Killzone fire and smock effects look very good IMO.

 

[PC-Engine]

Killzone fire and smock effects look very good IMO.

From the clips I've seen from KZ, the fire looks pretty week compared to RE4. The fire in RE4 looks like it has volume and it moves realistically. In KZ it just looks like transparent textures. The smoke in KZ up close doesn't look too realistic. From a distance it looks real. Anyway it seems like RE4 is using the same awesome particle engine from RE0 and REmake.

Also just wanna clarify that when I mentioned real-time fire, I didn't mean fire that dynamically changes according to physics. I'm sure it's just scripted animation of fire being rendered in RE4. It looks real nonetheless.

 

[Deepak]

So, will they be able to fit RE4 on a single GC disk?? Are there any GC games that come on 2 or more disks?

 

[GHost]

So, will they be able to fit RE4 on a single GC disk?? Are there any GC games that come on 2 or more disks?

RE0 came on 2.

 

[Rodéric]

Resident Evil Rebirth came on 2 also.

Zelda The Wind Waker Collector came with a second bonus disk.

 

[Evil_Cloud]

Resident Evil Rebirth came on 2 also.

Zelda The Wind Waker Collector came with a second bonus disk.

Baten Kaitos also comes on two disks.

 

[PC-Engine]

MGS:TS also 2 discs