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Resident Evil 4, known in Japan as Biohazard 4 (バイオハザード4?), is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed by Production Studio 4 and published by multiple publishers, including Capcom, Ubisoft, and Nintendo of Australia. It is the sixth game in the Resident Evil series. It was originally intended to be released exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube, but before its release, it was announced that a PlayStation 2 version would be released. Microsoft Windows and Wii versions were also released. Since then, it has also been released for other platforms including the iPhone OS, Mobile phones, and Zeebo.
Resident Evil 4 puts the player in the role of Leon Kennedy, a special agent for the United States government sent to find the President's daughter, Ashley Graham.
The gameplay focuses on action, horror, and shootouts involving crowds of enemies in large open areas. This is a departure from the previous games in the series which focused on exploration and conservation of ammunition. The camera is focused behind Leon, and it zooms in for an over-the-shoulder view when aiming a weapon. The addition of a laser sight adds a new depth to the aiming not present in the other games of the series. The player is able to aim in various directions and easily change their placement at any time. Bullets now affect the enemies specifically where they are shot. Shots to the feet can cause enemies to stumble, while shots to the arms can cause them to drop their weapons.
Another new aspect of Resident Evil 4 is the inclusion of context-sensitive controls. Based on the situation, the player can interact with aspects of their environment: kicking down a ladder, jumping out of a window, or dodging an enemy attack. There are also dynamic cut scenes, in which the player must press buttons indicated on-screen to execute actions such as dodging a falling boulder or wrestling an enemy to stay alive. These are often incorporated into the game's many boss battles, where the player must avoid one-hit kill attacks. The Wii version expanded on this concept slightly by including a quick Wii Remote shake as a possible context sensitive action.
Capcom added new content made specifically for the PlayStation 2, and later added into the PC and Wii releases. The largest addition is Separate Ways, a minigame which revolves around Ada Wong's involvement in Resident Evil 4 and her connection to Albert Wesker, a former member of the STARS, who is now attempting to revive Umbrella. The player can also unlock Ada's Report, a five-part documentary, which analyzes Ada's relationship with Wesker and his role in the plot, new costumes for Leon and Ashley, a new laser weapon and a Movie Browser.
The inventory system of the game features a grid system, represented by an attache case, that has each item take up a certain number of spaces. The case can be upgraded several times, allowing for more space. Weapons, ammunition and healing items are kept in the case, while key items are kept in a separate menu. Items may be bought from and sold to a wandering merchant that appears in various locations throughout the game. He sells first aid sprays, weapons, allows for weapons to be upgraded and buys various treasures that Leon finds. The various weapons each have their own advantages and disadvantages.[2][3] One major goal for the game design was to increase weapon diversity to improve player freedom and gameplay depth.
In 2004, the Umbrella Corporation's secretive activities within Raccoon City have become a public affair. Following an investigation conducted by the U.S. government, several Umbrella officials are implicated and prosecuted. The government indefinitely suspends Umbrella's business, bankrupting the company.
Leon S. Kennedy was recruited by the U.S. Secret Service after they learned of his actions in Raccoon City. Leon is sent on a mission to rescue Ashley Graham, the President's daughter, who has been kidnapped by a mysterious cult. Leon travels to a rural village in Europe, where he encounters a horde of unruly villagers who pledge their lives to "Los Illuminados" ("The Enlightened" in Spanish), the cult that kidnapped Ashley.
During the course of the mission, Leon was injected with a mind-controlling parasite known as Las Plagas. He is also reunited with Ada Wong, a woman he met in Resident Evil 2, and Jack Krauser, one of Leon's former comrades from his years of Secret Service training, thought to be dead. He also meets Luis Sera, a former Los Illuminados researcher, who aids Leon on his mission, before he is murdered by Osmund Saddler, the leader of the Los Illuminados cult. By examining Sera's notes, Leon discovers that Los Illuminados gained control of their subjects with the Las Plagas. Their plan is to inject Ashley with a parasite, and then allow her to return to the US, where she can infect government officials.
After Saddler discovers that Leon has rescued Ashley, he commands his subjects to use any means to recover her. Meanwhile, after defeating the village chief, Bitores Mendez, Leon and Ashley take refuge inside the castle of the local castellan, Ramon Salazar. Ashley begins to cough blood, indicating the slow maturation of the Las Plagas egg in her bloodstream. Distressed by this, she runs off. Leon eventually finds her, but she is later captured again. Leon then battles his way through mazes and minions to find Salazar, only to learn that Ashley has been taken to a nearby island research facility. After numerous altercations with Saddler's forces, Leon is able to rescue Ashley, remove the Las Plagas from both of their bodies and defeat Saddler with Ada's assistance. Leon recovers a vial containing a Plagas sample from Saddler's body, but Ada forces him to give it to her at gunpoint. She then escapes from the complex in a helicopter, leaving Leon and Ashley to escape via her jet-ski.
Resident Evil 4 puts the player in the role of Leon Kennedy, a special agent for the United States government sent to find the President's daughter, Ashley Graham.
The gameplay focuses on action, horror, and shootouts involving crowds of enemies in large open areas. This is a departure from the previous games in the series which focused on exploration and conservation of ammunition. The camera is focused behind Leon, and it zooms in for an over-the-shoulder view when aiming a weapon. The addition of a laser sight adds a new depth to the aiming not present in the other games of the series. The player is able to aim in various directions and easily change their placement at any time. Bullets now affect the enemies specifically where they are shot. Shots to the feet can cause enemies to stumble, while shots to the arms can cause them to drop their weapons.
Another new aspect of Resident Evil 4 is the inclusion of context-sensitive controls. Based on the situation, the player can interact with aspects of their environment: kicking down a ladder, jumping out of a window, or dodging an enemy attack. There are also dynamic cut scenes, in which the player must press buttons indicated on-screen to execute actions such as dodging a falling boulder or wrestling an enemy to stay alive. These are often incorporated into the game's many boss battles, where the player must avoid one-hit kill attacks. The Wii version expanded on this concept slightly by including a quick Wii Remote shake as a possible context sensitive action.
Capcom added new content made specifically for the PlayStation 2, and later added into the PC and Wii releases. The largest addition is Separate Ways, a minigame which revolves around Ada Wong's involvement in Resident Evil 4 and her connection to Albert Wesker, a former member of the STARS, who is now attempting to revive Umbrella. The player can also unlock Ada's Report, a five-part documentary, which analyzes Ada's relationship with Wesker and his role in the plot, new costumes for Leon and Ashley, a new laser weapon and a Movie Browser.
The inventory system of the game features a grid system, represented by an attache case, that has each item take up a certain number of spaces. The case can be upgraded several times, allowing for more space. Weapons, ammunition and healing items are kept in the case, while key items are kept in a separate menu. Items may be bought from and sold to a wandering merchant that appears in various locations throughout the game. He sells first aid sprays, weapons, allows for weapons to be upgraded and buys various treasures that Leon finds. The various weapons each have their own advantages and disadvantages.[2][3] One major goal for the game design was to increase weapon diversity to improve player freedom and gameplay depth.
In 2004, the Umbrella Corporation's secretive activities within Raccoon City have become a public affair. Following an investigation conducted by the U.S. government, several Umbrella officials are implicated and prosecuted. The government indefinitely suspends Umbrella's business, bankrupting the company.
Leon S. Kennedy was recruited by the U.S. Secret Service after they learned of his actions in Raccoon City. Leon is sent on a mission to rescue Ashley Graham, the President's daughter, who has been kidnapped by a mysterious cult. Leon travels to a rural village in Europe, where he encounters a horde of unruly villagers who pledge their lives to "Los Illuminados" ("The Enlightened" in Spanish), the cult that kidnapped Ashley.
During the course of the mission, Leon was injected with a mind-controlling parasite known as Las Plagas. He is also reunited with Ada Wong, a woman he met in Resident Evil 2, and Jack Krauser, one of Leon's former comrades from his years of Secret Service training, thought to be dead. He also meets Luis Sera, a former Los Illuminados researcher, who aids Leon on his mission, before he is murdered by Osmund Saddler, the leader of the Los Illuminados cult. By examining Sera's notes, Leon discovers that Los Illuminados gained control of their subjects with the Las Plagas. Their plan is to inject Ashley with a parasite, and then allow her to return to the US, where she can infect government officials.
After Saddler discovers that Leon has rescued Ashley, he commands his subjects to use any means to recover her. Meanwhile, after defeating the village chief, Bitores Mendez, Leon and Ashley take refuge inside the castle of the local castellan, Ramon Salazar. Ashley begins to cough blood, indicating the slow maturation of the Las Plagas egg in her bloodstream. Distressed by this, she runs off. Leon eventually finds her, but she is later captured again. Leon then battles his way through mazes and minions to find Salazar, only to learn that Ashley has been taken to a nearby island research facility. After numerous altercations with Saddler's forces, Leon is able to rescue Ashley, remove the Las Plagas from both of their bodies and defeat Saddler with Ada's assistance. Leon recovers a vial containing a Plagas sample from Saddler's body, but Ada forces him to give it to her at gunpoint. She then escapes from the complex in a helicopter, leaving Leon and Ashley to escape via her jet-ski.
