Shinji Mikami just made this game out of spite because everyone kept telling him tank controls sucked balls. So he went and made the best action game of the 2000s and probably one of the most influential games of all time, with tank controls.
I don't think anyone minds tank controls in this or in god hand, yeah. Tank controls feel unintuitive to a lot of people 'cause the direction you end up going in those fixed camera games might be completely different from the direction you're pushing. Putting the camera over the shoulder means that's not a problem at all anymore. Just another advantage of that new camera
@@Kriss_ch. I hate the tank controls which is why I don't play the game. After finishing the first playthrough I noped the fuck out. It's stupid and annoying.
When I first played Resident Evil 4, I was constantly impressed at just how well-curated the game is. From the progression to the combat to the levels, there are almost no discernible gaps in the experience, which I'm sure is a major reason for why it's so replayable and beloved. It dumbfounds me how well a Gamecube game with tank controls and quick-time events has aged.
The knife being a dedicated button was something RE4 did very late into development. There are pre-release demos released months before the game's launch where it was a separate weapon Leon had to equip. The inventory system was also a somewhat late development according to these demos. I feel like it adds something missing from prior titles which is it makes Leon feel incredibly aggressive in short range encounters. In prior games when enemies were close to you it was always an issue and you wanted to always increase distance. In RE4 however having the knife always available allows you to be far more aggressive with enemies because you can stun them immediately and do things like a roundhouse kick. It's unsurprising later titles like RE6 had the player able to do MMA moves on the fly with zombies.
Surprised you didn't mention the Weapons and how they are balanced around certain enemy types. Take Flash Grenades as an example, your first impression is that it is a passive weapon used to get out of a tricky situation but it's actually one of the most useful and offensive weapons in the game. it instant kills the tanky Las Plagas heads so the enounter with the knights becomes this strategy of popping the knight's heads and throwing a flash. This is a clever design that sadly never came back in current RE games.
I think Saddler works very well as a villain in this game honestly because of how the story is wacked. He's like the generic anime antagonist, an all planning and overconfident villain, except Leon literally couldn't give any less of a shit about him and openly mocks him. Its just another assignment to him that he wants to get done with and go back home to drink. That contrast is amusing to me.
So true. The hole story is so wacky tbh and Leon really doesn’t give a damn. I love how he starts of taking it sort of seriously, but after little napoleon he whips out jokes left and right, dissing everyone 😂
THAT said the credits remunds us how scummy he really is. The inages showing the village before Saddler's infection are really sad and shows hiw many lives were ruined by him.
I'm not sure if "the perfect video game" exists, but RE4 is up there for me, right next to Super Metroid in being the perfect implementation of exactly what it wants to be.
@@OveRaDaMaNt in this case I'm talking about a game that achieves every goal it set out to do. Re4 is a linear, set-piece driven, action-horror game and on that note I think it executes that perfectly. Just as Super Metroid imho remains the perfect "Metroidvania" or search-action game
Truly one of the most tightly designed games in history. Every mechanic is unique and given the right introduction, and yet they're simple enough to not overstay their welcome. The PS2 generation had the perfect balance of technical advance and limitations.
Watching this footage has reminded me that it has been so long since I've see RE4 played in its original format. My first experience with it was on the 7th gen consoles. Looks bad ass on the gamecube. I think a lot of the sense of threat was lost when the game was cleaned-up by later ports. Doesn't look as nasty or grimy.
People talk about how linear 4 is, and it is, but it still allows a consistent adventure from beginning to end. One thing that sets it apart from 5, 6, and Revelations 2 is the lack of a chapter select, forcing you to play through the game from beginning to end, and making the game world have a consistency not seen in those games, which were more broken up into individual levels. The ability to replay levels in 5 to farm for money, better ranks, and ammo definitely could make the expenditure of resources have less of an impact. Rather than having to make your current healing items last until the end of the game, you just gotta get to the end of the level, then you can go back and grab some more from an easier level. Not that this is an inherently worse design decision, but it definitely has some effects!
People have to stop saying that the original RE games aren't linear. They are. They're just linear with recurring paths, since every puzzle can only be done when the previous one is solved. A non-linear game gives you the freedom to solve its layout at your own pace.
@@isaywhateveriwantandyougot7421 There are plenty of cases where you can choose between multiple puzzles and objectives in the original game, such as what order to get the crests, or the optional puzzles to get the magnum and shotgun. Sure there's an optimal path for doing it, but there is plenty of choice in the original game. I will admit, most of the games afterwards don't catch that same feeling, but there's still player choice of what objective to pursue first at times... At least up until 5.
Re4 is overall linear but with a lot of sandbox elements. The very first house gives you multiple different ways to tackle your first combat section. Leon also has multiple ways to take down enemies. Basically the game gives you a ton of options just in the prologue alone.
While obviously the series will go on, finally making it to RE4 on road to the rocket launcher feels like a huge milstone. Excellent job as always, Charlie! And thanks again for making some of the best game videos around!
29:07 The answer is in both REmake 2 and 3. The formula has been tweaked so that the dificulty in every encounter is quite high yet the positive feedback can be achieved from using the older strategies (knowing when to pump an enemy full of bullets, when to dodge etc).
I think the "but that's not something we'd be seeing anytime soon" right after implies that he also thinks RE eventually did do that? (with 2 and 3 remake as you mention)
Resident Evil 4 is probably one of my favorite games ever, and without a doubt my favorite RE game. It just oozes polish and confidence. Is it cheesy? Yes. But GOD does it just feel good. Landing that suplex is just...man. Not to mention the cutscenes never fail to make me chuckle.
Good stuff, yet again. A couple of points I thought I'd bring up. On the subject brought up around 16:20 about whether the enemies dropping ammo facilitated linearity or vice-versa: I think the real impetus for these decisions was the acknowledgement that they made an incredibly fun and satisfying combat system and likely didn't want the player to feel like they were being punished for wanting to engage with it, thus leading to *both* of those choices. One is a reward in the moment, and the other is a method of continuously supplying more of what the player is enjoying. Secondly, on the topic around 18:12 on why you can't buy ammo, I imagine it is, at least in part, meant to be a way of pushing the player toward engaging with the extra context-sensitive actions made available to them through precision aiming as well as the rather powerful knife. The knowledge that you didn't have a consistent method of topping yourself off meant you were putting more of that dosh into upgrades and focusing more on grouping up the enemies, capping one in the leg or the head, and giving him the boot. Or shooting some dynamite out of their hands. Etcetera, etcetera. I am, admittedly, rather biased as this has been my favourite game for years upon years, so take what I've said with a grain of salt.
RE4 was my first RE. Years later when I revisited the back catalog, I realised that Leon still runs and holds his stances with guns EXACTLY how he does in RE2.
RE4 is not my personal favorite game (I have a couple of Mario, Metroid, Zelda, and Castelvania games over it) but if someone told me that it's the greatest video game of all time, I wouldn't disagree with him. If you had to break a game down into different gameplay components and look at it as if it were a science, say there was a college class teaching game design, this game is probably the gold standard. It is better than anything this gen. I have not played a game better than RE4 since RE4 came out. I replay it regularly and every single time I'm amazed at how that core loop of gameplay holds up, how perfectly designed it is. From a game design perspective, it's just uncanny how amazingly well crafted everything is. The encounter/combat design, level design, pacing, in-game economy, upgrade system, inventory system, weapon design, sound design, animations, enemy hit reactions, enemy and boss variety, replayability, etc. The amount of pure design they included in the game is amazing. Obviously there are games that're going to be better in certain aspects but I really find it difficult to think of anything as tight and cohesive and perfectly crafted throughout as RE4. It's a pinnacle.
Have you played Dark Souls 1 or Bloodborne? I think Resident Evil 4 is basically flawless, but it doesn't have the ambition that Soulsborne games strive for. Yes, Dark Souls 1 has flaws in the later half and Bloodborne could have used more content to flush out the lovecraft theme more, but I can't help but put them above RE4 in overall quality. Thoughts?
This is the vid I was waiting for when you first started this series. I'm glad you made it this far. You're one of the most intelligent and like-minded analysist on YT and I appreciate your evaluations, they're great for game design. Thank you 🤙
It’s weird how the RE4 beta turned into DMC1 which explains why Dante and Leon act so similar along with tons of other similarities like part of the re4 merchant save theme was used in Dmc1 as the castle theme and both games end with an escape from a castle on a island while a timer counts and the castle blows up with you being accompanied by a blond haired chick asking you if you want some “overtime” lol
Actually that doesn’t track with Leon, because Dante was never Leon. When DMC was RE4, Dante was Tony Redgrave, the son of Ozwell Spencer. And his “demon” powers were all from the Progenitor Virus. There’s no throughline between Dante and Leon.
I can't stress enough how fcking badass and good team leader Shinji Mikami is; dude literally created RE, perfected the classic survival horror with RE1 Remake and then he went and revived it by revolutionizing the gaming landscape as a whole with RE4. The man is a natural and I like how he's not some rockstar wanna be like some other devs, since he always recall things that he could've done better or even hope for other people to make a better job that he did as he stated when asked about what he thought about RE4 Remake
Hell yeah! The true best remake ever made is the RE Remake (2002) that he headed. He got the defensive weapon to get out of hairy situations and small keys in there along with the map design showing if the area is fully explored that is a staple in the recent Capcom remakes. In fact, I’m certain RE4 remake added the crouch, the bolt thrower, and the “melee kills on enemy stun” based on The Evil Within 1. The man is a legend in every sense of the word, who is also a class act through and through.
What I love about Resident Evil 4 is that the opening is playable, and lasts half an hour; no padding at all. The gameplay helps facts with you controlling Leon, who's been attacked by a horde of villagers, as the game was aware they weren't zombies; the entirety of a small rural Spain town was infected with some possession parasite which you figure out eventually. The gameplay continues to get better and better the more we progress, since Rezzie 4 had changed survival horror even further after Silent Hill 2 and 3. Like a mix between Clock Tower and other Resident Evil titles; such a beautiful combination. To end this off, RE4 had a satanic cult called Los Illuminados as the big bad, rather than the same Umbrella we knew and fought each entry prior to this one. Compared to RE5 which is passable, RE6 which is mediocre, and RE7 along RE8, both amazing and very good, so I give Resident Evil 4 for being a game-changer, as the remake gets closer and closer, my fingers are crossed in hopes that RE4R will be fantastic like the original.
The part where you complain about not being able to buy ammo is something I can't agree with. You argue that you should be able to buy ammo because you can buy a rocket launcher or refill ammo by buying a mag size upgrade, but both of those choices go deeper than a monetary exchange. A rocket launcher takes up so much space in your inventory that even if you were allowed to buy more than one at a time, you never would, just because of that inventory limitation, and you can only buy a mag size upgrade a limited number of times before it gets maxed out. Besides to maximise the potential of that ammo upgrade you want the gun to be empty beforehand, making you more vulnerable. If you have ammo to spare before a merchant it becomes an actually interesting questions of whether to reload now and have more options for the upcoming fight, or not to reload and have more resources long-term. If you were able to buy ammo, even if it were 1000ptas for a single pistol shot, you'd still change the stresses of scrapping. It goes from "I want to shoot that guy with my sniper rifle but I risk running out of ammo for it" to "I'll shoot that guy with my sniper, and if I run out at a critical moment I'll just get more"
What you just described is one of my favorite things about RE4. deciding the best time to reload or upgrade ammo capacity is always looming on my mind when i play.
@@Bodzio2M Titanfall 2 has brain dead enemies who shoot you when they see you. Increased difficulty just makes them shoot you faster. DOOM Eternal has enemies who you kill with specific guns, while RE4 will challenge you to use guns against enemies not ONLY at specific ranges but also with how many of them are happening to stand near each other and at what ranges. F.E.A.R. was a disappointment when I finally played it and found out it was nothing but bluster about enemies who talk a lot and I fight like literally every other fps enemy by peeking around corners in 1 second reaction windows (in addition to a slow down mechanic that breaks any semblance of mechanical challenge). RE4 hasn't been topped in the shooter genre, show me a better game and I'll dissect the combat loop into a less complicated flowchart.
@@solarenemy3733 VS games will always be the most mechanically complex because you're fighting another player. It's why Divekick has one button and is still competitive. I mean single player PvE game design.
I'm disappointed you didn't really talk about the dynamic difficulty. It likely informs a lot of RE4's pacing and item drop mechanics. Is there not a lot of info available?
I've never seen anyone go into any real depth on its mechanics and seems like only somewhat recently was it officially acknowledged that the game really had it.
I'm concerned about the remake. It's impossible that Capcom is willing to rebuild all these different locations and set pieces. I'll bet that half of the game gets scrapped for the remake.
I think they'll reuse a lot of assets from Village tbh as the settings are similar, not the whole game but some of it for sure. Also Pepsi Man the 4 remake is being developed by the same team that made 2, not 3 so you might be in luck
@@j-skullz how often do you use the word Pepsi Man that your phone autocorrects resident evil 4 to Pepsi Man. 😆 I'm an idiot and didn't realize he was talking to someone named Pepsi Man.
Honestly the first time I played this game was on the Wii. And after experiencing it like that I don't know if I'd ever be able to play it again without the Wiimote lol
RE 4 reminds me alot of Monolith's first game: Blood; which came out in 1997 as in that game you also take on a cult as a badass with one liners and one of the main line enemies are hooded cultists with firearms that throw dynamite at you. There's also zombies with axes and your melee weapon is a pitchfork. More recently in Cultic, the spiritual successor to Blood you fight hooded cultists with both firearms and axes, plus the pistol you get is a c96 mauser.
that camera system mentioned in 06:04 is the one used in the game Cold Fear! You could even choose to shoot from the "fixed perspective" or from the shoulder view
I remember when this game went through the "was it really that good?" phase a few years back. A test that every critically acclaimed game goes through once the dust has settled, where everyone looks back on it and questions whether or not it was worth the hype it received. Bioshock Infinite and Skyrim are examples of games that failed that test (not saying they're bad games); Resident Evil 4 is an example of a game that passed it. This game is really _that_ fucking good. I'm someone who struggles to finish games today because I just get bored of them, but RE4 is a game I pick up every few months and enjoy every second of it from beginning to end. I'm sure the remake will be good but I sincerely doubt it'll surpass this masterpiece.
For me, the series that didn't really age well was F.E.A.R. Back in the day, everyone was talking about how Alma Wade was gonna be the new horror icon. After having spent a whole summer playing through all 5 games, I gotta say, I was underwhelmed. Not a bad series, just shallower than advertised. I'd describe it more as an FPS series with some horror moments rather than a full-on horror game.
I think swapping camera angles by aiming could be really disorienting. With metal gear solid 2, you usually had one camera angle to worry about, and there was a minimap for you to see what way you'll be facing while looking. With a game this hectic, it might just get annoying having to think about where you are every time you aim
Oh hell yes! I just finished my playthrough of RE Remaster a few days ago and rewatched your gem of a video avout it, and now this pops up in my notifications. Sometimes, life is good.
Personally I don't think that adding quick switch to weapons would be a good idea since that would probably come at the expense of the inventory organization system (which honestly is one reason why I love this game). RE 8 had the same inventory system but you never engaged with it because you could switch weapons through buttons and given a prompt to heal when injured. Why open up and organize your inventory when you never need to? And it's not like RE 4 didn't allow you to quickly switch and heal on the fly either, but it had to be earned through organizing your own case and making your inventory your own, and that involves engaging with the inventory system. It's a subtle aspect of the game design but it helps make sure there are no superfluous elements. Judging by the trailers, it looks like RE 4 remake is gonna include quick switching and healing like RE 8 and personally I think that's an unfortunate change with the remake. I predict that nobody is gonna be organizing their cases like OCD freaks as a result since nobody would need to.
The semi-random novelties of this game are part of the reason why I describe this game as the happiest accident of a game ever. If some of those go to long or too short, the pace is butchered. If the core combat wasn't as strong as it was, the game is hurt. The game should not be as good as it is, and you can even see a lot of the problems with this design apparent in things like separate ways where the pacing is way less smooth. (Surprised you didn't talk about Separate Ways)
I see letting the player buy ammunition as making the enemy drops redundant and also the weapon upgrade system. Why would I spend thousands of pesetas on upgrading my guns when I'm better off dumping all of my cash on ammunition. This would subtly make the game worse as if the player is incentivized to just buy lots of ammo and ignore the weapon upgrade system they'll stick with weaker weapons that deal less damage. The random enemy drops make every time you find ammunition feel very precious whereas if you could just buy it in the store it would feel less meaningful. It feels like the developers very deliberately wanted you to take advantage of the weapon upgrade system to allow you to use your favorite guns for the entire game. IE: How the Bolt Action Rifle does more damage than the fully upgraded semi auto rifle despite firing slower. Dark Souls would later adopt the same upgrade system for its weapons despite being a non-linear RPG. Allowing the player to buy a one use rocket launcher to me is more of a risk vs reward thing. Since it takes up an enormous amount of inventory space and only works once you have to predict if you'll need it in the next or if you should save it up for later. It ties into the lack of item boxes really adjusting the way the player makes decisions.
I think the game could work if enemies just drop money while selling ammo at a huge markup to give that weighty decision if you want to choose to upgrade and expand your arsenal vs have more ammo to spend. Maybe you could take out the ammo upgrades to balance it out but still retain finding ammo in boxes rewarding thoroughly exploring areas kinda like how they did with stuff like the broken butterfly. Just an idea, maybe there's a mod for it already idk but I think it could still retain the fun factor with these changes.
WATCH THE DEVIL'S RAIN! It's a 70's movie with vibes of the cultists in this game. Also features an Shatner looking like his Michael Myers mask, an early John Travolta, and Ernest Borgnine looking like a goat. Sadler WISHES he was that cool!
Oh boy, the Resident Evil 2 Remake video will be a REALLY interesting video, but while that day arrives I will definely stick around! Awesome video as always! RE4 was the first and only Resident Evil game I've ever played so far, that game slaps. But I definely need to finish that thing, I ended up dropping the game at one point, I probably judge the game wrong.
The orange outline is super distracting and makes this hard to watch. Id rather just a black one or putting an expanded version of the video in the background and adding a blur like most youtube channels do with phone vids
I would argue that Resident Evil 1 - 3 had a metroidvania vibe with hardcore survival components. This game felt more like a barrel shooter house of the dead etc.
Forgot about the Evil Within-style letterboxing RE4 had at launch. Honestly kinda miss it, wish later ports would've allowed at least a small 1.85:1 letterbox option. Makes me feel like I'm in Evil Dead or something.
One of my top 10 games, only behind the Resident Evil 1 Remake. Would be nice if you talked about the incoming remake. Personally a remaster would be enough, the game just needs real-time weapon change and removal of the QTEs.
The best 3rd person shooter ever conceived, hands down. At least in terms of its design. I've never played a game with so much variety of combat while sticking to the same mechanics. A strong gameplay foundation and level design go a long way
Shinji Mikami just made this game out of spite because everyone kept telling him tank controls sucked balls. So he went and made the best action game of the 2000s and probably one of the most influential games of all time, with tank controls.
I don't think anyone minds tank controls in this or in god hand, yeah. Tank controls feel unintuitive to a lot of people 'cause the direction you end up going in those fixed camera games might be completely different from the direction you're pushing. Putting the camera over the shoulder means that's not a problem at all anymore. Just another advantage of that new camera
then the guy made god hand in 9 months
*B A S E D* Mikami San
He made it action game because they feared horror wouldn't sell well. Based on sales of RE1 remake and code veronica they didn't want to risk anymore.
@@Kriss_ch. I hate the tank controls which is why I don't play the game. After finishing the first playthrough I noped the fuck out. It's stupid and annoying.
When I first played Resident Evil 4, I was constantly impressed at just how well-curated the game is. From the progression to the combat to the levels, there are almost no discernible gaps in the experience, which I'm sure is a major reason for why it's so replayable and beloved. It dumbfounds me how well a Gamecube game with tank controls and quick-time events has aged.
The knife being a dedicated button was something RE4 did very late into development. There are pre-release demos released months before the game's launch where it was a separate weapon Leon had to equip. The inventory system was also a somewhat late development according to these demos.
I feel like it adds something missing from prior titles which is it makes Leon feel incredibly aggressive in short range encounters. In prior games when enemies were close to you it was always an issue and you wanted to always increase distance. In RE4 however having the knife always available allows you to be far more aggressive with enemies because you can stun them immediately and do things like a roundhouse kick. It's unsurprising later titles like RE6 had the player able to do MMA moves on the fly with zombies.
Also RE1 NDS version has the same feature.
Surprised you didn't mention the Weapons and how they are balanced around certain enemy types. Take Flash Grenades as an example, your first impression is that it is a passive weapon used to get out of a tricky situation but it's actually one of the most useful and offensive weapons in the game. it instant kills the tanky Las Plagas heads so the enounter with the knights becomes this strategy of popping the knight's heads and throwing a flash. This is a clever design that sadly never came back in current RE games.
Oh man, there are few things more satisfying than using a flash on all 3 knights at a time during that one fight lol!
I think Saddler works very well as a villain in this game honestly because of how the story is wacked. He's like the generic anime antagonist, an all planning and overconfident villain, except Leon literally couldn't give any less of a shit about him and openly mocks him. Its just another assignment to him that he wants to get done with and go back home to drink. That contrast is amusing to me.
I like the little 4th wall poke saddler quips at Leon about being in a hollywood movie.
So true. The hole story is so wacky tbh and Leon really doesn’t give a damn. I love how he starts of taking it sort of seriously, but after little napoleon he whips out jokes left and right, dissing everyone 😂
THAT said the credits remunds us how scummy he really is. The inages showing the village before Saddler's infection are really sad and shows hiw many lives were ruined by him.
Garbage story.
I'm not sure if "the perfect video game" exists, but RE4 is up there for me, right next to Super Metroid in being the perfect implementation of exactly what it wants to be.
A perfect video game would be different for everyone.
@@OveRaDaMaNt in this case I'm talking about a game that achieves every goal it set out to do.
Re4 is a linear, set-piece driven, action-horror game and on that note I think it executes that perfectly.
Just as Super Metroid imho remains the perfect "Metroidvania" or search-action game
Super Metroid is too easy. Unless you’re interested in speed running it makes replay boring.
Probably "perfect" would be something like Silent Hill 2.
@@Mrhostil95 I havent played it myself but from what I've heard, it's a strong contender
No bullshit intro, just straight 30 minutes of precise analysis of one of the best games ever made.
Truly one of the most tightly designed games in history. Every mechanic is unique and given the right introduction, and yet they're simple enough to not overstay their welcome. The PS2 generation had the perfect balance of technical advance and limitations.
I think I speak for a majority when I say this has been one of the most anticipated videos!
Yes, you certainly do 😉
Same. I am oddly excited to watch this. TGBS why he has so few subs is a mystery to me.
I never thought he would make a video on RE4
"The aiming system like Silent Hill 1."
...I've beaten that game 3 times and I've never known you could over the shoulder aim like that wtf.
Watching this footage has reminded me that it has been so long since I've see RE4 played in its original format. My first experience with it was on the 7th gen consoles. Looks bad ass on the gamecube. I think a lot of the sense of threat was lost when the game was cleaned-up by later ports. Doesn't look as nasty or grimy.
This. The Cry-Engine ports look too sterile.
The gamecube version still has the best looking blood effects
People talk about how linear 4 is, and it is, but it still allows a consistent adventure from beginning to end. One thing that sets it apart from 5, 6, and Revelations 2 is the lack of a chapter select, forcing you to play through the game from beginning to end, and making the game world have a consistency not seen in those games, which were more broken up into individual levels. The ability to replay levels in 5 to farm for money, better ranks, and ammo definitely could make the expenditure of resources have less of an impact. Rather than having to make your current healing items last until the end of the game, you just gotta get to the end of the level, then you can go back and grab some more from an easier level. Not that this is an inherently worse design decision, but it definitely has some effects!
People have to stop saying that the original RE games aren't linear. They are. They're just linear with recurring paths, since every puzzle can only be done when the previous one is solved. A non-linear game gives you the freedom to solve its layout at your own pace.
@@isaywhateveriwantandyougot7421 There are plenty of cases where you can choose between multiple puzzles and objectives in the original game, such as what order to get the crests, or the optional puzzles to get the magnum and shotgun. Sure there's an optimal path for doing it, but there is plenty of choice in the original game. I will admit, most of the games afterwards don't catch that same feeling, but there's still player choice of what objective to pursue first at times... At least up until 5.
@@Akay4444444444444444 You're just making it sound more intuitive than it is
@@isaywhateveriwantandyougot7421 The classic RE games had linear progression, but RE4 has linear level design.
Re4 is overall linear but with a lot of sandbox elements. The very first house gives you multiple different ways to tackle your first combat section. Leon also has multiple ways to take down enemies. Basically the game gives you a ton of options just in the prologue alone.
While obviously the series will go on, finally making it to RE4 on road to the rocket launcher feels like a huge milstone. Excellent job as always, Charlie! And thanks again for making some of the best game videos around!
29:07 The answer is in both REmake 2 and 3. The formula has been tweaked so that the dificulty in every encounter is quite high yet the positive feedback can be achieved from using the older strategies (knowing when to pump an enemy full of bullets, when to dodge etc).
I think the "but that's not something we'd be seeing anytime soon" right after implies that he also thinks RE eventually did do that? (with 2 and 3 remake as you mention)
Resident Evil 4 is probably one of my favorite games ever, and without a doubt my favorite RE game. It just oozes polish and confidence. Is it cheesy? Yes. But GOD does it just feel good. Landing that suplex is just...man. Not to mention the cutscenes never fail to make me chuckle.
Good stuff, yet again. A couple of points I thought I'd bring up.
On the subject brought up around 16:20 about whether the enemies dropping ammo facilitated linearity or vice-versa: I think the real impetus for these decisions was the acknowledgement that they made an incredibly fun and satisfying combat system and likely didn't want the player to feel like they were being punished for wanting to engage with it, thus leading to *both* of those choices. One is a reward in the moment, and the other is a method of continuously supplying more of what the player is enjoying.
Secondly, on the topic around 18:12 on why you can't buy ammo, I imagine it is, at least in part, meant to be a way of pushing the player toward engaging with the extra context-sensitive actions made available to them through precision aiming as well as the rather powerful knife. The knowledge that you didn't have a consistent method of topping yourself off meant you were putting more of that dosh into upgrades and focusing more on grouping up the enemies, capping one in the leg or the head, and giving him the boot. Or shooting some dynamite out of their hands. Etcetera, etcetera.
I am, admittedly, rather biased as this has been my favourite game for years upon years, so take what I've said with a grain of salt.
A Resident Evil 4 video *and* a GamingBrit video? Finally the crossover I've been waiting for
RE4 was my first RE. Years later when I revisited the back catalog, I realised that Leon still runs and holds his stances with guns EXACTLY how he does in RE2.
RE4 is not my personal favorite game (I have a couple of Mario, Metroid, Zelda, and Castelvania games over it) but if someone told me that it's the greatest video game of all time, I wouldn't disagree with him. If you had to break a game down into different gameplay components and look at it as if it were a science, say there was a college class teaching game design, this game is probably the gold standard.
It is better than anything this gen. I have not played a game better than RE4 since RE4 came out. I replay it regularly and every single time I'm amazed at how that core loop of gameplay holds up, how perfectly designed it is. From a game design perspective, it's just uncanny how amazingly well crafted everything is. The encounter/combat design, level design, pacing, in-game economy, upgrade system, inventory system, weapon design, sound design, animations, enemy hit reactions, enemy and boss variety, replayability, etc. The amount of pure design they included in the game is amazing.
Obviously there are games that're going to be better in certain aspects but I really find it difficult to think of anything as tight and cohesive and perfectly crafted throughout as RE4. It's a pinnacle.
Have you played Dark Souls 1 or Bloodborne? I think Resident Evil 4 is basically flawless, but it doesn't have the ambition that Soulsborne games strive for. Yes, Dark Souls 1 has flaws in the later half and Bloodborne could have used more content to flush out the lovecraft theme more, but I can't help but put them above RE4 in overall quality. Thoughts?
This is the vid I was waiting for when you first started this series. I'm glad you made it this far. You're one of the most intelligent and like-minded analysist on YT and I appreciate your evaluations, they're great for game design. Thank you 🤙
It’s weird how the RE4 beta turned into DMC1 which explains why Dante and Leon act so similar along with tons of other similarities like part of the re4 merchant save theme was used in Dmc1 as the castle theme and both games end with an escape from a castle on a island while a timer counts and the castle blows up with you being accompanied by a blond haired chick asking you if you want some “overtime” lol
Actually that doesn’t track with Leon, because Dante was never Leon. When DMC was RE4, Dante was Tony Redgrave, the son of Ozwell Spencer. And his “demon” powers were all from the Progenitor Virus. There’s no throughline between Dante and Leon.
The Nintendo DS port of RE1 gave us a dedicated button for the knife permanently, and it doesn't take up an inventory slot.
I can't stress enough how fcking badass and good team leader Shinji Mikami is; dude literally created RE, perfected the classic survival horror with RE1 Remake and then he went and revived it by revolutionizing the gaming landscape as a whole with RE4. The man is a natural and I like how he's not some rockstar wanna be like some other devs, since he always recall things that he could've done better or even hope for other people to make a better job that he did as he stated when asked about what he thought about RE4 Remake
Hell yeah! The true best remake ever made is the RE Remake (2002) that he headed. He got the defensive weapon to get out of hairy situations and small keys in there along with the map design showing if the area is fully explored that is a staple in the recent Capcom remakes.
In fact, I’m certain RE4 remake added the crouch, the bolt thrower, and the “melee kills on enemy stun” based on The Evil Within 1. The man is a legend in every sense of the word, who is also a class act through and through.
I'm still in shock at how good this game looks running on the original Gamecube
What I love about Resident Evil 4 is that the opening is playable, and lasts half an hour; no padding at all. The gameplay helps facts with you controlling Leon, who's been attacked by a horde of villagers, as the game was aware they weren't zombies; the entirety of a small rural Spain town was infected with some possession parasite which you figure out eventually. The gameplay continues to get better and better the more we progress, since Rezzie 4 had changed survival horror even further after Silent Hill 2 and 3. Like a mix between Clock Tower and other Resident Evil titles; such a beautiful combination. To end this off, RE4 had a satanic cult called Los Illuminados as the big bad, rather than the same Umbrella we knew and fought each entry prior to this one. Compared to RE5 which is passable, RE6 which is mediocre, and RE7 along RE8, both amazing and very good, so I give Resident Evil 4 for being a game-changer, as the remake gets closer and closer, my fingers are crossed in hopes that RE4R will be fantastic like the original.
26:42 this is very accurate, as Shinji Mikami said in an interview with VG247 that he had three weeks to write it
The part where you complain about not being able to buy ammo is something I can't agree with. You argue that you should be able to buy ammo because you can buy a rocket launcher or refill ammo by buying a mag size upgrade, but both of those choices go deeper than a monetary exchange. A rocket launcher takes up so much space in your inventory that even if you were allowed to buy more than one at a time, you never would, just because of that inventory limitation, and you can only buy a mag size upgrade a limited number of times before it gets maxed out. Besides to maximise the potential of that ammo upgrade you want the gun to be empty beforehand, making you more vulnerable.
If you have ammo to spare before a merchant it becomes an actually interesting questions of whether to reload now and have more options for the upcoming fight, or not to reload and have more resources long-term.
If you were able to buy ammo, even if it were 1000ptas for a single pistol shot, you'd still change the stresses of scrapping. It goes from "I want to shoot that guy with my sniper rifle but I risk running out of ammo for it" to "I'll shoot that guy with my sniper, and if I run out at a critical moment I'll just get more"
What you just described is one of my favorite things about RE4. deciding the best time to reload or upgrade ammo capacity is always looming on my mind when i play.
RE4's combat design was so ahead of its time that most games NOW still haven't caught up to its depth.
Man, that's so untrue.
@@Bodzio2M Titanfall 2 has brain dead enemies who shoot you when they see you. Increased difficulty just makes them shoot you faster. DOOM Eternal has enemies who you kill with specific guns, while RE4 will challenge you to use guns against enemies not ONLY at specific ranges but also with how many of them are happening to stand near each other and at what ranges. F.E.A.R. was a disappointment when I finally played it and found out it was nothing but bluster about enemies who talk a lot and I fight like literally every other fps enemy by peeking around corners in 1 second reaction windows (in addition to a slow down mechanic that breaks any semblance of mechanical challenge). RE4 hasn't been topped in the shooter genre, show me a better game and I'll dissect the combat loop into a less complicated flowchart.
@@Horatio787 Battle Royale games like apex
@@solarenemy3733 VS games will always be the most mechanically complex because you're fighting another player. It's why Divekick has one button and is still competitive. I mean single player PvE game design.
Ive been waiting for this video ... BEST GAME EVER MADE MY #1 FAVOURITE OF ALL TIME
I'm disappointed you didn't really talk about the dynamic difficulty. It likely informs a lot of RE4's pacing and item drop mechanics. Is there not a lot of info available?
I've never seen anyone go into any real depth on its mechanics and seems like only somewhat recently was it officially acknowledged that the game really had it.
9:25
" This is, Donkey Kong" LOL!!
Me when I see a new GamingBrit video:
*"Finally, some good fucking food"*
A video about one of the most legendary video games from one of the most legendary TH-camrs? Nice.
I'm concerned about the remake. It's impossible that Capcom is willing to rebuild all these different locations and set pieces. I'll bet that half of the game gets scrapped for the remake.
RE3 remake basically made me give up hope. Which is a real shame cause the RE2 remake is so good.
I think they'll reuse a lot of assets from Village tbh as the settings are similar, not the whole game but some of it for sure. Also Pepsi Man the 4 remake is being developed by the same team that made 2, not 3 so you might be in luck
@@j-skullz how often do you use the word Pepsi Man that your phone autocorrects resident evil 4 to Pepsi Man. 😆
I'm an idiot and didn't realize he was talking to someone named Pepsi Man.
@@Mick2K he was talking to a person named Pepsi man.
@@Artersa oh yeah now i see it. Man sometimes I'm a stupid mf
Honestly the first time I played this game was on the Wii. And after experiencing it like that I don't know if I'd ever be able to play it again without the Wiimote lol
You can do it. Believe in yourself.
@@isaywhateveriwantandyougot7421 I'm.. not.. strong enough..
RE4 and the Metroid Prime games are ones that don’t feel right on anything else to me. The pointer worked wonders for them.
“different songs with the same tempo” is… not the point you think it is lol
RE4 will always be a revolutionary game.
Not a huge fan of the orange background...but awesome work as always!
RE 4 reminds me alot of Monolith's first game: Blood; which came out in 1997 as in that game you also take on a cult as a badass with one liners and one of the main line enemies are hooded cultists with firearms that throw dynamite at you. There's also zombies with axes and your melee weapon is a pitchfork. More recently in Cultic, the spiritual successor to Blood you fight hooded cultists with both firearms and axes, plus the pistol you get is a c96 mauser.
that camera system mentioned in 06:04 is the one used in the game Cold Fear!
You could even choose to shoot from the "fixed perspective" or from the shoulder view
I remember when this game went through the "was it really that good?" phase a few years back. A test that every critically acclaimed game goes through once the dust has settled, where everyone looks back on it and questions whether or not it was worth the hype it received. Bioshock Infinite and Skyrim are examples of games that failed that test (not saying they're bad games); Resident Evil 4 is an example of a game that passed it. This game is really _that_ fucking good. I'm someone who struggles to finish games today because I just get bored of them, but RE4 is a game I pick up every few months and enjoy every second of it from beginning to end. I'm sure the remake will be good but I sincerely doubt it'll surpass this masterpiece.
Star Fox 64 is another one that stands the test of time :D
For me, the series that didn't really age well was F.E.A.R. Back in the day, everyone was talking about how Alma Wade was gonna be the new horror icon. After having spent a whole summer playing through all 5 games, I gotta say, I was underwhelmed. Not a bad series, just shallower than advertised. I'd describe it more as an FPS series with some horror moments rather than a full-on horror game.
I think swapping camera angles by aiming could be really disorienting. With metal gear solid 2, you usually had one camera angle to worry about, and there was a minimap for you to see what way you'll be facing while looking. With a game this hectic, it might just get annoying having to think about where you are every time you aim
The spider los plagas enemies are so terrifying. Especially when you kill the enemy and the spider just jumps off and keeps fighting. So gross
Oh hell yes! I just finished my playthrough of RE Remaster a few days ago and rewatched your gem of a video avout it, and now this pops up in my notifications. Sometimes, life is good.
Personally I don't think that adding quick switch to weapons would be a good idea since that would probably come at the expense of the inventory organization system (which honestly is one reason why I love this game). RE 8 had the same inventory system but you never engaged with it because you could switch weapons through buttons and given a prompt to heal when injured. Why open up and organize your inventory when you never need to?
And it's not like RE 4 didn't allow you to quickly switch and heal on the fly either, but it had to be earned through organizing your own case and making your inventory your own, and that involves engaging with the inventory system. It's a subtle aspect of the game design but it helps make sure there are no superfluous elements.
Judging by the trailers, it looks like RE 4 remake is gonna include quick switching and healing like RE 8 and personally I think that's an unfortunate change with the remake. I predict that nobody is gonna be organizing their cases like OCD freaks as a result since nobody would need to.
The semi-random novelties of this game are part of the reason why I describe this game as the happiest accident of a game ever. If some of those go to long or too short, the pace is butchered. If the core combat wasn't as strong as it was, the game is hurt. The game should not be as good as it is, and you can even see a lot of the problems with this design apparent in things like separate ways where the pacing is way less smooth. (Surprised you didn't talk about Separate Ways)
Can’t wait till the Remake dumbs down every mechanic and removes half the game!
Thank you once again for your hard work and quality videos
Outstanding critique video. Excellent work!
been waiting for this video for years now! love this game so much. i own it in like 5 different systems.
I see letting the player buy ammunition as making the enemy drops redundant and also the weapon upgrade system. Why would I spend thousands of pesetas on upgrading my guns when I'm better off dumping all of my cash on ammunition. This would subtly make the game worse as if the player is incentivized to just buy lots of ammo and ignore the weapon upgrade system they'll stick with weaker weapons that deal less damage. The random enemy drops make every time you find ammunition feel very precious whereas if you could just buy it in the store it would feel less meaningful. It feels like the developers very deliberately wanted you to take advantage of the weapon upgrade system to allow you to use your favorite guns for the entire game. IE: How the Bolt Action Rifle does more damage than the fully upgraded semi auto rifle despite firing slower. Dark Souls would later adopt the same upgrade system for its weapons despite being a non-linear RPG.
Allowing the player to buy a one use rocket launcher to me is more of a risk vs reward thing. Since it takes up an enormous amount of inventory space and only works once you have to predict if you'll need it in the next or if you should save it up for later. It ties into the lack of item boxes really adjusting the way the player makes decisions.
I think the game could work if enemies just drop money while selling ammo at a huge markup to give that weighty decision if you want to choose to upgrade and expand your arsenal vs have more ammo to spend. Maybe you could take out the ammo upgrades to balance it out but still retain finding ammo in boxes rewarding thoroughly exploring areas kinda like how they did with stuff like the broken butterfly. Just an idea, maybe there's a mod for it already idk but I think it could still retain the fun factor with these changes.
It’s time for another episode of an amazing series from my favorite youtuber.
i been looking forward to the next rttrl for a while
Always happy to see the return of Road to the Rocket Launcher.
I love the idea of Leon's change, who himself went from Rookie Cop to BADASS Agent.
WATCH THE DEVIL'S RAIN!
It's a 70's movie with vibes of the cultists in this game.
Also features an Shatner looking like his Michael Myers mask, an early John Travolta, and Ernest Borgnine looking like a goat. Sadler WISHES he was that cool!
New RttRL already? Holy crap, that means Silent Hill 4 is next! I gotta get cracking!
Idk if you played the hd mod for this yet but holy jeebus. Handful of those people make CAPCOM remasters look like amateurs were at the helm.
Oh boy, the Resident Evil 2 Remake video will be a REALLY interesting video, but while that day arrives I will definely stick around!
Awesome video as always! RE4 was the first and only Resident Evil game I've ever played so far, that game slaps. But I definely need to finish that thing, I ended up dropping the game at one point, I probably judge the game wrong.
Everything about this game is awesome
I love when the brit talks
WTF how did i miss this yesterday???
Great video as always!
Curious, would you cover Dead Space? I didn't realize how much RE4 blood was in that game until I saw this video
Both the Dead Space and BioShock trilogies could use the Gaming Brit treatment.
Yeah deadspace was heavily inspired by re4 since the devs were fans of it
Would've loved some music in the background
If you play this on the quest it is the literal best way to play this game
The orange outline is super distracting and makes this hard to watch. Id rather just a black one or putting an expanded version of the video in the background and adding a blur like most youtube channels do with phone vids
been looking forward to this video for a loooong time
9:21 That's so strange, my older brother used to call them berserkers also. Haven't heard that name for the Garrador in over 12 years
I would argue that Resident Evil 1 - 3 had a metroidvania vibe with hardcore survival components. This game felt more like a barrel shooter house of the dead etc.
Oh baby! I'm getting my resident evil 4 content this week! We eating good!
Is this series going to continue?
Exactly the game I want to watch from exactly the channel I want to see it from. Not bad.
I'm mostly thankful for Resident Evil 4 because it brought us Devil May Cry
Can we get a gun switching mod for the OG RE4??
Best retrospective videos!!!
WHOA. I cannot believe it is really here!
Another banger video king, thank you!
Best game ever made in this planet.
Where is the RE5 video? It's been a year
Leon in the thumbnail looks likes he wants to speak to the manager
When you FIRST play RE4 it is HORRIFYING.
But obviously if you beat the game 100 times youre not gonna be phased anymore.
In RE5 they give you more ammo if you are low. So don't bother with restraint.
I think RE4 did a similar thing.
Adaptive difficulty*
I really want to see how the clip at 4:09 ended. Not well, I'm pretty sure.
Dude can't wait for re6 rttrl.
Great video. A proper critique, not just kissing it's arse
Forgot about the Evil Within-style letterboxing RE4 had at launch. Honestly kinda miss it, wish later ports would've allowed at least a small 1.85:1 letterbox option. Makes me feel like I'm in Evil Dead or something.
Excited for this!
Wonder if this game inspired the trend of linear set piece games that came after
Oh I'm just in time. Lovely.
Can’t wait for RE 5 and 6
As great as ever.
One of my top 10 games, only behind the Resident Evil 1 Remake. Would be nice if you talked about the incoming remake. Personally a remaster would be enough, the game just needs real-time weapon change and removal of the QTEs.
So many red and green herbs not combined.
Love your videos. Please don't take 2 years to release the RE5 video!
THE GOAT IS BACK
I’ve watched this video like 5 times already lol how much content is there accessible in your patreon
More Rttrl baby!
Finally
The best 3rd person shooter ever conceived, hands down. At least in terms of its design. I've never played a game with so much variety of combat while sticking to the same mechanics. A strong gameplay foundation and level design go a long way
9:27 perfection