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.
This is my favorite game of all time. There's no other game that gives me more joy and there's no other game that I have replayed more in my life. The gameplay, the pacing, the incredible replay value, the amount of extra modes, The incredibly fun and campy story and memorably cheesy dialogue. It's development sparked new franchises and its release revolutionized gaming and inspired an entire generation of games
@@Maccelerate of course. That's my favorite version of the game. I have bought this game four times. First time on the PS2, second on the Wii, third on PS4 and 4th on Oculus Quest 2
The Quest 2 version is what proved to me that VR isn’t a fad. When the VR mechanics are implemented in an actually well-designed game, and not just carrying some mediocre shovelware through pure novelty, it truly is some of the purest gaming joy on earth
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.
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
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.
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.
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 like how RE4 doesn't have some some fake on screen dot to place your shots and instead it's a lazer that's actually in the game and visually attached to Leon's guns.
Games like this, God Hand, Vanquish, Viewtiful Joe, insert any decent action game/ARPG from this era made me really appreciate enemies having detailed hit reaction systems since it isn't something you really see much of in games now.
Getting rid of umbrella was the best decision for this game, untying any loose baggage from the ps1 series was the pivot it needed at this point in time. It'd probably be called a soft reboot by today's standards and it is in a lot of regards but still has the ResEvil spirit in a lot of ways that people still write off to this day. This video does a terrific job of describing how well designed it still is even if some concepts are a little dated (like the weapon shifting, maybe the one improvement re5 has over re4)
@beef business a few mechanical ones I can think of but I agree with Saber, it's nowhere as tightly designed or cohesive. Re4 has some parts that kinda slog but most of re5 feels that's way to me. Mercenaries is pretty fun in it though.
@@beefbusiness52Eh. RE5 is just a weaker RE4 to me. For all 6’s faults, it was at least trying new things. 5 is just RE4 plus co-op minus cohesive level design.
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)
I think you hit the nail on the head at 10:05. This is actually something I feel a lot in most Zelda dungeons. Often you'll get a small key and have 2 or 3 doors where you can use the key, but you know that eventually you'll have to open all the doors regardless. So it doesn't really matter which one you open, you'll still have to circle back to the other ones and solve whatever puzzles are on their routes, as well. Changing the order that you do the puzzles in isn't super interesting or meaningful, especially because many of them are often quite self contained and have very little effect on each other
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.
@@mattmas6628 and by implementing the word "cinematic" in defence of a video game, your comment has already failed on a fundamental level. That is the equivalent of asking movies to be nothing but text scrolling to be more like a book.
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.
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 🤙
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?
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.
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.
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.
Been specifically waiting for this one for years. Post-4 hindsight (specifically with what it did to the industry) makes reviews of it much more interesting, especially since they are re-remaking it for real this time on modern hardware. ~Never forget the Ballistics!!!!
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
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.
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
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.
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.
Great video, as per usual. But we must have played different games, because the campy villains of this game are pretty much the reason that this is the one resi where I enjoy the plot and characters. Resi 1-3 were cheesy, and campy maybe by accident. But 4 leaned in HARD on the camp and I love every silly line of dialogue.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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
Ah yes, my fav game of all time! I’ve played thousands of games in the last two decades, but there’s no game that hooks me more than the GOAT. I’ve completed this game at least 8 times, and yet, I want to go in there now! The pacing, the encounter design, the sound design, progression…I could go on and on, and it’s worthy to be studied in the universities for how outstanding its game design is. Holy shit - the game throws new locations, enemies, and segments even toward the end of the game to keep the gameplay fresh, super engaging, and chiefly: FUN.
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.
Highly anticipated! Excellent as usual! Love the focus on direct comparisons to previous entries! The only thing I was hoping for further comment on was the cinematic nature of the cutscenes. Also, will the RE5 video comment on the overall storyline of the series (theme, build-up, direction chosen, etc.) just like the Code Veronica video?
@@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.
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
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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.
"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.
Maybe a fourth playthrough you might've found it. ;)
This is my favorite game of all time. There's no other game that gives me more joy and there's no other game that I have replayed more in my life. The gameplay, the pacing, the incredible replay value, the amount of extra modes, The incredibly fun and campy story and memorably cheesy dialogue. It's development sparked new franchises and its release revolutionized gaming and inspired an entire generation of games
Ditto 😃
You ever play the version on the Wii?
@@Maccelerate of course. That's my favorite version of the game. I have bought this game four times. First time on the PS2, second on the Wii, third on PS4 and 4th on Oculus Quest 2
@@Maccelerate I first played it on GameCube then got the one for the Wii. I still play that one.
The Quest 2 version is what proved to me that VR isn’t a fad. When the VR mechanics are implemented in an actually well-designed game, and not just carrying some mediocre shovelware through pure novelty, it truly is some of the purest gaming joy on earth
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.
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.
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.
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!
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
I like how RE4 doesn't have some some fake on screen dot to place your shots and instead it's a lazer that's actually in the game and visually attached to Leon's guns.
Games like this, God Hand, Vanquish, Viewtiful Joe, insert any decent action game/ARPG from this era made me really appreciate enemies having detailed hit reaction systems since it isn't something you really see much of in games now.
Getting rid of umbrella was the best decision for this game, untying any loose baggage from the ps1 series was the pivot it needed at this point in time. It'd probably be called a soft reboot by today's standards and it is in a lot of regards but still has the ResEvil spirit in a lot of ways that people still write off to this day.
This video does a terrific job of describing how well designed it still is even if some concepts are a little dated (like the weapon shifting, maybe the one improvement re5 has over re4)
@beef business RE5 isn’t anywhere close to as clever as RE4 design wise.
@beef business a few mechanical ones I can think of but I agree with Saber, it's nowhere as tightly designed or cohesive. Re4 has some parts that kinda slog but most of re5 feels that's way to me. Mercenaries is pretty fun in it though.
@@beefbusiness52Eh. RE5 is just a weaker RE4 to me. For all 6’s faults, it was at least trying new things. 5 is just RE4 plus co-op minus cohesive level design.
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)
I think you hit the nail on the head at 10:05. This is actually something I feel a lot in most Zelda dungeons. Often you'll get a small key and have 2 or 3 doors where you can use the key, but you know that eventually you'll have to open all the doors regardless. So it doesn't really matter which one you open, you'll still have to circle back to the other ones and solve whatever puzzles are on their routes, as well. Changing the order that you do the puzzles in isn't super interesting or meaningful, especially because many of them are often quite self contained and have very little effect on each other
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.
Pure gameplay. No forced slow walking or annoying stuff to stop you from having fun.
The Last of Us looks at this game and shivers in embarrassment.
Lets just hope RE4 remake keeps the same qualities as the orginal
@@isaywhateveriwantandyougot7421 last of us does have great pacing though for a cinematic action game
@@mattmas6628 and by implementing the word "cinematic" in defence of a video game, your comment has already failed on a fundamental level. That is the equivalent of asking movies to be nothing but text scrolling to be more like a book.
@@isaywhateveriwantandyougot7421 RE4 is obviously better, but Last of Us still succeeds at the kind of game it wanted to be
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.
A Resident Evil 4 video *and* a GamingBrit video? Finally the crossover I've been waiting for
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.
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 🤙
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?
The Nintendo DS port of RE1 gave us a dedicated button for the knife permanently, and it doesn't take up an inventory slot.
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.
Before The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt came out, Resident Evil 4 was my favorite game of all time. It is an absolute masterpiece.
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.
We still waiting for resident 5 video.
Keep up the good work ❤❤❤
2:04 Finally someone paid attention to this feature in Silent Hill. Thanks, brother!
For a Resident Evil so long-awaited in the RttRL series I can't believe this video got so few views.
Maybe people are just tired of his obnoxious arrogant bullshit.
My fave RE game and one of my faveorite games of all time. Simply a masterpiece.
26:42 this is very accurate, as Shinji Mikami said in an interview with VG247 that he had three weeks to write it
Ive been waiting for this video ... BEST GAME EVER MADE MY #1 FAVOURITE OF ALL TIME
I'm still in shock at how good this game looks running on the original Gamecube
A video about one of the most legendary video games from one of the most legendary TH-camrs? Nice.
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.
9:26 This is…. Donkey Kong 😂😂 totally caught me off guard lmao
Been specifically waiting for this one for years. Post-4 hindsight (specifically with what it did to the industry) makes reviews of it much more interesting, especially since they are re-remaking it for real this time on modern hardware. ~Never forget the Ballistics!!!!
Surprised this is only 30 minutes considering it's 4, but I'm excited nonetheless!
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
RE4 will always be a revolutionary game.
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.
Not a huge fan of the orange background...but awesome work as always!
9:25
" This is, Donkey Kong" LOL!!
I've been waiting on this for an excruciatingly long time
Me when I see a new GamingBrit video:
*"Finally, some good fucking food"*
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.
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
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.
Outstanding critique video. Excellent work!
Thank you once again for your hard work and quality videos
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
Great video, as per usual. But we must have played different games, because the campy villains of this game are pretty much the reason that this is the one resi where I enjoy the plot and characters.
Resi 1-3 were cheesy, and campy maybe by accident. But 4 leaned in HARD on the camp and I love every silly line of dialogue.
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.
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.
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)
You can purchase ammo, just don't reload before buying a capacity upgrade from the Merchant. This is what makes TMP runs viable.
It’s time for another episode of an amazing series from my favorite youtuber.
been waiting for this video for years now! love this game so much. i own it in like 5 different systems.
Always happy to see the return of Road to the Rocket Launcher.
“different songs with the same tempo” is… not the point you think it is lol
i been looking forward to the next rttrl for a while
Spot on the point of how re4 actually accelerates the decision making process in previous re, for better or worse.
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.
New RttRL already? Holy crap, that means Silent Hill 4 is next! I gotta get cracking!
I'm mostly thankful for Resident Evil 4 because it brought us Devil May Cry
I can't wait for "Road to Rathalos" videos after you're done playing Monster Hunter 😄
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
Had a shitty day, needed this one dude!
Ah yes, my fav game of all time! I’ve played thousands of games in the last two decades, but there’s no game that hooks me more than the GOAT. I’ve completed this game at least 8 times, and yet, I want to go in there now!
The pacing, the encounter design, the sound design, progression…I could go on and on, and it’s worthy to be studied in the universities for how outstanding its game design is.
Holy shit - the game throws new locations, enemies, and segments even toward the end of the game to keep the gameplay fresh, super engaging, and chiefly: FUN.
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.
Everything about this game is awesome
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
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.
~What do you mean there isn't a villain that doesn't get under your skin in this game? It literally happens.~
I love when the brit talks
I am not sure the game is perfect, but it has a really nice mix of atmosphere, strategy and action.
Nothing is perfect
Highly anticipated! Excellent as usual! Love the focus on direct comparisons to previous entries!
The only thing I was hoping for further comment on was the cinematic nature of the cutscenes. Also, will the RE5 video comment on the overall storyline of the series (theme, build-up, direction chosen, etc.) just like the Code Veronica video?
I love the idea of Leon's change, who himself went from Rookie Cop to BADASS Agent.
Exactly the game I want to watch from exactly the channel I want to see it from. Not bad.
Can’t wait till the Remake dumbs down every mechanic and removes half the game!
Oh baby! I'm getting my resident evil 4 content this week! We eating good!
Would've loved some music in the background
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.
You're getting pretty good at this.
Where is the RE5 video? It's been a year
Can we get a gun switching mod for the OG RE4??
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
been looking forward to this video for a loooong time
I really love this game and this series
Another banger video king, thank you!
Oh nice. I was binging this series last night.
sick another RE4 video
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
Commented for the algo and because Resident Evil 4 is the GOAT