1) Resident Evil 4
Faced with the impossible task of revolutionizing the Resident Evil series, Shinji Mikami was determined to see the series he created back in 1996 take its next big step forward. In the six year process of development, RE4 was scrapped and restarted from scratch four times over. For any other project, this would have spelled certain doom. Not so for Resident Evil 4.
Ditching the static and semi-static camera angles that once limited and gave the series an inherent sense of tension, RE4 played from an over-the-shoulder perspective that has become the standard for third-person action games. Looking over Leon’s shoulder put you closer than ever to that which haunted you and also restricted your vision. The infected were nothing like the shambling corpses of the days of old. The Las Plagas hosts retained much of their humanity and were that much more unsettling for it. They roamed throughout the Spanish villages and forests, mumbling incomprehensibly and would attack players with a speed and ferocity that left them reeling.
The combat was dynamic and involved, tasking players with aiming their weapons and, for the first time, giving them the chance to target enemies more strategically. Headshots conserved ammo but were difficult to pull off against the faster enemies; however, shooting a crazed villager’s knees to bring them to a kneel gave Leon the opportunity to deliver a spectacularly satisfying kick which served just as well. Small touches like Leon’s unsteady aim and the engrossing detail paid to bringing the world to life (un-life?) only further highlighted what a spectacular achievement this once uncertain project was.
Resident Evil 4 successfully managed to not only leave the original game’s limitations behind but to surpass every expectation set for it. Perhaps it could have used a dash more horror in place of action but that fault can be forgiven considering the exceptional mercenary mode it featured.
Do you agree with this list? Which order would you list the Resident Evil’s in? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
This post was originally authored by Ahmed Khattab.
