Resident Evil 4 Preview

A gang like this becomes a familiar sight

Capcom have also taken a page out of Sega's book and included 'Quick Timer Events', ala Shenmue, requiring swift reactions and combined button presses to avoid or flee hazardous events. These include everything from avoiding a boss's killer blow to sprinting away from a pursuing boulder Indiana Jones style, the variation of buttons that need to be pressed is also varied through each attempt so its very difficult to become complacent.

In another nice, new touch, additional weapons aren't located on route but rather purchased from a cockney leper ( no, really ) who pops up on your travels, offering the choice of either new weapons or tune-ups of the ones you currently have which enhance capacity, fire speed, firepower, and reload time. Money is dropped by particularly tough foes, and can also be gained by selling gems and jewellery that you come across to the shopkeeper.

Which brings us neatly to the last, major change. No item chests.

Leon carries an attachè case with him which uses a grid system similar to the inventories in Diablo and Deus Ex, every item takes up a certain number of squares and some rearranging will be needed if you're to make the most of all the space. New attachè cases are made available as the game progresses, but much of the time you'll find yourself agonizing over which weapons to buy or items to carry, as there is rarely room for them all.

The lush yet oppressive environments are perfectly realised

Graphically, RE4 is a game which has garnered much praise. Ever since the E3-2003 video of Leon exploring a dark and foreboding mansion was released, its been no secret that the game would be a graphical treat even if it failed to change the staid series conventions. Such awe still remains, and is well deserved, for even though RE4 is stunning from the instant you begin it actually becomes even more impressive as the game draws on. The lush yet oppressive environments are perfectly realised, blending artistic talent with technical genius, even though Capcom has enforced a 'widescreen' effect which squashes the picture slightly under large top and bottom borders.

Although they are notorious for this ( remember Onimusha? ) arguably the borders are not a result of sloppy coding but rather an acknowledged compromise, as RE4 suffers from no slowdown or choppiness despite the amazing graphical engine. It seems Capcom decided to go with a 'cinematic' view rather than accept any hampering to the fast-paced gameplay, and although annoying at first the widescreen view becomes far less of an issue as you are absorbed into the game.

Sonics are also high quality and extremely impressive through Dolby Digital, from the report of weapons fire to the Spanish curses and cries of villagers there is nothing here to break the mood. Music is similarly diverse, ranging from haunting melodies, tense build-up, and even a smattering of rock music ( no nu-metal, thank God ) depending on the dire situation you find yourself in.

Controls are simple and functional, the right shoulder button raising your weapon and flicking on the laser sight, left shoulder button to draw your knife, the A button to fire/swing, B button to sprint, Z for map, C-stick to rotate the camera and so on. Like all good control systems, you won't even find yourself thinking about which buttons to press after an hour or so of play, and the control scheme is configurable if it doesn't initially suit your tastes.

The shotgun is still a weapon not to mess with

Even after just several hours of play, it seems inevitable that Resident Evil 4 will not only take its place among the best the Gamecube has to offer, but also among the best this generation of consoles has to offer. Just when you had given up on Capcom to innovate, and provide the originality injection which Resident Evil so desperately needed, they serve up the kind of game which has all the hallmarks of zombie classics yet an intelligence and enthusiasm with the capacity to appeal to a far wider market.

Taken from what we've seen so far, it certainly deserves to.