Alright, so this is gonna sound bad. BUT, if you go into this NOT expecting a good game...it might be okay. I avoided this game for a decade based on it's reputation. Clearly this is one of those "franchise-in-an-identity-crisis" kinda titles. Capcom must have been having a nervous breakdown around this time. Look at all the releases before and after: Resi 5, Revelations 1 & 2, Umbrella Corps, Umbrella and Darkside Chronicles, Mercenaries 3D, AND Resident Evil 6. They had SUCH breakout success with 4 that they were throwing everything at the wall and trying to see what stuck. It was a dark time, for sure. So, if you're expecting a GOOD, mainline RE game you're going to be really disappointed with it. If you're expecting a mindless, zombie-killer with a Raccoon City aesthetic, then, hey, we're here.
The gameplay is as plain as it gets. Get a gun and shoot the monsters. It's a silly, suspenseless Left 4 Dead clone. Thassit. There are no puzzles or atmosphere. No music that really matters. It honestly feels more like a Resident Evil movie than a game, if that makes sense. The story uses every contrivance in the book to tie in as many Raccoon City references it possibly can...and I don't care, really. All I wanted was a comfort game that had words and phrases that give me a dopamine drip: STARS, RPD, Gun Shop Kendo, Samurai Edge, Tyrant, Super Tyrant, Nemesis, Leon, Claire, Sherry, Ada, Hunters, Lickers, Crimson Heads. You visit a a TON of locations from 2 and 3. It's a very shallow veneer though. If it's a full-rendering and recreation of the RPD or Clock Tower or Dead Factory that you're expecting, you're going to be sad. Just manage your expectations. There are parts that I really appreciated. They used sfx from Resident Evil 4 and 5. They hired Alyson Court to do Claire's voice. It's not ALL bad. If you're like me and you've played the hell out of 2, 3, and the respective remakes and you're jonesin' for just ONE MORE stroll through RC chaos, then this will scratch that itch. It was NEVER worth $60, but the $8 I spent on eBay suits me fine.
There were only two inexcusable issues that I encountered. The first being the art style and voice of Nemesis. "Look what they did to my boy", etc. Secondly, the R2 button (default function - grenade) just stopped registering near the end of the game. I know it wasn't my controller because I immediately tested it on other games. Really lame to be in a boss fight and NOT be able to throw grenades. It fixed itself the next day, but it was really annoying.
The gameplay is as plain as it gets. Get a gun and shoot the monsters. It's a silly, suspenseless Left 4 Dead clone. Thassit. There are no puzzles or atmosphere. No music that really matters. It honestly feels more like a Resident Evil movie than a game, if that makes sense. The story uses every contrivance in the book to tie in as many Raccoon City references it possibly can...and I don't care, really. All I wanted was a comfort game that had words and phrases that give me a dopamine drip: STARS, RPD, Gun Shop Kendo, Samurai Edge, Tyrant, Super Tyrant, Nemesis, Leon, Claire, Sherry, Ada, Hunters, Lickers, Crimson Heads. You visit a a TON of locations from 2 and 3. It's a very shallow veneer though. If it's a full-rendering and recreation of the RPD or Clock Tower or Dead Factory that you're expecting, you're going to be sad. Just manage your expectations. There are parts that I really appreciated. They used sfx from Resident Evil 4 and 5. They hired Alyson Court to do Claire's voice. It's not ALL bad. If you're like me and you've played the hell out of 2, 3, and the respective remakes and you're jonesin' for just ONE MORE stroll through RC chaos, then this will scratch that itch. It was NEVER worth $60, but the $8 I spent on eBay suits me fine.
There were only two inexcusable issues that I encountered. The first being the art style and voice of Nemesis. "Look what they did to my boy", etc. Secondly, the R2 button (default function - grenade) just stopped registering near the end of the game. I know it wasn't my controller because I immediately tested it on other games. Really lame to be in a boss fight and NOT be able to throw grenades. It fixed itself the next day, but it was really annoying.