what if you could suplex a dude carrying a chainsaw that looks like he's from a 70s slasher film, what about roundhouse kicking monsters straight from John Carpenter's horror classic "the thing", while simultaneously repositioning and adjusting yourself to drain bullets into hordes of enemies as you eventually finish off everyone you can see. but there's not a single moment of rest in this exhilaration of a game. every encounter demands you to think differently. what worked before might not work now, resident evil 4's novelty never really wears off despite some hiccups. the game's crazy nonsense keeps one upping itself, you fought a ridiculous-looking chained wolverine? how about you fight two of them at once in a tight corridor. how about you battle your way through catapults in a broody castle controlled by medieval cultists with flails and crossbows. why not face two giant golems in a lava pit pool with a giant deathtrap in the middle. no supply would be left, you really do need everything you could find. I really haven't played a game which constantly escalates the way RE4 does. it grips you on the shoulder like a sudden jolt and continues to squeeze you until the end, injecting as much adrenaline into your system as it possibly can without feeling exhausting. Mikami thought, why not force the player to adapt in every situation, every second of gameplay, let's force the player to actually think. towards the end, the freshness of its gameplay loop does wear off but it arrives just in time where the game decides to end, this is a timeless game.