Resident Evil 4 - the best-looking GameCube game to date - Fresh screens!
Key point in software and hardware evolution approaches.
It now looks certain that one of the most important points in the tempestuous emergence of Nintendo’s GameCube is set for Christmas of 2004, with the awe-inspiringly sublime Resident Evil 4 set to change our perception of both the Nintendo machine and Capcom’s seminal horror series.
We have taken receipt of the latest direct-feed development grabs from a fresh build of the game, and it is looking better than ever - better than was widely expected in fact.
To date, little official information has been released as to the content and gameplay structure of RE4, though in a massive information leak last month, the following goodies were revealed. The game's inherent presentation will be changed for the first time with a choice of three views: a distant over-shoulder third-person view, a closer over-shoulder third-person view and, amazingly, a first-person perspective.
Another significant change in the basic structure of the game comes with the news that RE4 will be powered by the game engine in real-time. There will be no FMV and - thankfully - the tedious door animations, something of a trademark for the series, have been scrapped.
In slightly more vague news, the levels are said to be more expansive and not so much of an 'on rails' experience, which again is a dramatic shift in focus for Capcom. There will be more of an element of exploration in the game, similar to that seen in titles such as Silent Hill, indicating not only an evolution for the series, but a dramatic up-scaling of production values.
The 'tank' control method will remain unchanged, a move that will no doubt cause endless debate amongst the Biohazard faithful. However, given the new viewpoints, this is a rather canny move by Capcom. The game will take on a new, almost FPS feel, though the way it is controlled will remain essentially unchanged, meaning that players of earlier incarnations will feel immediately comfortable with RE4, despite it's radical change in presentation and design. This should also see newcomers to the series able to hit the ground running, recognising a well-established control method.
Expect a full expose of the game within the next month or so.
We have taken receipt of the latest direct-feed development grabs from a fresh build of the game, and it is looking better than ever - better than was widely expected in fact.
To date, little official information has been released as to the content and gameplay structure of RE4, though in a massive information leak last month, the following goodies were revealed. The game's inherent presentation will be changed for the first time with a choice of three views: a distant over-shoulder third-person view, a closer over-shoulder third-person view and, amazingly, a first-person perspective.
Another significant change in the basic structure of the game comes with the news that RE4 will be powered by the game engine in real-time. There will be no FMV and - thankfully - the tedious door animations, something of a trademark for the series, have been scrapped.
In slightly more vague news, the levels are said to be more expansive and not so much of an 'on rails' experience, which again is a dramatic shift in focus for Capcom. There will be more of an element of exploration in the game, similar to that seen in titles such as Silent Hill, indicating not only an evolution for the series, but a dramatic up-scaling of production values.
The 'tank' control method will remain unchanged, a move that will no doubt cause endless debate amongst the Biohazard faithful. However, given the new viewpoints, this is a rather canny move by Capcom. The game will take on a new, almost FPS feel, though the way it is controlled will remain essentially unchanged, meaning that players of earlier incarnations will feel immediately comfortable with RE4, despite it's radical change in presentation and design. This should also see newcomers to the series able to hit the ground running, recognising a well-established control method.
Expect a full expose of the game within the next month or so.
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Comments
Joji 18 Mar 2004 14:53
1/1
This game looks wicked. Much better than those old E3 pics from way back when. The choice of viewpoints is a very good move, especially for those us, who like to see the full damage a bullet can do to rotting, exploding grey matter. Mmmm... zombie blood all over my widescreen. What this game now needs is a melee mode, where you know that when you run out of ammo, Leon would be able to resort to hand to hand combat. All police officers I'm sure are trained in some means of self defence, so why should Leon be any different? You should be able to punch and kick these zombie suckers if needed, coz we all know that so called survival knife is the joke of the series. Why not a side handle police baton instead the cheesy knife Capcom? Or even that nice chainsaw? Lastly is it possible that Capcom saw Konami's Silent Hill series leaving them in the dust, and having handled GTA Vice City in Japan saw some inspiration in its free roaming nature, and chose to change Resident Evil series for the better with this in mind? Also Capcom have less competition from Konami on GC, unlike PS2 and Xbox.