Resident Evil 4, known in Japan as Biohazard 4, is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed by Capcom. The game was originally released for the Nintendo GameCube on January 11, 2005 in North America, and on January 27 in Japan.

The story follows Leon S. Kennedy, who is sent on a mission to rescue Ashley Graham, the President’s daughter, who has been kidnapped by a mysterious cult. Traveling to a rural village in Europe, he encounters a horde of violent villagers who pledge their lives to the cult. The player controls Leon S. Kennedy from a third-person, over-the-shoulder perspective in a mission to rescue the daughter of the President of the United States, Ashley Graham.

The gameplay focuses on action and shootouts involving crowds of enemies in large open areas. The camera is focused behind Leon, and it zooms in for an over-the-shoulder view when aiming a weapon. The addition of a laser sight adds a new depth to the aiming, allowing the player to aim in various directions and easily change their placement at any time. Bullets now affect the enemies specifically where they are shot. Shooting an enemies foot can cause them to stumble, while shots to the arms can cause them to drop their weapons.

To give you a quick recap on its past sucess, the game has received several awards from various organizations and video game websites.  Nintendo Power named it their 2005 Game of the Year, ranked it number one on their list of the “Top 20 Best GameCube Games of All Time” in their 20th anniversary issue.  They also ranked it second on their list of the best games of the 2000s.  The readers of PlayStation Official Magazine voted it the tenth greatest PlayStation title ever released.  Game Informer gave the GameCube and PS2 editions of Resident Evil 4 a perfect score, and along with ranking it number one on their list of “Best GameCube Games of All Time”, they named it their 2005 Game of the Year.

How does it stack up with its latest HD release on Xbox Live and PSN Network?  Whether you have played through Resident 4 or not before, you are going to love this HD edition.  It’s everything RE 4 was before but with a face-lift.  Once you finish the incredible campaign there are a few mini games included that are a riot to play through as well.  And for those wondering about the epic rocket launcher with infinite ammo; yes it does indeed make a return in this HD edition.  So go ahead and finish the game and return for a second go around, packing some serious firepower for your zombie friends.

For those unfortunate few that missed this classic, now is your chance to experience it and for the first time in HD. It still lives up to one of the best survival horror games found on any platform.  Prepare yourself gamers, dim the lights, crank the surround sound and get ready to witness the best survival horror action in town. Resident Evil 4 is now available for Xbox LIVE Games on Demand and the PlayStation Network for 1600 Microsoft points or $19.99.  Happy hunting…

Review Rating: 9/10