The first (and probably the best) of the "new" generation of Resident Evil games and the last one to actually be "survival-horror" as far as I'm concerned (and it still doesn't feel quite as frightening as the original trilogy). Still, the series needed a breath of fresh air around when it was released and it updates the combat mechanics of the game while not making it too much like any other shooter game with monsters. It usually pulls off feeling challenging but fair, although there are a few cheap parts where you are almost guaranteed to mess up at least once.

The story remains captivating throught the game and serves its purpose of keeping the player engaged although there are a few instances of "cutscene stupidity" (mostly involving a certain girl getting captured...multiple times...).

There's also a fair bit a latitute as far as weapons go once you get futher into the game, with a variety of pistols, shotguns, rifles and some more specialized weapons you can choose from to suit your playstyle. Each of them has certain strengths and weaknesses that can be exploited.

As always, the music stays true to the series standard of setting the mode of each area, becoming mysterious, nervous and frantic at the appropriate times (and of course, some of the most disturbing segments are when it ceases playing entirely).

My biggest compaint is probably the overuse of quicktime events both within and outside of cutscenes. This is a personal pet peeve of mine, and I think they often mar some otherwise great games. Sometimes this is tastefully employed in RE 4; however, there is one particular scene late in the game that reveals important information concerning the plot which is basically one continous quicktime event. Suffice to say, if you keep dying during the same scene it gets old fast. It's pretty safe to say that if you enter a cutscene, you need to be ready to hit buttons " just in case."

Ultimately, RE 4 is a great game, even if it doesn't follow exactly in the spirit of the earlier titles (although argubably, with 5 and 6 out now that spirit is now irrevocably changed anyway). For instance, you didn't feel like an complte badass like Leon S. Kennedy apparently is with his acrobatics and roundhouse kicks: each and every foe could mean death in 1-3, while this is only a concern with largish groups of the common mooks in 4. This totally changed the dynamic of the game, and yet 4 somehow still makes it work enough to not completely drain the game of suspense. Five and six are not nearly as successful in this, unfortunately.

In my mind, I tend to think of 4 as a worthy game that stands on its own and not relate it overly much to the originals except for certain minor plot and references that, honestly, aren't even neccearry and wouldn't even effect the value of the game that much if they weren't there if you think about it (other than to retain the title "Resident Evil"). For what it is, I enjoy it as one of my favorite all-time action-adventures/horror games (9 out of 10).