Resident Evil 4 2005
Log Status
Completed
Playing
Backlog
Wishlist
Rating
Time Played
24h 38m
Days in Journal
12 days
Last played
July 12, 2022
First played
June 8, 2022
Platforms Played
This review is specifically discussing the Separate Ways scenario of RE4. Spoilers Warning for those who did not play this yet.
So, I started this scenario about a month ago but got distracted by my CAG Marathon, so I decided to finish it off within the past two days.
Separate Ways sees you playing as Ada Wong as you arrive slightly before Leon and explore different parts of the map at adjacent times to the man himself.
Ada controls basically the same as Leon, though she cannot Suplex enemies, and she cannot upgrade her weapons at the Merchant. To compensate, her weapons have higher ammo counts than Leon's by default, and she has weapons unique to her like a Pump Action Shotgun and a Crossbow that fires explosive arrow rounds.
Unlike Leon who has several individual chapters per section, Ada has 5 missions which cover from the Village, Castle, and Island respectively. They are also far shorter than Leon's campaign, but also have Ada going through different routes.
I think the coolest aspect of this campaign is how you can see how it ties to the main one not just in story but in effects. Let's say a treasure item you get early in Leon's campaign, that little gem behind the Church that you can pick up. In Ada's campaign, you put that gem in there in order to pick up another item.
This is something that occurs multiple times, but every time it did I perked up because it showed that my actions had active consequences on the world around me, and that's cool.
Back to Ada's arsenal, among the various weapons you can utilize, she also has a Hookshot that can take her to higher areas be it to escape an enemy to get a safe distance, or to traverse the level. It's a cool visual but I wish it could have been utilized more as a combat option. Imagine hookshotting fallen enemies to you to get a quick stab, or using it to grab an enemy in the distance and use it to pull down other enemies for crowd control. I think it's a bit of a missed opportunity we didn't get it but it's not game ruining that it's not there.
Ada doesn't have too many boss fights, but she does have a couple unique ones, like one with Krauser who apparently survived his explosive demise after the fight with Leon. He's piss easy with Ada though because of the explosive arrows, there's also a fight with Saddler... this fight kind of sucks because it lasts quite a while unless you manage to land consecutive bowshots on him to get the Stab prompt.
The end of the game is heat though, a countdown sequence to give Leon the rocket launcher as you make a mad dash and hookshot towards it, with the scenario ending with smooth jazz befitting our illusive lady protagonist.
I think the additions to the story are neat, and gives a different perspective on Ada's actions towards Leon throughout the game that feel pretty natural. Also love the inclusion of Wesker, with his hammy British Bond Villain accent taking the cake in this game's sense of humor.
Outside of that, it's more Resident Evil 4, a game I already enjoyed quite a lot, so it's just more fun for me to have.
It also unlocks Ashley's Suit of Armor outfit that makes her unable to be grabbed or injured by enemies which means next playthrough is gonna be very fun for me.
I definitely recommend giving it a shot, after all, Ada Wong is a part of this game that just can't be let go.
So, I started this scenario about a month ago but got distracted by my CAG Marathon, so I decided to finish it off within the past two days.
Separate Ways sees you playing as Ada Wong as you arrive slightly before Leon and explore different parts of the map at adjacent times to the man himself.
Ada controls basically the same as Leon, though she cannot Suplex enemies, and she cannot upgrade her weapons at the Merchant. To compensate, her weapons have higher ammo counts than Leon's by default, and she has weapons unique to her like a Pump Action Shotgun and a Crossbow that fires explosive arrow rounds.
Unlike Leon who has several individual chapters per section, Ada has 5 missions which cover from the Village, Castle, and Island respectively. They are also far shorter than Leon's campaign, but also have Ada going through different routes.
I think the coolest aspect of this campaign is how you can see how it ties to the main one not just in story but in effects. Let's say a treasure item you get early in Leon's campaign, that little gem behind the Church that you can pick up. In Ada's campaign, you put that gem in there in order to pick up another item.
This is something that occurs multiple times, but every time it did I perked up because it showed that my actions had active consequences on the world around me, and that's cool.
Back to Ada's arsenal, among the various weapons you can utilize, she also has a Hookshot that can take her to higher areas be it to escape an enemy to get a safe distance, or to traverse the level. It's a cool visual but I wish it could have been utilized more as a combat option. Imagine hookshotting fallen enemies to you to get a quick stab, or using it to grab an enemy in the distance and use it to pull down other enemies for crowd control. I think it's a bit of a missed opportunity we didn't get it but it's not game ruining that it's not there.
Ada doesn't have too many boss fights, but she does have a couple unique ones, like one with Krauser who apparently survived his explosive demise after the fight with Leon. He's piss easy with Ada though because of the explosive arrows, there's also a fight with Saddler... this fight kind of sucks because it lasts quite a while unless you manage to land consecutive bowshots on him to get the Stab prompt.
The end of the game is heat though, a countdown sequence to give Leon the rocket launcher as you make a mad dash and hookshot towards it, with the scenario ending with smooth jazz befitting our illusive lady protagonist.
I think the additions to the story are neat, and gives a different perspective on Ada's actions towards Leon throughout the game that feel pretty natural. Also love the inclusion of Wesker, with his hammy British Bond Villain accent taking the cake in this game's sense of humor.
Outside of that, it's more Resident Evil 4, a game I already enjoyed quite a lot, so it's just more fun for me to have.
It also unlocks Ashley's Suit of Armor outfit that makes her unable to be grabbed or injured by enemies which means next playthrough is gonna be very fun for me.
I definitely recommend giving it a shot, after all, Ada Wong is a part of this game that just can't be let go.
In light of the Remake set to release next year I decided that now would probably be a good time to finally fully play and experience the original Resident Evil 4. I had bought the game for my Wii U several years ago for a later point, but was then made to play it right away by my friend and I did the first part of the game before dropping it for a time.
I think part of that reason was that back then I thought “Oh, these controls are really stiff and awkward, this is really weird to control” and that despite using the Wii’s controls (often considered the best way to play the game), it still felt very uncomfortable for me.
How wrong 18 year old me was.
While initially the controls may seem stiff, the game is centered around this tank control scheme. No enemy moves so fast that you can’t land hits or avoid attacks. You have full 180 movement with the press of the A-button and Back, and options like Kicking after shooting an enemy in the head provides a great crowd control option if you’re running low on Shotgun ammo.
The game wants you to constantly be taking advantage of one enemy’s weakness in order to take down the horde of Ganados, and weaving your way around the various levels, using the environment to your advantage. Lure an enemy up a ladder only to throw the ladder to the ground and throw a grenade at them for good measure.
Supplies are not particularly scarce, but due to the new puzzle-like inventory system, you have to balance what you will take with you, which does raise the tension during some of the more intense encounters the game will throw at you.
The levels themselves lend a lot to various forms of horror and action, with my favorites being the Castle for its Classical Horror approach with enemies like the blind claw men who you have to slowly maneuver around in order to not alert them to your presence or the fucking terrifying bug-monster things (I am deathly terrified of insects and arachnids and these scared me in just the right way), and the Island which is when the game feels the most like Classic Resident Evil with monsters like the Regenerators while also having thrilling action setpieces like the Helicopter assist fight.
I was surprised with how genuinely terrifying the game can be at points given all I heard about it was how it was the beginning of the action game trend that its sequels would follow up on. When I first encountered those earlier insect people that I mentioned earlier in this dank, dark sewer, I felt such genuine fear I was afraid I’d piss myself. When I initially met the Regenerators and had no way of harming them genuinely, I ran for my life. Of course, the game doesn’t leave you helpless for long, and it makes getting back at these enemies all the more satisfying.
The story isn’t anything too deep, doesn’t need to be for what the game is going for. Leon works for the US Government and is sent to a rural part of Spain to rescue the President’s Daughter, Ashley Graham, from the mysterious cult known as the Los Illuminados.
What happens after that are basically multiple relatively self contained story arcs that feed into the overall narrative but have their own individual antagonists, with Saddler being the overarching villain.
I will say, I didn’t think much of Saddler as a villain. He doesn’t have much screen time until the end of the game, and while there’s plenty of reasons to hate the guy, he isn’t as enjoyable to watch as Salazar, and isn’t nearly as imposing visually as the village chief Mendez. Of course, I did enjoy his little jab at the “America saves the day” trope right before his boss fight.
Salazar is an absolute fucking gem of a villain though, an absolutely despicable manchild who constantly taunts Leon the whole way through the castle level, making it endlessly satisfying to shoot a bazooka directly into his face. Really, the Castle is such a high point just because of his campy presence.
The game is definitely at its funniest when him and Leon are bouncing off of each other.
Of course, I do have a few complaints.
Firstly, the QTEs. 80% of the time these aren’t really that big of a problem, as the game is pretty lenient with most of them, I just have to bring up the specific moment in The Castle level where you go through this relatively long Minecart set piece, and then suddenly have to mash the X button to climb at the very end or else instantly die. I died like 3 separate times to this event before having to strain my entire fucking hand slamming my pointer finger into the X button. The biggest problem is that the QTE shows no indication of approaching success until you’ve succeeded, making it impossible to determine whether you did it or not. It was really annoying, and it happens twice.
And finally, and this is not really a reflection of the gameplay but like… Dear lord, this game sexualizes Ashley to a kind of creepy degree. One of the achievements and a line in the game from Luis refers to Ashley’s boobs as ballistics being secured by Leon, her underwear is very visible in a lot of cutscenes, and the game even has her scold Leon for looking at her panties if you happen to be underneath her. I just have to ask, why? Like, it’s just kind of fucking creepy.
(For the record, I wrote the previous paragraph under the assumption that Ashley was a teenager, she’s apparently 20. That does not make any of this shit any less fucking weird though.)
Regardless though, this game is definitely a masterpiece of Action Horror and I can absolutely see how this caused a Third Person Shooter boom in the 2000s. If you’re looking for a satisfying romp where you mow down hordes of parasite infected Spaniards, this is the game for you.
I only have one thing to say about the Resident Evil 4 Remake:
No thanks, bro!
I think part of that reason was that back then I thought “Oh, these controls are really stiff and awkward, this is really weird to control” and that despite using the Wii’s controls (often considered the best way to play the game), it still felt very uncomfortable for me.
How wrong 18 year old me was.
While initially the controls may seem stiff, the game is centered around this tank control scheme. No enemy moves so fast that you can’t land hits or avoid attacks. You have full 180 movement with the press of the A-button and Back, and options like Kicking after shooting an enemy in the head provides a great crowd control option if you’re running low on Shotgun ammo.
The game wants you to constantly be taking advantage of one enemy’s weakness in order to take down the horde of Ganados, and weaving your way around the various levels, using the environment to your advantage. Lure an enemy up a ladder only to throw the ladder to the ground and throw a grenade at them for good measure.
Supplies are not particularly scarce, but due to the new puzzle-like inventory system, you have to balance what you will take with you, which does raise the tension during some of the more intense encounters the game will throw at you.
The levels themselves lend a lot to various forms of horror and action, with my favorites being the Castle for its Classical Horror approach with enemies like the blind claw men who you have to slowly maneuver around in order to not alert them to your presence or the fucking terrifying bug-monster things (I am deathly terrified of insects and arachnids and these scared me in just the right way), and the Island which is when the game feels the most like Classic Resident Evil with monsters like the Regenerators while also having thrilling action setpieces like the Helicopter assist fight.
I was surprised with how genuinely terrifying the game can be at points given all I heard about it was how it was the beginning of the action game trend that its sequels would follow up on. When I first encountered those earlier insect people that I mentioned earlier in this dank, dark sewer, I felt such genuine fear I was afraid I’d piss myself. When I initially met the Regenerators and had no way of harming them genuinely, I ran for my life. Of course, the game doesn’t leave you helpless for long, and it makes getting back at these enemies all the more satisfying.
The story isn’t anything too deep, doesn’t need to be for what the game is going for. Leon works for the US Government and is sent to a rural part of Spain to rescue the President’s Daughter, Ashley Graham, from the mysterious cult known as the Los Illuminados.
What happens after that are basically multiple relatively self contained story arcs that feed into the overall narrative but have their own individual antagonists, with Saddler being the overarching villain.
I will say, I didn’t think much of Saddler as a villain. He doesn’t have much screen time until the end of the game, and while there’s plenty of reasons to hate the guy, he isn’t as enjoyable to watch as Salazar, and isn’t nearly as imposing visually as the village chief Mendez. Of course, I did enjoy his little jab at the “America saves the day” trope right before his boss fight.
Salazar is an absolute fucking gem of a villain though, an absolutely despicable manchild who constantly taunts Leon the whole way through the castle level, making it endlessly satisfying to shoot a bazooka directly into his face. Really, the Castle is such a high point just because of his campy presence.
The game is definitely at its funniest when him and Leon are bouncing off of each other.
Of course, I do have a few complaints.
Firstly, the QTEs. 80% of the time these aren’t really that big of a problem, as the game is pretty lenient with most of them, I just have to bring up the specific moment in The Castle level where you go through this relatively long Minecart set piece, and then suddenly have to mash the X button to climb at the very end or else instantly die. I died like 3 separate times to this event before having to strain my entire fucking hand slamming my pointer finger into the X button. The biggest problem is that the QTE shows no indication of approaching success until you’ve succeeded, making it impossible to determine whether you did it or not. It was really annoying, and it happens twice.
And finally, and this is not really a reflection of the gameplay but like… Dear lord, this game sexualizes Ashley to a kind of creepy degree. One of the achievements and a line in the game from Luis refers to Ashley’s boobs as ballistics being secured by Leon, her underwear is very visible in a lot of cutscenes, and the game even has her scold Leon for looking at her panties if you happen to be underneath her. I just have to ask, why? Like, it’s just kind of fucking creepy.
(For the record, I wrote the previous paragraph under the assumption that Ashley was a teenager, she’s apparently 20. That does not make any of this shit any less fucking weird though.)
Regardless though, this game is definitely a masterpiece of Action Horror and I can absolutely see how this caused a Third Person Shooter boom in the 2000s. If you’re looking for a satisfying romp where you mow down hordes of parasite infected Spaniards, this is the game for you.
I only have one thing to say about the Resident Evil 4 Remake:
No thanks, bro!