[Played the Ultimate HD Edition on Steam]
Although it is often credited for being the grandfather of third-person action shooter games, Resident Evil 4 feels unlike any action game I have ever played simply because of how it controls. Maybe people more experienced with the so-called "tank controls" famous in older games may not have the same fresh experience, but as someone who is used to the free camera and fast controls of modern titles the combat (which takes up 90% of the game's running time) was always exciting and pulse-pounding. The player character Leon controls like a bulky piece of machinery (despite his agile frame) who has difficulty turning corners or maneuvering in tight spaces. You can't fire while moving, so you have to stop and manually aim (there is no auto-locking onto enemies, and if there is any aim assist it feels very subtle) before you can fire. To make the game playable, enemies usually move very slowly (although sometimes they'll randomly charge at you just to keep things unpredictable) but they do a lot of damage, and it's easy to get overwhelmed in some of the more claustrophobic environments. An important thing to note is that Resident Evil 4 isn't quite a difficult game (in fact there's an invisible dynamic difficulty feature that will make enemies less aggressive if you're dying too often) but it feels like a difficult game and that's what makes it so enjoyable. As Leon, you feel like you are constantly overcoming impossible challenges and going up against overwhelming forces. Many combat encounters feel designed to make the player think, "There's no way I can get through this.", yet the game always guides you to hard-won but satisfying victories.
The game is best played with a controller, and I used Controller Scheme 3 since most people have reported having a good experience with it and I can confirm that it was a great experience playing with that setup.
Although it is often credited for being the grandfather of third-person action shooter games, Resident Evil 4 feels unlike any action game I have ever played simply because of how it controls. Maybe people more experienced with the so-called "tank controls" famous in older games may not have the same fresh experience, but as someone who is used to the free camera and fast controls of modern titles the combat (which takes up 90% of the game's running time) was always exciting and pulse-pounding. The player character Leon controls like a bulky piece of machinery (despite his agile frame) who has difficulty turning corners or maneuvering in tight spaces. You can't fire while moving, so you have to stop and manually aim (there is no auto-locking onto enemies, and if there is any aim assist it feels very subtle) before you can fire. To make the game playable, enemies usually move very slowly (although sometimes they'll randomly charge at you just to keep things unpredictable) but they do a lot of damage, and it's easy to get overwhelmed in some of the more claustrophobic environments. An important thing to note is that Resident Evil 4 isn't quite a difficult game (in fact there's an invisible dynamic difficulty feature that will make enemies less aggressive if you're dying too often) but it feels like a difficult game and that's what makes it so enjoyable. As Leon, you feel like you are constantly overcoming impossible challenges and going up against overwhelming forces. Many combat encounters feel designed to make the player think, "There's no way I can get through this.", yet the game always guides you to hard-won but satisfying victories.
The game is best played with a controller, and I used Controller Scheme 3 since most people have reported having a good experience with it and I can confirm that it was a great experience playing with that setup.