You ever watch a pitcher in baseball who’s got one pitch — but it’s a really good one — just keep after it with that one pitch? Over and over and OVER. It’s relentless.
“Resident Evil 4” is a lot like that pitcher. At the end of the day, it’s trying to do one thing exceedingly well.
That one thing is action, and you can see in its DNA how the development of this survival-horror game led to the creation of other action-heavy properties like “Devil May Cry.” Famously, this game marked the move of the series away from its jump scare sensibilities to more of a Rambo mentality. The viewpoints and some of the controls have changed. As has the atmosphere, which hums along at an impressive clip.
This is where you go to get attacked by wave after wave of undead baddie, mowing them all down … but only so much as your ammunition will allow.
Like a rollercoaster that takes one big dip too many, it’s noticeable (eventually) that Resident Evil 4 is determined to keep the action alive far longer than it needs to.
Granted, this is mostly best-in-class stuff here, but for fans of the series’ earlier style, or for folks who swear by more modern fare, it has the potential to overstay its welcome a hair.
The good news? You get to mash a bunch of zombies, which is always a good time, and this game executes that concept exceptionally.