Resident Evil 4 didn’t just change everything, it changed everything

the Vampire privilege They’ve been such an essential part of video games that it’s impossible to imagine a world without them. Over the decades, the series has been through a lot, achieving many highs and lows Lowest levels-And what is better for the entire company than Resident Evil 4?

Capcom has released several versions of Resident Evil 4 over the years, including a popular current-gen remake in 2023. But its first release, for the Nintendo Gamecube on January 11, 2005 as the penultimate game in a series of console-exclusive games dubbed the Capcom Five, represented a major change. for this series. After several versions were conceived and cancelled, long-time series director/producer Shinji Mikami took over the reins. Complete renovation. At that point, he and other developers felt like things had dragged on, and were hoping to improve things in the right ways.

Among the major changes Mikami made were replacing zombies with a new undead enemy called Ganados, using a more dynamic camera instead of fixed angles, and not focusing the story on the evil Umbrella Corporation. But the biggest shift was in… how Game Played: Instead of slow, tank-like control, he wanted more emphasis on movement and over-the-shoulder shooting from a third-person perspective. This style of play did not sit well with everyone on the team, but they… He came around Once he explained Why He wanted the changes he made. In a 2004 interview with IGNLikewise, producer Hiroyuki Kobiyashi reassured the fanbase that this is still relevant Vampire A Game, Just a Game can also serve as a starting point for those who have bounced back from previous entries or haven’t played the games at all.

By now, we all know Resident Evil 4 It received critical acclaim and is considered one of the best games of all time. It is also one of the most influential: from Gears of war and Dead space To the latest The last of us and god of war, You can find a lot of its DNA in any major third-person shooter released between 2006 and now. A similar tradition was found in other survival horror series of the time, with the then-new installments of Survival Horror silent hill and Alone in the dark It also tries to go for an action/horror mix, but not with the same success or glowing reception. Later Vampire The games continued with third-person and first-person shooter combat Resident Evil Village It was developed as a combination of that game and the 2017 one resident evil 7, according to village exit Morimato Sato.

but resident Evil 4 The biggest impact came when it was ported to PlayStation 2 in October of the same year. In a way, this was the most definitive version of the game, as it featured new features and textures not found in the Gamecube version, including the “Separate Ways” side story starring supporting character Ada Wong. The PS2 was known for having an impressive third-party game library back in the day, as well RE4 It was among the cream of the crop. Vampire It was never a PlayStation exclusive series, but the two are forever linked, and as with final fantasy, It meant something back then to have a mainline entry on the PlayStation console.

However, its jump to the PS2 wasn’t without its bumps. Once Capcom is revealed Resident Evil 4 The game was not exclusive to the Gamecube, but Mikami’s anger at the situation helped create several new developers. The first was Clover Studio, where it was Mikami and Hideki Kamiya – the guy who canceled RE4 ideas led to the creation of devil may cry– She worked on cult classics such as God’s hand and Okami. After that studio closed, the two helped found PlatinumGames, under which Kamiya led the studio and directed its major action film series. Bayonetta And the beloved gem of 2017 Nier: Automatic. For him, things have come full circle: possession Platinum left In 2023, he is now in charge of what was recently announced clovers studiowhich is what you are being pursued for Okami. Meanwhile, Mikami founded Tango Gameworks, which created Tango Gameworks The evil is within Games and 2023 are so cool Hi Fi Rush. Microsoft Close Tango after Rush release, but the studio was Recently reborn By crafton. Mikami Tango left Before it closed, and it seems like it has been going since New studio Presumably this does its own thing.

Whatever Mikami’s next project is, it will inevitably draw comparisons to his previous works, and Resident Evil 4 particularly. There’s no escaping the shadow of this game, both because of how ingrained it has been in video games over the decades, and also because it’s playable on almost everything in some capacity. Even if Capcom suddenly decided to shut down the survival horror series right this minute, it wouldn’t do anything. Resident Evil 4 He refuses to be forgotten, and likely never will, because he has become so entrenched in the medium.

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