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Resident Evil 4 ps2 Game Reviews
Resident Evil 4
Critic Score
Metascore: 96 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.9 out of 10
based on 38 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 211 votes
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Rate this game

In Resident Evil 4 players are reacquainted with Leon S. Kennedy, Raccoon City Police Department's idealistic rookie cop from "Resident Evil 2." It has been six years since the destruction of Raccoon City and in that time, the U.S. government has been able to destroy the nefarious Umbrella Corporation. Fast forward to 2004 and players rejoin Leon, who is now a U.S. agent with a top-secret mission. He has been tasked to look into the abduction of the President's daughter and his investigation has led him to a mysterious location in Europe. As Leon encounters unimaginable horrors, he must find out who or what is behind everything. [Capcom]

PUBLISHER: Capcom Entertainment
DEVELOPER: Capcom Production Studio 4
GENRE(S): Third-Person Action, Adventure, Survival Horror
PLAYERS: 1
ESRB RATING: M (Mature)
RELEASE DATE: October 25, 2005

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
PSM Magazine
Not playing through it from beginning to end would be missing out on a major milestone in gaming history, not to mention a hell of a lot of fun. [Dec 2005, p.70]
100
Game Informer
Simply put, Resident Evil 4 is a landmark video game, no matter what system you play it on... Truly brilliant. [Nov 2005, p.158]
100
1UP
The thing that makes RE4 so much fun is that the developers took a cue from modern zombie films, eschewing the clichéd shuffling zombie in favor of savvier, more intelligent opponents.
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100
Official U.S. Playstation Magazine
Quite simply, the ideal sequel: The developers have managed to not only bolster and dramatically improve the good qualities of an RE title, but also completely drain out the bad aspects of the RE franchise. It's a perfectly executed reinvention of a stagnating franchise. [Dec 2005, p.128]
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100
Cheat Code Central
Clocking in at over 25 hours of gameplay (if you've never played before), RE4 never once bogs down in rehash or mindless repetition, managing to keep the pace on "alert" from start to finish which is a most impressive feat considering most two hour movies can't sustain that level of suspense.
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100
GameSpy
Anyone who doesn't own a GameCube, however, would be smoking crack rocks the size of my fist not to buy this game. At forty dollars, it is worth every penny, and given the quality of the translation to the aged hardware of the PlayStation 2, is absolutely one of the best games on the system.
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100
Gaming Age
As a whole, ["Separate Ways" is] an excellent bonus that features far too much content and gameplay to be considered gimmicky or tacked on.
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100
BonusStage
It’s the best game you’ll play on this generation’s console platforms, I don’t think there’s anything else left to say.
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100
GameShark
It is by far the best single player action experience you are going to find on the PS2 this year - and the best Resident Evil game since "Resident Evil 2."
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100
G4 TV
So while only the most die-hard fans should re-open their wounded wallet a second time, anyone who missed it owes it to themselves to play one of the best games of this generation.
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100
Game Power Australia
This is not just the best survival horror game yet; it's one of the best games of this generation. Every aspect of the game shines.
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100
Games Radar (in-house)
Simply put, Resident Evil 4 is the tightest, most accessible game in the series and one of the best games out there.
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100
Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK
All the style of the series so far plus a maelstrom of new shocks, twists and challenges makes this the best survival horror game ever. [Nov 2006, p.104]
100
Thunderbolt
The highest compliment I can pay to the already highly lauded Resident Evil 4 is this: it makes all other games in its genre seem utterly pointless.
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99
Console Gameworld
A phenomenal game. It has put the thrill back into the survival horror genre.
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98
eToychest
The controls are brilliant, the presentation is spot-on, and the game is without a doubt one of the most entertaining titles to be released this year.
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97
Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)
As close as a game has ever come to being flawless. A sublime exercise in action gaming that'll blow your mind. This is why you play videogames. [PSM2]
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97
TotalGames.net
Every moment spent in the game world, from the ramshackle village to the far-from-abandoned military installation, is pure, adrenaline-fuelled fun. The game doesn't want to be big or clever - it wants to take you on a roller-coaster ride that leaves you breathless. And it does.
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96
Gaming Target
It's simply one of the most intense and exciting action/adventure games in years, regardless of hardware.
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95
Game Over Online
You'll need to bring your A game, as this is unapologetically difficult, but you'll be rewarded for your effort with one of the most polished shooters of this console generation.
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95
GameBiz
One of the most intense and exciting game for the PS2 in ages.
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95
PALGN
While the GC version is superior in key areas, RE4 is still an absolutely fantastic game and arguably this generation’s finest.
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95
GameZone
The graphics are beautiful, the monsters are unreal, and the gameplay is the most action-packed a survival/horror game has ever been.
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95
Electronic Gaming Monthly
From 30-foot-tall bosses down to the tiny embroidery on Ada's dress, the overall design and attention to detail is among the best in any game. Which really could be said for almost every aspect of RE4-don't miss this game.
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95
TotalPlayStation
This is the single best survival horror game ever made, besting even the Silent Hill series in raw visceral thrills. It’s not nearly as scary, but it makes up for it with an incredible story, tons of replay value, and a game length that’s uncharacteristically stretched for the series.
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95
IGN
It's easily one of the top 10 PlayStation 2 games you can lay your hands on. For me, it's probably one of my top 10 games of all-time. There's so much to enjoy, and even though PS2's visuals aren't quite as good as they were on GCN, my jaw still drops at the art design and how immersive the worlds are.
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94
PSX Extreme
The game itself will last you more than 20 hours, and with the extra content and hidden extras, you'd be doing yourself a big favor if you went out and bought the game as soon as possible.
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93
GameSpot
An amazing achievement in a variety of ways: Its inspired, state-of-the-art cinematic presentation works extremely well with its relentlessly exciting, white-knuckle action, all of which is wrapped up in a decidedly lengthy adventure chock-full of hidden secrets and bonus extras.
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93
Pelit (Finland)
The PS2 version has slightly uglier graphics and slight framerate issues, but the horror adventure itself is just as good as it was on the Cube. [Dec 2005]
91
Jolt Online Gaming UK
And most uniquely of all, the single-player-only game easily packs in around 30 hours of gameplay, making it extremely good value for money.
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91
Game Revolution
The combat gameplay is unrivaled, especially during some of the very creative boss battles. It's also the longest Resident Evil game yet, with 25 - 30 hours of gameplay on two discs along with a ton of unlockables that will make you want to do it all over again.
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90
AceGamez
Capcom have achieved that great feat of managing to shed off the problems of the past without forgetting how they came to be here and the result is not only a joy to play but, compared to previous titles, is almost epic in length and introduces extra missions and weapons after the first time through that enhance the replay value even further.
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90
Play Magazine
Capcom turned the venerable but stagnant series around with Evil 4 [Nov p.72]
90
GamePro
While the controls can get a tad touchy and the visuals aren't quite as crisp as they once were, any gamer in the know deserves to check this game out. It's just that good.
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90
EuroGamer
If the idea of 20 hours of palpitating living nightmares sounds like your idea of fun, then you have no choice but to part with your cash immediately. If only all videogames were this brilliant.
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90
GamerFeed
There are points that the game could've looked a little smoother. But it's still a remarkable experience, and the bonus goodies (namely "Separate Ways") make this a must-own. Evil has never been this good.
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90
Computer and Video Games
If you want to admire the game's beauty, you'd best watch a friend play. After the shock, the gore and suspicious stains in our undergarments, we've only got one thing to say. Welcome back. [PSW]
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80
Yahoo! Games
Rather than creating a new system to go with the new engine, the developers tried to shoehorn the classic control scheme into the new game.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 8.9 (out of 10) based on 211 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Stewart C. gave it a9:
The best game I have ever played and a vast improvement on previous RE titles. I was hooked from the start to the finish. The graphics are great, the plot scary, the gameplay is long and replayable and I'd definitely recommend buying it. Only a couple of very small nagging points, but hardly worth mentioning - ALMOST FLAWLESS...!

Kent C. gave it a6:
Simply put, this game is as easy as performing brain surgery.Even in the very beginning of the game, there is little to no room for error. Despite what people say about this being an accessible game, if you aren't a RE fan or a fan of action 3rd person shooters, you'll have trouble with this game. Casual gamers beware. The lack of ammo you find forces you to aim at vital spots, but that's a little hard when possessed spanish zombies and monsters are swarming right at you. At first, you'll want to aim for the head and it saves you ammo, but later in the game when you shoot enemies in the head, a parasite pops out which you then have to spend even more ammo blasting it. With that in mind, you'll want to avoid headshots. Most people have nothing but good words for the "behind the shoulder" view, but I thought it was clunky and very hard to move Leon. You'll be constantly moving around trying to find where you are, since the camera moves when you move. Since you can't move when aiming with a gun or knife, you'll be running all over the place out of harm's way only to aim again and then run away again. Finally, the parts of the game where you escort Ashley are very tedious, as she can't defend herself and you are forced to rescue her when (and that's a definite WHEN) she gets carried away by an enemy. On a good note, the graphics are pretty good and the script and dialogue are deliciously cheesy and fun. The campaign is fairly long, and the extra bonus missions will keep you playing for a while (if you haven't already given up from the difficulty like I have).

John D. gave it a3:
The plot starts promisingly and the game looks and sounds good but the control system is so painful that I very rapidly lost interest in the title. Almost as infuriating and tiresome as the frankly awful "The Getaway", with the same apparent underlying cause - the developer's cinematic pretensions create camera angles that will constantly have you craning your neck and gameplay that appears to have been designed for watching rather than for easy control of your avatar. Avoid.

Sam H. gave it a10:
One of the greatest experiences that I have ever had as a game. A great selection of villians, a compelling story and fantastic gameplay make this a near perfect game.

Caio K. gave it a10:
The best game ever made for Playstation2! Good story, excellent graphics. It’s a perfect game in all aspects.

Gatsby J. gave it a10:
-I'm on the side of those who think this game is near-perfect. And I have no personal bias in favor of the Resident Evil series, because before I played this game it'd been several months since I had last touched my PS2. But I remembered seeing the Gamecube commercials for this game and thought it looked really good. So I tried it out an LOVED IT. -The graphics still amaze me, and I think it has some of the best character models and backgrounds on the PS2. The atmosphere is really well-realized: dark, creepy, and best of all, grimy. -The sound was memorable in that subtle sort of way: it's scary when it needs to be, but for the most part the game is silent and uses sound effects to get the mood set. -The characters are hollow but fun to watch on screen. The story is standard Resident Evil nonsense: anyone who plays the series for the story has probably had their brain eaten by zombies. -But the gameplay is what it's all about. The game is fun from beginning to end. The weapons are all great; there's not an over-abundance of ammo lying around so it's challenging. The mutated townsfolk are a nice divergence from the previous zombies, and they're crazy when they run at you. The AI is quite intelligent and challenging. And for those who said there wasn't a single scary moment in the game, well that's cuz this isn't like the old Resident Evil's where things jump out at you. It's a lot harder to do that in true 3-D than pre-rendered games. There's tons of replay value with the different costumes and side-missions. -Yep, definitely one of the best games for the PS2, and one of my all-time favorites.

Kyle G. gave it an8:
Sure, this is a very good game, but it's not perfect like most people make it out to be. The graphics are great for the most part, the story is kinda good, but the aiming was not as easy to control as it is on gamecube, in my opinion. But what really brings it down for me is that it doesn't have the charm that makes a game more than "just a game". The kind of charm that molds a game into a memorable and life-impacting experience. It is just a game to me. a good game, but still just a game.

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