Resident Evil 4 - M
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that Resident Evil 4 is a violent, bloody game. Players must stab, shoot, and bomb their way through hundreds of realistic-looking humans and monsters. With some cursing and sexual dialogue in the mix, RE4 is a game that earns its M rating. Parents need to know that the star rating given this game is based on quality of game play within this horror genre of video gaming and not endorsement of the violence within the game.
Families who play this game may want to talk about the role of violence and gore in the horror genre. Do games and movies need to be violent to be scary? Do science fiction elements -- like monsters -- make the violence more palatable than in reality-based games like Grand Theft Auto?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Chris Jozefowicz
RESIDENT EVIL 4 is really more of a horror-themed shoot-'em-up than a survival horror game. Players will face hundreds of menacing humans, demon dogs, and creepy monsters. And shoot 'em up they will, with handguns, shotguns, and sniper rifles. Players can also kick, knife, or blow up enemies with grenades. Torsos are pierced, heads are lopped off, and bodies are eaten.
Without a doubt, RE4 is one of the most graphically violent games available for any console. Combine this with a splattering of curse words and some sexual innuendo in the cutscene dialogue, and the result is a game that is most definitely for adults and mature teens only. But it's still pretty amazing.Players assume the role of Leon Kennedy, a U.S. government agent. Leon is a veteran of the Raccoon City Police Department, but the whole former Resident Evil setting has been scrapped. Instead, Leon finds himself sent to Spain to retrieve the President's daughter, Ashley, who has been kidnapped by mysterious foes.
Finding Ashley will take Leon through a rural village, an elaborate castle, and a run-down research facility, all the while killing just about everything in sight. Players can expect a number of plot surprises and double-crosses through a linear and surprisingly long one-player adventure (the game spans two discs and will likely take more than 20 hours beginning to end).
In addition to new environments and new baddies, RE4 ditches survival-horror gameplay for something more akin to straightforward action. Gone is the dreadful anxiety about what lurks behind the next closed door. No more will players have to make decisions about whether they should shoot the zombie or save their bullets and run past it. As Leon, gamers will probably find they're quite comfortable just kicking the door open with a confidence born of a brimming small-arms cache.
Players will also appreciate the truly wonderful overhaul of the controls. Leon is more agile and simple to control than his Resident Evil predecessors. One of the most frustrating elements of previous games in the series has been how the protagonists move like tanks through environments that are viewed from fixed camera angles. Thankfully, the controls are much more intuitive in RE4. The camera floats over Leon's shoulder and moves as he does. He can also stop and aim his gun at enemies with the help of a laser scope. Blowing off a head or taking out a knee is now a breeze.
There are also context-dependent controls, so that the same button allows Leon to open doors, jump through windows, or raise ladders depending on where he is. The result of these changes is that gamers feel more in control of their hero.
RE4 is in many ways an outstanding game. It is a long, involving, graphically gorgeous action experience, and a wealth of unlockable gameplay modes adds a lot of replay value. But remember that in the Resident Evil universe, ramping up the action means ramping up the gory carnage. Overall, RE4 takes players on an intense killing spree through a dark world.
Platform Notes
Nintendo Wii
This edition incorporates the Wii’s motion controls into the violent action, making this version more immersive and visceral. By pointing the Wii remote at the screen, the controller becomes the player\'s gun. Aiming the gun feels accurate and natural. Other motion controls increase the sense of engagement and draw a player’s whole body into the game; As you swipe with the remote, you watch Leon slash with his knife. Shake the remote, and you can shrug off grasping attackers. None of the versions of the game are recommended for kids as the ratings show, but the Wii version takes the violence many steps closer to the real thing, warranting an extra red flag for parents.
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Sexual ContentA couple of female characters wear revealing outfits. Cut scenes feature flirting and sexual innuendo, like discussion of one character's breasts. |
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ViolenceFull of violence against humans, animals, and monsters, usually depicted with copious gore and blood. Expect beheading, burning, shooting, stabbing, and dismemberment. |
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LanguageThe game includes bilingual swearing (English and Spanish). |
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Social BehaviorApart from the numerous enemies to be killed, players can receive bonus items from killing animals that populate the background. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoOne character asks another for cigarettes, but no smoking is depicted. |
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