jaeufraser

I don't really think of it as a lame excuse. For instance, the biggest gripe out there is the lack of strafing. This wasn't an oversight...in fact, strafing was including in the control scheme at one point, but intentionally removed as a design decision in order to rachet up the tension in the game (so says the designers).

I for one think RE4 controls quite flawlessly. Analog support for movement is the only thing I think might've improved it, but that's about it.

That's my opinion, and yours is certainly valid if it don't work for you, but it is true some of these central control complaints are elements that were quite intentional choices on the part of the designers.

I guess I have to ask, what would you suggest the game control like? What changes would you make?

m0thr4

I completely agree. The praise this game has received reminds me of "The Story of the Emporer's New Clothes" by Hans Christian Anderson. The pre-release hype and the status of Capcom have blinded people to the fact that the control method sucks.

People are saying that the controls are deliberately bad to make the game more exciting? If I drove a car whose steering wheel only turned 45 degrees from left to right, I guess it would certainly keep me on my toes. In fact it would probably scare me witless, but for all the wrong reasons.

I'm willing to forgive the contradictory setting of Spanish speaking villagers in what appears to be 17th century Romania. I might even forgive the self-conscious and ham fisted way the developers have jumped on the "don't mention the Z-word" bandwagon. But I cannot forgive a game that expects you to defend yourself against multiple enemies but doesn't let you look around corners, step left or right, and that glues you to the spot giving you a 45 degree aiming 'cone' whenever you want to fire a gun. And neither should you.

After only 2 hours play, it was obvious to me that the difficulty level was toned down to accommodate the clumsy and unrealistic controls. Even though the game is easy, I found myself asking, "Why can't I step left or right?" and "Why can't I run or walk while shooting?". I can do these things in real life, yet the developer has taken these basic abilities away from me in their game.

If it's deliberate, then it makes the game feel unnecessarily artificial. If it's an oversight, then it's equally inexcusable when games such as Splinter Cell 2 get their controls so right.

sambo777

agreed m0thr4... all these people obviously dont look for or desire what seems to me to be basic improvements to gameplay now that we are in the year 2005. I was pushed to play this game and gave it a chance thinking, boy, this is gonna be great, well was i disappointed, BIG TIME. Well, I guess, to each his own.

Sadie

When i picked up this game personally I thought, shit no zombies, oh and when I saw the intro I thought shit no umbrella, but we know about umbrella thats all it has been through all Res evil games so i find it refreshing to have a new story line.
In no other game has it felt so satisfying to point a shotgun at the head of some creature and blow it's brains out. I have not even got as far as the second disk and I find the charecters just as creepy as zombies, the consious chanting monks, the village people oh and not forgeting leather faces with chainsaws fuck their quick!!!
I think this is what Res evil needed, a new challenge.
And i also agree with the comments posted saying that if the characters were easy to controll then it would not be scary, I was fighting some mother fucker last night and I could feel the adrenalin pumping through my body!
That is what resident Evil is about to me!

Sadie

While on the subject, I couldn't get on with Code veronica. I have only completed a little, is it worth me carrying on or has anybody else had problems with it?
Does it get better?

jaeufraser

I don't think anyone can really answer about Code Veronica unless you state what your problem with the game is. It's never going to get as good as Resident Evil 4, it'll still have static viewpoints and the old style control. I think it's a great game, but if you don't like the old school Resident Evil type gameplay, then it's probably not for you.

As for saying that the controls suck, that's how they're supposed to be. I don't think most people who like this game think hte controls suck. In fact, we think they're great, and in general feel those extra little types of gameplay are unnecessary. This game isn't Splinter Cell, and I really don't need all those types of stealth moves. I thought it played fantastically with the given controls.

"The pre-release hype and the status of Capcom have blinded people to the fact that the control method sucks."

I love when people make up a rather ridiculous reason why everyone disagrees with them, instead of just coming to the conclusion that maybe they're just in the minority opinion.

msdmoney

I agree that the controls aren't the best at times in Resident Evil 4, and I agree that saying "bad controls make the game more intense" is just plain silly. But in the end, despite the lack of strafing, I found the controls to be pretty damn good in Resident Evil 4. I think the problem many people had with the game is it doesn't move like a typical FPS where you are constantly running around at full speed blasting while running sideways. I think it was a good design decision to slow down the pace somewhat (although I would have included strafing) and keep it more of a survival game rather than a complete run and gun type of game.

I also find it funny that someone mentioned splinter cell as the example of a game with top notch controls. I liked Splinter Cell, but I wouldn't exactly praise the controls, they can be pretty clunky sometimes.

Chris_D

"bad controls make the game more intense" - well it's the creators who chose to leave strafing out, that's a fact. So it's more like, "we chose to not allow the player to strafe to make the game more intense". You can read about their reasoning in various gaming publications. Of course if you still think they're idiots fair enough .

Puzznic

There is nothing wrong with the controls. The game is what it is in large part to the controls. The control defines the gameplay the same way the controls in a turn based RPG defines that game type. Its not like the game should control like Halo. If you want that it would make more sense to play Doom 3.

Sadie

Sorry a little confusion going on, It is zero that bothered me. I just felt that the story line was weak, there is not enough room in your items case for the amount of items that you need and i didn't like controlling both people. In res evil 4 you only controll Ashley a little so it doesn't bother me as much and most of the time you are protecting her. In Resident evil zero I got bored of the puzzles as it was all about what charecter should do what task. I do like some things about it.
I guess that when you are playing a game like that and then a new excellent game comes out you drop it and forget if you liked it or not etc.
I just enjoyed other Res Evil games more.

njchris

I just finished RE4 this weekend (avoided any threads before I finished to avoid spoilers).

I thought it controlled just fine. I never had a problem. The being still while shooting didn't hinder the game for me. I never felt like I was missing out on moving or strafing. I know it's in other games, but every game does not need to have the same control scheme for me to have fun. It's how this game was made and it was done well, so that's all that matters. Having to stop and shoot also did add to the strategy element. I had to think about where I would attack.

To each his own, I just didn't feel the "lack of" strafing or moving while firing was a problem at all.

Draven

That's like bashing an RPG because you can't directly control the character or an RTS because you can't walk through the halls of your spaceship.

It's a DESIGN decision. I'm on my third time through and I never, not ONCE, had a problem with the control or the camera. My only complaint was that since I didn't read the manual I found out about the 180 degree turn by accident.

You might have a problem with it. That's fine. But acting like the rest of us are too stupid (emporer's new clothes and all) to understand how bad the controls are is insulting. I've been playing games since the 2600...I think I can tell when a game has shitty controls, thanks.

dannyakhtar

i think the reason it was so highly rated was because Capcom took a big risk. They changed the format of the games that worked so well for the RE series, and in the reviewer's opinions, Capcom pulled it off very well. they were commended highly for this risk which could have gone either way and went in the way of the better.

TripWire

Beat the game last night....will have to say this is one of the best games I ever played on the cube, took me 19 hrs, 36 mins...but I am a slow gamer.
I like the extras that are unlocked, makes for replayability, capcom hit a home run with me on this game. Looking forward to another one soon.

njchris

Then I'm an even slower player. I think I clocked in about 22-23 hours.

DARTH GAMER

I got you beat, I clocked in a whopping 42 hours. I will say that about 15 or so of those hours I was not playing but still had the game on. I have a newborn son and I would just start to play but then have to tend to him for one of the multiple reasons. Anyone with a child would know what I'm talking about. Anyway, That would still put me up in the high 20s for time. I think of playing games like eating your food. To really enjoy it, you have to take your time. (I really enjoyed it)

zero

Screw you pal! j/k

I just finished the game a few days ago, and I thought I'd weigh in on this overrated thread. I think when a game this good is complained about, and the only complaint that can be raised are control issues, when its obvious the game is a step FORWARD for the SERIES and not ALL GAMES MADE then the complaints are well..not valid. I've been playing the RE series since the first game, and even stuck with it through Code Veronica (I had fun but the game didnt feel right, not sure what it was but it just felt weird) and had a blast revisting it when it was remade for GC. I know a lot, and I do mean a lot, of gamers complain the controls screw up the entire package. I am aware that every RE before part four has had control issues, but its very obvious (well maybe not as obvious to those who havent been playing since RE 1) that the control is a drastic step in the right direction. Had this game (RE 4) had a static camera as the others did I dont think it would have done as well.

Well RE 4 isnt a racing game its survival horror.

Three words finish the game.

I found RE 4's difficulty to jump up and down in spikes, and while the overall game wasnt DMC 3 hard, it was still a challenge. I think I died like over 50 times. Unrealistic? dude your playing a video game.

Again, you're playing a video game. OK you said yourself the game is easy, so why make it easier by giving Leon a moveset like Dante from Devil May Cry? The purpose of taking away your ability to strafe is to focus on your ability to survive, remeber its survival horror, not survival hard action. If you are getting overwhlemed by villagers its really your fault to begin with. The game givesw you everything you need to survive, and not once did I feel it was impossible to get away or fight my way out of a crowd.

What works for one isnt going to work for the other, I mean honestly would you like it better if RE 4 were an RTS? You make it sound like this game was a letdown of Halo 2 proportions, when its very clear this is a game worthy of the praise and while I hate the word "hype". I feel this game did what it set out to do, and that was to reinvent the series, and maybe the next one will address the "problems" but somehow I doubt it.

Sadie

The only thing that bugged me was that you can't reload your weapon in the inventory!
as for the upgrades just go with it, i recemend upgrading your shotgun, its worth loads so when a new weapon comes out you can sell it for a better one.

njchris

That would completely take away any sense of urgency when you are trying to reload when getting attacked. If you could go to your inventory, you are effectively pausing the game to reload.

dom56

I finally beat this game on Pro for the first time. WhooHoo!!!

It's was a bit harder than on Normal, some of the bosses were a pain to beat, had a hard time fighting Krauser in his final form, Saddler took longer to killed. After beating it my death toll in the game was 69, I suck on this mode.

TheMadMonk

Play through again on Pro, and get the Chicago Typewriter. Makes the game very easy. I played through on Pro, with the Chicago Typewriter (bought it at the end of Chapter 2), and managed to finish the game with 0 deaths (yes, I died a couple times, but always went back to my last save point, not checkpoint, so I would have an official total deaths stat of 0 at the end).