For the Love of... Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil could be viewed as a pioneer franchise. When the début game launched in 1996, it coined a new genre called 'survival horror' and brought it to the masses via Playstation. The game world would never quite be the same again, with several imitators popping up to take a shot at the champ. Although few could match Capcom's perfect balance of action, puzzles and horror. Perhaps out of all of them, Konami's Silent Hill series came close, with many fans regarding the second in the series to be the ultimate in gaming terror.

However Capcom staked its claim as the mack-daddy of the genre when it unleashed Resident Evil 4 on to the world. It is quite simply the perfect action game while at the same time, ramping the horror and gore up to eleven. Upon its initial release on Gamecube in 2005, the title received worldwide acclaim and later enjoyed re-release on Playstation 2, PC and most recently, the Wii.

But what makes the game so special? Well, it can be viewed as a new starting point in the series for many reasons. Most obvious is the absence of zombies from previous chapters, which are replaced by rabid packs of infected Spanish villagers called Ganados. Moving the game away from Racoon City was a bold move, but opened up opportunities to make the game more expansive.

Leon S. Kennedy, returning lead from Resident Evil 2 journeys into rural Spain in search of the President's kidnapped daughter Ashley. Stopping to ask directions at a run-down farmhouse, he finds that all the residents have been transformed into mindless killing machines. After taking a few of them down, Leon travels to a nearby village to investigate further, leading to one of the most iconic opening stages in gaming history.

As you cautiously enter the village you notice your escort drivers tied to stakes and burning on a pire as the Ganados quietly go about their daily routine. As you alert the villagers, they swarm in for the kill and as you scramble about, blocking doorways with furniture to delay their menacing advance, the sound of a chainsaw can be heard growling in the distance.

The opening fight with the chainsaw-wielding Dr. Salvador is one of the most memorable in recent memory as he tears towards you menacingly, thrashing about, cutting down anything in his path. The croaky shrieks and ramblings of the other villagers adds to the tension. This is true edge of your seat stuff and if you haven't played through this scene you should give it a go, just to experience what true dread in a game feels like.

Following on from this scene, the action rarely lets up, as enemies come along thick and fast. Thankfully Leon's arsenal packs a hell of a punch, with a collection of shotguns, revolvers and automatic weapons at your disposable. Gone are the clunky and restrictive item screens, instead replaced with a neat grid system. Everything about the game operates at such a slick level, meaning playing is always a pleasure, never a chore. Also, a true pain experienced by fans of the old games has been eliminated; backtracking is kept to a bare minimum.

As you travel through abandoned barns, rocky ravines, vast cave networks and later, a desolate castle, all of the game's locations vent eeriness. You really do feel like you're neck deep in enemy territory facing impossible odds, but thanks to the spot-on acting, Leon responds with a buckshot to the face and a tongue-in-cheek action movie quip.

Boss battles deserve a separate mention as all of these are memorable encounters, some lasting a full ten minutes. Facing off against general hard-nut Krauser in a tense game of cat and mouse is a particular fan favourite. From beginning to end, every enemy encounter, regardless of scale is memorable and this lends the game superb replay value. With extra unlockables rewarded for repeat play-throughs on the console versions, there are plenty of reasons to keep coming back.

The addition of the trader, a Dickensian travelling merchant found at certain points of the game, is a superb move. Here, you can sell any currency or rare valuables you find along the way in exchange for ammo, gun upgrades and incendiary grenades. The levelling up of weapons adds just enough of a stat-building element to hold your interest throughout.

Resident Evil 4 doesn't do things by halves and this is why it sticks in the mind as one of the greatest action games of our time. Forget your Halo and your Gears of War because, while great games in their own right, they never instil in you the same level of anxiety and tension you get while faced with forty Ganados wielding pitchforks, clawing at you with their bare hands. Plus, Leon has ten times more charisma than Mr. Chief and Mr. Fenix put together, breaking the 'gritty = drab and faceless' notion dogging action games of the current generation.

Truly the greatest Playstation 2 game ever developed and the reigning king of the survival horror genre.