Xbox 360
With Resident Evil 4, developers Capcom not only redesigned the gameplay, but the story as well, and anyone would be forgiven for thinking early on in the game that this has very little to do with the complex plotting of the previous games. Luckily for fans though, the series' Resident Emo, Leon Kennedy provided some link as the games protagonist.
Set in the most dark and depressing and damn nigh' third world part of Spain ever seen, Resi 4 sees Leon, now a government agent, sent in to rescue the Presidents daughter who was spotted in a remote village before disappearing (no doubt due to the locals being incensed by yet another irritating rich blonde on a gap year).
Leon is taken to this village by a couple of Spain's most useless police men and soon discovers that not all is well in the village. He is set upon by the bloodthirsty villagers who blindly try to kill our hero. Unlike the zombies of the past these villagers can dash, interact, climb, use tools (they love chainsaws, clearly worshipping their one piece of modern technology like some form of God), raise cows and solve complex math puzzles. Leon is able to hold them off just long enough for a nearby church bell to toll calling all the villagers away, muttering the name ‘Lord Saddler' as they go.
Moving past the village Leon begins to search for Ashley until he is attacked by Chief Mendez, the head of the village who appears to be a mix between Rasputin and Ivan Drago. Knocked unconscious, Leon is injected with an odd formula. Upon waking he finds himself bound to a Latin stereotype called Luis who claims to be an ex-cop. After escaping Leon heads for a church where he now knows Ashley to be held. On the way he infiltrates Mendez's house, a surprisingly modern abode filled with pleasant portraits of the charismatic Mendez and his BFF, Saddler. Leon is quickly drawn into another fight with Mendez but is luckily saved by a supermodel in a red dress.
Finding the church locked and unable to break the windows due to his respect for 12th Century Renaissance stained glass, Leon heads off in search of a key. While crossing a wide lake he has to fend off Del Lago, a mutated crocodile of sorts. Thanks to his infinite harpoon trick and mastery of quick-time events however, Leon is able to fend off Lago, reach the other side and pass out; Leon's hair was not harmed in this boss fight.
After his quick nap Leon is back to full strength as manages to get the key. On the way back tothe church he discovers that more is up with the villagers than he first expected, not only do they all seem to look like the same four people, but they also have a propensity for cranial expulsion releasing several barbed tentacles from their bloody stump of a neck. After dispatching El Gigante, Leon finally gains entry to the church and saves Ashley, although not before confronting Osmond Saddler who claims to be leader of the Los Illuminados, a cult responsible for all the nasty goings on.
Saddler has apparently implanted everyone, including Ashley and Leon's hair, with his ‘gift' and is using it to control them. His plan; to use Ashley to wreck havoc in the US in revenge for their foreign policy (perhaps retaining latent anger over the Spanish-American war of the 1890's). Apparently unaware of this two of Saddler's lackeys break in and fire their medieval crossbows in Leon and Ashley's direction. Swallowing his pride Leon jumps through the window and escapes with Ashley in tow.
They run for the extraction point but are quickly cornered in a large house by far more villagers than the tiny village suggests existed. Inside they find Luis who utters the timeless line "It look's like the president has armed his daughter with ballistics" in an effort to remind us of his Latin pedigree.
After fending off their attackers Luis runs off again. Leon and Ashley continue on and are quickly forced into another confrontation with Mendez. Leon fights back, forcing Mendez to ‘go megazord', splitting apart and revealing a monstrous form of barbed tentacles, similar to those seen on the villagers. Leon manages to kill the Chief thanks to a couple of one liners, and continues on. Unfortunately they're set upon quickly by some more villagers forcing the duo to take cover in a nearby decidedly evil looking castle; apparently been overlooked by the Spanish Tourist Board. Unsurprisingly this wasn't the brightest decision...
Continued in Resident Evil 4, Part 2
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More from the Ultimate Resi Guide:
Resident Evil - Team S.T.A.R.S, find a little house on a little hill...
Resident Evil 2 - Unlucky Cop and Foolish Female stroll unwittingly into Raccoon City, town of the undead.
Resident Evil Zero - Taking place before Resi 1 (just incase you were following things so far), we see how S.T.A.R.S team B got to be so dead.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis - Lady S.T.A.R.S. from game one must escape a city...
Resident Evil: Code Veronica - Foolish Female (from number two), seeks Unlucky Cop (from number one).
Resident Evil 4 - Unlucky Cop goes on holiday to Spain. Hates Foreigners. (Part two here)
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