Day 21 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil 4 completely revitalised the franchise, shifting focus from tank controlled characters and static cameras to an over the shoulder perspective, getting the player closer to the action than ever before. This however, altered the kind of terror on offer; unnerving atmospheres were replaced with heart pounding, white knuckled excitement that kept you on the edge of your seat. 

The game stars Leon S Kennedy, the rookie cop from Resident Evil 2, who is now working for the US Government and has been given the task of finding Ashley, the President's abducted daughter. Capcom set the tone for the game in brilliant fashion, within the first ten minutes you're barricading yourself in a house surrounded by an entire village of lunatics, including one fellow wielding a chainsaw. I lost count of the number of times I had my head brutally removed in this first scene.

 You later discover that the entire community has been infected with a parasite capable of taking over the hosts body and turning them into mindless puppets. This allowed Resident Evil to move away from the signature zombie masses to a more intelligent enemy, one that would evade your attacks and use weapons and strategy to defeat you.

A considerable portion of the game sees you escorting Ashley to safety, a task that many players found frustrating as she's very slow to move and little more than baggage. Many a time I've been surrounded by enemies only to quick turn and end up shooting her in the face, it was kind of funny the first time but gets old pretty quickly. Thankfully Ashley gets recaptured at certain points of the game, usually when you have to defeat a boss, so there's sufficient breathing space that allows you to have a bit of fun without having to worry keeping her from harm.

There's plenty of replay value on offer thanks to the various unlockables and side quests that are worthwhile devoting your time to. Completing the game will unlock the Mercenaries mode, allowing you to pick from a number of characters and fight waves of enemies until you die or the timer expires.

Resident Evil 4 was a risky endeavor for Capcom as they had completely changed the series formula, but the gamble paid off as there's no denying how good this game is. If you like your horror games exciting, terrifying and a roller-coaster ride to the very end then this game is just what you're looking for. So what'll it be, stranger?