Resident Evil 4 revolutionised 3rd person survival horror when it released on the GameCube back in 2005 and went on to influence titles such as Dead Space whilst revitalising its own stuttering series.

It did this by moving from a fixed camera to one that floats behind the player's shoulder. This made the combat much more exciting and dynamic, increasing the scope of the arena and improving player mobility. Enemy ai that could dodge and behave unpredictability as well as the ability to shoot enemy projectiles out of the air made the combat a joy to play, with this new perspective putting you right in the action. The action is also really well paced with peaks of intensity bookended by calmer sections and boss fights.

The gameplay has held up really well although the inability to fully rotate the camera does restrict visibility somewhat and the quick time events during cut scenes are something I didn't particularly like when I first played RE4 in 2005. I don't mind the QTEs that occur during gameplay as much because they tend to be used to avoid enemy attacks as there is no dedicated dodge button. The ledge climb button mashing QTEs can piss off though. Even the parts of the game that involve escorting Ashley are rarely frustrating as you can order her to hold back or to hide in a bin. In fact, many parts of the game where you have to watch out for Ashley just add to the chaotic, exhilarating nature of the combat.

A lot of the tension and fear in this horror game comes from the peaks in the action, as you barely hold off hordes of villagers with your rapidly depleting supplies of health and ammo. Highlights for me are the opening village assault, the defense in the cabin with NPC Luis and the horde of cultists that attack you and Ashley in a large castle room. Then there are the relentless and seemingly indestructible Regenerador's who embody the feelings of panicky ♥♥♥♥♥♥-ness I felt while playing the game.

RE4 also comes across as fairly self aware when it comes to the games story and characters, embracing the camp and silliness inherent in a series that usually takes itself so seriously. Resident Evil is a series known for its bad dialogue and RE4 embraces this, with ladder hating Leon in particular -in this game a 12 year old boy's idea of a 'bad ass'- delivering his daft lines earnestly, with a mostly straight face and just the right amount of sarcasm. Squeaky voiced midget Salazar is another highlight and the moments when the villains take over your walky-talky are wonderfully camp with over the top villainy. Not to mention the cockney pirate merchant.

The plot itself is your usual RE fair; there's an evil group bent on world domination by way of a deadly virus. But RE4 shakes things to here too by moving away from Umbrella, the T-virus, zombies and the USA, to a religious cult, parasites, crazed villagers and "Europe". The exact setting is unclear but the parasite hosting villagers speak in some sort of Spanish, so chances are its Spain. A very rural, backwards Spain by all accounts but it's certainly a nice change of setting and vibe. There's also the presidents daughter to rescue, so just another day for our glossy haired, roundhouse kicking hero.

Despite all the the tongue in cheek elements the game still has loads of atmosphere with its grainy graphical style and rustic visual design. There are creepy forests, ramshackle villages, a misty lake, crumbling ruins, gloomy castles, grim concrete fortresses and clinical, claustrophobic labs. Lots of grim visual touches too; the villagers 19th century clothing is blood spattered and filthy as are their homes. There's general decay and mess in the villages which is contrasted nicely by the cleaner, more ordered areas in the castle. It appears that classicism has finally come to Resident Evil but it also shows how the leaders of the cult are more in control of their parasite than the mindless villagers. There's also some great body horror as hosts become infested with parasitic appendages, heads and limbs explode and mangled flesh glistens.

The sound design is also fantastic, from the kaw of crows to the moans and chatter of enemies, their screeches and screams when they spot you and the slow, monotonous chanting of the priests. All this audio adds to the atmosphere and in practical terms it helps you locate enemies when the camera isn't helping, allowing you to swivel and face incoming foes when you hear running footsteps or groans and squelches fading in. The guns are also suitably loud and meaty sounding as bullets thud into body parts. Ashley yelling "Leon!" constantly whilst often helpful can get annoying, but kudos to the audio of the oozing, twitchy Regenerador's, making them all the more frightening.

So if all that hasn't made it clear, I love Resident Evil 4 and think it's well worth playing, even with a PC port that's far from perfect. It's constantly surprising you and while there are a few sections of the game that haven't held up as well, or are frustrating (I'm not a huge fan of the truck section or the U3 mini boss), it's mostly great, a true survival horror that's creative, tense, horrifying, entertaining, silly and utterly charming*.

* While I haven't played the remake I'm a little worried that some of this charm and campy fun might be missing from it. It looks to be back to that dark and serious Resident Evil which to me isn't the RE4 I love. I did thoroughly enjoy the RE2Make though so will still be checking it out.