I agree Viral, but I think some things should have been kept, like you know, harder puzzles and less linear game play but with all the fast paced action. I'm not opposed to over the shoulder, free roam aim, etc... I loved all of that. But I do think they could keep that and still make it more RE in order to please everyone, that's all.

correct its all opinion. why is everyone trying to convince each other that it is/isnt.

i thought it was just right. and it was scary, in my opinion. esp the creepy sound those regenerate creatures made, and how they leaped towards you.

and for the rocket launcher, it only has one rocket in it. why and how are you using it throughout the game? it costs to much to always have it on you.

also the first time it was night, and those villiagers head came off, and that thing came out, that was creppy to me

In reply to one2345.

I think you are bending my words and their meaning to back up yours which is kinda lame.

Truth is all games have an aspect of survival just like the game that is life. If you now start to class Pac-Man as survival horror you are clearly being silly. Pac Man like all games has an aspect of survival tied into it but that doesnt mean it's horror because it features cute ghost which you can see coming and avoid. But we are not talking about all games just RE series.

You mentioned MGS and yes MGS has had hiding parts in the game but they are different within the main context of MGS which is military covert ops style of gameplay. In other words you sneak around and have the choice of confront or pass the enemy by. RE series differs from MGS in that you have no choice but to kill (especially inearlier games when doors jammed from the other sides and the nearest you get to hiding is going through doors and therefore you are never really safe. And when was the last time the MGS enemy soldiers burnt Snake out of a tree he's hanging and hiding in? Exactly no, because RE4 doesn it whether they have weapons or not they will find other means like fire.
Another aspect that helps the RE series are the impressive environments that Capcom are so brilliant at creating. Old creepy but beautiful mansions, high tech secret research labs etc all of whihc have their own specifically chosen levels of lighting to make you feel uneasy and tread with caution. Do you all remember the passage way just before your first fight Yawn in RE1, the bloody hand print on the wall and how you felt after seeing that? Small touches like this add volumes to the games.

I ain't gonna argue about it but i know and believe what I'm saying though you don't have to.

I'm not quite sure what sgt. baker, one2345, and everyone else didn't like about RE4? What would you change? Less ammo? Less health? Not being able to save whenever you want? Or did you just not think the game was scary? I personally think it was scarier that the other REs, and I definitely enjoyed it more. Please don't kill me for my opinion. Pretty please.

RE5 needs the action gameplay of RE4, but it needs the puzzle and navigation element of RE1 - CV. Linear is alright, but I want another mansion/house or whatever that I can fully roam.

oni, your logic is stretching it...
waht seperates the game you describe from Metal Gear Solid?
Enemies have a human inteligence, there to stalk you and attack you with weapons. Hopelessly outnumbered, you have to survive.
RE4 or MGS?

Everygame invovles survival. And its a cheap step to claim that the FEAR that you will see the gameover screen is a "bold, brave change" in the type of fear. Truth (by your logic) is that Pac-Man is Survival-horror, think about it.
Ghosts are chasing you, and you could die. Its terrifying!!! YOU HAVE TO SURVIVE!!!!!AGH!!!!!!!!

But thats not the point, RE4 is a great game but its not a RE game. And a lot of us want a RE game.
If Solid Snake's Metal Gear Solid 4 turned out to be MGS4: Snake's Dance Jam, no matter HOW good the dancing game was, people would be disappointed.

All of us who are longing for survival horror games like RE4 are feeling a little disappointed. They substituted our game for another game. Sure it was fun, but its not what I was looking for....

I have no problem with it being like RE4 but time will tell. I think it's too early to start speculating about which format it will be on even though Sony is a safe bet.I think Capcom should broaden the series to multiformat so we all get a dose of their lovely virus.

In response to Sgt.baker I have to disagree. RE4 has always been survival horror, it's just that the games design angle has changed a little. You are still Leon, mostly on your own against a village full of spanish mad folk after your blood. Capcom are just looking at fear and horror from a different angle too.

EG: In previous RE games the claustophobic corridors, rooms and odd changing camera angles all help to heighten your fear. After RE Zero 1, 2 ,3 and CV we needed a change to put our fear back on edge again.

RE4 does this straight away by yanking us from our previous comfort zone (call it from under the Umbrella and back into the cold rain and unknown if you will) that we are used and dumping us alone in front of enemies with intelligence like yours. Ths fact alone, that they think with siege tactics, follow you around etc puts more fear up your spine than most enemies in games to date, and far more scarry than fighting a Tyrant etc. Those villagers don't look as visually scarry like leech zombies etc, but instead they play on a mental, psychological note of stalker like fear, they kind that Stephen King used for The Shining (also something Doom 3 might use or similar). Yes, those pesky villagers are like Mr Nicholson chasing you around with an axe or chainsaw (also remember we had a dose of this kind of fear in RE3 with MrX) and you'll be constantly checking your back to cover yourself. The spaniards can burn you, stab you and follow you and there is more than one of them and only so much ammo (and much like a Terminator they absolutely will not stop until you are dead or they die first). Not a walk in the park by no means. (You'll see more of this kind of thing in Capcom's Demento where you can run and hide and the big creepy guy searches for where you hide and also remembers the best hiding places, we've seen this kind of thing in countless horror films before with great effect)

The fact that RE4 features a rocket launcher is a lame point to base your arguement on since it has one or two shots and then it's useless (weapon purchasing and use strategy is vital in progressing which adds to your panic). If this game were an FPS you'd have unlimited ammo or similar most likely. Also what was that you used at the end of RE1 to kill Tyrant? Exactly, a rocket launcher so the series is no stranger to such weapons. Be it Magnum, Samurai Edge, Parallelus Sword or whatever they are there to help in the series but have limits.

It's still survival horror because the concept of fear can be approached from more than one angle when trying to entertain and draw a player in. RE Zero done a good job in it's own way (the character swapping feature was great to add fear and make you look after both of them like your own children, having someone fight with you was made bittersweet in that you also had to give them ammo and weapons, hope they use these ideas again) but RE4 tops that effort plus ten. Beautiful to look at even (playing or wacthing) though you don't have time to do so as Leon (though I'm sure everyone will try to). This is most likely game of 2005 and one that will most likely only be topped by RE5 gamewise.

I admire Capcom for making such a bold, brave change to the series, at a time when even Konami's Silent Hill series is beautiful to look at but has lost it's way somewhat. Hope it shifts some GCs before the PS2 version is due and takes some awards too. I also hope RE5 goes to multiformat so the series sales don't suffer again like RE Outbreak etc. This should be happening already but isn't.

Its all about shock, terror and fear and Capcom are the gaming masters of it at the moment.

Sorry for such a long post. And I might disagree with SgtBaker but I respect his/her opinion all the same.

Long live Capcom.

first of all who cares bout Halo... I think RE4 was way better graphically and story wise than Halo and second of all RE4 was an awesome game no matter what you wanna call it "action" or "survival" it still had parts that made me jump and had me running for cover.. all in all I think RE4 was awesome and I hope they continue the story onto RE5

bluelander, that's just not true. I've run out of ammo before (try playing professional). Aside from the people that don't like where the story is going...well...NOBODY knows where the story is going. In the ending they provided many ways of where the story will go. And if you play the extra mission with Ada, you will find yet another way in which the story will go. As far as I'm concerned, I love the story and the way the game plays. No more boring running from one side of the game to get a key just to go ALLLLLL the back to the beginning to unlock a door that's full of hard to kill enemies. RE4 plays more like DVC and I like it, as do a lot of other people.

I'll admit, I love RE4. Easily my favorite RE game, and definately among my top 5 favorite games of the generation. But I do agree that it's more of an action game than a survival horror game. It certainly is a horror-themed game, but from a gameplay standpoint, it really doesn't fit the survival horror mold.

In order for a game to be of the "survival horror" genre, there needs to be limited resources. The point is to try to get through the game while constantly being afraid of running out of healing items and ammo. In the old RE games, it was really easy to screw up and have to start the game over again, whereas in RE4 you could be extremely wasteful and get by just fine.

That's fine. I just dont think there is any more survival in RE4 as there is in any other game.

One2345, I was talking to Absolute Zero, read his comment.

Well, lets see....what else is readily available?

Machine guns, Mine Dart Guns, grenades(3 types). Seems like an action game.

Oh, and in Mario, I have to jump out of the way of a huge bullet in just the right timing. Survival.

I'd consider running your ass off to avoid dying at the hands of crazed monsters and villagers counts as "survival". And you really aren't supposed to have a rocket launch through any sixeable portion of the game, anyway.

Anywho, if this next game play just like RE4 with a new story, I'm sold.

i think it would be fine if it played like RE:4. if a company innovated a game with every sequel, the series as a whole would be weak. Gamers would find themselves saying things like this:
"ok, do i want to play the Resident evil with the giant lobsters and lasers, or Resident Evil: Tetis Assault?" point is, there needs to be a balance between innovation and continuity.

They just need to not say its a survival horror game. In RE4 there was no survival, nor horror.

Capcom, little hint, if you have a rocket launcher, its pretty easy to survive. Just a tip. Drop that angle, its an action game. Admit it.