biohazard 4 classic
BIOHAZARD 4 was the first title within the series to introduce the standard “action camera” which has been prevalent in many subsequent titles. It explores the world in a post Umbrella environment.
PLOT
The story follows Leon S. Kennedy on a mission to rescue the U.S. President’s daughter Ashley Graham from a religious cult.
Leon makes his way to rural Europe in his search for Ashley, he quickly discovers that the townsfolk appear to be extremely violent.
Leon discovers that his training might not be enough to survive.
FEATURES
BIOHAZARD 4 was the first numbered entry to drop the “human tank” controls and fixed camera angles. Players were introduced to a much smarter and aggressive type of enemy. The classic inventory system was dropped in favor of an Attache Case, the player was now free to carry as many items as they desired, as long as they all fit. The universal item container was dropped and chapters were introduced as well.
Besides the universal item container, the ink ribbon concept was also dropped. Leon was able to save his progress at the end of every chapter or at a typewriter just like before, however, almost all of the typewriters were placed at the beginning of each chapter.
DEVELOPMENT NOTES
Part of the CAPCOM 5 for the Nintendo GameCube, BIOHAZARD 4 underwent various iterations throughout its development history.
The only thing CAPCOM was sure from the beginning was that Leon S. Kennedy would lead the adventure. At Tokyo Game Show in 2002, Lead Environment Artist Hiroshi Shibata premiered the first gameplay footage of BIOHAZARD 4. This version featured a Windy Mansion and a Lightning Covered Airship. At E3 2003 a new version was shown, this version featured heavy paranormal enemies, including a hooked fantasm.
Apart from these iterations, fans of the series noted that BIOHAZARD 4 would feature full 3D environments, an over-the-shoulder perspective and free-aim-gunplay. After the previous efforts were discarded, series creator Shinji Mikami stepped in to direct. One of the boldest decisions during development was to feature new enemies which were not the traditional zombies previously seen throughout the series. The castle-scouting gameplay went on to inspire Devil May Cry for the PlayStation 2.
ATTACHMENTS
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
DEVELOPER Capcom Production Studio 4
GAME ENGINE Unknown [Presumably in-house Capcom Toolset]
DIRECTOR Shinji Mikami
WRITTEN BY Shinji Mikami / Haruo Murata
ORIGINAL RELEASE PLATFORM Nintendo Game Cube
