12th February 2004, 8:02 PM
Quote:Resident Evil 4 will no longer use the fixed camera system that has been used in the past. Instead you will now play in one of three views, two of which are over the shoulder 3rd person views, and one of which is actually a first person view. At this time we do not know if the game characters can move in first person mode, or just shoot a la Metal Gear Solid 2. In what appears to be a first for videogames, the game will require a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio for the entire game. This makes the game best suited for HDTV’s and supports 480 progressive scan. Those with the 4:3 aspect ratio televisions are not out of luck. If your TV is not widescreen ready, you will simply play the game in letterbox with black bars on the bottom and top of the screen. The reason for this cinematic view comes by way of the 3rd person camera. The main character Leon evidentially takes up most of the left side of the screen, while the right side shows more of the environment. The special angles are said to give a FPS feeling to the game.
The graphics in the game will also be entirely in real time, with no pre-rendered backdrops, no door animations, and no FMV’s. The levels will be wide open and feature very few load times, but tons of zombie like villagers, who are said to be in a trance like state.
The much-revered and hated control scheme seems to still be intact in RE4. However, “the new views make it feel like an entirely different game.” Despite the unchanged controls, the hub will be slightly different with both health ammo making their way on to the screen.
The post also mentions some story spoilers, so if you don’t want to know, don’t continue reading. Resident Evil 4 takes place 6 years after RE2 in the year 2004. Leon, the main character is hired to protect the President's daughter. Unfortunately for her she is kidnapped and taken to South America where Leon then must dispose of swarms of villagers to save the her. The enemies in RE4 are said to react to specific body damage (think Eternal Darkness), throw sharp objects, and are smart enough to even lead you into ambushes.
N-Philes