This is a summary of my analysis that I've written about Resident Evil 4.

1. Ida Eriksson

2. The game that I’ve chosen to play throughout the
course is Resident Evil 4 on PlayStation 2.
In this presentation I will talk about:
 The history of the game
 The story
 The gameplay
 My own game experience
 Resident Evil and the expanded game experience
 The previous games in the series
 Conclusion

3. Resident Evil is a survival horror-themed third-person shooter
game.
It’s developed by Capcom and published by multiple publishers
including Capcom, Ubisoft and Nintendo Australia.
The game was originally intended to be released exclusively for
the Nintendo GameCube, but on October 25, 2005, Resident Evil
4 was released on the PlayStation 2 with extra gameplay
features, but weaker visuals.
The first attempt in developing Resident Evil 4 was actually
made from sometime in 1998 to 2000 for the PlayStation 2.
The course which the project took was though considered too
much of a departure from the traditional
Resident Evil-style and the resulting game was released as
Devil May Cry in 2001.
The development of Resident Evil 4 got its
official start in 2001 for the GameCube .

4. The first proposed version was the Fog
Version.
After the Fog Version came the
Hooked Man Version.
This version was apparently
so scary that the director of
Resident Evil 4 warned the gamers with
the famous quote “Don’t pee your pants”.
This version was however thrown-away
due being far too paranormal for the
Resident Evil plot.

5. In Resident Evil 4 players are reacquainted with Leon S.
Kennedy, (from Resident Evil 2).
It has been six years since the destruction of Racoon City.
The Umbrella Corporation is destroyed.
And the Government forces have managed to control the
zombie threat.
Leon S. Kennedy has become a Federal agent.
When the President’s daughter, Ashley, is kidnapped by a
mysterious cult organization, it’s up to Leon to rescue her.
Leon tracks her to a remote, hidden fortress in Europe. When
he arrives on the location there’s something weird about the
locals. Leon quickly discovers that there are indeed things
much worse than the horrors he faced six years ago.

6. Leon S. Kennedy encounters a horde of
villagers who pledge their lives to Los
Illuminados, the cult that was behind
Ashley’s kidnapping.
During the course of the mission, Leon is
reunited with the spy Ada Wong (from
Resident Evil 2) and he does also meet
Luis Sera, a former Los Illuminados’
researcher, who starts working together
with Leon. When examining Sera’s
notes, Leon discovers that Los Illuminados
gained control of their subjects by
implanting a mind controlling parasite
known as “Las Plagas” into their bodies.

7. The gameplay in Resident Evil 4 focuses on action, horror and enemies.
You shoot at enemies, solve puzzles and hunt saving points. That’s the
core in the game.
There are many interesting elements that contribute to the shell in
Resident Evil. The elements contribute to the scary feeling in the game
and the atmosphere.
The core (gameplay) and shell (representation) are equally important
parts in a game.
Together they made Resident Evil 4 to a real challenge for me.
My first goal was to pass all the obstacles and chapters, to save Ashley
and just play through the game. At the same time I guess another goal
was to get that adrenaline rush when the enemies are hunting me from
all directions.

8. “Do I really dare to play this game?”
That was a question that came back to me several
times during the gameplay. I actually thought of
abandoning the game several times as I started to
have nightmares (believe it or not!).
I did not abandon the game though. I felt that I
had to know how the story would end.

9. Here is one example of my game experience:
I remember walking along a wooden path, feeling
pretty safe when a cinematic show began.
“Okay”, I thought and put down the consol.

10. But suddenly some villagers began pushing a
boulder off a cliff and an on-screen instruction
flashed at me.
I should apparently hammer the “X” button in
order to outrun the boulder.
I grasped the control again and started to sprint as
fast as I could. I was in chock!

11. Then the instructions on the screen suddenly changed to
show a button combination that I would need to press in
order to make Leon dive acrobatically out of danger.
I was so surprised and chocked that it
was not strange that I died.

12. I pressed that I wanted to continue and now I
would be ready I thought. I knew what the
button combinations where too.
I managed to outrun the boulder and I was
ready to press the square and “X” button.
Though, this time I should apparently press
the “L1” and “R1” buttons at the same time.
I’ve come to learn that you
can never feel safe when
playing Resident Evil 4.
And you can never think
that you know what will happen
because the game is always going to surprise
you. You have to be constantly alert, even in
these cut scenes.

13. My emotional mood when playing the game went
from fear, anxiety, anger and constant panic to true
happiness.
I got for example so happy every time I found
ammunition for Leon’s weapons or saw the typical
typewriter saving point for example (the producers
seem to have make sure that the pressure is on as the
ammunition and healing herbs always were limited, as
well as the saving points).
I felt anxiety and fear when I never knew what would
happen next (especially after that boulder attack in the
cut scene).

14. “To play a game is to experience the game: to
see, touch, hear, smell, and taste the game; to move the
body during play, to feel emotions about the unfolding
outcome, to communicate with other players, to alter
normal patterns of thinking.”
p. 314, Katie Salen/Eric Zimmerman, Rules of
Play


15. The model of expanded game experience presented in
this course is a model of the actual game play but also
what experiences the game provides.
The EGE-model is identified with its six different
activity steps:
1. Information retrieval
2. Enabling
3. Preparations
4. Gameplay
5. After play
6. Disposal
Let’s look closer at these steps!

16. 1. Information retrieval
I got information about Resident Evil 4
through my boyfriend and some other
friends.
They told me that it was a great horror
game. I should try to find Silent Hill 2 or
Resident Evil 4.
I went to the game shop and asked the
shop assistant if it was a good game. He
immediately told me that it was one of
the top 10 best games in the world.

17. 2. Enabling
I brought the game the same day and my boyfriend
brought the console (as our PS2 at home had broken).
So we did invest some money in this step. Well, of
course did we buy the consol to be able to play our
other PS2 games too and not only RE4. But my
expectations on the game were even though very high.
3. Preparations of the game
There’s not much preparation needed when playing a
PlayStation game. All you need to do is to turn on the
TV and insert the disc in the consol and start playing.

18. 4. The gameplay:
Look at slide 6.
5. After play:
I often spoke to my friends after having played Resident Evil 4.
Just to compare thoughts, share what I was thinking of the game
and discussing how different problems were solved.
I looked up the official websites of the game and tried to find the
other games in the series.
I accidentally stumbled upon Resident Evil Code: Veronica X on
a Swedish trade site.
I also watched the Resident Evil movie from 2002, starring Milla
Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez.
I’ve also been following the progress of Resident Evil 5 as it was
released on March 13, 2009 in Europe and North America.

19. 6. Disposal
I have not disposed of the game yet. Resident Evil
4 is a game that you can play again, after you have
played it through one time. There are three
different modes; easy, normal and hard.
After you have beaten the game once there are
several minigames that you can play, for example
Assignment Ada.
RE4 has a lot of replay ability.

20. Resident Evil 4 is a game for both hardcore and casual gamers. I
think that you appreciate the game more if you play it for longer
periods though, so that you get in the mood.
You can dig deep into the story, the characters and the series.
There are so much more that can expand your experiences.
I see myself as a casual gamer as gaming is like a hobby to
me, whereas for hardcore gamers the interest in gaming is
almost professional.
But I guess when it comes to RE4 I’ve gotten more and more
hardcore. It took me 27 hours and 44 minutes to play through
the game once and I don’t think I’ve ever played a game so much
during just some few months of time.
Upon that I’ve expanded my experiences by trying out Code:
Veronica X for instant, and reading about the series online, and
discussing and comparing the games with friends.

21. One thing that I have done to expand my game
experience is to look at the previous games in the
series.
I’ve only tried one of the other games, Resident Evil
Code: Veronica X. But through conversations and
discussions with friends, as well as reading about the
game on the web, I’ve come to realize that RE4 is not
like the earlier games. It’s in many ways different. I’ve
come to realize how well designed Resident Evil 4 is.

22. Here are some differences:
1. There are no zombies in RE4.
2. In RE4 is the traditional fixed camera of old is gone, replaced by a fully
3D environment.
3. You can reload your game from designated “start points” if you die.
4. You don’t meet a small number of zombies and infrequent mutants.
Instead, you are swarmed with masses of enemies (I killed 1085 enemies
during the play).
5. RE4 is more action-oriented (even though I think it’s scary enough).
6. Another new feature is money. You find treasures on your travels and
the cash you raise can be spent on upgrading your weapons or
purchasing new ones.
7. The environment is more interactive than before (Leon can jump over
fences, kick down ladders, fling himself out of windows and roll on the
floor to dodge blows).
8. The enemy interaction is also improved. Their bodies react according to
where you shoot them.

23. It took me almost 28 hours to play through the whole game. I
died 28 times and killed 1085 enemies. I have always seen myself
as a casual player but when it comes to Resident Evil, I’m more
and more seeing myself as a hardcore one.
Graphics don’t make a game but in Resident Evil 4 they almost
do. Nothing is as spectacular visually as the bosses. They are
nightmarish creations. Everything is just so well designed.
I’ve come to realize (through conversations and trying out
another game in the series) that Resident Evil 4 is in a completely
different level than the predecessor games. It is much more
improved.
The gameplay in Resident Evil 4 focuses on action, horror and
enemies.

24. If I should get even deeper into this analysis and broaden
my understanding in the game I would like to expand my
experience more. I would like to discuss the game with
people in online forums; I would definitely try out all the
other games in the series and look more at the whole series
in itself. I would love to get to know the whole story in the
RE-series. I would like to watch all the movies and also
play the games on different consoles like on the Wii for
instant. I think that playing the game on Wii will give a
completely different experience.
I’m so happy that Resident Evil 4 was not released
exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube. I don’t think I
would have been able to try out the game then.

25. To sum it all up was Resident Evil a great gaming
experience for me. I have never played any game
like this before. This is a game for both hardcore
and casual gamers.
Even though I had thoughts of abandoning the
game, I never did. And I’m glad I didn’t, because I
had an incredible game experience.