“Resident Evil 4” was released this week 15 years ago

It’s the game that changed a generation and redefined one of Capcom’s most popular video game franchises for better or for worse, but on this weekend 15 years ago - Resident Evil 4, or Biohazard 4 as it is known in its native Japan, was released first on the Nintendo GameCube - bringing back Resident Evil 2 protagonist Leon S. Kennedy as a special ops government agent and deployed on a mission to save the US President’s daughter Ashley Graham from a group of cultists known as the “Los Illuminados”.


Resident Evil 4 Demo Gameplay (Nintendo GameCube)
Initially made as an exclusive to the system, Capcom eventually made RE4 for other systems - first porting it to the PlayStation 2 the following year and then having subsequent re-releases on other platforms and next generations consoles thereafter. The game became one of the best-selling video games of its generation, and changed the RE franchise from “Survival Horror” to “Survival Action” - focusing more on the “Run and Gun” part and making Leon shoot “over the shoulder” and putting an emphasis on “Quick Time Events” during gameplay and cutscenes.

So let’s raise a toast this game - one of the best and definitely a game Capcom will always find a way to release again - even today on the Nintendo Switch! It’s third person gameplay influenced several shooters, and even the Resident Evil 2 and 3 Remakes owe a lot to the path started by this game! Happy Anniversary, Resident Evil 4!