On July 30, 2025, Capcom releasedResident Evil 4, a Nintendo GameCube exclusive that immediately became one of the best and most beloved video games ever made. Twenty years later, both Capcom and its fans fondly remember this classic adventure that changed gaming forever.
TheofficialResident Evilaccount on Twitter/Xposted this image commemorating the 20th Anniversary ofResident Evil 4and asked fans when they played through Leon Kennedy’s adventure for the first time. Naturally, gamers all around the world replied with their own personal opinions and anecdotes about the game, which confirmed that the gaming community still loves and appreciatesResident Evil 4, even now, 20 years after its release.
These may seem like unusual reactions for those who somehow still haven’t experienced RE4 on their own or haven’t re-played it in decades, but this is an almost flawless third-person shooter/survival horror that has aged surprisingly well. Yes, Capcom did release a high-quality modern remake in 2023, but there’s a reason why most fans believe thatthe mere idea of aResident Evil 4remake was unnecessary: Because the original game from 2005 still is absolutely amazing.
Resident Evil 4’s troubled development was completely worth it
Back in the 90s, Shinji Mikami wanted to make a newResident Evilsequel for the (then) new PlayStation 2 console, and even though the final game he and his team came up with was incredible, its development process was lengthy and complicated, to the point that they had to discard three different versions of the game, known as “Fog,” “Hook Man,” and “Hallucination.” Curiously enough, at one point, Hideki Kamiya came up with the idea of aResident Evilgame centered on demons and melee combat, butCapcom and the rest of his team thought this was so different and uniquethat they turned it into its own series, and the project became what we now know as the originalDevil May Cry.
Capcom and Mikami finally releasedResident Evil 4on June 19, 2025, exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube. The game was part of the “Capcom Five,” a collaboration between the company and Nintendo that had the goal of creating high-quality exclusives for the GameCube. Needless to say, Resident Evil 4 was the highlight of this collaboration, and its immense critical and commercial success prompted Capcom to port it over to other consoles, like the PlayStation 2 (Even if Mikami originally opposed this idea)
What made Resident Evil 4 such an exceptional video game for its time?
It may be easy to forget nowadays, but the third-person shooter genre was not as beloved or popular back in the early 2000s as it is now. This is becauseResident Evil 4was the game responsible for revitalizing the genre by introducing a new over-the-should perspective that allowed for easier exploration, more precise shooting during the combat segments and an overall more comfortable experience when compared to its predecessors, which featured fixed camera angles.Resident Evil 4was so revolutionary that it inspired many beloved third-person shooters, likeGears of War,Uncharted: Drake’s FortuneandDead Space.
But the success ofRE4can’t be attributed entirely to its over-the-should perspective since the rest of the game is absolutely fantastic as well. Leon S. Kennedy is a cool but charming main character. The villains and bosses are disturbing and intimidating.RE4maintained a dark and suspenseful atmosphere (even if it leaned a bit too much into the action). Its main setting of rural Spain is unique and memorable, and it’s filled to the brim with clever moments and mind-blowing secrets. Most importantly, it knows how to reward players who complete the main campaign many times, meaning thatit has a huge replayability factor.All of these elements together made gamers around the world fall in love withResident Evil 4.
The game that shaped the entire Resident Evil franchise (For better and for worse)
Resident Evil 4is a relatively controversial game amongResident Evilfans. On the one hand, this was a high-quality product that helped popularize the IP even further and later influenced the gameplay of its beloved modern installments, likeResident Evil 2 RemakeorResident Evil Village. On the other hand, many people blameResident Evil 4‘s action-oriented gameplay for the eventual decline of the franchise. Capcom desperately tried to capture lightning twice, with the divisive Resident Evil 5 and the lacklusterResident Evil 6. The franchise would go through a rough patch until the release ofResident Evil 7: Biohazardin 2017, which brought it back to its survival horror roots.
Regardless of your opinion on the impact thatRE4had on the franchise, it can’t be denied how incredible and influential this game truly was. As a result of this reputation, it didn’t take long for Capcom to release a modern remake in 2023, simply known as Resident Evil 4 Remake. Despite the fact that many fans believed this remake wasn’t even necessary (because the original game has aged perfectly), it turned out to be yet another incredible experience (One of the best games of 2023)that reviewed and sold extremely well.
In my personal opinion,Resident Evil 4 Remakeis an amazing game that gives longtimeResident Evila refreshing new way to re-experience Leon Kennedy’s classic adventure, but it’s not a true replacement for that original game. If you’re interested in trying all of this by yourself, you should definitely try both 2005’sResident Evil 4and 2023’sResident Evil 4 Remakeseparately, one after the other. So, what do you think about this game, and what are your personal memories of it?
