The Characters

Leon Kennedy: The protagonist and heroic male who is well built and buff; the knight in shining armour and perfect hair. He represents the typical “perfect” white male in video games who swoops in to rescue whatever damsel is in distress, regardless of the toes that may be stepped on, or the heads that may be blown off in the process.
Ashley Graham: The president’s daughter and damsel in distress. She is your spoiled young white female who constantly needs protection. Ashley conveniently happens to be kidnapped in her revealing schoolgirl uniform, perhaps as a greater incentive to continue the game and rescue her. Ashley is obnoxious and weak. She is little but eye candy, as she is useless in fighting, must be hidden from zombies, and is killed very easily, ending the game.
Ada Wong: The stereotypical mysterious and hypersexualized Asian female who is a helpful fighter. Ada is the iconic “femme fatale” and plays an active role that progresses the storyline.
Ganados: They are the standard zombie flavour of this game. They are a non-denominational Eastern European race that has been infected with some sort of disease that makes them want to eat your brains. They are pleasant enough until you invade their houses and start snooping around. They then become very upset and try to eliminate you.

The Technical

            For a port of a GameCube game Resident Evil 4, ported from the GameCube to the Wii on January 11th 2005, remains impressive from the character models to the environments and bloody details. One could go so far as to label it a pioneer of Survival Horror on the Cube due to its fast paced nature and intense atmosphere.

            The plot is a clichéd storyline that has been retold again and again, most famously in the Mario/Peach combination. Leon’s search for Ashley, the president's daughter, is simply the underlying story - it isn’t really the motivation for the player to move forward in Los Ganados. The game itself has a weak story because it is not the game's main focus. The main focus is the gameplay; the action, the active shooting of zombies. The narrative is secondary. It is there to facilitate the game's advancement. The story provides a necessary goal for the player. That being the case, what is the player’s motivation then? Are the cut-scenes rewarding? No. Is the narrative compelling and in-depth? No. The player wants to advance through the game simply to enjoy gunning down the infected – it’s a campy, forgettable narrative, but it makes up for it with intense, original game-play.

            The controls translate relatively well onto the Wii. The Wii controls attempt to increase immersion by emulating real life (ie. shaking off zombies). The user is required to "waggle" Leon free from charging zombies. Waggling also causes Leon to slash at enemies with the knife weapon, and it reloads the equipped guns. These physical Wii controls also emulate real life fatigue. The player aims by directing the Wii-mote, and moves by means of nun-chuck joystick – this method of movement seems to be geared on improving hand eye coordination because it may, at first be difficult to get used to. The heads-up display (HUD) is simple and effective – the user can view their health and remaining rounds of ammunition. This lack of information (no map, no enemy health bar, etc.) adds an added struggle: a sense of desperation and confusion, a necessary element in Survival Horror games.

            Sound effects and atmospheric noise are effectively creepy. These sounds greatly add to the user’s immersion into this addicting zombie-shooter, even for the casual gamer. Sound is used to convey very specific emotions - most often fear. The environment is designed to evoke these feelings as well. It is dark and drab, very dull colours and low lighting. A polysensorial environment is created with the inclusion of sounds creating emotion. For example, upon entering a church, not only is the user visually engaged by the detail of the setting and the contrast of scenery from something as monotonous as the dark forest path Leon must travel through, but there are faint echoes of chanting and whispering people, presumably zombie Ganados. This eerie combination allows the player to indulge in several senses being stimulated at once, bringing them deeper into the experience as they feel fear, anticipation and confusion.

            As mentioned, the game was originally designed for the GameCube and is therefore limited by its graphical capabilities. The visual styling of the game, however, translates well onto the Wii.

            The latent image within the experience allows the player to diverge deeper meaning from the game, as well as the characters that are they are playing as and against. The opposing identities of the female characters, for example, draw a line of distinction between two stereotypical types of women - the helpless kitten in need and the strong, independent cougar who needs no one but herself to survive. What do these things imply about women? Do we merely exist by extremes? The relation of these implications brings to light the idea that the literal ties to the figurative, but it is hidden within the game sequence. The game draws us to these questions rather implicitly without the player ever realizing it.

Thinking About It

            The characters present in this game are quite frankly, as useful and significant as the storyline. Besides representing the typical male-female relationship as the “knight in shining armour” and the “damsel in distress”, Leon is portrayed as a hybrid of ancient heroes where being heroic meant one had to be visually stunning and possess superhuman strength, power, and courage, as well as modern day heroes – the everyman who is in the right place at the right time and summoned for a special mission that could spell life or death. His damsel is no different as a cute young lady who is utterly helpless against the powers that withhold her, and thus all she is capable of doing is awaiting the arrival of her hero.

            Ada Wong’s inclusion as a character perpetuates yet another stereotype of a powerful and sexy Asian female figure, but contrasts the idea of Ashley as a weak and fearful white female figure. Perhaps the assumption that a game of this calibre would attract a larger population of male gamers led designers to create both Ada and Ashley, in order to cater to different interests.

            Schoolgirl fantasies not being uncommon, it is not surprising that such a popular fetish be included in Ashley in a game that is expected to be better received by a male audience. She appears very innocent and submissive, and follows all of Leon’s orders when he tells her where to hide or where to wait for him, and when to follow him. Ashley will always be the lost, doe-eyed, nubile young girl who awaits Leon’s guidance. In Ada, players may be intrigued by the “femme fatale” who is typically powerful, sexual, and alluring. Regardless of the situation she is in, Ada remains a visually irresistible character who will always look sexy carrying the phallic symbol of a large, impressive firearm she has no trouble operating.

            Despite its generic plot and shallow yet potentially subliminal character structure, Resident Evil 4 provides a level of interactive play that seeks to emulate real life movements in real time. The efficacy, thought, and depth of detail considered in the game's visual and aural environments draw attention from any flaws.

The End