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Resident Evil 4 Diary

Playthrough No. 1

- ENTRY 1

I'm starting this diary a little late. I've already played through the first three chapters and have been gathering my thoughts.

I don't know too much about the franchise going in. I've watched playthroughs of Re7 and Village and some clips of the Re4 remake, so I know some of the mechanics and characters. The inventory management and the iconic merchants, for one. I know of Leon, Ada, Luis, and Ashley. Other than that, and the presence of zombies, I don't know much going in.

The title screen on the PS2 is so lovely and of its time. I enjoy the voice that says Resident Evil 4 when you start the game. I think modern games take themselves a bit too seriously. Goofy title screens are fun!


Cute!

My first thought going in was: I'm so scared! Not of the zombies or the setting, but of my terrible gaming skills. I do my best work when I'm able to run and hide from enemies, but I already know these guys are gonna swarm me and I'm gonna need to learn how to use different guns if I want to progress. I remapped the buttons to my liking so at least I have that going for me. Also the third person view of Leon is huge; I absolutely cannot do first person.

Speaking of Leon, I love him already. He's such a badass and he's so funny too. I'm looking forward to hearing more of his great lines throughout the game.

Being bilingual is making this game quite fun too and somewhat of an advantage. I mean, the zombies literally tell you where they are.

"Detras de ti, imbecil!"

While he clearly doesn't speak it himself, it seems like Leon can understand some limited spanish. He's able to read some of the signs in the town, though not all of them. He at least knows the word for farm, since he reads it on a sign and knows what it means. I find that pretty interesting.


Leon's sarcastic observations are pretty charming.


I really enjoy moments where the camera zooms in on an interaction.

I knew Leon was a beloved character but I have to say I was taken aback by how hard it is to find images of him for this page that aren't of him in cat ears or a thong. I mean... I get it. He's hot! And from what I can tell the Leon in the remake is a little more rough around the edges, he seems to have permanently furrowed brows. This Leon seems sadder and sweeter in comparison. I wonder if that is evident in the gameplay as well.


Hello Ingrid! Is every character in this game hot?


I love seeing the cute animals in the town!


The X button describing the kind of action is a cool detail. There have been quick time events with similar captions that I've thankfully succeeded at so far, but obviously couldn't screenshot in time.

Managing the inventory is something I am absolutely loving. Sure, I'm limited on space, but man do I enjoy organization. Figuring out which guns to keep and upgrade is the bigger challenge. I haven't upgraded anything yet and I don't think I will until I get better weapons. I'm doing fine right now anyway. I'm holding onto a golden egg right now and I don't plan on using it until my health bar is way bigger. I have two herb mixes prepared that just need a yellow herb to be completed.

So far I'm managing just fine. I've gone back to make sure I've collected all of the treasure and done everything I need to do before moving on. When I went back to the house I caught a glimpse of Ada but she was gone so fast...




Now that I've gotten this far I'm going to try and upload entries for my playthrough as I go. I'm having a lot of fun and it's really gratifying to be better at the game that I ever thought I would be.