Fancy Clown
Member
Because of this thread I replayed the first 3 hours of RE5 and then (after a fortuitous moment I found my presumed to be long lost PS2) the first 3 hours of RE4 to compare them.
Wow. Playing them back to back is quite a stark difference.
The first thing I you notice is the pacing. 5 just keeps pushing you forward, and forward and forward, and you never have any room to breath. 4 on the other hand gives you a lot more sections of quiet, and the connected village hub is a much more believable--and sinister--world than the 'tour of Africa as a series of corridors'. I did like the very start of 5 though as you are walking around the town before shit has hit the fan and you see a bunch of creepy ass things like a group of guys beating the shit out of someone, or something, tied up in a sack.
However, while 5 moves at a much faster clip, and introduces enemies much faster (in the first 3 hours of RE5 I've fought: various majini, fat majini, the executioner, dogs, two brands of parasites that pop out of majini, a tentacle monster, and the chainsaw guy. In 4 you fight various ganados, one parasite, chainsaw guy, and Del Lago.) However, despite that, RE4 makes much better use of it's scenarios (not to mention it's a much longer game and can take its time introducing things). Overall though, 5 is still pretty impressive for how many different scenarios it has in such a short span of time (even if it doesn't best 4).
For example, there are decent stretches in 5 that don't really provide any twist on the combat or level design whatsoever, or there are repetitious scenarios. In one area in the first chapter (the shipping crates by the water) the game introduces trip bombs, a maze like level design, verticality with crossbow snipers up top, and the dog enemies all in one go. It's a well designed area, and quite fun. But then, shortly after at the beginning of chapter 2, the game essentially repeats this with the train yard. It has the exact same elements except for the small tweak that the dogs can surprise you from under the trains. Again, it's a well designed area but having two of the same (very specific) thing is not necessary, especially when the game is so short. 4 rarely, if ever, repeats its set-ups in the same way twice.
Also, directly comparing scenarios that 5 lifts from 4 does it no favors either, because it doesn't improve on them, let alone even match the ones from 4. Take the opening village/executioner onslaughts: 4 is much, much harder and more tense. 5 provides a much safer feeling from the get go: you are in a defensible position, with ample barricades and supplies. Sure, it doesn't last, but compare that to RE4: in 4, when you go to the defensible house and barricade the door, the game actually escalates the tension by introducing the chainsaw guy, who is a one hit kill enemy (and much faster than the executioner).
The level desing in 4's village is much better as well, as every defensible seeming position has some vital flaw (house brings Salvador, if you go in the tower they will smoke you out, the house across the way has a locked door that simply leads to a dead end, etc), so you are constantly scrambling and engaging in the wide open center in between mad dashes to buildings. In 5, the level design goes much easier on you by providing two things: tons of explosive barrels, and no dead ends. It goes even further than simply taking away dead ends, by actually having 3 structures in the center of the map that you can simply hop between in an almost endless loop, quickly outpacing your pursuers.
And of course, 5 has Sheva, who will provide fire, heal you, and revive you, stripping away even more vestiges of tension. I still really like the execution onslaught level of 5, but it just pales in comparison to the village.
Another good comparison of the two stages, are how they handle the introduction of the sniper rifles. In 4, you are in a giant canyon area where you can pick off some enemies in high places, or blast them off the rope bridge sending them plummeting to their deaths, all while juggling a stream of ganados that come ever nearer. It's really rewarding, and well designed. In 5, it introduces the sniper by having you take cover behind a wall as you try and take out a guy on a turret. It's incredibly obnoxious, generic, and works actively against everything that is so brilliant about RE4/5's combat system.
Other observations/comparisons:
-4 is much better at little storytelling touches. For example it builds up the El Gigante fight by having you walk through the pen during the day time and you can hear something pounding on the giant doors. Then later you get a note about the El Gigante, and It's not until night time that you actually fight it. 5 has little build up or attention to detail in things like this.
-I think the ganado's might be harder/smarter than the majini. When the ganados are in a crowd they will really quickly circle you, and they dodge and duck out of your laser sight a lot. Majini either don't dodge, or really rarely do it, and they run straight at you a lot more.
-In 5 I've gotten a lot less ammo than 4, actually. But 5 you have a partner full of ammo, too so that mitigates it. Also, 4 is just plain harder. I only died twice in the first 3 hours but every encounter leaves me with little health.
-The sound design of 4 is much better, and really adds to the atmosphere. The wind howling, the crows cawing, the really memorable Ganado runts ("Lord Saddlerrrrr...."), add so much texture to the world. Not to mention the music is better. There are some scary ass tracks that play when you are engaging the ganados.
-There are some really weird typewriter placements in 4. Some come right after a chapter save, or right before.
-Wiseass Leon is so much more entertaining than mopey Chris. I love all the humor in 4.
-5 is still fun in singleplayer, but the fact that it was designed around co-op really hurts it because Sheva adds NOTHING to the game in singleplayer, and she's just an annoying entity you have to worry about/manage. The game is amazing in co-op though.
-What I really missed in 4 that was added in 5: quick weapon change. It keeps the pace of combat up a lot better.
-What I surprisingly didn't miss: Added melee moves of 5. I dunno, I like the more simple loop of 4, and there's added satisfaction and tension of knifing a ganado on the ground as more enemies come closer that is simply removed when you can just stomp them with invincibility frames. Also, while the mini map in 5 can be handy, I hate how it shows the position of bosses and enemies like the chainsaw guys; way to kill the tension of not knowing exactly where they are.
Wow. Playing them back to back is quite a stark difference.
The first thing I you notice is the pacing. 5 just keeps pushing you forward, and forward and forward, and you never have any room to breath. 4 on the other hand gives you a lot more sections of quiet, and the connected village hub is a much more believable--and sinister--world than the 'tour of Africa as a series of corridors'. I did like the very start of 5 though as you are walking around the town before shit has hit the fan and you see a bunch of creepy ass things like a group of guys beating the shit out of someone, or something, tied up in a sack.
However, while 5 moves at a much faster clip, and introduces enemies much faster (in the first 3 hours of RE5 I've fought: various majini, fat majini, the executioner, dogs, two brands of parasites that pop out of majini, a tentacle monster, and the chainsaw guy. In 4 you fight various ganados, one parasite, chainsaw guy, and Del Lago.) However, despite that, RE4 makes much better use of it's scenarios (not to mention it's a much longer game and can take its time introducing things). Overall though, 5 is still pretty impressive for how many different scenarios it has in such a short span of time (even if it doesn't best 4).
For example, there are decent stretches in 5 that don't really provide any twist on the combat or level design whatsoever, or there are repetitious scenarios. In one area in the first chapter (the shipping crates by the water) the game introduces trip bombs, a maze like level design, verticality with crossbow snipers up top, and the dog enemies all in one go. It's a well designed area, and quite fun. But then, shortly after at the beginning of chapter 2, the game essentially repeats this with the train yard. It has the exact same elements except for the small tweak that the dogs can surprise you from under the trains. Again, it's a well designed area but having two of the same (very specific) thing is not necessary, especially when the game is so short. 4 rarely, if ever, repeats its set-ups in the same way twice.
Also, directly comparing scenarios that 5 lifts from 4 does it no favors either, because it doesn't improve on them, let alone even match the ones from 4. Take the opening village/executioner onslaughts: 4 is much, much harder and more tense. 5 provides a much safer feeling from the get go: you are in a defensible position, with ample barricades and supplies. Sure, it doesn't last, but compare that to RE4: in 4, when you go to the defensible house and barricade the door, the game actually escalates the tension by introducing the chainsaw guy, who is a one hit kill enemy (and much faster than the executioner).
The level desing in 4's village is much better as well, as every defensible seeming position has some vital flaw (house brings Salvador, if you go in the tower they will smoke you out, the house across the way has a locked door that simply leads to a dead end, etc), so you are constantly scrambling and engaging in the wide open center in between mad dashes to buildings. In 5, the level design goes much easier on you by providing two things: tons of explosive barrels, and no dead ends. It goes even further than simply taking away dead ends, by actually having 3 structures in the center of the map that you can simply hop between in an almost endless loop, quickly outpacing your pursuers.
And of course, 5 has Sheva, who will provide fire, heal you, and revive you, stripping away even more vestiges of tension. I still really like the execution onslaught level of 5, but it just pales in comparison to the village.
Another good comparison of the two stages, are how they handle the introduction of the sniper rifles. In 4, you are in a giant canyon area where you can pick off some enemies in high places, or blast them off the rope bridge sending them plummeting to their deaths, all while juggling a stream of ganados that come ever nearer. It's really rewarding, and well designed. In 5, it introduces the sniper by having you take cover behind a wall as you try and take out a guy on a turret. It's incredibly obnoxious, generic, and works actively against everything that is so brilliant about RE4/5's combat system.
Other observations/comparisons:
-4 is much better at little storytelling touches. For example it builds up the El Gigante fight by having you walk through the pen during the day time and you can hear something pounding on the giant doors. Then later you get a note about the El Gigante, and It's not until night time that you actually fight it. 5 has little build up or attention to detail in things like this.
-I think the ganado's might be harder/smarter than the majini. When the ganados are in a crowd they will really quickly circle you, and they dodge and duck out of your laser sight a lot. Majini either don't dodge, or really rarely do it, and they run straight at you a lot more.
-In 5 I've gotten a lot less ammo than 4, actually. But 5 you have a partner full of ammo, too so that mitigates it. Also, 4 is just plain harder. I only died twice in the first 3 hours but every encounter leaves me with little health.
-The sound design of 4 is much better, and really adds to the atmosphere. The wind howling, the crows cawing, the really memorable Ganado runts ("Lord Saddlerrrrr...."), add so much texture to the world. Not to mention the music is better. There are some scary ass tracks that play when you are engaging the ganados.
-There are some really weird typewriter placements in 4. Some come right after a chapter save, or right before.
-Wiseass Leon is so much more entertaining than mopey Chris. I love all the humor in 4.
-5 is still fun in singleplayer, but the fact that it was designed around co-op really hurts it because Sheva adds NOTHING to the game in singleplayer, and she's just an annoying entity you have to worry about/manage. The game is amazing in co-op though.
-What I really missed in 4 that was added in 5: quick weapon change. It keeps the pace of combat up a lot better.
-What I surprisingly didn't miss: Added melee moves of 5. I dunno, I like the more simple loop of 4, and there's added satisfaction and tension of knifing a ganado on the ground as more enemies come closer that is simply removed when you can just stomp them with invincibility frames. Also, while the mini map in 5 can be handy, I hate how it shows the position of bosses and enemies like the chainsaw guys; way to kill the tension of not knowing exactly where they are.
