OK, so maybe it’s just a bit too early to be deciding on 2005’s game of the year, but that’s just the kind of talk already surrounding Resident Evil 4. Outstanding graphics, a thick, creepy atmosphere, and white-knuckle gameplay—never before has so much pleasure been packed into three inches. (Well, six inches if you count both GameCube discs.) But behind the polished final product is a chaotic tale of false starts, scrapped ideas, and three other versions of the game (not including the original design, which went on to become Devil May Cry on the PS2). To talk more about it we phoned Capcom Producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi, who has worked on just about every Resident Evil for the past nine years:

EGM: Everyone is talking about how they never knew the Cube was capable of something like RE4.

Hiroyuki Kobayashi: Well, we’ve been involved with GameCube development from the system’s infancy. Our programmers have been working with the GameCube ever since the original Resident Evil remake, so they’ve built up an extensive amount of know-how.

EGM: Was cropping the top and bottom of the screen a trick to make the game run faster, or was that just to create a more movielike atmosphere?

HK: Part of the idea was to go for a movielike effect, but the main reason has to do with the behind-the-back view. With that new viewpoint, a lot more of your surroundings become visible, especially when you’re playing on a regular TV screen with a [standard] 4:3 aspect ratio. The main reason behind the cropping was to re-create the pressure and tension that gets lost with this view. It was done with the player’s senses in mind; we wanted the player to concentrate on what was happening on both sides of Leon.

EGM: We noticed a lot of different melee moves between all the various characters—kicks, the suplex, the neck-breaker, etc. Were there additional hand-to-hand attacks that got cut?

HK: Actually, it was the opposite case; none of those moves were there in the beginning. They just kind of gradually popped up during development.

EGM: The chain-saw guy didn’t kill you instantly in earlier versions of the game—why’d you change that?

HK: Well, it’s just a matter of forcefulness. Besides, if someone actually hit you with a chain saw, it’s not like you’d be getting up anytime soon!

EGM: You’ve said before that you went through three other versions of RE4 before you settled on this one. Can you tell us about those?

HK: Well, the first version was the story of Leon as he infiltrated the headquarters of the Umbrella corporation. The enemies were completely different from what you see now....

EGM: Zombies and that sort of thing?

HK: That, and other monsters very close to that style. The twist was that there was some sort of hidden power locked inside Leon’s left hand, and you’d discover what it was as you played through the game.

EGM: So no rescuing the president’s daughter or anything.

HK: Not at all, no, although there was a different woman around at that time—a girl who actually never got revealed to the public, now that I think about it. The next major version [was] the one where Leon was inside a building with the dolls and the hook enemy. The idea here was to create a very otherworldly sort of game, one that was filled with flashbacks and camera shaking and odd color effects; the sort where you never knew whether what you were seeing was real or just a hallucination. It took much more of a strong RE-style approach to horror.

EGM: Ah, that hook guy was awesome!

HK: Thanks! I liked that guy too, but he ended up getting cut out.

EGM: What was the problem with the third revision?

HK: Well, by this time, we knew that the one thing we wanted Resident Evil 4 to be was a revolutionary new experience. We saw that this version wasn’t going to be a great leap forward, so we started over one more time. It was a very traditional Resident Evil sort of game.

EGM: In earlier versions of the game, there were dialogue choices available to the player in some of the cut-scenes. Why did you remove them?

HK: It was mainly a matter of concentrating the player’s attention on what we wanted them to see. The conversation choices never really changed the situation all that much, although there were some choices you could make in the middle of the game that changed the experience.

EGM: What about the radio scenes in RE4, where you talked to Salazar and Lord Saddler? They reminded us a lot of the codec from Metal Gear Solid....

HK: I’m definitely familiar with [Metal Gear creator] Mr. Kojima and the work he’s done. I think, though, that the objectives we were aiming for in our games are a little different. The radio was a relatively recent addition to RE4, and it was added mostly for utilitarian reasons, so Leon would have an idea of where to go or what to do next.

EGM: Some people think the final boss is too easy, especially considering how tough the early bosses are....

HK: Well, I think that may depend more on how the player goes through the game than on how tough the boss is. If you’re a very careful player and you upgrade your weapons regularly and conserve all your ammunition, then it will be easy, but I think it’s pretty difficult otherwise.

EGM: What can you tell us about the PS2 version of RE4 due later this year?

HK: Mmm...unfortunately, I can’t talk about the PS2 version right now. [GC] RE4 doesn’t come out in Europe until March, so I think we will release some more information after that’s safely released.

EGM: What about the rumors that an Xbox version is also on the way?

HK: Unfortunately, I can’t really say much of anything right now except that a PS2 version will be released.

EGM: What about Sony’s PSP or the Nintendo DS? Do you think a game like RE4 could work well on one of the new portable systems?

HK: Well, from a power standpoint I think it’s possible, considering that the PSP is comparable to the PS2 and the Nintendo DS is a little more powerful than the Nintendo 64. It’s really just a matter of creating a game that’s well suited for whichever platform it’s on. It’s something to think about, to be sure....

EGM: RE4 is such a radical design shift for the series—where do you see it going from here?

HK: Well, it’s still hard to say since the game’s only just come out in America. I don’t want to make any fast decisions about our future plans until I get a good bead on what the players think about our current efforts. We’re thinking about all sorts of paths, of course, but we haven’t dedicated ourselves to one quite yet.

EGM: Do you think the gameplay,

camera angle, and so forth will continue to evolve, or do you see RE4 as a sort of blueprint for where the sequels will follow?

HK: We are going to do a Resident Evil 5, of course, but as for exactly what it will be like...that’s what we’re busy thinking about right now. The first four RE games—1, 2, 3, and Code: Veronica—were more or less the story of Umbrella. RE4 takes place six years after those games, and Umbrella’s been completely destroyed; this is the start of a new story line, in other words. When you think of it that way, then it’s safe to say that RE5 will naturally proceed from where RE4 left off. If you play through everything RE4 has to offer, I think you’ll get a taste of how this progression will work. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.

The good news and bad news about the import RE4

Bad news first: Those lucky fans who preordered RE4 across the Pacific got a “secret” DVD with all sorts of goodies, including five minutes of video from an earlier version of the game, extended interviews, and other little extras. Compare that to the crappy 10-minute so-called “making of” DVD we got (more like an extended ad for the game). You win this time, Japan! Our only consolation is that Japanese gamers had to wait a few extra weeks for release, and their version is censored—Leon never gets his head lopped off by the chain-saw man, nor can he behead villagers with the shotgun. (Pretty sad when you can find much worse in almost any popular Japanese comic or anime.)

The Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction, indeed

Finished the main quest and unlocked The Mercenaries minigame? Good. Now you’ll need a four-star rating (30,000 or more points) on each level in order to unlock the different playable characters. (Earn 60,000 on each level with each character to unlock the hand-cannon pistol.) Combos are key—always wait until another bad guy appears within striking distance before killing the last enemy nearby. Chain-saw guys, the blind dude with the claws, and other special enemies are worth major points, so save your grenades or more powerful weapons for them. A good character to unlock first is Wesker—his rifle, Magnum, awesome handgun, and physical attacks make for a well-balanced arsenal.

Copyright © 2005 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Electronic Gaming Monthly.