Is Resident Evil 4 scary?

[WorldCritic]

I've heard a lot of people claim it's scary and I always laugh whenever they say it seriously. I played the game and I was more concerned about how much ammo my shotgun had rather than the chainsaw wielding maniac running towards me. No, RE stopped being scary after RE3 though some people say RE:CV was the last scary game, but sadly I have yet to play that one.

 

[KEM10]

I thought it was scary until I realized that Spain was the world's major producer and supplier of ammo. Honestly, I was selling the stuff off before the third chapter in order to see how much I could upgrade all of my weapons.

Also, when did RE stop becoming a puzzle game? I know the obvious insanity of being stuck in a booby-trapped mansion so you run around and push EVERY button and hit EVERY switch, but I miss some of the mental challenges.

 

[Outright Villainy]

Generally speaking it's not scary no, but it's definitely tense, especially when they start piling up.

But some of the boss fights did scare the bejeesus out of me, like the right hand, and It, not to mention the regenerators.

[sub]Fuck oh fuck I shot his leg off WHY IS HE STILL COMING AT ME?![/sub]

 

[Muta Ro]

only one thing scared the living shit out of me...

Those bloody things always get me, their damn breathing D: they can bloody run at you also, damn those thing D:

 

[King Kupofried]

You can kill it, it's an optional boss fight.

Spoiler: How to kill it

Use the tanks around the area when he's close to you and he'll freeze up. Then use your TMP (preferred) to bash em. Do this enough and he dies leaving you a unique item to sell for big bucks.

Aha! I see that now, as well in the Video above posted by MiracleofSound. I had used a few of those on him during the segment but I did not find enough or inflict enough damage to actually kill him, I ended up assuming they were there in order to make him back off.

I am educated now.

 

[Blemontea]

It can "sorta" be scary in the first chapter but once you get the shotgun and learn how to shoot the head, it loses its fear factor. The only scary thing in the game are the Re-deads, once you hear that moaning you'll be frozen to the wall.

 

[supermariner]

The game is badly written and cheesy and crap in that department
but is brilliant to play through
besides not being able to walk while shooting, but if anything, that just makes the whole situation more tense and exciting

 

[pharaoh malik]

To be honest, the only part that genuinely scared me is the part in the laboratory with the monsters that you have to kill with the heat-scope. Just hearing their creepy breathing... bleehhh!! haha I really don't like them

.....I. Hate. Those. Things.

I think the breathing is actually worse than the thing itself-- the whole intensity of NOT KNOWING where the hell it is, is what I really found unnerving.

They kind of remind me of that monster from Pan's Labyrinth... o_o

Also. When you think you've killed it and it turns out their is a parasite on their back. Suddenly they go from laying on the ground to being a few feet away from you, because despite flopping on the ground like a fish out of water they can suddenly JUMP all the way across the room at you, just like that, laying on their side all limbless and flopping about. WHAT. THE. HELL. ;A; The first time that happened I nearly pissed myself.

 

[Brazilianpeanutwar]

Want to know scary?

Play it on the hardest setting

-dies of terror-

 

[Action Jack]

It's not terrifying, but it does a good job of presenting a genuinely creepy atmosphere (at least in the village), and the occasionally surprising enemy AI makes for some good "oh shit" moments.

Unfortunately, you're so overpowered by the end of the game that there's not much it can do to actually scare you.

 

[hurfdurp]

As my first foray into not only horror games but also shooters, I found it scary at first because I wasn't used to the format. Now it's my favourite game that I often replay. It also allowed me to develop an unhealthy infatuation with Leon, which is probably the scariest part of that game.

 

[rabidmidget]

It was almost scary until I realised the 1-2 combo of shooting zombies in the head then roundhouse kicking them.

The game feels like a Zelda game, but with zombies.

 

[ProfessorLayton]

Whoever told you it was scary or well written was obviously having a laugh. Everyone knows RE stopped being scary after the third game.

I thought those exact words while reading the OP.

It is easily one of the least scary and worst written games I've ever played. It's not scary at all past the first village and that's only because you're low on ammo and don't really know what to do. Once you get a massive shotgun and to the point where you have to throw away ammo because you have too much, it ceases to be any kind of scary.

Still my favorite game of all time, though.

 

[zfactor]

I am playing Resident Evil 4 for the first time now, and are loving it.
I have heard from a lot of people that it is really scary and that the plot is also supposed to be really weel writen. Personally I did not think it was scary, at all, and that some(a lot) of the parts of the game is hilarious. I find myself laughing during parts of the game (giant statue of midget napoleon chasing you).
I did also think the plot was really weak, and are thinking it migth be a parody during some parts, while other times it was trying to be serius.
So I was wondering if this is only me (and some of my friends) who thinks this (and are therefore insane) or are this a common opinion on the game.

Well I found it skitsofrenic. Sometimes it would be action crazyness (and AWESOME) other times it would remember it is a horror game and scare the shit out of you. Not startle; full on make you stare at the screen, tense up, clench your teeth, and hope you don't die (example, the battle with napoleon's "right hand" and the battle with "it"). The music (or whatever those sounds were playing in the background) in those parts was really good. Also the regenerator's breathing creeped my sister out. Then I would mimic it and she would punch me in the face.

In short, the parts when it was trying to be horror were done very well. The rest was action and I liked that too, it just felt stiff because of the RE style controls.

 

[zfactor]

It was almost scary until I realised the 1-2 combo of shooting zombies in the head then roundhouse kicking them.

The game feels like a Zelda game, but with zombies.

Or shooting their knee and spinning back kicking them.

 

[Verrenxnon]

A few moments skim the surface of horror, such as the tension leading up to (and dealing with) the Right Hand and the Regenerators.

Most of the time, though, I think you're absolutely right: it maintains a strong camp-horror aesthetic to it's approach to the narrative. I have the sneaking suspicion that was a happy accident...

 

[Spencer Petersen]

I will say that regenerators (and iron maidens) remain one of the most dread inducing encounters in video game history (oh god that breathing). Garadors also freak me out.

One of the strong points of the game is the very memorable death sequences. When you get killed, you learn your lesson well.

 

[Stoic raptor]

The story isnt well written, its like some cheesy kidnap story. Which isnt bad though.

The game can be scary a few times. In the village, it gets scary at first until you develop a strategy to fight.
It gets scary when you fight mini bosses (Salvador, who is the chainsaw guy. Also the Garrador and J.J. Both make Salvador look like a wimp. Garrador is a fucking nightmare, and J.J. is just damn brutal)

Also some other things, like the "Right Hand Man" and "It"
El Gigante.
And those parasites that come out of those bodies you headshot. They are pretty easy and simple in the village. Later on, it gets much worse.
And those fucking regenerators.

 

[pharaoh malik]

It gets scary when you fight mini bosses (Salvador, who is the chainsaw guy. Also the Garrador and J.J. Both make Salvador look like a wimp. Garrador is a fucking nightmare, and J.J. is just damn brutal)

Who are those guys and how do you know their names? I had no idea the mini bosses even had names... O_O

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

Only the regenerators.