Resident Evil 4: Should I kill all the stuff?

[Rayce Archer]

So I just got RE4: High Definition Super Ultra Tournament Edition Delux off Steam, and I wanna know if I'm playing it right. So far it seems like you're supposed to methodically eliminate every enemy you encounter before moving on, Halo style. And up to this point ammo hasn't been a problem for that. But in the earlier RE games you generally wanted to shoot/stun/disable enemies and run past if at all possible. Am I going to be penalized for my bloodthirsty ways as the game progresses, or is shooting every last bastard I see the correct way to play?

Also should I be hoarding my grenades for bosses like in 2, or just blowing everything to hell?

 

[Tohuvabohu]

So I just got RE4: High Definition Super Ultra Tournament Edition Delux off Steam, and I wanna know if I'm playing it right. So far it seems like you're supposed to methodically eliminate every enemy you encounter before moving on, Halo style. And up to this point ammo hasn't been a problem for that. But in the earlier RE games you generally wanted to shoot/stun/disable enemies and run past if at all possible. Am I going to be penalized for my bloodthirsty ways as the game progresses, or is shooting every last bastard I see the correct way to play?

Also should I be hoarding my grenades for bosses like in 2, or just blowing everything to hell?

RE4 is definitely a completely different beast compared to the earlier franchise. Generally speaking, everything that attacks you must DIE!

The earlier games emphasized avoiding enemies and stockpiling ammo, sure. But that's not the case here anymore. The design has changed a lot, and the game will throw an insane amount of enemies at you, all of whom can heavily damage you and kill you in just a few hits. But, you are more than capable to kill everything in the sight. Thanks to the powerful weapons you possess, and plenty of ammo to dispatch of all the enemies with.

Grenades can be used way more frequently than the last games too. Pretty much every kind of ammo and item is far more plentiful than the earlier games. Don't get complacent though, you WILL need all of the items and ammo you get.

The only other tips I can give for now is to try to conserve ammo. As you get more guns, and depending on the guns you use, ammo might be a little more difficult to hang on to. So use melee attacks a lot (Headshot > Roundhouse kick. Knee shot > side kick/suplex) these are GREAT for preserving ammo.

No punishment for slaughtering everything in sight at the end of the game. So go ahead and annihilate every bastard you see with bullets, bombs, rockets, stabs, and roundhouse kicks.

 

[scotth266]

Everything must die, but you must be conservative with your ammo or you'll run dry. Some tips on how to do so have already been shared.

As an extra note: flashbangs will insta-kill parasite-heads, saving you a lot of ammo in the long run. Fire grenades can seal off certain passages for a few seconds, buying you time to concentrate on other areas. Keep an eye out for twinkling lights: shooting them will get you treasure to sell later.

 

[nomotog_v1legacy]

Nope the game rewards killing. Kill everything. That includes the birds too. The more you kill, the more loot and ammo you get. It's a little funny when you think of it like that.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Yep, kill everything.

However, this doesn't mean you should just unload your guns into enemies, because eventhough you will be given somewhat sufficient ammo, you can be caught with your pants down if you don't dispose of enemies efficiently.

For example, use ladders. Enemies will climb them and you can just wait at the top and knife them off one by one. It's a really easy way to kill enemies without using any supplies. Also kneecap enemies while they're running at you to drop them, then knife while they're down or just shoot them in the head.

Grenades aren't that handy for Bosses, just use them when you get a nice clutch of zombies. Hang onto the blue stun grenades though, they're extremely handy for getting rid of the head-splosion parasites.

 

[Catfood220]

Also, don't forget that when you get to the lake, just before you get into the boat, shoot into the water for a special reward.