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in: Resident Evil, Video game weapons

Weapons of Resident Evil 4

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PlayStation 2 Resident Evil 4 covers

The PlayStation 2 game box and strategy guide cover art for Resident Evil 4: Leon Kennedy can be seen wielding the Handgun in the foreground.

Capcom's Resident Evil 4 features a variety of weapons that the player can collect and use, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.[1][2] Weapons play an integral role in the game and have some innovations from the earlier games in the series. Thomas Wilde, who describes Resident Evil 4 as an "overhaul," explains, for example, how players can use the vast array of weapons to "go for headshots now."[3] Capcom even released a special trailer showcasing the weapons[4] and G4 held an "interview" with the in-game Shopkeeper who sells weapons.[5]

Creation[]

File:Re4boxart.jpg

The GameCube box art for Resident Evil 4: Dr. Salvador can be seeing wielding the Chainsaw in the background.

The makers of Resident Evil 4 worked on various innovations associated with the use and inventory of weapons in Resident Evil 4 compared to earlier games in the series.[6] As Jérôme Cukier explains:

Players love accumulating weapons and increase their firepower in every possible way. Then again, firearms are rather cheap to add into the game: in terms of code, two shotguns will basically work the same, even if one hurts more than the other, and they’re not terribly different from a handgun. This is quite different from melee weapons: adding a new sword in a DMC-like game requires a whole new set of complex animations that answer the questions - how will the player use the sword and how will monsters react when hit with the sword?, special effects, etc. So, one should add as many weapons as possible in RE-type games. Why wasn’t it done before? It’s difficult to place individual weapons items in levels without a justification. In previous games, getting the shotgun or the magnum was an accomplishment, which usually required puzzles to be solved. While this is ok to design this for 4 weapons, it gets complicated for 20+ weapons and hundreds of power-ups. This is solved through the merchant trick. In action games, it’s logical that vanquishing an enemy has a payoff - orbs in Onimusha or DMC, points in Dino Crisis 2 - that can later be exchanged with greater abilities. Adding a "merchant" enables Capcom to propose almost 20 weapons in the main game, which can be upgraded approximately 10 times each. Increasing the weapon diversity is not just good because it is fun and because it increases the game depth, but because weapons are very much correlated with freedom. More firepower means that the player has a better grasp on the game situation, and the versatility of the arsenal lets them chose the best way to overcome their opponents.[7]

Despite the degree of innovation described above, Resident Evil 4 producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi said, "We're basically using the same weapon engines. It wasn't that troublesome to implement these changes."[8]

Weapons[]

Weapon Description
Ada Wong's Shotgun A sawed-off shotgun that is exclusive only to her in the Separate Ways assignment. While reliable, its main drawback is that it cannot receive further upgrades to bolster its effectiveness.
Blacktail A pistol with a faster firing rate than the Handgun and when upgraded surpasses the firepower of the shotgun.[9]
Bow and arrows A compound bow with arrows, exclusive only to Krauser in The Mercenaries minigame, and his default weapon.
Bowgun The bowgun can only be found and used by Ada in the minigame Separate Ways. The ammunition for it is just as scarce as for the magnum firearms. It fires arrows that explode on impact.
Broken Butterfly The Broken Butterfly is a revolver, the first magnum handgun available, and one of the most powerful standardized weapons in the game.[10] Its initial firepower level is 13.0. When completely modified, its firepower reaches 50. To balance out its firepower, ammunition is rarely encountered.[11]
Chainsaw The non-playable character Dr. Salvador wields a chainsaw in the game. This weapon served as inspiration for a unique chainsaw controller described below,[12][13][14] on a poster,[15] and also appears with an action figure.[16]
Chicago Typewriter According to Dan Berlew and Damon Brown, the Chicago Typewriter is a Thompson submachine gun.[17] Unlocked upon beating the Separate Ways assignment, the Chicago Typewriter has a maximum firepower level of 10. As the Merchant describes it, "Stranger, stranger...now that's a weapon." This weapon has unlimited ammunition.[18]
Grenades There are three different kinds of grenades that can be found by Leon during the course of the game. These include standard fragmentation grenades, stun grenades and incendiary grenades.[19]
Handcannon The Handcannon is a revolver with a maximum firepower level of 99 when upgraded. Although ammunition for the Handcannon is even rarer than that of the Butterfly, a fully-upgraded Handcannon has unlimited ammunition.[20]
Handgun Leon's first weapon. It can be upgraded to increase its chance of a critical headshot by 5x.[21] Albert Wesker can outfit his Handgun in The Mercenaries minigame with an optional suppressor.
Infinite Rocket Launcher Unlocked by completing the game, the infinite rocket launcher functions almost exactly as does the standard version, including its slow rate of fire, and setup time; however, it has unlimited ammunition.
Killer7 A powerful magnum pistol with no exclusive upgrade.[10][22] Albert Wesker begins The Mercenaries minigame with it as a starting weapon.
Knife A knife, which functions as Leon's main melee weapon. Krauser also has his custom knife in The Mercenaries minigame.
Matilda A pistol that can fire in 3-round bursts, which means it can deplete ammunition quickly when used for prolonged periods of time. Its magazine can hold up to 100 rounds using the Matilda's exclusive upgrade.[23][24]
Mine launcher An esoteric weapon, the mine thrower fires explosive darts, which detonate a few seconds after the round hits a target. This explosion is powerful and has a wide splash damage radius, making it useful against both crowds of weaker enemies and stronger single enemies. A scope can be purchased, which allows for precise shots at longer ranges. Ammunition for the weapon is scarce, which, coupled with a long reload time and a short setup time, keeps it out of the mainstream arsenal. Its exclusive upgrade allows the mines to home onto the enemy.[25]
PRL 412 A laser that becomes unlocked after beating the game in professional mode that has the power to kill any opponent with one shot. It has 2 settings, stun and kill. It is an auto-aiming weapon with the ability to take out multiple enemies with one shot.
Punisher Slightly weaker than the standard Handgun, the Punisher's advantage is its faster rate of fire, larger magazine capacity and faster reload time. The Punisher's exclusive upgrade confers the ability to shoot through up to five enemies in a row, rather than two.[26][27]
Red9 A handgun, the Red9 has a slightly better rate of fire and does more damage than the standard Handgun, at the cost of a longer reload time and decreased magazine capacity.[28]
Rifle The rifle is a bolt-action weapon with a telescopic sight for added accuracy. An additional scope can be purchased for the rifle that allows it to zoom in further.
Riot gun The riot gun is a shotgun that has increased ammunition capacity than a non-upgraded shotgun and is also much more powerful.[29]
Rocket launcher The rocket launcher is a one-use weapon that can be bought from the Merchant for 30,000 pesetas. The single round will kill almost any enemy or boss. There is a short delay before firing, making the rocket launcher impractical against faster enemies.[30]
Semi-Automatic Rifle The semi-automatic rifle is similar to the rifle, but has a larger magazine. Like the regular rifle, it has a scope which the player can purchase.
Shotgun The pump-action shotgun is the second weapon found during the game. Typical of a video game shotgun, its effectiveness dwindles at longer ranges. Also when upgraded fully, is has a firepower level of 8 and is effective at any range.[31]
Striker The Striker is an automatic shotgun that has a faster rate of fire than the shotgun and riot gun. It is more powerful and its exclusive upgrade gives it a 100 round magazine.[32]
TMP The TMP is a fully automatic 9mm submachine gun. It has 40% of the fire power of the handgun when it is first purchased, but a much faster rate of fire. It occupies a 3 x 2 space in the case. When fully upgraded with the exclusive it has almost twice the firepower of the standard handgun.[33] HUNK is equipped with a customized version of the TMP as his default starting weapon in The Mercenaries minigame.

Chainsaw controller[]

File:Resident evil 4 chainsaw controller.jpg

Resident Evil 4 chainsaw controller compatible with the PlayStation 2

Resident Evil 4's weapons are unique in that it is the only game to have had a special edition controller made for the PlayStation 2 (PS2) and GameCube versions.[34] This chainsaw controller, which was released worldwide,[35] features a ripcord which doubles as the Start button. The controller is designed for PS2 and PC and therefore comes with a PS2 controller-to-USB adapter, meaning it can also be used on a PlayStation 3. Nuby Tech designed the controller to look like the Dr. Salvador's chainsaw that appears in the game.[36][37][38][39]

Reception[]

The November 2005 issue of GamePro magazine featured an article on "the top 12 firearms in the game," asserting that "Resident Evil 4 is packed with awesome weapons, but only certain tools can get the job done."[40] Game Informer devoted several paragraphs (as well as an image) of its review of the game to the weapons, noting, for example, "Perhaps one of the most obvious aspects of the game that you’ll notice is its strong focus on action, and this is probably most evident in the game’s weapons. In previous Resident Evil titles, weapons were necessary to stay alive, but came at a cost. Ammunition was usually sparse and needed to be rationed. This time around, however, you’ll notice that ammunition is incredibly plentiful."[41] Finally, Game Over Online Magazine applauds the game's "welcome additions of a scoped rifle, the mine launcher from Resident Evil 3, a submachinegun, and a one-shot rocket launcher."[42] Even the packaging for the chainsaw controller has received high praise.[43] One criticism, however, comes from Cerise Magazine. In an article titled "Shotgun vs. Skirt: Gender in Resident Evil 4," Diego Luna decries Resident Evil 4 for not presenting the female lead of Resident Evil 4 as a "gun-wielding" agent compared to the male lead or female characters in other games in the series.[44]

Merchandise[]

The game's success has resulted in some spin-off products. For example, many of the weapons listed above have also been adapted to accompany action figure toys based on the game.[45] The chainsaw that served as inspiration for the controller mentioned above accompanies the figure for Chainsaw Ganado.[46] Other figures come with multiple firearms that appear on the in-game list above.[47]

References[]

  1. ↑ "Feature: Resident Evil 4 - Weapons of Mass Destruction Guide," GamePro.com (10/05/2005).
  2. ↑ Stephen Stratton, "Weapons and Items," Resident Evil 4 (Wii version): Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Games, 2007).
  3. ↑ Thomas Wilde, "Review of Resident Evil 4," Game Over Online Magazine.
  4. ↑ "Resident Evil 4 Weapons," Gametrailers.com (October 03, 2005).
  5. ↑ Steve Dove, "Interview with the Resident (Evil) Shopkeeper," G4 (March 07, 2005).
  6. ↑ IGN Staff, "Resident Evil 4: Capcom reveals a ton of new details on weapon upgrades, the new inventory system, controlling Ashley and more," IGN (November 23, 2004).
  7. ↑ Jérôme Cukier, "Some thoughts on Resident Evil 4 - Revolution or Evolution?," Gamethink: Articles and discussions on game production (9 June 2006).
  8. ↑ As quoted in IGN Staff, "Interview: Resident Evil 4 Producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi gives us the spooky details on the game," IGN (March 17, 2004).
  9. ↑ Dan Birlew and Damon Brown, "Blacktail," Resident Evil 4: Bradygames Signature Series Guide (Indianapolis: BradyGAMES Publishing, 2005), 22.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Magnums". Resident Evil 4 Gamespot Game Guide. Gamespot. http://www.gamespot.com/features/6116796/p-7.html. Retrieved 2008-04-26. 
  11. ↑ Dan Birlew and Damon Brown, "Broken Butterfly," Resident Evil 4: Bradygames Signature Series Guide (Indianapolis: BradyGAMES Publishing, 2005), 24.
  12. ↑ Matt Casamassina, "Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Controller: It may be the ultimate collector's item, but does Nuby Tech's bloodstained peripheral make RE4 play better? Full review." IGN (February 11, 2005).
  13. ↑ Ricardo Torres, "Nuby Tech Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Controller Review: While it's a great piece of swag for a Resident Evil enthusiast, Nuby Tech's Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Controller doesn't quite pass muster as a proper controller.," GameSpot Tech (Mar 4, 2005).
  14. ↑ Chris Cook, "Capcom/Nubytech Team Up For RE4 Chainsaw Controller," Game Informer (11/17/2004).
  15. ↑ RESIDENT EVIL 4 MASK CHAIN SAW 24"X36" POSTER #3455Sxxx
  16. ↑ Michael, "Review of Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Garado and Verdugo action figures," Captain Toy (2003).
  17. ↑ Dan Birlew and Damon Brown, "Chicago Typewriter," Resident Evil 4: Bradygames Signature Series Guide (Indianapolis: BradyGAMES Publishing, 2005), 27.
  18. ↑ Dan Birlew and Damon Brown, "Chicago Typewriter," Resident Evil 4: Bradygames Signature Series Guide (Indianapolis: BradyGAMES Publishing, 2005), 27.
  19. ↑ Dan Birlew and Damon Brown, "Grenades," Resident Evil 4: Bradygames Signature Series Guide (Indianapolis: BradyGAMES Publishing, 2005), 27.
  20. ↑ Dan Birlew and Damon Brown, "Handcannon," Resident Evil 4: Bradygames Signature Series Guide (Indianapolis: BradyGAMES Publishing, 2005), 26.
  21. ↑ Dan Birlew and Damon Brown, "Handgun," Resident Evil 4: Bradygames Signature Series Guide (Indianapolis: BradyGAMES Publishing, 2005), 21.
  22. ↑ Dan Birlew and Damon Brown, "Killer7," Resident Guide (Indianapolis: BradyGAMES Publishing, 2005), 24.
  23. ↑ Resident Evil 4 Weapons - Special
  24. ↑ Dan Birlew and Damon Brown, "Matilda," Resident Evil 4: Bradygames Signature Series Guide (Indianapolis: BradyGAMES Publishing, 2005), 22.
  25. ↑ Dan Birlew and Damon Brown, "Mine Thrower," Resident Evil 4: Bradygames Signature Series Guide (Indianapolis: BradyGAMES Publishing, 2005), 26.
  26. ↑ Dan Birlew and Damon Brown, "Punisher," Resident Evil 4: Bradygames Signature Series Guide (Indianapolis: BradyGAMES Publishing, 2005), 22.
  27. ↑ Resident Evil 4 Weapons - Handguns
  28. ↑ Dan Birlew and Damon Brown, "Red9," Resident Evil 4: Bradygames Signature Series Guide (Indianapolis: BradyGAMES Publishing, 2005), 21.
  29. ↑ Dan Birlew and Damon Brown, "Broken Butterfly," Resident Evil 4: Bradygames Signature Series Guide (Indianapolis: BradyGAMES Publishing, 2005), 24.
  30. ↑ Dan Birlew and Damon Brown, "Rocket Launcher," Resident Evil 4: Bradygames Signature Series Guide (Indianapolis: BradyGAMES Publishing, 2005), 23.
  31. ↑ Dan Birlew and Damon Brown, "Shotgun," Resident Evil 4: Bradygames Signature Series Guide (Indianapolis: BradyGAMES Publishing, 2005), 23.
  32. ↑ Dan Birlew and Damon Brown, "Striker," Resident Evil 4: Bradygames Signature Series Guide (Indianapolis: BradyGAMES Publishing, 2005), 23.
  33. ↑ Dan Birlew and Damon Brown, "TMP," Resident Evil 4: Bradygames Signature Series Guide (Indianapolis: BradyGAMES Publishing, 2005), 25.
  34. ↑ Gerry Block, "Dueling Chainsaws! NubyTech's GC and PS2 Resident Evil 4 Chainsaws square off," IGN (November 11, 2005).
  35. ↑ Chris Roper, "RE4 Chainsaw to See Worldwide Release: NubyTech to take the collectable controller outside of the US," IGN (March 1, 2005).
  36. ↑ Matt Casamassina, "Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Controller: It may be the ultimate collector's item, but does Nuby Tech's bloodstained peripheral make RE4 play better? Full review." IGN (February 11, 2005).
  37. ↑ Ricardo Torres, "Nuby Tech Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Controller Review: While it's a great piece of swag for a Resident Evil enthusiast, Nuby Tech's Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Controller doesn't quite pass muster as a proper controller.," GameSpot Tech (Mar 4, 2005).
  38. ↑ Chris Cook, "Capcom/Nubytech Team Up For RE4 Chainsaw Controller," Game Informer (11/17/2004).
  39. ↑ IGN Staff, "Becoming the Chainsaw Man: We get our hands on Nuby Tech's RE4-themed chainsaw controller. New pics included.," IGN (February 4, 2005).
  40. ↑ "Feature: Resident Evil 4 - Weapons of Mass Destruction Guide," GamePro.com (10/05/2005).
  41. ↑ Chris Cook, "Resident Evil 4 Hands-On Impressions And Movies," Game Informer (1/10/2005).
  42. ↑ Thomas Wilde, "Review of Resident Evil 4," Game Over Online Magazine.
  43. ↑ Matt Casamassina, "RE4 Chainsaw Controller Box: This is the coolest peripheral packaging ever created. Pics included," IGN (February 7, 2005).
  44. ↑ Diego Luna, "Shotgun vs. Skirt: Gender in Resident Evil 4," Cerise Magazine (October 2007).
  45. ↑ "Res 4 Figures, Now With Cute Little Real Clothes," Kotaku.
  46. ↑ Michael, "Review of Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Garado and Verdugo action figures," Captain Toy (2003).
  47. ↑ Ryan Brookhart, "Ryan Brookhart has a Preview of the Hot Toys RESIDENT EVIL 4 Figures," Collider.com (10/20/2007).

See also[]

  • Biological Organic Weapons in the Resident Evil series

External links[]

Template:RE series

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