Resident Evil 4 totally exposed in latest games industry leak

Capcom is the latest victim of what is becoming a convenient pattern within the games industry for leaking information well in advance of embargo dates. This time, the hotly-anticipated GameCube exclusive Resident Evil 4 has been totally exposed, with the entire game laid bare for inspection.

First up, the game's inherent presentation will be changed for the first time. There will be a choice of three views, a distant over-shoulder third-person view, a closer over-shoulder third-person view and, amazingly, a first-person view - quite astonishing news.

Another significant change in the basic structure of the game comes with the news that the entire game will be powered by the game engine in real-time. There will be no FMV and, thankfully, the tedious door animations, something of a trademark for the series, have been scrapped.

In slightly more vague news, the levels are said to be more expansive and less on rails, which, again, is a dramatic shift in focus for Capcom. There will be more of an element of exploration in the game, similar to that seen in titles such as Silent Hill, indicating not only an evolution for the series, but a dramatic up-scaling of production values.

The 'tank' control method will remain unchanged, a move that will no doubt cause endless debate amongst the Biohazard faithful. However, given the new view-point, this is a rather canny move by Capcom. The game will take on a new, almost FPS feel, though the way it is controlled will remain essentially unchanged, meaning that players of earlier incarnations will feel immediately comfortable with RE4, despite it's radical presentation redesign. This should also see newcomers to the series able to hit the ground running, recognising a well-established control method.

Now for the story, which, if you don't want the game's impact spoiled, you probably shouldn't read: Resident Evil 4 takes place six years after RE 2, and is set in 2004. You play Leon, a special agent charged with protecting the president's daughter during a particularly tempestuous political phase. Unfortunately, Leon isn't very good at his job and the precious girl is kidnapped and taken to South America.

Having tracked the kidnap party to a specific village, strange events plague Leon. It transpires that the village is riddled with zombies that, for the first time in the series, take the form of traditional Voodoo zombies - as opposed the Evil Dead-a-like walking dead that Capcom has previously employed.

In terms of the game's presentation, we have been privy to some footage of the very latest build of the game and we can confirm that it looks absolutely incredible - the best-looking GameCube game by some distance, and possibly the best-looking game on any current generation machine.

Another first in the series comes in the form of the artificial intelligence to be used in RE4. There will actually be AI in this game and, according to Capcom insiders, a fairly advanced engine will power a relatively cerebral experience.

We'll hopefully bring you officially released images taken for the latest build of Resident Evil 4 in the coming weeks.

Expect to see the GameCube exclusive on European shelves early 2005.