Andrew Park is GameSpot's senior editor in charge of PC games. Share your views on kicking zombies in the face by emailing [email protected].

　　When you think about it, no franchise really stands out as much, is as known universally around the world, or has been so unilaterally successful in taking its concept across all forms of gaming as Mario. With appeal that ranges from family conscious to hardcore gamers alike, there are few left untouched by the big M in some form or fashion. The question remains: Can other franchises achieve the same accomplishments by following suit? And more importantly, do they stand a chance at remaining successful if they are unable to transcend their original genres?

　　Even I have to give Leon some credit. He's that good, and so is the game he's starring in at the moment.

　　I'm going to actually take the easy way out on this question and suggest that any series of games looking to keep themselves fresh should strongly consider going the way of Resident Evil 4. Because it's just that good. It doesn't seem to have been the smash commercial hit that it probably deserved to be, which is unfortunate, but it did do what it set out to do--keep the Resident Evil name, but move it in a new direction.

　　I'll back up a bit. For the record--and for those who haven't played Resident Evil 4 yet--I can't stand the so-called "survival horror" gameplay that the Alone in the Dark series invented and that Resident Evil 2popularized. I don't think it's fun or exciting to play as characters who handle like a tank and turn like a battleship, even when their lives are in danger from a monster standing two inches away. Those games just didn't do anything for me, in the same way that, coincidentally, traditional zombies aren't the least bit frightening for community manager Bethany Massimilla. They're too slow for her, just like the old Resident Evil games are too clunky for me.

　　Another horror-themed game that became great by not being just another horror-themed game.

　　But I am a fan of gothic horror, great atmosphere, and great game audio, which is why I was such a big fan of Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. It clearly drew upon classic pulp horror from H.P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, which got my attention, but the game also had excellent control and great atmosphere, which made things even better. I figured that Eternal Darkness would go down in history as being the only survival/horror-type game with what I consider to be responsive controls. I figured I would never, could never enjoy a Resident Evil game, since they all had the same clunky layout and irritating pacing that I couldn't stand.

　　Along came Resident Evil 4, which had a more-responsive control scheme (still sluggish compared to a full-on first-person shooter, but considerably better), and much, much more action. If you're a skeptic, don't take my word, or GameSpot's word, for it; watch the game in action to see what I mean. Shooting a zombie (or rather, a possessed "Ganado" villager) in the eye and kicking it into its buddies was a real eye-opener the first time I did it, and it never seemed to get old. The game wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination--it had the usual "be forced to play with no weapons" sequence, as well as the usual "be forced to defend the helpless character with no weapons" sequence, as well as one of the dumbest minigames I've seen recently, in the very last action sequence of the standard game--which really shouldn't have been a playable minigame at all. But even on normal difficulty, the game was consistently challenging, offered lots of variety, and never let too much of a comfort zone build up. Instead of just trying to be scary, the game ended up being packed with action--almost uniformly great action.

　　But it still had healing herbs, hidden jewelry for loot, a one-use rocket launcher, and a cast of familiar characters from previous games. I don't think there's anyone, fan of the games or not, who would argue that Resident Evil 4 doesn't do justice to its name, or to the series; it's atmospheric and disturbing, and it looks fantastic to boot. But now, it has paved the way for a Resident Evil 5 that may end up being just as exciting, if not more...and I'm doing something I thought I'd never do: I'm actually looking forward to a Resident Evil game now. And since the next game will apparently have zombies that can break into a full-on sprint, similar to the infected humans in the movie 28 Days Later, maybe zombie-haters like Bethany will too.

　　Could Resident Evil also revert back to its roots at a later date with a different game that emphasizes the horror of having bad controls? Sure, that door's still wide open. But Capcom, with the vision of Mr. Mikami and his team, has given itself the option. If nothing else, this game is proof positive that a developer can take an established game and really shake things up without disrupting its legacy. Maybe making sequels that have to remain absolutely true to every last thing in the original game is an outdated idea that doesn't work anymore. Like slow-moving zombies. For some people, anyway.

　　Next Up: Coming Soon: Metroid Snowboarding by Matthew Rorie