The Verdict: 5. THE RATINGS 5 — Outstanding: Add it to your collection now. A must-have. 4 — Great: Buy it or rent it — definitely play it. 3 — Good: Worth playing despite some flaws. 2 — Fair: Unless you're a fan of the license or series, don't bother. 1 — Poor: You'd have more fun playing Pong.

Game play: One of the biggest changes involves switching the camera from an overhead, fixed position to a behind-the-back, over-the-shoulder perspective. This allows for drastically increased precision while aiming your weapon, which is integral when facing the monstrous bosses and hordes of crazed villagers. In addition to a wide variety of firepower, gold and jewelry can be gathered to purchase items and artillery from merchants who appear frequently throughout the adventure.

Interactive cut-scenes keep the action flowing, as well as the assortment of context-sensitive commands that allow Leon to blockade doors, jump through windows, or even give a mighty roundhouse kick to his foes.

The good/bad: "Resident Evil 4" completely reinvents the aging series and presents a much more action-packed experience that's wrapped around constant scares and hugely gratifying boss battles. It also offers some of the most artistically brilliant visuals I've ever seen in any game. The enemies are varied and smart, using weapons and group tactics to overwhelm you. My only wish was for a quick-change feature for your weapons so you don't have to keep going into your inventory screen to swap firepower.

In addition to the cinematic presentation, high production values and perfect pacing, the atmosphere maintains the heart-pounding sense of anxiety and tension that's prevalent in the series. RE4 obviously isn't for the squeamish or for those otherwise not qualified to play this gory, mature-rated game — and that's too bad, because nothing beats the thrill of being trapped in a cabin and fending off wave after wave of angry villagers bursting through the windows. And while RE4 offers a stiff challenge, it remains easily accessible for all players, especially with infinite saves and generous checkpoints.

My take: "Resident Evil 4" is one of the best games I've played in a long time, and it's fitting that the series that defined and refined the survival horror genre is now the one that revolutionizes it. If you're a fan of action games, you must play this game. If you have a GameCube, you must play this game. If you don't have a GameCube, buy one now, and then get this game. It's that good, and gets my highest possible recommendation.