Me too!

I agree that the environments in CVX were too "clean," and I always thought this was due to engine limitations with non-static backgrounds. I also assumed the developers may have just wanted a faster, smoother gaming experience (CVX trumps 0 and Remake in this area). However, I know little about such limitations, so it's just a guess. I actually would have preferred static backgrounds if the level of detail was increased.

That said, I still believe the game features some of the most haunting RE locations, including the private residence, prison, military training facility, and Antarctic base. I would love to see this game get an environmental overhaul (we got a little taste with Darkside Chronicles)...

I don't see how it's possible for your opinion to change so drastically from "WORST GAME EVVVAAARR!" to "That's one hell of a game" so abruptly.... either you just blindly hated the game the first 3 times you played it because it didn't live up to your expectations, and you couldn't accept change, or you just jumped on the band wagon your fourth time playing, because you were tired of people disagreeing with you... It seems like if you were THAT convinced the game sucked, after 3 playthroughs, your opinion couldn't possibly change.. But, glad you finally appreciate it... it's one of the best games of the last generation of gaming.

While RE4 to me, isn't the greatest game in the series, I don't get all the hate...I still felt it was a damn fine game, one of the most intense experiences I've had with a game... this coming from a long time Resident Evil fanatic. It changed key elements drastically, added loads of action, but deep down, at it's core, it was still survival horror.... well... minus the last chapter or so... I could have done without all the ganados carrying AK's and rocket launchers. But people claiming RE4 doesn't have it's scary moments, must have hid under a rock during the Regenerator bits, because the first time seeing one of those, I almost unloaded the hershey squirts in my pants.

When RE4 came out I was disappointed because it didn't feel like a Resident Evil game to me. Now, six years later, I must have played through the game at least 100 times. It has a lot of replayability when compared to some of the other RE games, and the environments are interesting and different. When it was first released I didn't find it to be survival horror at all, but since RE5's lack of any horror whatsoever, I look differently at RE4. There were some creepy moments - perhaps not lickers or cereberi bursting through windows or a tyrant chasing you around, but still. The regenerators were extremely unsettling, and some parts of the castle were very eerie. In fact, this eeriness comes mostly from the soundtrack and the disturbing environments, such as the village at nighttime.

But the story... oh man, is the story bad. B movie bad. But at least it was entertaining and not a serious bore-fest like RE5.

Yeah, maybe. But that's one of the reasons I've always loved this series, it's always felt to me like a Sci-fi horror B-movie... that's one of the series charms for me.

In all honesty, I doubt the story of the original Resident Evil on psx would win any oscars...

Any complaints I'd have with the RE4 story is that there wasn't enough ties to the other games in the series... almost felt like a stand alone title... and I hated how they destroyed Umbrella within the first 2 minutes of the game... After Code Veronica I was hoping for some epic climax leading to the demise of Umbrella.

Took the words right outta my mouth!

Man, you can believe what ever you want to believe, but the fact is at first I didn't like it but after 3 playthroughs I liked it.

I had one of the best expirinces with RE4. The game was just great in every way. The graphics, gameplay, storyline. I loved it all. The only thing I wished was diffrent about the game was that it stuck to its roots. Instead of creating a whole new type of background or point to the story. I like the whole idea and story behind the T/G virus instead of the Las Plagas.

I definitely don't think RE4 was too short; it's probably the longest game in the series. It took me about 16 hours or so my first time through, but I read all the files and explored a lot.

I wish RE5 was as long as RE4, but unfortunately it was shortened because people (my guess is the casual bro gamer crowd) actually complained that RE4 was too long.

As i said before... the thing that changed my oppinion on RE4 was mods... I personally love a game thats customizable... (I modified the Merc music to my liking, changed Luis's voice to Nikolai of COD Nazi ZOmbies, Changed the police officers voices and looks to that of soldiers...) Nazi Zombies voice, soldiers voice, and merc music were all dont by me (i have teh files on RE4and5 pc forums... just look for Ss4gogeta0) and i think the army skins were done by Saytr (Not 100% sure)

I got this on the release day when I was in HS for the GameCube. I was ultra stoked on it, but didn't pay much attention to the media previews. The only video I actually watched before I bought RE4 was the "3.5" trailer. So when I got it, I was kinda waiting for that area/stuff to happen, but obviously it never did haha.

My first play through? I loved the game. I thought it was amazing. I was skeptical about the changes, but I had a great experience. A couple years later I attempted to play through it, but I ended up getting bored by the time the castle rolled around. I LOVED the village/farm/church/del lago parts of the game, but after that I just started to get bored. I really felt the game was just stupid. I kinda condemned it for a few years saying, "It's just not Resident Evil".

However, last Winter I busted it out and beat it in January. And I recently played through and beat it again (with the better weapons and what not). My tune has changed in regards to this game. It's now in my Top 3 RE games. I can't get enough of it. Sure, it's not really scary... it's not traditional style... and the story is kinda meh, but it's just too damn fun. I just have accepted the fact that it's not survival horror and accepted it for what it is. I am going to be purchasing the Wii version and the HD version soon, just so next time I play through it'll be a new-ish experience.