Play It:
For the arcade only.



Story:
If you recall (if you played the previous games), in #2 monsters were unleashed upon the world at large and apparently stopped. However, in #3, the entire world was revealed to be ravaged by the armies of the undead. #4 takes place in the timespan between those games. AMS agents James and Kate find themselves in the beginning of the end...

So yeah, zombies. This story thus is a prequel. That's a rarity in shooters. Anyway, I'm happy that they made a game during the during the apocalypse instead of after it, although I wish they'd done a little more with it.



Graphics:
The graphics themselves are beautiful. What you're looking at though, is UGLY. But that's okay, because we're talking about zombies here. The graphics are a lot more atmospheric than previous games. The areas you visit are much darker than the previous games, and are dingy in a Condemned kind of way. It's not hard-to-see dark, but it's a far cry from the previous games' rather bright backgrounds. However, there are 2 letdowns to be had in the visual world. #1: there's very little blood (or at least, there wasn't on any machine I've seen, although it might be a DIP switch in the game.) There's plenty of bloodstains, but almost none spraying around. #2: the enemies no longer have that cool burning up Blade-style disintegrations from #3. They still disintegrate, but it's not as cool.



Sound:
The music is a rather interesting mix. It's mostly techno, with some more jazzy instrumentaling thrown in there. Of course, this being an arcade game, I can't hear most of it but someone was cool enough to put the music up on Youtube. I couldn't hear any sound effects other than gunfire and enemies groaning in pain. I'm sure it captures its purpose well though. Voice acting is expectedly mediocre. It's the best acting yet though in the series, and the script avoids the melodrama of #3 and the overacting of #2.



Gameplay:
After 3 games, you can probably guess what you're going to get in this game. If you said, "a challenge," then pat yourself on the back. You may now have SMG's, and that does make for easier killing, but this game is just as rough (if not more so to compensate) as its predecessors. Seriously. I can't hope to beat this game on one or two credits. Don't ask me how many it took for me to beat the game the first time because I don't wanna know. I'm one for a challenge, but when you have to pay to play, I'm a little less than thrilled. I didn't play any of the predecessors at the arcade, but so far this one is only for the arcade. Unless you're good or have some free gaming privileges, you may find this game not worth the money.

Anyway, this game introduces some new tricks to the series. You can chuck a grenade to help clear the screen if you get overwhelmed. And you likely will, since the number of enemies of the screen has increased. Rarely will you be attacked by just one or two guys; now you regularly get jumped by groups exceeding 10! Some objects in the environment can be destroyed to kill enemies too. Sometimes an enemy may grant you a mercy and use an attack that can be warded off with a shake prompt.

It also takes away some features I liked, such as saving lives for bonuses. The third game removed the civilians (because it wouldn't have made sense) but at least had moments where your partner came under attack. This game doesn't have civilians or partner rescues. It's a shame, because unlike 3, the story could have had survivors present. You can't blow off limbs anymore either. What gives? That was a major mechanic of the earlier games. AND WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE GORE!?!

Like the others, this game features some replay value. There are several paths to take through most of the levels. However, there aren't as many as there were in the first 2 games, although it totally beats 3. In addition, there are bonus rooms to find. It also has 4 different endings to achieve.



Bottom Line:
It's The House Of The Dead, now with a submachine gun and grenades. If you were disappointed with #3, I think it's a safe bet this will bring you back in love with the series.