Back when Capcom announced its exclusive deal with Nintendo, things appeared to be looking up for the GameCube. Viewtiful Joe, Killer 7, P.N.03 (an acquired taste), and the big daddy, Resident Evil 4 (and to a lesser extent, 0) were a powerful hadoken that should've propelled both companies to that great big money cloud in the sky. However, Capcom seemed to forget that its products (Viewtiful Joe excluded) didn't quite match up with Nintendo's target audience, and when Mega Man and friends realized their games were selling as good as lemonade on a desolate country road, abrupt changes were made. One by one (save P.N.03 and Resident Evil 0), the games debuted on GameCube and then flew away to more tropical shores, that location being the welcoming arms of the PlayStation 2 and its humongous install base. And now we come to Resident Evil 4.

It doesn't matter that Cube owners have had this game since last January because they didn't turn out in force to pick it up, at least not like RE-starved PS2 owners will. But the real issue here isn't whether Capcom's going to actually sell its game. Rather, was it able to successfully port the game from a much powerful system to a supposedly inferior piece of hardware without losing its very essence.

Thankfully, the operation was an enormous success, and PS2 fans will be receiving a fairly accurate version of Resident Evil 4. There are supposedly some very, very slight graphical hiccups, but for the most part the visual glory that is the GameCube RE4 has somehow been shoehorned onto the PS2 and onto a single disc, no less. So finally, after more than 10 months of torture, you'll be able to hop into Leon Kennedy's shoes, explore an extremely shady European village, rescue the President's daughter, and shoot ugly villagers in their knotted knee caps. Everything, from the adrenaline charged battle with the lake monster to the confrontation with Emperor Palpatine's twin brother (you'll see what I mean) is in there.

Not content to just serve up a standard port, Capcom's included a decent selection of bonus content that I, as a huge RE4 fan, am very tempted to experience. The developers love to play dress up with the RE characters and that tradition continues. Leon can now sport an early 1900s gangster suit and Ashley can don a suit of armor that supposedly makes her more difficult to kidnap, because as you'll soon discover, some of village's residents just can't keep their clammy paws off her.

There's also a new weapon in the game, a powerful laser called the P.R.L.412 that Leon can use to fry people's heads. It won't disarm the various traps in the game (there are trip wires and bear traps scattered about), but it'll do lots of damage to just about anyone, though from I've heard, it's not exactly easy to find.

Another attractive bonus is an all new side quest starring RE2 starlet Ada Wong entitled, Separate Ways. Not only does it allow you to check out events in the game from her perspective, but you'll also have access to a few Ada specific weapons. It promises to be quite a short-lived adventure, but this chapter does fill in some of the story's gaps, allowing you to get a much richer RE4 experience.

Lastly, and this will be much appreciated by HDTV owners, the PS2 version of RE4 supports not only progressive scan but it can be displayed in glorious 16:9. As you may recall, Cube fans have to "suffer through" that letter box format. It's certainly not terrible by any means, but it's not full screen either.

Resident Evil 4 is a fabulous survival horror romp and it's a front runner for 2005 game of the year. With that being said (and providing you're of age), there's no reason why you shouldn't play the unholy hell out of it. It's just a non-stop action intense frag fest that looks deliciously yummy, even during the gory sequences. Bottom line; it ships to stores October 25, and you need to be at the store the following day to pick it up. Period.

For more information on Resident Evil 4, read our GameCube review.