I really enjoyed the switch of sorts that RE4 brought to the table. Instead of the usual zombies we are faced with fanatical villagers and well, some of those sequences are downright terrifying. The first time you are faced with battling a bunch of people (and as I am sure you remember this was actually VERY early on in the game) there are so many of them in such a wide area that you are actually not meant to be able to defeat them all. You are supposed to run and jump and knock over ladders and escape through windows.
If i remember correctly a certain amount of time needs to pass and then a bell rings out and everyone just goes away. I thoroughly enjoyed this aspect of the game.
I thought RE4 was fantastic, even though I originally played it on the Gamecube which had a rather uncomfortable controller.
Great game and a great review by you.
The big difference was in the traditional zombie that was slow and easy to elude, now it is chased by a group of villagers with an ax, an electric saw is a remarkable difference.
You are right when you say that in the first part you have to climb and do many things to pass the time. I remember that my first time could not pass that part because the woman from the electric saw always killed me was an easy target since I ran out of bullets before the bell rang.
I'm glad you liked this publication.