History YMMV / ResidentEvil4

* MagnificentBastard: Chief Bitores Mendez is one of Osmund Saddler's lieutenants within the Los Illuminados and "The Big Cheese" of the village [[GeniusBruiser who combines cunning intelligence with frightening strength]]. When Leon begins investigating the village to find the president's daughter, Mendez organizes the villagers in stopping him, setting up various ambushes and deploying monsters against Leon. Mendez personally confronts Leon multiple times, defeating him with ease and only sparing his life on Saddler's orders. Mendez also captures and nearly kills Ada Wong when she interferes. Setting up one final ambush for Leon, Mendez's only reaction to Leon blowing him up is to mutate into a more dangerous form and [[{{Determinator}} continues fighting even after being reduced to just a torso]].

* CompleteMonster: [[SinisterMinister Osmund Saddler]], the master of [[ReligionOfEvil Los Illuminados]] ("The Enlightened Ones"), reawakens [[Characters/ResidentEvilMonstersIrregulars the Las Plagas parasites]], infecting multiple villagers before determining the strain works. Injecting himself with a "master" Plaga, Saddler spreads the parasite to the rest of the village, destroying the minds of everyone it comes into contact with and leaving them as Saddler's puppets. Saddler also condones horrible experiments on those in his clutches and seems to have unsuccessful attempts dumped by the wayside. However, when children are infected they die, likely painfully due to their bodies not being developed enough to handle the strain, all as a byproduct of Saddler's goals very much bent on his lust for power. Saddler plans to use the President's daughter to infect her father and from there [[TakeOverTheWorld take over the United States and then the rest of the world]], infecting countless people with Las Plagas and leaving them as [[EmptyShell broken shells]] for him to control while Saddler reigns over the world.

* MisBlamed: The criticisms towards the original 2007 PC port are often pointed against Creator/{{Ubisoft}} as the ones responsible for its dire state. While they did publish the 2007 PC port in Europe, they didn't ''develop'' it; the port was developed by [=SourceNext=], a Japanese PC-based development and publishing company whom previously released well-received (and Japanese-only) PC ports of ''[=RE2=]'' and ''[=RE3=]'' among other ports of [=PlayStation=] games.

** The ''HD Edition'', released on Platform/PlayStation3 and Platform/Xbox360, has higher native resolution, added shadows and colored lighting in many locations. The PC port of the HD release, dubbed ''Ultimate HD Edition'', is playable at even higher resolutions than its console versions, has an added hi-res texture pack, has controls comparable to the ''Wii Edition'' thanks to supporting mouse and keyboard controls, and can run at 60 frames per second; the ''HD Remastered'' version on [=PlayStation=] 4, Xbox One, and to a lesser extent, the Switch are also comparable to the ''Ultimate HD Edition'' in terms of visual fidelity and frame-rate with some extra character model improvements. This is opposed to...

** The original 2007 PC port, which claimed it was going to have the graphical quality of the [=GameCube=] with all of the [=PlayStation=] 2 version's content. It was a buggy product with visuals that are ''much'' less detailed than the [=PlayStation=] 2 version with missing lighting, visual effects, and heavily-compressed [=FMVs=] that look worse than the [=PlayStation=] 2 version, which needed to be patched (and [[GameMod modded]]) frequently to even be playable. As with many PC ports of Japanese console games at that time, it's primarily designed for gamepads, with no native mouse support and rather clumsy keyboard controls. The in-game button prompts only refers to generic numbered gamepad buttons, not the keyboard controls or conventional gamepads such as Xbox 360 ones, which would be forgivable if it wasn't for the game's ''extensive'' use of quick-time events. What's also {{iron|y}}ic is that the PC port of ''[=RE4=]'' was handled by [=SourceNext=], the very same company behind well-received (and unfortunately Japan-only) PC ports of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'' and ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis 3]]''.
** The Platform/PlayStation2 version is inferior compared to the original [=GameCube=] version in a number of ways. While it was the first version to feature Ada's additional story campaign and the unlockable P.R.L. 412 for completing Professional mode, eliminated the need to swap discs at the last third of the game, supported proper widescreen presentation,[[note]]the original [=GameCube=] version's game screen is displayed at 16:9 letterboxed to a 4:3 viewport, while the [=PlayStation=] 2 version features an option for widescreen presentation, provided the player has a widescreen television that can stretch the video output to fullscreen[[/note]] and features some minor fixes that are exclusive to this port, the game's graphics and audio were downgraded in order to run on the console despite being released in DVD format. Downgrades includes lower resolution textures, simplified models and environments, missing details and effects, sound effects and voice overs compressed so badly it sounds muffled, and introduces some glitches and loading issues. The cutscenes where also noticeably replaced with pre-rendered [=FMVs=], rather than rendering them in real-time with the game's engine.
** The Switch port is another downplayed example. While it is based off the ''HD Remastered'' ports like the Xbox One and [=PlayStation=] 4 versions, it is prone to performance more frequently than the [=GameCube=] and [=PlayStation=] 2 versions did despite rendering the game at 600p in handheld mode and 900p while docked. Also not helping matters was the game initially retailing for $29.99 without any additional features nor the ability to use the Switch's gyro motion controls[[note]]although it does supports [=GameCube=] controllers like in the Wii version through USB-to-[=GameCube=] adaptors[[/note]] whereas every other digitally available port at the time of release was cheaper than the Switch version.

** The HD and Ultimate HD Editions released for [=PS3=], Xbox 360 and PC are pretty solid ports all around (see PolishedPort above), but they have one major gameplay bug that can make certain sections unpassable: the [=QTEs=] are tied to the frame rate, but the game was originally designed to play at 30 frames-per-second. This means that when running the game at 60 FPS, players need to mash the onscreen button prompts ''twice as fast'' as they would when playing at 30 FPS. While most of the [=QTEs=] are generous enough that one can still pass them while playing at 60 FPS, the two sequences where Leon must pull himself up from a ledge (after the mine-cart sequence and the robot-Salazar chase) have a much slimmer threshold for success--a player will likely find themselves falling from the ledges over and over no matter how quickly they mash the on-screen prompts. The only way around this is to go into the options menu during these sequences and set the game to run at 30 FPS.

* DamselScrappy: Ashley's a bit of a mixed bag. You'll hear "LEON HALP!!" so much that you're bound to want to kill her yourself by the end of the game. Anytime the player starts wanting to cut her some slack for being an unarmed, young woman stuck in such a nightmarish situation, she'll go and do something [[IdiotBall eye-twitchingly stupid]] like shove Leon (i.e. the only thing keeping her safe) away and run headlong into a booby trap. The most frustrating part? Unlike [[TheManyDeathsOfYou you and your comrades]], she only has one death animation, so you can't even enjoy the momentarily therapeutic satisfaction of [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential ignoring the cries of]] "LEON HALP!!" and just standing back to watch Dr. Salvador (or, by access, a chainsaw sister) slice her obnoxious head off. Thankfully that's the worst of it, and otherwise she's actually pretty tolerable as far as escort characters go, between the hiding spots that allow you to to clear out an area without having to worry about her, her tendency to stick close to Leon and follow orders consistently so you can keep her in safe spots while you handle enemies, and the fact that she makes an effort to stay out of your line of fire. On top of all of this, give her the suit of armor and suddenly she becomes ''very useful'' bait, since she's invincible and enemies won't be able to carry her off.

** Ashley is able to {{suplex|Finisher}} certain enemies via a glitch in the North American [=GameCube=] version after stunning them by busting a door open in their faces. The PAL and Japanese [=GameCube=] versions and subsequent ports fixed this glitch, however, it can be restored in the Steam version via [[GameMod re4_tweaks]].

* GoodBadBugs: Lots in the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]] version, though most of them were fixed in subsequent versions:

** Creator/ShinjiMikami's insistence that the game would stay exclusive to the [=GameCube=] becomes this when not only was a UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 port announced before the original version was even released, but as of 2019, it's become one of the go to examples for games that are PortOverdosed (along with ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim''), having received fourteen ports across thirteen different platforms.

** The ''HD Edition'', released on UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and UsefulNotes/Xbox360, has higher native resolution, added shadows and colored lighting in many locations. The PC port of the HD release, dubbed ''Ultimate HD Edition'', is playable at even higher resolutions than its console versions, has an added hi-res texture pack, has controls comparable to the ''Wii Edition'' thanks to supporting mouse and keyboard controls, and can run at 60 frames per second; the ''HD Remastered'' version on [=PlayStation=] 4, Xbox One, and to a lesser extent, the Switch are also comparable to the ''Ultimate HD Edition'' in terms of visual fidelity and frame-rate with some extra character model improvements. This is opposed to...

** The UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 version is inferior compared to the original [=GameCube=] version in a number of ways. While it was the first version to feature Ada's additional story campaign and the unlockable P.R.L. 412 for completing Professional mode, eliminated the need to swap discs at the last third of the game, supported proper widescreen presentation,[[note]]the original [=GameCube=] version's game screen is displayed at 16:9 letterboxed to a 4:3 viewport, while the [=PlayStation=] 2 version features an option for widescreen presentation, provided the player has a widescreen television that can stretch the video output to fullscreen[[/note]] and features some minor fixes that are exclusive to this port, the game's graphics and audio were downgraded in order to run on the console despite being released in DVD format. Downgrades includes lower resolution textures, simplified models and environments, missing details and effects, sound effects and voice overs compressed so badly it sounds muffled, and introduces some glitches and loading issues. The cutscenes where also noticeably replaced with pre-rendered [=FMVs=], rather than rendering them in real-time with the game's engine.

** In terms of the many different versions, the ''Wii Edition'' is this to every port that came after it. While higher fidelity and better framerates from more powerful consoles were appreciated, the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}'s usage of motion controls makes it so that the ''Wii Edition'' is widely considered by fans to be the most fun version of the game to play, as the aiming and shooting is that much better due to motion controls. Many were even disappointed at the Switch's lack of gyro for its version, given that the console already supported gyro with ''VideoGame/Splatoon2''.

* DamselScrappy: Ashley. You'll hear "LEON HALP!!" so much that you're bound to want to kill her yourself by the end of the game. Anytime the player starts wanting to cut her some slack for being an unarmed, young woman stuck in such a nightmarish situation, she'll go and do something [[IdiotBall eye-twitchingly stupid]] like shove Leon (i.e. the only thing keeping her safe) away and run headlong into a booby trap. The most frustrating part? Unlike [[TheManyDeathsOfYou you and your comrades]], she only has one death animation, so you can't even enjoy the momentarily therapeutic satisfaction of [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential ignoring the cries of]] "LEON HALP!!" and just standing back to watch Dr. Salvador (or, by access, a chainsaw sister) slice her obnoxious head off.

* HomegrownHero: This is lampshaded, despite not being an example itself (being a Japanese game with an American protagonist): The U.S. President's daughter is kidnapped to a Spanish speaking {{Ruritania}} and [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2 Leon]] (now a secret service agent) is sent to rescue her. The villains enjoy taunting him over how things won't turn out "like your American action movies".