Resident Evil 4: The canned versions

Type “Resident Evil 4” into YouTube, and you’ll encounter a sea of spliced game footage set to the soundtrack of songs like “Let the Bodies Hit the Floor.” Aim your browser to http://tinyurl.com/22463n, on the other hand, and you’ll find something much more interesting. This is footage of an early RE 4 prototype shown at the 2002 Tokyo Game Show, dubbed “Hooked Man” in honor of the dude that would chase after you in the manner of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis’ eponymous antagonist.

Ignoring the fact it had the fixed camera of the originals (which was a relic from the PSOne, where they cheated the appearance of 3D environments by fixing the view of pre-rendered 2D backgrounds), the main difference is thematic, with more paranormal elements featuring, such as shin-stabbing sentient dolls and murderous suits of armor. It was rejected for being a bit weird. Similarly, don’t expect too much change to the combat. So no radical departures - just a good old fashioned zombie slaughter.