Anyone turning their nose at the GameCube for being a kiddy console intended for pint-sized brats is a madman. Sure, you could say it's home to a lot of baby games, but spend ten minutes with Resident Evil 4 and you'll walk away a changed person. The series' tank-like controls and limpy zombies have been replaced by adept, agile cultists that actively hunt your ass down. Running won't cut it anymore. You've got to swim through their bloody ranks to see the end of this evil tale.

And press on you will, as the game's focus has been shifted from flight to fight. Instead of running for the door with your tail between your legs, you’re carving a path straight through the horde with a healthy supply of ammo and plenty of options for dismembering your foes. Knife on a collision course with your face? Shoot it out of the air, or just pop the thug in the arm before he can hurl it at you.

Instead of the typical, sluggish RE control and robotic movements, you perform quick, context-specific actions. It may be opening a door, jumping out a second story window or kicking the head off a raucous villager. The up-tempo gameplay also makes for nail biting boss fights that range from giant mutant fish to a pair of rejects from a Lord of the Rings cave troll audition. Every single boss you face will make you question Leon's sanity. Anyone else would say, "Screw the President," and call it a day.

Even the cutscenes, normally a time to catch your breath and watch the story unfold, are intense. If you set the controller down you may miss input cues that directly affect Leon. The first comes as you quietly stroll though the woods. Out of nowhere, there's a runaway boulder barreling down the path. If you miss the "RUN!" commands, you're a pancake. These sudden, interactive cinemas keep the intensity flowing, while other games would be content to have you sit and watch.

There’s even a surprise boss encounter that plays out with nothing but these types of button commands. It's a very hands-off way of orchestrating a fight, yet it still manages to be one of the most memorable scraps in gaming.