Twenty years ago today,Resident Evil 4 was released on Nintendo GameCube. Interestingly, it was released first in the United States, as it did not do so in Japan until the 27th. In
Twenty years ago today,Resident Evil 4 was released on Nintendo GameCube. Interestingly, it was released first in the United States, as it did not do so in Japan until the 27th. In Read More Technology
Twenty years ago today,Resident Evil 4 was released on Nintendo GameCube. Interestingly, it was released first in the United States, as it did not do so in Japan until the 27th. In Europe, it was a little longer: until March 18. To enjoy it on PS2, a few extra months, as it was not published until November 4 of that same year.
Its release, as you can see, was a bit complex. If we visit other platforms, even more so, since in the years to come it expanded to PC, Wii and even mobile phones. It may seem strange, but at the time it was quite common.
Today, most major video games are released simultaneously worldwide, but this was not always the case. In fact, it is not the only rarity of those times. After all, on January 11 we not only remembered Resident Evil 4.
When one thinks of Capcom’s survival horror and is of a certain age, one also remembers what might be one of the weirdest controllers in video game history. The older gamers will surely know that I am referring to that strange yellow chainsaw (red in the case of PS2) perfectly compatible with our console.
That’s right, Resident Evil 4 hit the market alongside a strange chainsaw-shaped controller. Manufactured by NubyTech, it was functional, so you could play Resident Evil 4 (and almost any other game actually) with it.
Of course, it was not too comfortable, and its design responded to the concerns of a collector rather than those of a casual gamer. While it could be used, it was more of an aesthetic accessory.
And I tell you this because I was lucky enough to try it years later when a friend managed to get hold of one of them. Yes, it’s as uncomfortable as it looks. And yes, it’s really cool. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone for a few games, but on the shelf it looks great… pun intended.
Bad jokes aside, this controller was more than just a meaningless cosmetic element. For starters, it was based on the weapons used by two of the game’s most annoying enemies: the Chainsaw.
There were two types: the Chainsaw Men, whose chainsaws were yellow, and the Chainsaw Sisters, whose chainsaws were red. So the fact that PS2 and GameCube had peripherals with different colours was no coincidence, but part of the game’s lore.
Unfortunately, the version we got was not the best. The original prototypes, as NubyTech revealed some time ago, had sound chips capable of emulating the sound of a chainsaw. The final commercial version did not include them, which is a real shame.
I understand that the production costs would have been high and that it might have been annoying, but… I don’t know, I would have loved it, really. Luckily, although we were left without this little detail, the controller was still an absolute beast.
Leaving aside its aggressive design, we can highlight NubyTech’s care in producing a good collector’s item. This can be seen in the box itself, which was a recreation of the very numerous houses that could be found in Resident Evil 4.
When they claimed that RE4 was more enjoyable with the chainsaw than with a normal DualShock, they got a little carried away, because the button layout is not too comfortable. Yes, it’s quite clever despite the shape it has, but it’s not comfortable.
You could say that it was as close as possible to the chainsaw shape and that, within its limits, they did a good job, but it was not better than the original PS2 or GameCube controller. It was impractical, but most of us didn’t want it for gaming.
And in case you’re wondering, no, the chainsaw blade didn’t move.
