Weapons of Resident Evil 4

Capcom's Resident Evil 4 features a variety of weapons that the player can collect and use, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Weapons play an integral role in the game and have some innovations from the earlier games in the series. Thomas Wilde, who describes Resident Evil 4 as an "overhaul," explains, for example, how players can use the vast array of weapons to "go for headshots now." Capcom even released a special trailer showcasing the weapons and G4 held an "interview" with the in-game Shopkeeper who sells weapons.

Creation
The makers of Resident Evil 4 worked on various innovations associated with the use and inventory of weapons in Resident Evil 4 compared to earlier games in the series. As Jérôme Cukier explains:

"Players love accumulating weapons and increase their firepower in every possible way. Then again, firearms are rather cheap to add into the game: in terms of code, two shotguns will basically work the same, even if one hurts more than the other, and they’re not terribly different from a handgun. This is quite different from melee weapons: adding a new sword in a DMC-like game requires a whole new set of complex animations that answer the questions - how will the player use the sword and how will monsters react when hit with the sword?, special effects, etc. So, one should add as many weapons as possible in RE-type games. Why wasn’t it done before? It’s difficult to place individual weapons items in levels without a justification. In previous games, getting the shotgun or the magnum was an accomplishment, which usually required puzzles to be solved. While this is ok to design this for 4 weapons, it gets complicated for 20+ weapons and hundreds of power-ups. This is solved through the merchant trick. In action games, it’s logical that vanquishing an enemy has a payoff - orbs in Onimusha or DMC, points in Dino Crisis 2 - that can later be exchanged with greater abilities. Adding a 'merchant' enables Capcom to propose almost 20 weapons in the main game, which can be upgraded approximately 10 times each. Increasing the weapon diversity is not just good because it is fun and because it increases the game depth, but because weapons are very much correlated with freedom. More firepower means that the player has a better grasp on the game situation, and the versatility of the arsenal lets them chose the best way to overcome their opponents." Despite the degree of innovation described above, Resident Evil 4 producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi said, "We're basically using the same weapon engines. It wasn't that troublesome to implement these changes."

Chainsaw controller
Resident Evil 4's weapons are unique in that it is the only game to have had a special edition controller made for the PlayStation 2 (PS2) and GameCube versions. This chainsaw controller, which was released worldwide, features a ripcord which doubles as the Start button. The controller is designed for PS2 and PC and therefore comes with a PS2 controller-to-USB adapter, meaning it can also be used on a PlayStation 3. Nuby Tech designed the controller to look like the Dr. Salvador's chainsaw that appears in the game.

Reception
The November 2005 issue of GamePro magazine featured an article on "the top 12 firearms in the game," asserting that "Resident Evil 4 is packed with awesome weapons, but only certain tools can get the job done." Game Informer devoted several paragraphs (as well as an image) of its review of the game to the weapons, noting, for example, "Perhaps one of the most obvious aspects of the game that you’ll notice is its strong focus on action, and this is probably most evident in the game’s weapons. In previous Resident Evil titles, weapons were necessary to stay alive, but came at a cost. Ammunition was usually sparse and needed to be rationed. This time around, however, you’ll notice that ammunition is incredibly plentiful." Finally, Game Over Online Magazine applauds the game's "welcome additions of a scoped rifle, the mine launcher from Resident Evil 3, a submachinegun, and a one-shot rocket launcher." Even the packaging for the chainsaw controller has received high praise. One criticism, however, comes from Cerise Magazine. In an article titled "Shotgun vs. Skirt: Gender in Resident Evil 4," Diego Luna decries Resident Evil 4 for not presenting the female lead of Resident Evil 4 as a "gun-wielding" agent compared to the male lead or female characters in other games in the series.

Merchandise
The game's success has resulted in some spin-off products. For example, many of the weapons listed above have also been adapted to accompany action figure toys based on the game. The chainsaw that served as inspiration for the controller mentioned above accompanies the figure for Chainsaw Ganado. Other figures come with multiple firearms that appear on the in-game list above.