Resident Evil 4

• You don't have to have played the others in the series to enjoy RE4. They play nothing alike and it's not as strongly connected plot-wise to the other games.

- Pistol /w melee will be your weapons of choice for most of the game. Get good at popping enemies in the head or legs then running close and hitting them when they're stunned. It does loads of damage and is a great way to push a crowd of enemies back.

- When freaky shit starts growing out of an enemy's head, a flash grenade is an instant kill.

- Don't shoot the lake.

- Fuck that guy, shoot the lake.

- Unless you're really having trouble, hold off on upgrading your weapons until chapter 3, as newer, better ones become available for purchase at that point.

- In the cutscene where a cage drops down on you, you can make the upcoming fight easier by skipping the cutscene, giving you a couple of extra seconds to shoot the cage's lock off that you wouldn't have if you watched the whole thing.

- Toss junk into the lake enough times when you get the boat and the fish will come to you.

- If you are going to upgrade weapons, a higher ammo capacity fills your ammo.

- Shoot the crows.

- If you are ever running low on ammo, you can shoot a guy in the leg so that they fall. As they try to get up, knife them. Doesn't always work but it was a godsend on Pro.

- Also fun with ladders, where you can just knife enemies as they climb up towards you.

- Try to save a Rocket Launcher for the part where you fight a boss with liquid nitrogren all over the place.

- Get really good at head shots.

- In every other version, beating Professional will unlock a new weapon.

- If it's the Wii version, enjoy! It's essentially a slightly easier wide screen arcade edition.

- The Red9 with stock is the best gun in the game, unless you need a specialized weapon like a rifle for long distance shots. The Red9 has basically no recoil, a big clip, and great damage. It is far and away better than any other pistols. The only other weapons I'd even suggest using on a first play through are the Striker (shotgun) and Automatic Rifle. Don't upgrade anything else, you'll be wasting your money.

- Some treasure can be combined with others to make more valuable treasure. Don't sell them until they're fully combined. A good way to make money early on is once you get the boat, kill big fish and sell them.

- The Red9 with stock is the best gun in the game, unless you need a specialized weapon like a rifle for long distance shots. The Red9 has basically no recoil, a big clip, and great damage. It is far and away better than any other pistols. The only other weapons I'd even suggest using on a first play through are the Striker (shotgun) and Automatic Rifle. Don't upgrade anything else, you'll be wasting your money.

- Also, you'll pick up a bunch of treasures in the game, some can be combined with others to make more valuable treasure. Don't sell them until they're fully combined. Finally, a good way to make money early on is once you get the boat, kill big fish and sell them.

- Buy the treasure maps to each area and pay attention to it! As you progress you'll be locked out of older areas and any left behind treasure will be lost.

- Near the end of the castle after a certain someone is kidnapped (For the Third Time) you'll see a giant disgusting cone hanging out of the ceiling. Shoot that fucker down, there's a lot of money to be made there.

- As someone else mentioned, if the text on a treasure mentions empty slots, you'll get more treasure to slot in the items. When it reads as complete, sell it.

- Flash grenades instantly kill any plague monster things that pop out of heads.

- There are a few dumpsters in the game you can stick ashley into. She'll be safe in there while you clear the area.

- Always scan your area for breakable boxes and other pickups. More money=more upgrades.

- On normal difficulty, pick the weapon that looks like the most fun to you, the game won't be too hard. Keep a shotgun, pistol, and rifle. Magnums are great for a few bosses ("Prepare for your Death, Leon") but shouldn't be used against regular enemies. If you want the most powerful of each slot, the Red9, the second shotgun and the second rifle are your picks.

- Shotguns are much more effective at clearing crowds than the TMP.

- Leon can do a bitchin suplex by shooting the shins of monks, closing the gap and hitting the action button. This only works on the monk enemies.

- I'm hesitant to point out exploits or weakness' in enemies, as it's a lot of fun to figure out for yourself.

- People bitch about the tank controls, but with solid positioning you'll never be in a place where that will be a hindrance. Keep a clean exit behind you and check back there every once in a while. By the time you can headshot a guy, roundhouse kick the crowd down, then shoot an axe out of the air, you'll wonder what the fuss is about.

- If you press I think it's A and down at the same time you quickly spin 180 degrees. I don't know if the game tells you or if it's just in the manual.

- The bolt-action rifle is slower but much more powerful than the semi-auto rifle. You'll be using them for far-off enemies only, so power wins over speed.

- Don't bother buying a scope. Any time the game calls for long-distance shooting a scope-less rifle still gives you more than enough range and accuracy. You'll need a certain type of scope in the later stages but the game gives it to you.

- If an enemy swings at you, simply stepping backwards is usually enough to make them miss, with the exception of pitchfork-wielding and unarmed enemies.

- The absolute hardest part of the game is the very first time in the town when you start the game. There is a shotgun in one of the houses. You will probably die a lot even knowing that.

- General stuff; yellow herb + green herb = maximum life increase. It works on both you and another character, but you'd have to be all but goddamn retarded to ever use it on anyone but Leon.

- When you get to the attack while inside the farm house after crossing the bridge, push the cabinets against the windows and doors. Buys you loads of time. Also, just shooting a guy once, anywhere, while he's climbing on a ladder or through a window knocks him outside, buying you more time.

- Ashley's AI is pretty good, so don't worry about her. Just know that even though she's pretty resilient from enemies, if you hit her, she will go down. Period.

- You have the option to free a dog from a trap early on in the game. Do it.

- Never reload in front of bosses.

- Try to lure giants into lava traps. You might get two to fall in.

- Also, don't buy the Broken Butterfly, you can get one for free with some backtracking in the second main area.

- Use the knife on the guy who likes knife fights.

- Pistols TEMPORARYDASHCHARACTER The Red 9 is the best, but the Blacktail is not far behind it. Use whichever you think is the most fun.

- Shotguns TEMPORARYDASHCHARACTER The Striker is by far the best when all upgrades are considered.

- Rifles TEMPORARYDASHCHARACTER The Semiautomatic Rifle is generally considered the easiest to use, but you can do very well with the regular Rifle if you're a decent shot. Choose whichever.

- Magnums TEMPORARYDASHCHARACTER The Broken Butterfly is by far the best.

- Other Weapons TEMPORARYDASHCHARACTER The TMP is fun but goes through too much ammo. Generally not worth it. The Mine Thrower is fun as a gimmick but not very useful.

- As was already said, don't feel you have to upgrade your weapons every chance you get, since it's often better to save your money for upgrades on later weapons. Generally upgrade firepower before anything else to get more bang for your buck.

- Crows are also vulnerable to flash grenades (there's one large group of crows where this is useful)

- If you shoot all 15 medallions, you get a better version of your prize.

- After the boat trip, get back on the boat and head towards the blue light for a hidden shop.

- Another favorite tactic of mine was to kneecap someone and just continuously knife them as they attempt to get up. Of course doesn't work with crowds.

- Everyone hates the TMP but I personally loved it for crowd control. Quick spray around head level can bring a large group down or at least slow them down enough to give you some breathing room.

- Kicking is your friend, abuse it. You get invincibility frames with it as well.

- Try and save a few hand grenades for the second phase of Mendez, the village chief.

- If you're on the PS2 or Wii version, do the mini-game shooting galleries whenever they're available and get a perfect on all the games (not hard, especially on the Wii), you earn a bunch of extra cash this way.