I’m not going to lie: I’m a poor videogame junkie. And I don’t mean “poor” in the sense that you should pity me; I mean “poor” in the sense that I rarely get to dig into the latest console trend. As a testament to this, I usually discover (and become obsessed with) games long after they’ve been released.

Take Resident Evil 4 (released January 2005), for example. For the past year—off and on—since I was gifted with this GameCube classic by some good friends, I have been picking my way through swarms of Los Ganados, the parasite-possessed villagers in this isolated European location. It’s not that the game is particularly hard: so long as you’ve got enough ammo and learn how to avoid the flying axes, bear traps, and the occasional LOTR-style cave trolls, you’ll do all right. Sure, it gets a little annoying after games like Thief: Deadly Shadows (Xbox) and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GC) that you don’t have a full 360-degree free camera to look around with, but the gameplay is otherwise pretty smooth, and highly entertaining. Who doesn’t love sniping parasites out of a lurching, genetically-mutated creature using an infrared sight? I know I do!

But what struck me as particularly neat about this game was the replay. Already, my husband has gone through the game twice, and is contemplating his third bout. Me, I’m deep into my second round, and already eagerly plotting my next run. What makes it such a great replay game?

It’s the unlocked weapons.

It may take some time to save up all the cash you need to purchase the unlimited-ammo Chicago Typewriter, or the unlimited-ammo rocket launcher (about a million in cash, each), but it’s more than worth the wait. You can’t get them the first time through, so the joys of plowing down row after row of hapless zombies or demolishing a cave troll in one blast are reserved for those who have already paid (usually in blood and patience) their dues the first go-around. But once you’ve got your million saved up, the question becomes: are you a quantity or a quality type of person?

For me, there was no doubt. I had to have the unlimited-ammo rocket launcher. It does make for a slightly kamikaze style of gameplay, as every shot within twenty feet of you inevitably knocks you down and takes a significant pull on your health reserves (which hopefully you’ve already maxed out in the first round). However, there is something delicious in the amount of collateral damage you can accrue. One shot can take out an entire swarm of Los Ganados; one shot can kill a cave troll. Tired of trying to pick off those pesky over-grown Las Plagas erupting from a dead body to wreck vengeance? Not a problem. The hit points on the rocket launcher are so high that nothing survives to hassle you later.

Of course, there are downsides. It’s a slow launch, so if you run into quick attacks and too large a swarm, you’re in for some hurt. You can still get the job done, but it’ll require one of those suicidal shots that will leave you scrambling for the green herbs and medical spray.

The Chicago Typewriter, on the other hand, is an instrument of the infinite. There’s no reloading, just a constant, wild stream of zombie death. It may not be terribly efficient, but you can hardly begrudge the extra ammo, not to mention the way the tinkling chime of casings ricocheting off the floor goes well with maniacal laughter as your enemies crumble at your feet. It also eliminates the self-mutilation which is an unfortunate side-effect of close-encounter rocket launcher fights. Near or far, the Chicago Typewriter can do a load of damage while keeping you perfectly safe. It also has the advantage of being the weapon of choice for those fast-moving monsters that always seem to catch me unaware, even when I know they’re coming!

The downside is, of course, reduced damage. The Chicago Typewriter is no wimpy handgun, or even a souped-up double-barreled shot gun, but it’s going to take a few shots to bring down a cave troll. It’ll take you at least four. Doesn’t sound so bad, does it? Besides that, the only thing the Chicago Typewriter lacks is that “Ooooo, pretteh,” glaze-eyed awe that the rocket launcher always seems to evoke, and the bodies of your stricken enemies don’t fly quite as high or as far. It’s the scrappy younger sister to Helga the Bone Crusher. But who says scrappy isn’t fun?

The only real problem I’ve found with the unlocked unlimited-ammo arsenal is that the ease of destroying your enemy does make the game a little less thrilling. The second run-through is more of a vengeance round, focused on showing all those monsters who killed you four or more times that you’re not scared of them anymore.

At least, not while you’ve got your rocket launcher.

Born and raised in the dark woods and twisted apple orchards of New Hampshire, Maggie Jamison is a summa cum laude graduate of SUNY Albany with a double major in English and Asian Studies. She brings a bit of fresh blood to Apex from her experiences interning both in the marketing department of Tyco Electronics and in the IT and marketing departments of SUNY Press. Her writing, both fiction and non-fiction, has been published in a number of small venues and anthologies. Maggie is a Submissions Editor and Marketing Editor at Apex.