Genuinely almost perfect in every single way. I will fight people on this. I think when it was clear Capcom was committing to remaking games in the Resident Evil series, RE4 was always the elephant in the room. It's been ported to every single system since it's original release (shot out to the iPhone edition. One of the worst versions of the game but a wonderful novelty and also the best version of the mobile port) and it's still holds it's own against a lot of modern games even now. Why bother remaking what was already pretty perfect?
But then that'd be ignoring the potential of what modern Capcom could do with a remake of RE4 and here it is. In my opinion Capcom has made a surprising effort to let their remakes co-exist with the originals whether through the total change in tone or the huge change in gameplay and level design. Granted it's easier to make that contrast apparent when you're remaking RE2 (a fixed camera PS1 title) in... RE4's image. But RE4? It changed everything you could say. And while the remake itself is much closer to the original than the other remakes (unavoidable tbh), I think they've once again created a title that can easily co-exist with it's predecessor.
To be honest, I really couldn't even tell you which version of this game I prefer now... They have their trade offs and both have a distinct strength over the other's weaknesses. You could play either version and still have a blast, but to be honest, I think you owe it to yourself to just play both (though maybe not back to back).
This remake is everything I could ask for. Nothing is "fixed" per se. So much as it is totally revised or remixed or left mostly intact. I'm baffled this wasn't dumbed down and actually feels like it's harder than the original. The new combat mechanics introduced are an absolute delight and I can see Mercenaries mode being the best of the bunch.
On top of that you have some incredibly clever level design that is also now both much more vertical and full of opportunities to mix up encounters and get an edge on enemies. Which is almost needed because the ganados are a fucking menace. They're faster, they dodge more, they're aggressive, and on hardcore difficulty, they hit like a fucking semi-truck. Every encounter is a beautiful dance and a scramble to stay alive.
If there's maybe one major issue I have with this remake... it's probably the same issue I've had with every remake: the characters. I don't think the new characterization of mostly side characters has been particularly great in any of these remakes. Leon and Ashley are great, I love the new flavor with the Merchant, and I think Krauser and Salazar are still quite charming. But the rest? I dunno, just consider me kind of disappointed and your interaction with those characters even more disappointing. It always feels like something is missing from the story in these remakes and I couldn't tell you what it is. In the case of Ada, I think the problem went back to RE2: they made her two mean for Leon's whole puppy love angle to work. It takes on a new dynamic which just feels inferior. By all accounts problems and all, the original games just always had better and more memorable portrayals of side characters.
Also what fucking doofus thought it was a good idea to get rid of the codec calls between Leon and Saddler? Those were perfect.
But at the end of the day it doesn't super duper matter. It's a different flavor with the same winning taste. An already amazing game reborn to do it all over again. Though like the same problem with the original RE4, where do they go from here? You can't really go back on this momentum. Remaking older games would be too small in scope by comparison...
Who knows, but I'm loving this new era of Resident Evil from Capcom and am eager to see more all the same.
But then that'd be ignoring the potential of what modern Capcom could do with a remake of RE4 and here it is. In my opinion Capcom has made a surprising effort to let their remakes co-exist with the originals whether through the total change in tone or the huge change in gameplay and level design. Granted it's easier to make that contrast apparent when you're remaking RE2 (a fixed camera PS1 title) in... RE4's image. But RE4? It changed everything you could say. And while the remake itself is much closer to the original than the other remakes (unavoidable tbh), I think they've once again created a title that can easily co-exist with it's predecessor.
To be honest, I really couldn't even tell you which version of this game I prefer now... They have their trade offs and both have a distinct strength over the other's weaknesses. You could play either version and still have a blast, but to be honest, I think you owe it to yourself to just play both (though maybe not back to back).
This remake is everything I could ask for. Nothing is "fixed" per se. So much as it is totally revised or remixed or left mostly intact. I'm baffled this wasn't dumbed down and actually feels like it's harder than the original. The new combat mechanics introduced are an absolute delight and I can see Mercenaries mode being the best of the bunch.
On top of that you have some incredibly clever level design that is also now both much more vertical and full of opportunities to mix up encounters and get an edge on enemies. Which is almost needed because the ganados are a fucking menace. They're faster, they dodge more, they're aggressive, and on hardcore difficulty, they hit like a fucking semi-truck. Every encounter is a beautiful dance and a scramble to stay alive.
If there's maybe one major issue I have with this remake... it's probably the same issue I've had with every remake: the characters. I don't think the new characterization of mostly side characters has been particularly great in any of these remakes. Leon and Ashley are great, I love the new flavor with the Merchant, and I think Krauser and Salazar are still quite charming. But the rest? I dunno, just consider me kind of disappointed and your interaction with those characters even more disappointing. It always feels like something is missing from the story in these remakes and I couldn't tell you what it is. In the case of Ada, I think the problem went back to RE2: they made her two mean for Leon's whole puppy love angle to work. It takes on a new dynamic which just feels inferior. By all accounts problems and all, the original games just always had better and more memorable portrayals of side characters.
Also what fucking doofus thought it was a good idea to get rid of the codec calls between Leon and Saddler? Those were perfect.
But at the end of the day it doesn't super duper matter. It's a different flavor with the same winning taste. An already amazing game reborn to do it all over again. Though like the same problem with the original RE4, where do they go from here? You can't really go back on this momentum. Remaking older games would be too small in scope by comparison...
Who knows, but I'm loving this new era of Resident Evil from Capcom and am eager to see more all the same.