There's something so fun about seeing games that you adore come back in something fresh and full of life again. It's weird that I've spent the last 15+ years thinking that RE4 2004 is fast and fluid. Now that I've put a lot of time into this amazing remake, I don't think I can put as much time into the original anymore.

No knife parries, menus take eternities to open, Ashley's voice is suddenly grating now that I've enjoyed her Remake VA, it's genuinely scary how little of an urge I have to play the original now that it's out. Only reasons I have to recommend the original first then playing this one is to find all the little nods that this version does to people who know the first game at least on a baseline. And that doesn't even cover the sneaky little things that Capcom did too, like making the Striker charm increase your movement speed. I see what you did you little shits and I love you for it.

Only reason this isn't 5 stars is because Salazar isn't the bat shit crazy manic psychopath that I've known and loved him to be. After years of getting used to him being pure insanity it's weird seeing the new one be so put together until the very end, where he finally snaps but it's far too late to truly appreciate it...