Wanted to let this one stew for a few days before I set down my "definitive" thoughts. Let's start with the good: it's more Resident Evil 4! Who doesn't like that? And now the bad: it's redundant. To some folks, more content is more content, and that's all she wrote. But to a discerning individual like yours truly, I need a little big more than... well, more. I'm not explaining myself well.
Okay, so most DLC operates under the standard-operating procedure of "use preexisting assets, futz around with gameplay a little, bilk the user out of hard-earned cash while the A-team gets to work on the next big thing." Fundamentally cynical, yes. Shrewd even. But in an industry that regularly receives praise for quantity over quality (see: any open-world action game that has checklists and "things to do"), it's the smart thing to do. And for the consumer? Geez, talk about bang for your buck! A little slice of that gourmet shit I was shmacking on a few months ago? For the low-low MSRP of [region-specific currency]? Say less! Now I'm not in the business of yucking someone else's yum, but like... have a little self-respect.
Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways is competent, built on the foundations of a game built on the foundations of a game that kicks so much ass, it's literally baked into the DNA of every third-person shooter than came after it. Competency, however, is neither innovation nor imagination, and where Resident Evil 4's remixing of Resident Evil 4 yields some new dynamism that was absent circa 2005, Separate Ways' remixing of Resident Evil 4 (circa 2023) feels content to repeat what came before.
Less of a remix and more of a retread, Ada Wong's side story hits upon all the little details that turbo-nerds might get a kick out of if they're truly floundering for that extra morsel of Resi-lore. While not exactly a turbo-nerd myself, I can appreciate good Rosencrantz and Guildenstern shenanigans (Tag and Bink for the turbo-nerds) when executed well. After all, execution is everything, and the thinnest of thin plot wafers has to shoulder this expansion like Atlas, ultimately crumbling under the weight of lofty expectations and a one-trick grappling hook. For such a mechanical draw, the hook's use feels like a formality, recalling the original in a way that doesn't upset the bones of this re-made skeleton. It's not bad. Just redundant.
And I keep coming back to that word: redundant. Because for all the new dialogue, bespoke animations, and winking references to cut scenarios from the base game, Separate Ways adds nothing to its characters, world, gameplay, or identity as a remake's remade DLC. It's utterly cynical. A shelved second story to claw at fans' pockets when the coffers are running dry.
When I wrote about Resident Evil 4, I decried the minor backlash it was receiving as out-of-turn eye-rolling that insinuated some superiority for fans of the original. While there's no shortage of that mentality, it's mostly tempered by an understanding that mega-corporations like Capcom are banking on nostalgia, putting resources and effort into something that will stand as an also-ran when compared to its forebears. And sure, I haven't the same ill-will towards Resident Evil 4... but I am sympathetic to those who are. Separate Ways? More like Desperate Plays (to hold consumer interest).
Okay, so most DLC operates under the standard-operating procedure of "use preexisting assets, futz around with gameplay a little, bilk the user out of hard-earned cash while the A-team gets to work on the next big thing." Fundamentally cynical, yes. Shrewd even. But in an industry that regularly receives praise for quantity over quality (see: any open-world action game that has checklists and "things to do"), it's the smart thing to do. And for the consumer? Geez, talk about bang for your buck! A little slice of that gourmet shit I was shmacking on a few months ago? For the low-low MSRP of [region-specific currency]? Say less! Now I'm not in the business of yucking someone else's yum, but like... have a little self-respect.
Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways is competent, built on the foundations of a game built on the foundations of a game that kicks so much ass, it's literally baked into the DNA of every third-person shooter than came after it. Competency, however, is neither innovation nor imagination, and where Resident Evil 4's remixing of Resident Evil 4 yields some new dynamism that was absent circa 2005, Separate Ways' remixing of Resident Evil 4 (circa 2023) feels content to repeat what came before.
Less of a remix and more of a retread, Ada Wong's side story hits upon all the little details that turbo-nerds might get a kick out of if they're truly floundering for that extra morsel of Resi-lore. While not exactly a turbo-nerd myself, I can appreciate good Rosencrantz and Guildenstern shenanigans (Tag and Bink for the turbo-nerds) when executed well. After all, execution is everything, and the thinnest of thin plot wafers has to shoulder this expansion like Atlas, ultimately crumbling under the weight of lofty expectations and a one-trick grappling hook. For such a mechanical draw, the hook's use feels like a formality, recalling the original in a way that doesn't upset the bones of this re-made skeleton. It's not bad. Just redundant.
And I keep coming back to that word: redundant. Because for all the new dialogue, bespoke animations, and winking references to cut scenarios from the base game, Separate Ways adds nothing to its characters, world, gameplay, or identity as a remake's remade DLC. It's utterly cynical. A shelved second story to claw at fans' pockets when the coffers are running dry.
When I wrote about Resident Evil 4, I decried the minor backlash it was receiving as out-of-turn eye-rolling that insinuated some superiority for fans of the original. While there's no shortage of that mentality, it's mostly tempered by an understanding that mega-corporations like Capcom are banking on nostalgia, putting resources and effort into something that will stand as an also-ran when compared to its forebears. And sure, I haven't the same ill-will towards Resident Evil 4... but I am sympathetic to those who are. Separate Ways? More like Desperate Plays (to hold consumer interest).