At the top of this review, I don't know if I have much to say about this game aside from the fact that it'll definitely be one I'll be talking about again at the end of the year (right up there with Hi-Fi Rush).
Resident Evil 4 is widely considered to be one of the best and well-aged games ever made, and whether or not you agree with that the influence it's had in video games has been undeniable, so this remake's announcement seemed to have been received with an understandable head-scratching by most (myself included), but this game is able to justify its existence by just being Resident Evil 4 but somehow even more fun. These remakes seem to be Capcom's method of making Resident Evil's story have any coherency, but it also offers a chance to learn from these games and what makes them so much fun.
Much of the world design is the same, with the biggest changes done to improve the pacing. All the memorable set pieces are still here, but it seems like most of the tedious parts plaguing the original are gone and replaced with expanded versions of some areas, which I found were a pleasant surprise. One example of this is the lake now being fully explorable after killing Del Lago — albeit for an unnecessary new fetch quest — but I had a great time cruising around wherever I pleased until I found all the treasure in the area. The gameplay is improved simply by being twin stick on controller (even better with motion aim, and if you're cool like me you'll have that turned on), allowing for more movement options which goes a long way to making the game feel fair. However, RE2's magnet zombie hands are back, and this led to some frustrating moments especially given the lack of RE3's dodge roll.
Speaking of frustrating moments, I wasn't a fan of the return of the parts of the game where you find yourself fending off a horde of enemies while waiting for something to happen. It feels like the purpose of these is to make you use up much of your ammo to keep things tense, but it just makes the game grind to a halt to show you something cinematic. This is just my opinion, but I would have preferred to keep only the cabin fight and change the others so they aren't dependent on defending Ashley while she tries to do something.
Without getting into spoilers, while the general story is still the same, a lot of the character moments from the original RE4 were changed or cut completely, which made it feel more dependent on coming into this game having already played the original game, and while Capcom has done an admirable job keeping it accessible (more than can be said for their treatment of the original RE1-3), if this is the definitive way to play RE4, than those should have been kept. Salazar appears maybe twice before you fight him, and while his new boss fight was one of the most fun fights in Resident Evil history, it's hard not to miss the bratty, whiny manchild he once was.
The presentation is probably the best of the modern RE games. Capcom has elected to bring back music for this game instead of relying on diegetic sound as they have recently, and not only is it very good, but it works wonders making the game more atmospheric, something Resident Evil has been struggling with lately. The RE Engine continues to deliver one of the most gorgeous and visually pleasing games you've ever seen, although I think Village edges it out in art direction here.
This should absolutely be one of the games you play this year.
Resident Evil 4 is widely considered to be one of the best and well-aged games ever made, and whether or not you agree with that the influence it's had in video games has been undeniable, so this remake's announcement seemed to have been received with an understandable head-scratching by most (myself included), but this game is able to justify its existence by just being Resident Evil 4 but somehow even more fun. These remakes seem to be Capcom's method of making Resident Evil's story have any coherency, but it also offers a chance to learn from these games and what makes them so much fun.
Much of the world design is the same, with the biggest changes done to improve the pacing. All the memorable set pieces are still here, but it seems like most of the tedious parts plaguing the original are gone and replaced with expanded versions of some areas, which I found were a pleasant surprise. One example of this is the lake now being fully explorable after killing Del Lago — albeit for an unnecessary new fetch quest — but I had a great time cruising around wherever I pleased until I found all the treasure in the area. The gameplay is improved simply by being twin stick on controller (even better with motion aim, and if you're cool like me you'll have that turned on), allowing for more movement options which goes a long way to making the game feel fair. However, RE2's magnet zombie hands are back, and this led to some frustrating moments especially given the lack of RE3's dodge roll.
Speaking of frustrating moments, I wasn't a fan of the return of the parts of the game where you find yourself fending off a horde of enemies while waiting for something to happen. It feels like the purpose of these is to make you use up much of your ammo to keep things tense, but it just makes the game grind to a halt to show you something cinematic. This is just my opinion, but I would have preferred to keep only the cabin fight and change the others so they aren't dependent on defending Ashley while she tries to do something.
Without getting into spoilers, while the general story is still the same, a lot of the character moments from the original RE4 were changed or cut completely, which made it feel more dependent on coming into this game having already played the original game, and while Capcom has done an admirable job keeping it accessible (more than can be said for their treatment of the original RE1-3), if this is the definitive way to play RE4, than those should have been kept. Salazar appears maybe twice before you fight him, and while his new boss fight was one of the most fun fights in Resident Evil history, it's hard not to miss the bratty, whiny manchild he once was.
The presentation is probably the best of the modern RE games. Capcom has elected to bring back music for this game instead of relying on diegetic sound as they have recently, and not only is it very good, but it works wonders making the game more atmospheric, something Resident Evil has been struggling with lately. The RE Engine continues to deliver one of the most gorgeous and visually pleasing games you've ever seen, although I think Village edges it out in art direction here.
This should absolutely be one of the games you play this year.