The original Resident Evil 4, released in 2005, is one the most definitive and important releases of the last 3 decades. It revolutionized and defined an entire generation of action 3rd person games. Now, while it may have been unnecessary to remake this game (the original only feels dated in a couple minor ways), the remake builds on and modernizes the experience in fresh and exhilarating new ways.
The backdrop here is the same, you play as Leon and are trying to save Ashley, the presidents daughter, who has been kidnapped and is going to be used in some secret plot to infect the US with the new plaga bug. Yes, this is still kind of a silly opening and premise for this game but it is a little more effective this time around due to Ashley being a much more fleshed out character. Ashley is no longer a complete damsel in distress, her dialogue and actions are a great improvement over the original. She forms a much more believable bond with Leon this time around. Leon is as stoic an heroic as he was in the original, he is so serious with almost all of his dialogue that it borders on being very funny almost every time he opens his mouth. He is more like an 80s action star now, mixing in a lot of quips during fights like "bingo" when you blow a Ganado's head off or "guess we're about to find out" when asked if he gets car sick before getting on a mine cart. But, in true Resident Evil fashion, nobody is really here for the dialogue and story.
Resident Evil 4 brought the franchise out from being survival horror focused to being full on balls to the wall action centric. The game liberally throws enemy after enemy and set pieces at you around every corner. There is no shortage of ammunition, knives, and grenades to slow you down in your rescue mission to find Ashley. All the weapons have a great feel and weight to them when you succeed in staggering or blowing off the appendages of the Ganados. The new knife system, including a fun and visually appealing parry system, adds another layer to this action masterpiece.
There are a significant number of changes to the original design, mostly in additional objectives and side material. The map is now a little more open now allowing for Leon to backtrack and complete various side objectives for the merchant that reward new gear and items. The crafting system, attaché cases, and shooting range all received overhauls to make them more modern feeling and fresh. The crafting system is pulled directly from the new Resident Evils with the gunpowder and resources to craft which ammo you prefer.
I have played through the original several times so was a little bummed to see some pulled sequences, the action set pieces are not 1 to 1 with the original. Just to name a few, there is no longer the runaway boulder, the giant Salazar statue, the lava/fire room, the Krauser knife fight, and most unfortunately the harrowing fight against the creature in the caves with the falling platforms that you had to beat. I understand some of these changes, most of these were quick time events that really had no place in a modern game. It just does kind of feel bad when a specific sequence you are anticipating isn't in the remake of a game, but it is easy to not let it affect your experience when the minute to minute action is so fun.
My only other real gripe is that Leon's controls and movement feel a little wobbly and stunted at times. Leon does not exactly stop and turn on a dime in this game making him easy prey for the enemies charge attacks and makes it very difficult to dodge, dynamite, trip wires, or any of the other projectiles they throw at you.
Overall, while I don't think it reaches the highs of the original or the excellence of the RE2 remake, this is a wonderful reimagining of on of the best games of all time.
The backdrop here is the same, you play as Leon and are trying to save Ashley, the presidents daughter, who has been kidnapped and is going to be used in some secret plot to infect the US with the new plaga bug. Yes, this is still kind of a silly opening and premise for this game but it is a little more effective this time around due to Ashley being a much more fleshed out character. Ashley is no longer a complete damsel in distress, her dialogue and actions are a great improvement over the original. She forms a much more believable bond with Leon this time around. Leon is as stoic an heroic as he was in the original, he is so serious with almost all of his dialogue that it borders on being very funny almost every time he opens his mouth. He is more like an 80s action star now, mixing in a lot of quips during fights like "bingo" when you blow a Ganado's head off or "guess we're about to find out" when asked if he gets car sick before getting on a mine cart. But, in true Resident Evil fashion, nobody is really here for the dialogue and story.
Resident Evil 4 brought the franchise out from being survival horror focused to being full on balls to the wall action centric. The game liberally throws enemy after enemy and set pieces at you around every corner. There is no shortage of ammunition, knives, and grenades to slow you down in your rescue mission to find Ashley. All the weapons have a great feel and weight to them when you succeed in staggering or blowing off the appendages of the Ganados. The new knife system, including a fun and visually appealing parry system, adds another layer to this action masterpiece.
There are a significant number of changes to the original design, mostly in additional objectives and side material. The map is now a little more open now allowing for Leon to backtrack and complete various side objectives for the merchant that reward new gear and items. The crafting system, attaché cases, and shooting range all received overhauls to make them more modern feeling and fresh. The crafting system is pulled directly from the new Resident Evils with the gunpowder and resources to craft which ammo you prefer.
I have played through the original several times so was a little bummed to see some pulled sequences, the action set pieces are not 1 to 1 with the original. Just to name a few, there is no longer the runaway boulder, the giant Salazar statue, the lava/fire room, the Krauser knife fight, and most unfortunately the harrowing fight against the creature in the caves with the falling platforms that you had to beat. I understand some of these changes, most of these were quick time events that really had no place in a modern game. It just does kind of feel bad when a specific sequence you are anticipating isn't in the remake of a game, but it is easy to not let it affect your experience when the minute to minute action is so fun.
My only other real gripe is that Leon's controls and movement feel a little wobbly and stunted at times. Leon does not exactly stop and turn on a dime in this game making him easy prey for the enemies charge attacks and makes it very difficult to dodge, dynamite, trip wires, or any of the other projectiles they throw at you.
Overall, while I don't think it reaches the highs of the original or the excellence of the RE2 remake, this is a wonderful reimagining of on of the best games of all time.