Hard to say anything about RE4 remake, because RE4 is my favorite.
Capcom has proved again and again to be the queen of remakes. I didn't know I needed this until I played it. And it's very close to perfection, in my opinion. I think this remake might even rival RE1's!
It's one of the most perfect examples I've ever seen when it comes to a "Faithful Reimagination". Almost everything is there. The atmosphere, the jokes, areas, challenges, bosses, enemies, characters, storytelling and even secrets. Yet, it all feels brand new. You can tell they've done a good job because it's actually hard to explain how accurate the experience is. Especially for me, who's been a huge fan of this franchise forever.
RE4 didn't need fixing (let alone an entire remake), but they nailed some things extremely well. Like the new emphasis on story. The original's was ok and its tale and tone worked well for the time, but this new take on characters, cutscenes, events and detailed incidents worked even better. It makes more sense now and it's better explained, not losing RE's twisted 80s sense of humour. I was even impressed with the writing, which is something that's usually not good in RE games, even with past remakes.
One thing I loved was how new features that I thought unnecessary worked like a charm. For example, I didn't want a stealthy Leon, but it wasn't uverused and furtivity felt badass. I didn't want a scary RE4 either. The original was scary due to how over the top and intense it felt. And they nailed that just fine. Krauser's final encounter, the first Garrador and the opening sequence are perfect examples of this "tension" I mentioned.
Hell, even the soundtrack is fantastic! The original had my favorite of the franchise and they managed to knock it out of the park AGAIN!
Although not every area made it in (unfortunately), the ones recreated, reimagined and restructured were incredibly well done. Parts like the battle in the shack, nightfall in the village, meeting El Garrador, Ashley's gameplay, both El Gigantes, the Regenerators and both of Krauser's encounters were astounding. A major improvement, while not changing or killing the original's atmosphere and urgency, without a doubt. It's all very well paced, not too mention how stunning this game looks on PS5.
Gameplay received a major overhaul, of course. Not only due to obvious and necessary modern quality of life improvements, but now it finally feels like a real sequel to past RE games. It took me quite a while to get the gist of it, but now I know how delicious it feels to play this. Just as I felt back when I mastered the original's gameplay. And I'm not only talking about combat. The merchant, puzzles, Ashley's interaction, bosses, menu management and even extras. Everything is new and works better now.
All in all, few things take the prize of best remake from this game. I don't care much for Mercenaries, but I really missed Separate Ways, even though it might be a future DLC. I also found unlockables and secrets quite complicated to get. A bit unnecessary, I think. Oh, having to repair your knife and vest constantly was a pain as well.
In fact, this entire game is very complicated. I didn't think it'd be THAT difficult. Maybe it's because I've become very good in the original, but goddamn some combat sequences and item management moments kicked my ass. Maybe it's me, but although I love this style of gameplay, aiming has been feeling a bit off since RE2. So when you put this style against 100 Ganados on a military island... you either get good or die trying. Some bosses like Saddler and Salazar were also a bit weird. Entertaining as hell, but odd.
Also, what the hell was that El Gigante on chapter 8? It was one hell of a surprise, sure, but couldn't they trade this for U3's fight, for example?
At last, but not least, while some characters like Ashley and Salazar are way better now, I felt like Ada and Saddler lost or shifted their original charm a bit. It's not bad, but I wish they were more faithful to the original. This happened with voice acting as well. GREAT job, for sure, but... I guess I prefer 2005's Leon and Luis. RE4 was a "serious" game that didn't take themselves too serious. Here, things feel a bit more critical.
Again, it's hard to rate this game, because this is my favorite. And unlike RE1 and RE2, I still prefer the original.
Yet the quality here is beyond ABSURD! Whether you've been here since 2005 or not, I highly recommend to pick this one up.
Capcom has proved again and again to be the queen of remakes. I didn't know I needed this until I played it. And it's very close to perfection, in my opinion. I think this remake might even rival RE1's!
It's one of the most perfect examples I've ever seen when it comes to a "Faithful Reimagination". Almost everything is there. The atmosphere, the jokes, areas, challenges, bosses, enemies, characters, storytelling and even secrets. Yet, it all feels brand new. You can tell they've done a good job because it's actually hard to explain how accurate the experience is. Especially for me, who's been a huge fan of this franchise forever.
RE4 didn't need fixing (let alone an entire remake), but they nailed some things extremely well. Like the new emphasis on story. The original's was ok and its tale and tone worked well for the time, but this new take on characters, cutscenes, events and detailed incidents worked even better. It makes more sense now and it's better explained, not losing RE's twisted 80s sense of humour. I was even impressed with the writing, which is something that's usually not good in RE games, even with past remakes.
One thing I loved was how new features that I thought unnecessary worked like a charm. For example, I didn't want a stealthy Leon, but it wasn't uverused and furtivity felt badass. I didn't want a scary RE4 either. The original was scary due to how over the top and intense it felt. And they nailed that just fine. Krauser's final encounter, the first Garrador and the opening sequence are perfect examples of this "tension" I mentioned.
Hell, even the soundtrack is fantastic! The original had my favorite of the franchise and they managed to knock it out of the park AGAIN!
Although not every area made it in (unfortunately), the ones recreated, reimagined and restructured were incredibly well done. Parts like the battle in the shack, nightfall in the village, meeting El Garrador, Ashley's gameplay, both El Gigantes, the Regenerators and both of Krauser's encounters were astounding. A major improvement, while not changing or killing the original's atmosphere and urgency, without a doubt. It's all very well paced, not too mention how stunning this game looks on PS5.
Gameplay received a major overhaul, of course. Not only due to obvious and necessary modern quality of life improvements, but now it finally feels like a real sequel to past RE games. It took me quite a while to get the gist of it, but now I know how delicious it feels to play this. Just as I felt back when I mastered the original's gameplay. And I'm not only talking about combat. The merchant, puzzles, Ashley's interaction, bosses, menu management and even extras. Everything is new and works better now.
All in all, few things take the prize of best remake from this game. I don't care much for Mercenaries, but I really missed Separate Ways, even though it might be a future DLC. I also found unlockables and secrets quite complicated to get. A bit unnecessary, I think. Oh, having to repair your knife and vest constantly was a pain as well.
In fact, this entire game is very complicated. I didn't think it'd be THAT difficult. Maybe it's because I've become very good in the original, but goddamn some combat sequences and item management moments kicked my ass. Maybe it's me, but although I love this style of gameplay, aiming has been feeling a bit off since RE2. So when you put this style against 100 Ganados on a military island... you either get good or die trying. Some bosses like Saddler and Salazar were also a bit weird. Entertaining as hell, but odd.
Also, what the hell was that El Gigante on chapter 8? It was one hell of a surprise, sure, but couldn't they trade this for U3's fight, for example?
At last, but not least, while some characters like Ashley and Salazar are way better now, I felt like Ada and Saddler lost or shifted their original charm a bit. It's not bad, but I wish they were more faithful to the original. This happened with voice acting as well. GREAT job, for sure, but... I guess I prefer 2005's Leon and Luis. RE4 was a "serious" game that didn't take themselves too serious. Here, things feel a bit more critical.
Again, it's hard to rate this game, because this is my favorite. And unlike RE1 and RE2, I still prefer the original.
Yet the quality here is beyond ABSURD! Whether you've been here since 2005 or not, I highly recommend to pick this one up.