Dudes rocking is back on the menu.
Not quite sure I like this as much as the original but I still had a total blast. Presentation-wise there’s enough fun stuff here that makes it worth playing even if you’re in the same frame of mind as me. There was definitely a deliberate choice made to make this version more palatable to the more cinematic, immersive experience that audiences writ large are flocking to with their AAA game releases.
That kind of supplants the original’s more arcade-y feel, which is fine and the gameplay still stands tall on its own. My real big complaint here is that this shift really reduces the amount of actual encounters in favor of exploration, especially in the early-game village segment. It’s Resident Evil 4! Just let me shoot things. That being said, this does become less of a problem as the game progresses, and those RE Engine-crafted environments look gorgeous, so it’s not the worst thing in the world.
It also feels like there’s a bit less precision on where your shots are going but the guns still feel pretty good (though it did take a bit of adjusting coming right off a vanilla playthrough, especially with regards to how the Ganados react to your attacks, limb shots, etc). Melee attacks are also meaty and satisfying.
Speaking of, the added focus on melee attacks/parries is a pretty neat change and one that differentiates the core gameplay loop enough to where combat does feel different enough from RE4 ‘05. This shift is also really welcome in certain encounters against tougher enemies; parrying an attack from a Garrador or an axe in midair is one of the most satisfying things I’ve done in a game in recent memory.
And though I do prefer vanilla RE4 overall, there are certain sections and setpieces here that do end up outshining the original. Some immediate examples I can think of include the cabin sequence and the castle minecart bit, and some of the decisions the dev team made to streamline the stages a bit are very much welcome. I didn’t even realize they had cut one of the late-game bosses until it was pointed out to me.
As far as character writing goes, I thought Luis and Ashley were the real standout improvements. The extended sequence with Luis really helped add depth and charm to a character that had like, four scenes in the original game. And as someone who already liked the original Ashley more than a solid amount of people seem to, everything about her characterization in the remake really endeared her to me. The decision by the devs to keep her around Leon for more extended periods of the game really paid off, too. Getting to see the duo’s bond solidify as the story progresses was a great touch.
The villain stable, though, actually felt weaker to me this go-around (except for Krauser, who decided to lean even further into being Leon’s Vergil-equivalent, which rules). I think this is a casualty of Capcom wanting the REmakes to be a little more grounded (as far as that goes with this series). We don’t get any of the one-liners or codec banter from Salazar or Saddler, which really bummed me out. Salazar in particular had his goofy Saturday-morning-cartoon-esque monologues totally watered down this go-around. The villains calling Leon just to talk shit like a demented wrestling heel was a highlight of the original games for me, and having that aspect completely removed was disappointing. Their presence here isn’t bad by any means, but it does feel like Capcom left a lot on the table (again, except with Krauser, who rules).
I’ll probably need to do another playthrough on hardcore or professional mode to really cement my opinion on RE4make, but these are my general thoughts after a 16-hour playthrough on standard difficulty.
Not quite sure I like this as much as the original but I still had a total blast. Presentation-wise there’s enough fun stuff here that makes it worth playing even if you’re in the same frame of mind as me. There was definitely a deliberate choice made to make this version more palatable to the more cinematic, immersive experience that audiences writ large are flocking to with their AAA game releases.
That kind of supplants the original’s more arcade-y feel, which is fine and the gameplay still stands tall on its own. My real big complaint here is that this shift really reduces the amount of actual encounters in favor of exploration, especially in the early-game village segment. It’s Resident Evil 4! Just let me shoot things. That being said, this does become less of a problem as the game progresses, and those RE Engine-crafted environments look gorgeous, so it’s not the worst thing in the world.
It also feels like there’s a bit less precision on where your shots are going but the guns still feel pretty good (though it did take a bit of adjusting coming right off a vanilla playthrough, especially with regards to how the Ganados react to your attacks, limb shots, etc). Melee attacks are also meaty and satisfying.
Speaking of, the added focus on melee attacks/parries is a pretty neat change and one that differentiates the core gameplay loop enough to where combat does feel different enough from RE4 ‘05. This shift is also really welcome in certain encounters against tougher enemies; parrying an attack from a Garrador or an axe in midair is one of the most satisfying things I’ve done in a game in recent memory.
And though I do prefer vanilla RE4 overall, there are certain sections and setpieces here that do end up outshining the original. Some immediate examples I can think of include the cabin sequence and the castle minecart bit, and some of the decisions the dev team made to streamline the stages a bit are very much welcome. I didn’t even realize they had cut one of the late-game bosses until it was pointed out to me.
As far as character writing goes, I thought Luis and Ashley were the real standout improvements. The extended sequence with Luis really helped add depth and charm to a character that had like, four scenes in the original game. And as someone who already liked the original Ashley more than a solid amount of people seem to, everything about her characterization in the remake really endeared her to me. The decision by the devs to keep her around Leon for more extended periods of the game really paid off, too. Getting to see the duo’s bond solidify as the story progresses was a great touch.
The villain stable, though, actually felt weaker to me this go-around (except for Krauser, who decided to lean even further into being Leon’s Vergil-equivalent, which rules). I think this is a casualty of Capcom wanting the REmakes to be a little more grounded (as far as that goes with this series). We don’t get any of the one-liners or codec banter from Salazar or Saddler, which really bummed me out. Salazar in particular had his goofy Saturday-morning-cartoon-esque monologues totally watered down this go-around. The villains calling Leon just to talk shit like a demented wrestling heel was a highlight of the original games for me, and having that aspect completely removed was disappointing. Their presence here isn’t bad by any means, but it does feel like Capcom left a lot on the table (again, except with Krauser, who rules).
I’ll probably need to do another playthrough on hardcore or professional mode to really cement my opinion on RE4make, but these are my general thoughts after a 16-hour playthrough on standard difficulty.