It’s back on sale, stranger.
I think by this point, everyone has at least heard of Resident Evil 4. Most of have already played it. It revolutionized action horror games and really paved the way for a lot of action shooters that came after it. Many tout it as one of the best games ever developed, and for good reason. The atmosphere, the mechanics, the crazy action, and the bonkers story really nail it. After being ported to almost every single system since 2005, it finally comes to this current generation. I’ve played this game at least 10 times and I’m doing it all over again. Does it hold up as well as I remember it?
For those that don’t know, Resident Evil 4 follows Leon S. Kennedy. Six years after the rookie Raccoon City Police Department rookie escaped the zombie-infested city, he now works for the US government. Assigned to a secret mission deep in the country in Spain, Leon must locate the US president’s daughter and find out exactly what is going on with the crazed villagers known as Los Ganados.
Platforms: PS4, XB1
MSRP: $19.99
Price I’d pay: $19.99
Look, I know most people reading this review know very well what Resident Evil 4 is and have probably played it before. I’m not going to be going over the mechanics of a now 11 year old game. I’m going to stick with the features this version comes with and how well it holds up.
The biggest standout is the controls. As many know, Resident Evil 4 still used the stop and shoot mechanic that was a bring-over from the old school RE games on the PS1. Nothing has changed here. Leon still stops moving when aiming and holds his ground. This takes some getting used to but not as much as the camera movement. The camera can be shifted left, right, up, and down using the right stick, but when letting go, it snaps right back behind Leon’s back. This means using the left stick to move forward while using the right stick to change the way Leon is facing is not going to happen. His turning is also done using the left stick. This doesn’t happen in modern video games, and re-learning how to do this took a lot longer than I would have liked. It may very well make the game more tense, but it feels clumsy and awkward.
While this is the HD version of RE4 on the current generation of consoles, it still can only do so much. Many times textures will look nice but flat as a sheet of paper. The cutscenes in particular look worse than the actual gameplay does. Still, I don’t fault the game too much due to how old this game really is. It is most certainly serviceable nowadays, but it is noticeable when actually looking.
The atmosphere, music, and sound design are still top notch, and to this day being surrounded by a bunch of crazed enemies with a chainsaw revving in the background makes me break out in a nervous sweat. This is one of the most tense games I have ever played, and it still is.
A revolution for its time that is now frowned upon, the cutscene quick-time events are still here and really do get bothersome after a while. Let’s not forget the multiple minute-long boss fight towards the end of the game that is all quick-time events. It’s all still there and while part of the game, is still annoying at times.
At the end of the day, it’s Resident Evil 4. Everyone knows of it, most have played it, and it all really boils down to if you really want it yet again. To be fair, this is pretty much the same game that was released back in 2011 on the 360 and PS3. If you own that version of the game, you own this one, just not on the PS4 or Xbox One. If you don’t have that one, or have never played RE4 before, #1 where have you been the past decade? And #2 buy this game right now, this is the best version to get since it comes with all the add-ons and special modes that was scattered between the GameCube and PS2 versions. It’s only $20 and it is one hell of a game for that price. If you’re looking for another round with Leon, have at it. Just remember, the controls will take some getting used to.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
