![]() ![]() Perhaps the biggest issue with this remake is its very existence. Listen: am I sick of everything I loved as a child, everything sacred to me, being regurgitated and "modernized?" Well, yeah. In the remake, she's given new agency and utility, but her characterization remains thin. Ashley comes off as a reactionary companion, a 'president's daughter in distress' lacking depth and individuality. While Resident Evil 4 doesn't attempt such elevated storytelling, it's hard not to fault how the original portrays Leon and Ashley's relationship. Plot details emerge through laughably on-the-nose in-game documents (one letter left suspiciously out in the open is titled "Our Plan").Īnd so what? Is there not something fantastic about one of the best video games ever made - teeming with quality design choices - having dialogue no better than a straight-to-DVD Leprechaun movie?īut in recent years, prestigious games like God of War and The Last Of Us told moving epics by exploring the dynamics between two central characters. Characters constantly drop quips and one-liners. There's no doubt the writing in the original Resident Evil 4 was bad, but it's also beloved. They're fun diversions, but it's weird how many useful items the game locks behind them, and they slow progression down considerably. Additionally, the game's new "side quests" are mostly collect-a-thons. This time around, that stretch gets lengthened by an uninteresting fetch quest. The original game had only a tiny gap between the first and second bosses, creating a sense of breathless tension. Some additions to the Village section felt like padding. The designers also moved away from the original's reliance on quick-time events.īut I do have my gripes. While the first half of the adventure mostly plays it straight, the back half takes risks with altered enemy designs, reworked boss encounters (or, in one case, a boss that was removed entirely), and completely new scenarios. The developers rely on knowledge of the original game's beats to surprise and delight. Outside of some very specific gameplay additions and changes, which I definitely won't spoil, this remake is pure fan service. ![]() You might not even remember what's new and what isn't: it's that seamless. Added fog and darker lighting give the game more of a straight-up horror feel. The remake is substantially bigger, stitching together a world that feels more connected and organic. When the original Resident Evil 4 released, games didn't feel anywhere near as padded as they do today. I worried the remake would dilute that delicate alchemy. The game bursts with inventive ideas, enemies, and scenarios, and rolls them out relentlessly over roughly 15 hours. The magic of the original Resident Evil 4 lies in its pacing. Despite his new emo look, Leon certainly feels more like an outrageous action hero than ever before. Using a knife to deflect the same chainsaw that lopped my head off in 2005 looks and feels ridiculous, just as it should. Leon does get a new parry mechanic to even the odds, which allows you to block almost any attack with a well-timed button press. There are brand new enemies this time around, while some others get a complete makeover. While that limitation never bothered me, it's become a sticking point for new players. But unlike those games, Leon can't move while aiming. Back in 2005, it popularized the over-the-shoulder perspective later seen in classics like Gears of War and Dead Space. It was clear a Resident Evil 4 remake would modernize the original game's revolutionary (but now dated) control scheme. They've succeeded not by playing it safe, but by taking big design swings that make it feel like a brand new game. Resident Evil 4 is a victory lap for what has been called the new "golden age" of Capcom. So this remake had to do the impossible: please fans of one of the most celebrated games of all time, while standing on its own merits.įor the most part, it does just that. How? And more importantly, why? Resident Evil 4 still plays like a dream, has many good ports, and even recently got an HD makeover by way of a brilliantly realized fan project. But when it was announced last year, I was skeptical. We all knew a Resident Evil 4 remake was on the table. In the last few years, Capcom remade both Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, the former to great acclaim. Leon can parry nearly anything now, however improbable. ![]()
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