When Resident Evil 4 released in January 2005 for the Nintendo Gamecube, it brought with it a blend of relentless survival horror and action, astonishingly gritty visuals, and revolutionary enemy AI. It completely redefined the survival horror genre, and served as the biggest inspiration to both the action and survival horror games we see today. To this day, it’s head and shoulders above the new wave of action titles following in it's footsteps. Capcom has decided to capitalize on this by re-releasing the game in HD on Xbox Live Games on Demand and Playstation Network. With Resident Evil 4 being my favorite game of all goddamn time, I felt it was necessary to see if it was still as great a game as it was when I was a fat sixteen year old virgin. With a Gamecube. I’ll spoil a little bit of the end of this review and tell you that; yes, this game still kicks ass.
Resident Evil 4’s undeniable mark on the videogame industry resonates through many more recent titles. Its most notable contribution is its locked-in over the shoulder camera angle. Cliff Blezinski himself has stated that Resident Evil 4 was the primary inspiration for the Gears of War series, a franchise which has spawned a line of imitators itself. Yet, even with the tremendous influence RE4 has had on developers, modern games often fail to mimic the nuances that made RE4 the mindblowing, pants-shitting revelation it was. Even Shinji Mikami, the man who created Resident Evil and directed RE4, seems to have forgotten what made it so special. The amount of detail in the enviroments was staggering at the time of the game's release, taking the player on a scenic journey full of variety that is often missing from the modern action game. Nothing feels reused, or put together in typical cookie-cutter fashion. Character animations are fluid, and give the characters a very realistic look and feel. Don't even get me started on the incredible reload animations. You won’t even want to upgrade from the bolt action rifle for the pure satisfaction of watching the reload. Camera angles also change frequently, constantly giving the players new looks. It's this thorough and impressive attention to detail that elevates RE4 above even its modern competition.
Above all else, however, the game's combat stands out the most. The precision based shooting mechancis oddly feel fresher than any shooter I’ve played in recent years. Leon Kennedy, the main character, doesn't always have a steady hand while aiming, which adds an element of timing to the combat, and gives things a slightly more realistic feel. As is typical with most survival horror games, you can’t aim and fire while moving, and there is no side-stepping or strafing. While this may initially feel like it limits the player's control, it (inadvertently?)adds an element of tension and anxiety, as most of the game's combat is a close quarters affair. Adding to the tension, enemies are incredibly smart, quickly surrounding you every chance they get. You run upstairs, they’ll bust a ladder to the upstairs window; block the door, they’ll simply breakthrough or find another way around. Simple fact is, they’ll stop at nothing until you’re dead.
To counteract this aggression, players benefit from some of the most rewarding shot placement in videogame history. Shoot an enemy in the leg, they’ll stagger; a shot in the arm, they’ll drop their weapon. Pop the persitent bastards in the head, they’ll get stunned and grab their face in pain. Hell, if you're good enough, you can stagger the enemy, giving you an oppurtunity to lay a Shawn Michaels-esque superkick on their ass. Sweet chin music, bitches.
SUPAH!
So even with Leon's vast and varied array of weapons and superkicks, Resident Evil 4 is anything but a shooting gallery. The game benefits greatly from an incredible set of boss fights (the lost art of videogame design.) The boss count in this game is almost overwhelming, and no boss is a retread of another. Nearly every boss will test your skills and abilities as a player, and pretty much all of them seem capable of kicking the shit out of the final boss of most other games on the market.
The violence and gore also add quite a bit to the proceedings. All the weapons feel just as they should, and the enemies themselves often show great resilience, making it extra satisfying when you get that rare headshot that blows the enemy's skull into a mess of goo and all around nastiness.
Between all the headshots, gamers can take time to enjoy small diversions from the main course. While the meat of the game is built on tense action, other elements, like collecting bottlecaps, looting dead enemies, and upgrading weapons all add great variety.
To top it all off, the story and cut scenes, fun and silly in nature, serve as the layer of cheese to the best damn burger I’ve ever had. Leon S. Kennedy, equipped with one liners, is a fun action hero (and one that Capcom tends to overlook in favor of Chris Redfield, an overrated tard who looks like every other action hero ever, and if I had to wager a guess, probably sits down to pee.) None of the motives or plot devices in the game really make sense, and they don’t really need to. It all serves as an excuse for the game to do some stupid, unbelievable, awesome shit. Which is perfectly fine if you have a stupid, unbelievable, awesome game to play. Supporting characters are also fun, adding even more cheese to the fine beef patty of game play (yes, the hamburger joke continues.) The only downside to these cut scenes is a feature I actually used to enjoy, but have grown to hate: Quick Time Events. I am seriously sick of pressing a button repeatedly to proceed in a game (a feature I blame on Metal Gear Solid, and one that really needs to go die in a fire.)
PRESS IT FASTER. SHIIIIT.
One thing I’ve never understood though was fans that didn’t like Resident Evil 4 because it’s not a "true Resident Evil" game. I’d argue otherwise; it’s still very much a Resident Evil title. It sports tank style controls (minus the aged camera), combining herbs and items, a variety of monsters, and strong emphasis on survival. It’s all a much more intense brand of survival, increasing the amount of enemies and ammo alike. If you get complacent, it’s still very possible to run out of ammunition, and not knowing how to kill some enemies can really add to the tension. In typical Resident Evil style, parts of the game are very capable of giving you a feeling of uneasiness and discomfort. Nearly every aspect of the game is comparable to the original Resident Evil. It just evolved in a way the developers had always seemed reluctant to do.
So is this HD re-release worth the extra purchase? That’s a difficult question to answer. There is some novelty in playing it in HD, but it’s disappointing that Capcom’s highest rated game of all time gets so little effort put into its HD release. The 15th Anniversary of the franchise is here and there is nothing to show for it (unless you live in Japan. Lucky bastards.) In a sense, it’s almost disrespectful to the brand, which is really unfortunate, because there are plenty of people who would have loved to own the 15th Anniversary collection not available here. Luckily though, the game is only 20 dollars (or 10 if you have Playstation Plus.) Both of which are low asking prices for the amount of content the game provides. The story will take you around 20 hours to complete, and offers a lot of replay ability with numerous unlockable costumes and weapons. There is plenty more mileage to be had with the extra game features, such as the Assignment Ada and Separate Ways missions, as well as the very fun and addictive Mercenaries mode (which can eat hours of your life. Seriously.) The inclusion of Trophies and Achievements is also a nice touch, even if the list feels a little bit phoned in.
This is why we don't have nice things.
Overall I would say, yes, Resident Evil 4 HD is well worth the asking price, particularly if you have never played this game before. Even if you’re like me and you’ve finished Leon’s mission on many separate occasions and different platforms, RE4HD may be worth another go. This game has aged incredibly well, and it’s one of those few games that truly define a generation of our entertainment. Not to mention the fact it’s now on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, and not just the virginity-enforcing Gamecube. It’s still unfortunate though that Capcom didn’t capitalize on this opportunity to celebrate Resident Evil‘s 15th anniversary, but it’s fine to give them your money. I mean, unless you really wanted to play Megaman Legends 3.
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