This week, we saw the release of the re-mastered version of Resident Evil 4. Resident Evil 4 originally launched back on the days of the Gamecube and PS2 back in 2005 before being launched on Xbox 60 back in 2011. This year, The Resident Evil trilogy, 4,5 and 6 have been re-mastered and re-released for next-gen consoles. We`ve already had 5 and 6 this year, and now we`re getting the 4th instalment to add to our collections. I`m always wary of a re-master. I fear that a classic and favourite of mine from my childhood gaming days is about to be ruined. So after being impressed with 5 and 6, could Resident Evil 4 follow suit and make the Resident Evil games a good-remastered series? Yes.
Resident Evil 4 was developed and published by Capcom and was released back in January 2005 on the Gamecube, one of the first gaming consoles to have the game released. It follows the story of Leon S Kennedy, as a US Government agent, as he is sent on a mission to bring back Ashley Williams, the US Presidents daughter who has been kidnapped. Heading to rural Spain, Leon is tasked with wiping out hordes of violent and bloody mutant villagers and monsters, and re-unites with the mystic spy Ada Wong.
Whenever you think of a re-master for next-gen, you think of 1080 graphics, full game releases with DLC, and extra missions that perhaps hadn’t been released before. Graphically, Resident Evil 4 holds out very well. For a game that was released over 10 years ago, it is looking good and Capcom have done a great job at getting that to the re-mastered definition we have seen often this year in re-master games. The atmosphere within the game is even more eerie, the setting has been set and it`s stunning. Walking through the forest which is been inter-breezed with fog is something quite spectacular. There are elements within the game that graphically you`ll notice if you really pay attention. Some buildings and objects don’t appear as smooth as perhaps you`d see in a re-master making it quite cutting edge and sharp. That was a little niggle of mine, but for some people, they wouldn’t notice and probably aren’t going to be too bothered about it.
Now, I know it had been a while since I last touched Resident Evil 4 back in the days of the PS2 and Xbox 360, but I don’t remember the controls being as akward as they were for this. They will take some getting used to. Your left stick will be used for moving Leon completely around and the right stick for looking around. It feels akward and difficult at first, but it`s pretty easy to get to grips with after a while.
You`ll need to make sure you stock up plenty throughout, exploring and knifing breakable objects that are housing things that`ll benefit you such as Ammo, green herbs, and things that won’t necessarily help you. Like a snake. That`ll attack you and give you jump scares every time you come across one. They`ll help you, that`s for sure. They`ll help you use through your herbs, and first aid spray a hell lot quicker.
The Resident Evil games for me have always been about exploring. You never know what you`re going to find. You can find that behind one door maybe that weapon that you`ve been needing to find and that`s going to help you in your fight against the horde. Knifing and breaking open a box may help you gather than important piece of ammunition you`re going to need in order to kill that last obstacle in our way to the end. Or, behind that door is something so horrible, violent and disturbing it cannot be talked about. I love the surprise element of it. It`s something that`s apparent throughout all the RE games. It`s very easy to get side-tracked into another door and exploring somewhere else than where you are meant to go to progress the story.
Jump scares are something that with horror games noaways, I think are a bit more relaxed. There are games that are still full of jump scares and pride themselves on them, but RE4 takes me back to the days when they were full of them. Open a door, you might find a mutant villager run at you with a pitch fork. You might knife open a box and find a snake that lunges at you. You might find bear traps on the floor you didn’t know were there. There`s an element of surprise around every corner, and one that`ll keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the game.
Resident Evil 4 is a game that offers a decent instalment to the re-master collection of Resident Evil. It offers a story that`ll take the old-school gamers back to the days of when it first was released over 10 years ago, and adds back all those Jump scares and the eerie atmosphere which made it quite a tense and gripping game to play. The controls are something that are akward and do take some getting use to, but if you can get past that and look to the game, Capcom have done a terrific job in re-mastering 4,5 and 6. And if you can hold out until early next year, we`re about to get a new instalment to the series.
A huge thank you to Capcom for supplying us with a review copy.
Game: Resident Evil 4
Developers: Capcom
Publishers: Capcom
Genre: Horror
Price: £15.99
