In Retrospect: Resident Evil 4

Hey Guys, it's been a long time since I did one of these. However, what better time to write a post like this while I wait for something else to talk about? In all seriousness, Resident Evil is one of favorite video game franchises of all time. Resident Evil 4 is one of the best games of all time and arguably one of the most innovative.

This screenshot isn't exactly representative of how the game looks. You have to play it for yourself to admire how good it looks for a 12 year old game...

If you didn't know this, Resident Evil 4 was one of the first games to popularize the "over the shoulder" mechanic that we see in a majority of third person shooters. Mix that with tank controls and you have the foundation of what made Resident Evil 4 so great.

When I first played the game, I was terrified of it. I was young when I first played the game, so re-playing it as an adult was so nostalgic. However, I also noticed that this game isn't as much of a masterpiece as many fans like to claim. Before I get any kind of judgement, let me say that anyone who says this is a bad game is clearly an idiot

I first played the game on PS2 and re-played it on my Xbox One. The first thing you will notice is the visuals. For a game that was made in 2005, the game still holds up. Sure the textures may not be great and the draw distance is god-awful, but the character models and the environment don't look bad in 1080p. There are a couple of cutscenes I assume were forgotten to be remastered, but for the most part the cutscenes are improved visually as well.

For the remastered version of the game, there are a couple of framerate issues, but they are pretty rare. I only ever encountered them twice in my playthrough.

One thing I haven't noticed about the original release was how long the loading was. In the remastered versions, the loading is a lot faster. Imagine dying a consecutively and having to wait for the game to load back up to start again. Those were the days.

My major issue with this game is the camera. How the remastered versions of the games couldn't offer options to adjust the cameras is beyond me, but I see why the camera was done the way it was. Having limited control of the camera adds to the tension of being surrounded by enemies especially if you can't see them coming at you from any direction. It can lead to some frustrating deaths, but if you know how to counter enemy attacks then you should be fine.

Aiming is probably the most frustrating mechanic in the game. Out of all the platforms that this game was released on, the Wii version has to be the most superior due to aiming being a lot easier. I can't tell you how terrible it feels to use a sniper in this game with a joystick. It feels stiff and uncomfortable.

The voice acting is mediocre at best. It's a Resident Evil game. Voice acting in the series isn't known to be anything extraordinary. However, it doesn't kill the likeability of the characters in the game. Leon has always been a badass and fan favorite character.

If you didn't already know, but the story is essentially an escort mission. I'm sorry, but I had to say it. The story isn't anything special, but that's okay because the gameplay more than makes up for it. Seriously, the events in this game really have no impact on the main storyline other than the introduction to parasites. We see these fuckers again in Resident Evil 5.

Nonetheless, Resident Evil 4 is still a damn good game. If you haven't played the game before, then what are you waiting for? It's literally on almost every platform available. Want it on PS3? It's there. Xbox 360? Yep. Wii? Hell yes! PS2 or Gamecube? Don't know why, but sure! PS4 or Xbox One? Yes, mate. You get the idea.

Sure, Resident Evil 4 may have been the first game in the series to implement action in it. However, it still at a core a survival horror game. Please, go back and play this game if you can.
Till Next Time!!