 Reinventing Evil |
| Review Date: June 19, 2007 |
| Reviewer: S. Rhodes, |
In January of 2005, Resident Evil 4 hit the scene. Since it's release it has already gone on to be labeled as one of the greatest games of all time. It redefined not only Resident Evil, but the action genre as a whole. The game was originally meant to be a Gamecube exclusive, but found its way to the PS2 later in October 2005. It then had another release on the PC. Now it comes to the Wii. If you've got a Wii and you for some reason haven't played Resident Evil 4, then this is probably the best version yet.
In case you don't know the story, Resident Evil 4 follows Leon S. Kennedy, a former RPD police officer trying to forget the horrors of Raccoon City. He now works as an agent for the President. The President's daughter has been kidnapped, and it's up to Leon to rescue her. Yet when he arrives to the location there's something weird about the locals. Leon will quickly discover that there are indeed things much worse than being mauled by zombies.
Most gamers are aware of Resident Evil 4's greatness, but it never hurts to go through it again. Resident Evil 4 sports some of the best gameplay in the entire series. Instead of a fixed camera, it follows Leon around and you see things from over his shoulder. This means Resident Evil 4 was the first Resident Evil to go fully 3D and it works out just fine. The environments are fantastic looking, with even the tiniest things given details. Even two years later, the game still looks absolutely fantastic. There are even some XBOX360 games that don't give this kind of attention to detail. There are no frame rate issues and no horrific load times. Best of all, the game remains a good challenge.
When it comes to the Gameplay of Resident Evil 4, however, the Wii is a completely different experience. At first it was hard not to be a little nervous about the controls. Just about every game ported to the Wii has had control issues. Surprisingly, Resident Evil 4 does not. The Wii controls are excellent. Nearly flawless. You'll use the nunchuck to run around, and the Wii remote serves as your gun. In the interactive cutscenes, you'll use the wii remote and nunchuck to do things like dodge when the game says dodge. Or when the game tells you you'll need to cut the rope after the first boss for instance, you'll use the wii remote to cut the rope. At first you might think these Wii Controls are all tacked on, but in the end it makes Resident Evil 4 a completely different experience altogether, and once you get adjusted to them, you'll wonder how you ever did without them. Even if you've played through the Gamecube or Playstation 2 versions, you might want to give the Wii version a shot just because of the controls alone.
If I had any real criticism regarding the control scheme, it would be that Leon doesn't turn automatically when you aim the remote to the far left or far right of the screen (like how the main character turns in Red Steel). Instead you have to turn him using the nunchuck. There will be plenty of moments where you'll take damage unfairly. Even worse, you may get confused if games like Red Steel have you used to that sort of thing. This can also make some boss battles harder than they have to be. Clearly Capcom was aware that the controls would take a moment to get used to as bosses are not nearly as tough as they were in the other versions of the game. Anyone who mastered the Gamecube or PS2 version will find the Wii version to be fairly easy. In fact, it even feels as though the difficulty has been taken down a notch.
If the Wii Remote controls aren't working for you or you want to play the traditional way, the game supports the Classic Controller, and that's just cool if you want other options.
The Wii version has no additional extras, however. This may disappoint a few gamers. It includes all the extras of the PS2 version at least, but it's a little disappointing that aside from the Wii Controls, Capcom didn't put in any other extras exclusive to the Wii version at all.
The game sounds about the same as it did on the Gamecube. In terms of the technological aspects of the game, it's a direct port here. All the voice acting and dialog is the same, and it still sounds good.
The only really major problem with Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition is simple: It's another port. The controls here work well, though, but it's the fact that this is the fourth time the game has been released. In all honesty how any people haven't played the game yet that want to? Even with the fantastic Wii controls and affordable price it's going to be hard to tell those who own the Gamecube or PS2 versions to get this one. Even if the Wii Controls make the game a completely different experience, it's still the same game that was released in 2005.
Pros:
+Fantastic Gameplay
+Pretty good storyline overall
+Good voice acting' music and sound effects
+The game still looks incredible
+All the Playstation 2 extras are here
+A flawless port, no framerate issues or load time issues whatsoever
+The Wii Controls are almost flawless
+The classic controller is available for those who don't want to use the Wii Remote and Nunchuck
Cons:
-No Wii Exclusive extras
-The game is slightly easier
-It's the fourth version of Resident Evil 4. If you've already got the PS2 or Gamecube version of the game you'll have to ask yourself if the Wii controls really justify another buy. It's a completely different experience, but what it really boils down to is that it is STILL the same game you got back in 2005. |
Best version of RE4 yet.
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| Review Date: June 25, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Abagail Bloodworth, Macon, GA USA |
Resident Evil 4 is generally hailed as one of the best action games ever made--for a reason. Once you pick it up and start playing, you won't want to stop. And its release on the Wii is undoubtedly the best version yet.
For those of you who have never played it before, the game centers around Leon Kennedy, on a mission to rescue the President's daughter, Ashley Graham. But with inhuman creature after creature flung at him, it quickly becomes obvious that these aren't any ordinary kidnappers he's dealing with. It's more or less a side story to the main Resident Evil plotline, so even if you've never played an RE game before in your life, don't worry--you won't get confused.
The game is amazingly fun to play. It does have a couple of "make you jump" moments, but for the most part, it's not really a scary game. It is very gory, however--Leon can die in any number of memorable and horrendous ways, such as having his head cut off by a chainsaw-wielding maniac. It can also be extremely difficult at times. The game throws near endless enemies at you from the beginning, forcing you to adapt to the controls quickly merely to survive. And believe me, you will die. You will die many times. What little scariness the game does have tends to come from being surrounded and fearing for your survival--although, on Normal difficulty it's not as bad as some other notoriously difficult games (coughDMC3cough).
Now, as for the Wii version. If you've played the game before, this is where you'll want to start paying attention.
The Wii controls work amazingly well, and are very intuitive after a few minutes of playing. To shoot, you simply hold B, aim with the Wiimote, and press A to fire. It works incredibly well and allows for previously unknown speed and precision--having played the Wii version, I doubt I could go back to aiming on a traditional controller. Simply wave the Wiimote, and it automatically attacks the nearest target with your knife. (I was skeptical of the auto-target before playing, but it really does work very well.)
Of course, the drawback to the controls themselves being easier to use is that the game itself is also a bit easier as a result, particularly if you've played it before. It's also a bit annoying that when using your rifle--the time at which you really NEED precise aiming--the game makes you aim using the joystick. But, these are merely minor nitpicks in what is otherwise an amazing game.
The Wii version has both the extra content that was included in the PS2 version, and the superior graphics and sound of the Gamecube version. So, if you've never played the game before, this is definitely the version to get. And even if you have played it before, at only $30, it might just be worth picking up again. |
You'll Only Wish That You Were Fighting Zombies
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| Review Date: June 19, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Sky, New York |
This game is fun, scary, exhilarating....It's awesome. But be advised that the following review pertains to play with a Classic Controller (available pretty cheap here at Amazon Wii Classic Controller ), not the Wii Remote, and players can switch between the Wii Remote and the Classic Controller at any time.
So...I popped open a cold one, sat down with my new RE4 game and proceeded to have a heart attack from the terror the game caused. No, not really. I'm old, but hopefully not that old.
The game starts you (Leon) out in the woods in front of an old house on the outskirts of a Spanish speaking European village. You're a third person controlling Leon. The graphics look stellar and the sound is as realistic as it gets.
As you walk through the spooky woods towards the house your footsteps in the leaves are clear. Upon entering the house you are immediately attacked by a crazed local that doesn't seem to be a zombie. Based on the movies (and previous games from what I hear) you expect zombies. As you exit the house you are attacked by more locals (that will viciously kill you unless either you do them in first or safely make your way past). Zombies would have been a welcome adversary versus this unexpected enemy.
But don't worry; if you're looking for more than just crazed locals, you get them. Be careful what you wish for, because unless you know what you're doing, these boss/mercenary/creature battles are difficult (if your playing in the normal game mode which I'd recommend as opposed to the amateur and easy mode).
A map is provided for you to follow to your chapter destinations. There are typewriters scattered sparsely through the game where you can save progress (do NOT miss the opportunity to save when presented with one).
As you make your way to the target destinations, you are introduced to a variety of enemies that will try to stop you at every turn. As you are successful in doing so you are rewarded with the opportunity to explore areas that have a barrage of items that will be (very) useful for you to take. A word to the wise, however, clear any area of enemies (if possible) before going exploring!
The main objective is to rescue the daughter of the President of the United States. You are provided with only a few weapons at first to defeat the enemies in your way, and you really don't need a lot. A few are found free throughout the game, but most are available from The Merchant (that you will encounter somewhere towards the end of just about every chapter) using money and items you find along the way that you can trade. You can also trade your weaker weapons with The Merchant for more powerful ones.
I completed the game without purchasing most of the weapons; however, "Tuning Up" the weapons I already owned with The Merchant was crucial. By default at the start of the game you get the handgun, a knife and some grenades. I traded out a handgun twice and shotgun once for better versions. For what it's worth, in addition to regularly tuning up my already-owned weapons, the only weapons that I purchased/obtained/traded that ultimately were critical to survival were--in order--the shotgun, the Punisher, the Red 9 (with stock), the semi-auto rifle (with scope from Merchant and be sure to find the free Infrared Scope), the Striker, Broken Butterfly and the Rocket Launcher (in hindsight I'd suggest not wasting money on the ONE SHOT Rocket launcher; it gets you past most adversaries quite easily, but it depletes your cash for more important items with more longevity).
If I had to find a negative in RE4, it would be a stretch, but...the game doesn't start you out with a big enough attaché case to fit all of the weapons and health that you'll acquire along the way; you'll have to spend precious Pesetas with The Merchant on bigger cases a couple of times.
Bottom line: RE4 is the best game that I've ever played, but I'm a relatively new gamer so take that with a grain of salt. Finishing this game was a bittersweet moment, because it was so dog-gone fun.
Combine some green herb with some yellow and red herb for better health, then sell a Gem-Laced Beerstein to The Merchant so that you have enough Pesetas to add Resident Evil 4 to your Amazon cart.
The Wii game features all the extras of the PS2 version (two bonus games and other fun extras). The Wii version of RE4 also includes a trailer for Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles , scheduled for release only on Wii in late 2007. X Boxers and PS3ites will get Resident Evil 5 in 2008 (according to GamePro magazine Gamepro - Ca ).
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