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Resident Evil 4

Developer / Publisher: Capcom
24 March 2023
Resident Evil 4 - cover art
Glitchwave rating
4.37 / 5.0
0.5
5.0
 
 
671 Ratings / 7 Reviews
#13 All-time
#1 for 2023
Players control special agent Leon S. Kennedy who is on a mission to rescue the US president's daughter, Ashley Graham, who has been kidnapped by a religious cult in rural Spain.
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I am convinced I played a different game from everyone else.
The game's fine. It's not bad by any means. But holy fuck is the endless dickriding bizarre.

RE4 original is one of the best games ever. I was already dubious of where the remake would go, since I am of the firm belief that a remake should either deviate wildly (Re2 to Re2make) or be a 1 for 1 translation with some minor QoL (Dead Space Remake).

This game isn't either of these; gameplay is different but not really different enough, and it's just way less responsive than the original. Writing is different but it's just less interesting because Leon is far more angsty and brooding and has way less quips, and less of his quips land than they did before.

The game is also absurdly easy in comparison. Despite having problems where I would often get chain grabbed because the kicks have much smaller area of effects and have basically no i-frames, I have yet to die a single time, because the game SHOWERS you in healing items. I'm playing with the deluxe edition bonuses so my pesetas are through the roof, but if we're generous that's likely about ~30% of my total income and I hadn't even gotten to del lago before I had bought everything in the shop and was just waiting to get new guns worth upgrading. Except, wouldn't you know it, they made it so selling upgraded gear back isn't throwing away money because you get something like 95-99% of the investment back. Welcome change; don't know why we also needed a shit ton of money on top of that.

There's really 1 big thing that's holding this game back for me; the insistence on fluid animations that blend together seamlessly. A lot of modern games have started doing this for the sake of immersion, and when your gameplay compliments it, it's great! I don't care to play Red Dead 2 because the gameplay looks absolutely mind-numbingly easy, but with what they're trying to do storytelling wise and worldbuilding wise, every bit counts. But RE4 is not trying to tell a story or build the world. It doesn't need Leon to move like he's drunk to facilitate immersion, it doesn't need to whip your camera around any time an enemy uses the only threatening attack in the game - a grab, it doesn't need to make me stand around with my thumb up my ass every time Hunnigan calls, letting me walk around at a snails pace but not able to interact with anything, etc. Just give me cutscenes! Let the animations play out from the third person perspective! I do not care to watch the same closeup animation of Leon knifing a ganados every 10 seconds when instead you could just let me look around and take stock of the rest of the fight.

Every other complaint I have is "Why is this even here?" Why do you have a gacha machine that dispenses trinkets at random, that can give duplicates, but which ultimately aren't integral to how you play, and who's bonuses primarily only govern crafting and buying, so you can just swap them out at any merchant to minmax value as if you had infinite slots? Why have stealth as an option at all when it's the most anemic stealth system I've ever seen? What real purpose does remixing random aspects like rescuing the dog serve if it all leads to the same place anyway and all you'll get out of it is the "I clapped when I saw ____" crowd doing their thing? All in all there's just a ton of added fluff that kept me going "... ok? but why?" and there really isn't an answer beyond the fact that RE4 didn't really need a remake of this scale, but they wanted to look like they were doing something of value, so they just put in as many benign changes as they could to pretend.
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Pinks 2023-03-25T15:07:37Z
2023-03-25T15:07:37Z
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Continuing from the two previous remakes, Resident Evil 4 (2023) added a parry function to deflect enemy attacks, but innovated little else from the same engine from 2019, and is in fact mostly homogeneous to the last two remakes. In terms of aesthetic, the cutscenes and characters are more broody and neutralized compared to their originals, which results in a duller narrative experience. Even less impressive is that the previous remakes were absolutely transformative from the blocky 90s originals, what with the fluid new gameplay making their campaigns more action-oriented, offering viscerally different experiences. But because Resident Evil 4 from 2005 was already an action-oriented third-person shooter, this one is the least transformative of the Resident Evil remakes so far.
As for the technical updates to the "remake" 2019 engine, most improve the flow of action at the expense of losing the suspense from the more rigid rail-shooter style (the directional inventory system to skip the briefcase tile-navigation, and mobility while aiming). But some of these are appreciated, such as the more practical reward system for the target range minigame, where keychains add passive perks to the gameplay (higher chances for enemy item drops, efficacy of healing items, store discounts, etc.) rather than pointless character models and money. There is also an increase of Merchant sidequests, which boil down to shooting random items or fighting harder NPCs, motivating extra attention to level design that the original only offered at one sequence near the beginning. And though the stealth mechanics are limited, the Bolt Thrower weapon acts as a convenient silent pistol with ammo you can retrieve after shooting, and also replaces the lame Mine Thrower from the original.
On the subject of stealth mechanics, it seemed like an ideal imitation of the Last of Us games was the developers' intent, but the level design doesn't offer much opportunity to exploit stealth tactics consistently. There is a silent takedown option that is useful in sparse times, but the placement of enemies is clearly aimed at making action break out more than anything.
But perhaps the most pointless aspect of the game is the return of the briefcase inventory, because its only purpose is to serve nostalgia. The directional inventory button replaces the urgency of item organization as in the original, which was a change made to smooth out the flow of changing weapons in action. Though navigating it is rigid and clunky in the original, this stiffness is actually what emphasized the importance of how the items in your case were organized, so you could arrange them all by your own sense of easy access after hitting the pause button and knowing where you set the grenades, herbs, shotgun, etc. This is not necessary when the directional inventory already provides that easy access.
Although it may be tedious and superficial to dwell on, the distracting inferiorities in the portrayals of many characters still prevail among my biggest gripes.
Saddler has lost the cadence of Bela Lugosi, and in fact just speaks slow and low to sound ominous, but often just comes across as a simple man, not threatening at all.
Despite her blatant objectification in the original, Ashley is sexualized more in this version. She is after all "of age" in this version, a sorority girl instead of a high schooler. Because her demeanor is more graceful, warm, and competent, Leon's compliments to her implicate the "you're so mature for your age" shipping signal, doubled by the change of Leon's promise to her at the end, where his casual rejection to Ashley's romantic offer in the original is rephrased as her proposing that Leon could continue working with her as a bodyguard (being with her always, implying a relationship), and Leon's response is not no, but maybe.
Ada's outfit is more practical, but her voice may be the most lifeless of them all.
Much of the humor and childish insanity of Salazar, including the fun back-and-forths between him and Leon, have been lost.
Krauser's voice is like a South Park parody of how a dark, raspy bad guy is supposed to sound.
The Merchant talks way too much as you browse items.
Altogether though, the game is still superior to the 3 remake, as the campaign is much longer. And of course, the priority of action mechanics does improve upon the original's Mercenaries minigame.
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ZeeDDD65 2023-04-29T21:08:44Z
2023-04-29T21:08:44Z
6.0 /10
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The Best Game of All Time Get's a Remake
For most of my life, I've considered Resident Evil 4 the greatest game of all time. More recently I've considered some competitors, but everytime I come back to RE4 I can't put it down. I learn more about it, I discover new tricks, I repeat old ones. There's a million reasons to love the original but I think one of the key one's is how replayable it is. Since I first played RE4 over a decade ago, I've come back to it at least 10 times to run through again and mix it up a bit. So when I saw a game which still played phenomenally well getting a remake I was skeptical.

Resident Evil 4 (2023) is a great game, but is in no way better then the original. The major problem comes with the task of remaking this game. While the Resident Evil 2 remake had a lot of freedom and flexibility to craft it's own identity due to playing very differently from the original, RE4 still plays the same. If anything it plays worse, the bloom on guns feels terrible, the feeling of guns and kicks doesn't have the oomph it once had, and moving while shooting drastically lessens the tension. The addition of parrying is awesome and leads to some tense moments, but the added stealth feels mostly pointless.

Changes are made to the story, and sure some of them are fun. Luis' new scummy personality is a fun change and Ashley feels like a human, but otherwise why? None of the villains' are built up in the same way they are in the original. Krauser and Ada feel like parodies of themselves. Hunnigan barely appears.

Most importantly though, where is the charm? The game tries to be campy like the original and with the exception of Leon shooting the villains mid-monologue and maybe one or two other things, it just feels forced. The jokes feel like they're trying to be weird rather than just being weird on it's own. I let this game sit a bit before writing this review, and it just hasn't stuck with me as much. I can't name a single line on the level of "your right hand comes off". The remaking of this game just feels too much of the same which is originally why I mentioned before why I was skeptical of this remake. Why remake something which does nearly everything right?

It may sound like I'm railing on this game, but I did still really enjoy it. The weapon balancing is nailed just like the original and leads to unique builds. The combat while not as good as the original still does a good job (the foggy room at the start of a castle is a perfect highlight of this). The soundtrack while not as memorable is ominous. And while the locations aren't as memorable, it's nice to see such a beautiful version of the village.

Despite my high rating for this game, it's hard to recommend it, because the original exists still and does the same thing but better. My enjoyment solely comes from being a big fan of the Resident Evil franchise as a whole. It's a well put together product, but it misses on so many small little levels that it just pales to the original. Why is the regenerator a joke compared to the original, why is the inventory so grey, why do the new sections serve almost no purpose, where is U3, why do I feel no connection to the main villain, why is mercenaries so easy?

Ultimately I could talk a lot more about what I like and don't about this game, but it's not worth my time. This is a really a solid action horror shooter, but don't play it. Play the original and play every other RE game first. There's so much nuance that the original gets right that this doesn't. From aesthetic changes like the menus, story differences of campiness, and the gameplay changes like being able to move and shoot. Ultimately, I really wish this game was a new thing because I feel it suffers from trying to be RE4 number 3 (Village was RE4 number 2 but at least it had an identity). In trying to be the same but different, it just feels alienating.
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OGDreamcast 2023-03-30T05:28:41Z
2023-03-30T05:28:41Z
4.0
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Formula's good, but the formula was always good. Resident Evil 4 strikes me as a little easy now having kind of played it to death and back again, this promises to be far far far more involved and interesting and I'm really looking forward to sinking loads more hours into it. The loop is excellently fun, but it was always fun.

What really stops this being a top tier game, is just the weird little changes. They reduced the uniqueness of treasure, but then added a very cool gemstone bonus system. I really think there could've been a happy medium between the two, and more depth and individuality to the treasure system too. Maybe I just miss my damn beersteins, who knows, but stuff like certain enemies only dropping certain treasures, and finding the last essential bit of my treasure to make it worth the most.

The spinel system is pretty interesting, improves on the treasure weirdness from before. It's not a very substantial change, and a lot of the stuff in the store is useless crap, so you can easily prioritise, and also exchange them for money if you're certain you aren't gonna be able to afford a weapon upgrade token or any new guns.

The writing was changed for seemingly no reason for better and for worse. They improved Luis' subplot to such a degree that his original character is pretty charmless to me now, and including some of the old Ada cutscenes in the original game seems like a good compromise than trying to including that old clunky Separate Ways campaign which always seemed like a severe after-thought. But tonally, Leon has lost a lot of his suave and corny lines, and some moments have been toned down severely. Honestly, would have preferred if they either went the full hog and really committed to existentially miserable and angry surly Leon or pumped up the camp til it explodes into a fountain of weird shipping and irreverent jokes.

Structurally they removed several areas I really liked, and kept some I kind of hated! For some reason Castle seems to be the biggest victim in this regard, and the redesigns of some areas don't really make a great deal of sense to me. Additionally they ruined BIG RAMON STATUE and completely removed the mutant fight from near the end of the Island section, which was a shame. Admittedly he didn't make much sense to be there, and he was barely explained, but the absence of his technical little bossfight is felt, especially when it seems so ripe to be expanded on.

But otherwise, modernised controls, combat balancing, interesting new little twists on the formula, the new areas were fun and cool, and I have a great deal of respect for them following this through and pulling it off to such an extent. I can never not be biased in the favour of the original, because I am, if nothing else, a pretentious shit, but this was satisfying and I look forward to spending more time with it.
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sdj457 2023-06-04T13:39:39Z
2023-06-04T13:39:39Z
4.0
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My Date With the President’s Daughter, remastered

Intro:
Resident Evil 4 (RE4). Truly the game needs little introduction. When the original dropped in 2005 it was groundbreaking. The graphics and gameplay it presented to the world became a point that so many games emulated and learned from for some time thereafter. It took what worked about the Resident Evil series, the ruined and decaying settings, frightful mindless monsters, and anxiety inducing resource management, as well as the campy dialogue lines and odd moments, and made a wholly different pulse pounding action experience while still holding to its foundations. As a kid I adored RE4, I sank countless hours into the original Gamecube version, then the Wii. In each one completing every difficulty, challenge, and maxing out all weapons. Then after seeing the series turn hard away from the roots RE4 still remained firmly moored to, I began to look at the game with extreme scorn, blaming it for the numerous games I had distaste for after its release. An entirely unfair grudge, but that’s what happened. Even when hearing the news of a remake of RE4 I scoffed, surely a game so polished on its original release could not be made better. Well before this remake dropped I went back and played the original for the first time in about 15 years to show to my wife who came to appreciate the series now alongside me. I’m happy to say that my grudge was undeserved and that for all the quality of the original the team behind this remake truly dug in and made a game that respected all elements of game and crafted a game that doesn’t just look better, it surpasses original in every way possible.


Gameplay:
Classic Resident Evil games were known for controls that many deemed to be somewhat clunky, being referred to as ‘tank controls’ even. The original RE4 kept these by and large but changed the perspective for the camera to an over the shoulder view of the character which was apparently enough to make the experience and become more innovative for other games to copy. That of course is back, as well as the gun slinging, window jumping, and quick gameplay of RE4. Every element of the original game has been fine tuned to feel responsive and rewarding. The knife Leon carries that once served little purpose beyond opening boxes is now the player’s go to option for both offense and defense, allowing a quick parry of most attacks in the game, even the most deadly foes. Movement has been tightened for quick pivots allowing bobbing and weaving between the waves of zombie like crazed monsters. Between the tightening of a formula that already did well, and the ability to switch in an instant between weapons without use of a menu, nothing gets in the way of the constant horror action and exploration of the menacing environments. Elements of the original that allowed players to strengthen Leon’s arsenal and amount of damage he can take is back and even more tightened than before and remains one of the most addicting elements of the gameplay, encouraging players to replay again and again with their favorite weapons. Moreover, this remake provides a bunch of freedom to players in how they approach the game. Those wanting to go in guns blazing can do so with enough skill to their approach. Many sections allow for stealth and those who wish to set traps and outsmart the enemy to advance in their own ways. Even many of the games sections are designed in such a way that allows a difference in approach if players so chose. Those who prefer stealth can sneak up on enemies in sessions, carefully removing tough threats one by one in single action takedowns, clever players can skip through and shortcut parts through use of the tools provided, while of course the main approach of going in guns blazing still applies fine as well.
In addition, side quest diversions have been added into the game in greater amounts than the original game ranging from finding and selling certain items or taking down more powerful bonus enemies in order to earn rewards to power up further. These side attractions join with the return of shooting ranges littered along the main quest as well as the bonus arcade style game, The Mercenaries from the original, which I sank untold time into back when just enjoying the frantic score setting mode.
Truly this remake tops the original in nearly every way.



One element that does work against the remake and needs to be highlighted in a space away from the rest is the inclusion of microtransactions. There are no good microtransactions in gaming and these ones are just as bad as any others, worse yet were slipped in after the game had shipped and sold its initial lot. Capcom dings what should be a flawless experience with typical corporate greed by selling the ability to purchase items that give any weapon its final upgrade.


Story:
Story and presentation of the characters is the only element that might cause fans of the original, myself included, to not wholeheartedly accept this new version of a beloved game. Put simply, this remake and the original, while having largely the same series of main plot events, make very different choices in how to present them in tone. Resident Evil as a series always had a sort of campy presentation of its lines and moments that at times made it tough to take wholly serious, a sort of B horror movie mood that honestly was part of the charm. The original game turned this notion up to 11 while leaning into the action oriented design. Leon became a wise cracking action star, antagonists exchanged silly banter with him in mini cut scenes, and jokes were made about ‘ballistics’. It was unapologetically a goofy action movie and fans like myself ate it up.
The remake took all the same characters, basic story beats, and plot, and shifted to a narrative that is more dramatic, involved, and fleshed out. Each major character in the story from the main character Leon to the once shallow Luis Sera to the brutal Jack Krauser. Through files that litter the game for the player to discover, as well as more cohesive and impactful story scenes, the once campy action movie has become full of characters that are hard not to attach to or understand their villainous intentions. As one who had extensive knowledge of the original I found myself getting more deeply invested in all the characters and story moments much more than the original, much more so than any point in the series to this point even.
That said, these are two very different choices, each having their own merits to be enjoyed. Fans of the original, such as myself, will be waiting for certain lines to be said only to be disappointed and may in general have a preference for the tone of the original. While I ultimately was won over to the remake’s presentation of Leon’s explosive journey through and corrupted rural Spain, it wasn’t by much and I found that some characters, such as the game’s main antagonist, Osmund Saddler, were weaker written and less memorable in this take.

Sound:
Resident Evil has had many memorable tracks throughout its entries; from hauntingly serene to frantic anxiety inducing music as characters run away from horrifying creatures. Though it isn’t always able to be heard over the action and shouts of the many monsters of the game the soundtrack fits well to set the mood for the player and the many set pieces of the game, yet that myriad of noises is done well. Each gun, and every monster shout is well crafted and comes together to bring the frightful experience alive.

Presentation:
The entirety of the presentation is stunning. Every monster and gory detail as they are blown apart is given sharp detail. Each environment is given extreme attention from the dilapidated cabins of the village, to the grand and decorative halls of the Salazar castle, to the more run down industry of the Island, all parts have been meticulously crafted down to the last minute bit. The hub is minimal during gameplay, displaying health, ammo, and item durability in only a small section of the bottom right corner, taking up even less space than the original and allowing for the game to flow more seamless and cinematic all through. Item management in the form of the attache case from the original returns and even has an auto sort feature to make storing the myriad items, weapons, and ammo even easier, even the item box system from previous games in the series not present in the original game makes a come back, allowing for players to horde everything and upgrade to their heart’s content. Another item of note that, while not very relevant to me, I can appreciate, is how many accessibility options are present. From changing the amount of zoom on the action, the color of the target reticle, numerous difficulty options, and many others I never really looked over. Everyone can enjoy this action horror journey and that can only ever be a good thing.

Conclusion:
Resident Evil 4 at the time of its original launch was considered a masterpiece and though I’m sure I wasn’t the only one skeptical at the prospect of the game getting remade, I’m happy to have had my concerns be unfounded. This remake exceeds the original in nearly every way, tightening up sections of gameplay, cutting out ones that were superfluous before, and making a much more realized cast of characters. Aside from the addition of the ever-cancerous microtransactions it's a perfect experience and a model for action games going forward as much as the original was and how to modernize a beloved classic.

Pros:
Overhauled gameplay that makes something great better in every way
More content and ways to approach the game
Stunning graphics to capture every gory detail
A fleshed out story that makes once throw away characters beloved

Cons:
Microtransactions meant to lure players out of their money in a disingenuous ‘offer’ to ‘skip the grind’ (There are no good microtransactions, more so for this high selling of a game)
Story shift in tone may be unappealing to fans of the original Resident Evil 4

Final Rating:
4.5 out of 5. A masterpiece remake, only damaged by corporate greed.
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Shea_Machost 2023-06-02T13:13:56Z
2023-06-02T13:13:56Z
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The following review is an excerpt from my piece on both Resident Evil 4s. This excerpt covers my full thoughts on the 2023 remake.

This year’s remake of Resident Evil 4 is, by all means, a brand new game. It retains most of the original game’s set pieces, the same story scenario and characters, similar level design, and the over-the-shoulder third-person camera. However, nearly every one of those elements has been changed in some substantial way. Set pieces are often expanded or explored from different angles. While the basic story structure is the same, the story beats are in a new order, characters who previously did not share screen time interact, and the characterization and plot details are updated the be more intricate and interesting. While the game is still a third-person shooter, the combat has been altered so drastically that the clunky but tense survival horror action of the 2005 version has been entirely stripped away. Because of these changes, I think of Resident Evil 4 (2023) as less of a remake and more of a remix.

I would compare the more traditional 1-to-1 remakes of video games to covers of songs. A different artist or group of artists works to recreate someone else’s work. The voices singing may be different, and the instrumentation might change, but the song that the group performs is the same. Most video game remakes are the same way. They’re made by different teams at different points in time; those aspects are apparent. However, the game’s identity is ultimately bound to that original game. Resident Evil 4 (2023) is a remix, not a cover. The Capcom of 2023 is sampling the work of Shinji Mikami’s team in 2005, but like an artist remixes a song, these samples are just building blocks for a new piece of music. The song’s structure changes as the remixer adds in their beats and records new instrumentals to add to the song. The identity of the song, or in this case, the game, fundamentally changes.

In 2023, these changes are welcome. As much fun as the original Resident Evil 4's combat is, it would feel notably out of place in the gaming landscape in 2023. Games like Gears of War, Dead Space, The Last of Us, and even Resident Evil 4's follow-ups have built upon the third-person shooter groundwork it laid. These modernizations have made their way into Resident Evil 4 (2023). Leon now has standard analog movement, he can move and shoot simultaneously, and his knife is bound to a single button. The game feels great; it’s super fluid and easy to play. However, this is supposed to be a horror game. Part of what made the original Resident Evil 4 so fun was that it wasn’t easy to play, causing constant tension that elevated the action-horror experience. Despite these changes, Resident Evil 4 (2023) can maintain this level of tension by making another fundamental change. The enemies in this game are faster, they’re smarter, they’re stronger, they’re more aggressive, and there are more of them. So while the tension causing clunkiness of the game’s 2005 release is missing, it has been replaced by the reworked enemy AI paired with the resource management left virtually untouched from the original 2005 release.

Resident Evil 4’s (2023) level design mostly takes the set pieces of the original game but alters them to fit with the new enemy AI. Some encounters are almost identical; some are reworked, some are expanded, and some have been removed and replaced by new ones. My two favorite level changes are the village’s lake and the castle’s mine. The lake was simply a battleground for a boss fight in the original game. Now it’s a fully explorable area with multiple puzzles, enemy encounters, and even optional sites to explore and find new equipment. The mine has been completely expanded with a reworked minecart section that adds a fast-paced shooting challenge. Luis now accompanies Leon in this level, which is a nice change of pace as he is much more helpful than Ashley is in combat.

Speaking of Ashley, Resident Evil 4’s characters have all undergone quite a bit of change to fit more in line with the remake’s tone and address some criticisms of the original game. Leon is more or less the same, he’s still dropping cheesy one-liners, but it’s clear that the events of Resident Evil 2’s Raccoon City outbreak have taken a toll on his mental state. Ashley is the character I believe underwent the most positive changes. While I enjoyed Ashley’s presence in Resident Evil 4 (2005), she did seem like a somewhat underdeveloped damsel in distress. Ashley is college-aged but acts more like a prim teenager than a young woman, all while having the voice of Sandy Cheeks from Spongebob Squarepants. Despite these criticisms, I enjoyed Ashley’s presence and escort missions in Resident Evil 4 (2005) as they kept the game from feeling too lonely. Resident Evil 4 (2023) emphasized everything I liked about Ashley. A friendship between her and Leon was present in the original game, but the remake has multiple instances where they act as a team. After Leon’s boss fights with Bitores Méndez in the burning building, Ashley ensures Leon makes it out unharmed. When Leon fights plagas-infected knights in the castle, Ashley throws lanterns at them from the balcony, allowing Leon to land a clean shot. Leon is still there to rescue her, but Ashley takes more agency toward her own survival in the remake. She cares about Leon past the fact that he is her ticket out of captivity.

Other supporting characters have been changed as well. Luis has a more supporting role in the story and is present for more of the game's runtime. I mentioned this earlier, but there is a chapter where he acts as your partner almost the entire time. Ada Wong is mostly the same but slightly more subdued than her appearance in Resident Evil 4 (2005). She places an almost identical role in the story, and it’s clear Capcom is probably waiting to expand on her character until the Separate Ways scenario is remade as DLC. The villains are mostly the same except for Ramón Salazar, who took a notable downgrade. Why did Capcom get rid of his funny hat? It was the best part of his design.

Along with the villains’ characterization, their boss fights have also changed. Most of them, including Ramón Salazar, have been completely reworked. For example, in Resident Evil 4 (2005), Leon fought Salazar from an elevated platform surrounded by a lower floor of resources and enemies. The player would have to land shots on Salzar’s eyes to open up his weak point and deal substantial damage while dodging Salazar’s attacks. This fight was one of my favorites in the original game and was made tense due to how limited the space a player could safely inhabit was. Resident Evil 4 (2023) completely upends this boss fight. Leon now encounters Salazar in a hall of staircases to fit the new run-and-gun control scheme. The player must run up and down these staircases avoiding being swallowed whole by Salazar, getting shots in on him, and maintaining their health and ammo. It plays completely differently. While Salzar is the boss that underwent the most changes, most other bosses underwent similar changes, completely changing their identity and how the player needs to adapt to encounters with them.

While Resident Evil 4’s (2023) gameplay loop, characterization, and boss fights have all been substantially changed from the original game, the story, at least from a structural perspective, is essentially the same. A few events happened out of order, but other than that, I did not notice any significant differences. The biggest changes come in the number of details and tone of the story’s presentation. Resident Evil 4 (2023) is still silly, but as a AAA game released in 2023, it has to exist in the hyper-cinematic gaming landscape dominated by Sony’s similar third-person shooters. The game feels darker. Characters make slightly fewer jokes. There is a lot more lore to be found in documents sitting around to more strongly connect it to the other Resident Evil games, but at the end of the day, it is still Resident Evil 4. I can see these changes irritating purists, but for the kind of remake Capcom was going for, I think most of the story and tone changes work well.

Overall, I loved Resident Evil 4 (2023). It’s one of the best action games I’ve ever played. However, my enjoyment of it did not come from the fact that it’s a remake of Resident Evil 4 (2005). I enjoyed it because it was just a great game. This game did not replace my enjoyment of the original game for one moment. Even though I enjoyed it about the same as the original game, I wouldn’t call it Resident Evil 4, but better; I’d call it Resident Evil 4 but different.
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MicahGonzalez 2023-04-16T06:14:01Z
2023-04-16T06:14:01Z
5.0
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Catalog

Mickyt_ Resident Evil 4 2023-10-04T12:29:08Z
2023-10-04T12:29:08Z
4.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
evan_porter Resident Evil 4 2023-10-03T19:33:02Z
2023-10-03T19:33:02Z
5.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
aliasnarrow Resident Evil 4 2023-10-03T14:59:47Z
PS4 / PS5
2023-10-03T14:59:47Z
4.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
lel00000 Resident Evil 4 2023-10-03T14:55:57Z
2023-10-03T14:55:57Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
bro0062 Resident Evil 4 2023-10-03T13:13:26Z
2023-10-03T13:13:26Z
4.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
sirwilh3lm Resident Evil 4 2023-10-02T22:32:24Z
2023-10-02T22:32:24Z
3.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
ARspeedy Resident Evil 4 2023-10-02T17:30:15Z
2023-10-02T17:30:15Z
4.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
quantumfoam Resident Evil 4 2023-10-02T01:57:11Z
2023-10-02T01:57:11Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Hanvyy Resident Evil 4 2023-10-01T17:58:01Z
2023-10-01T17:58:01Z
4.5
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
bulletluckcharm Resident Evil 4 2023-09-30T19:07:18Z
2023-09-30T19:07:18Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
giovanefallito Resident Evil 4 2023-09-30T09:42:23Z
2023-09-30T09:42:23Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Kaputnik Resident Evil 4 2023-09-29T18:31:04Z
2023-09-29T18:31:04Z
4.5
2
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
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  • Previous comments (352) Loading...
  • sebingberg10 2023-09-23 22:45:33.376678+00
    now that Separate Ways is out I kinda consider this Remake as complete and overall a step up over the original. Both are glorious gaming experiences but I consider this one ever so slightly superior.
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  • suddenlywolf 2023-09-26 18:18:52.90037+00
    amazing screenshots uploaded to be used as the background
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  • Convalescence 2023-09-27 04:30:02.979474+00
    Just about as perfect as a remake can get. Expands upon and updates the original without making it obsolete. I’m still delighted to play both versions and that is so cool and sick.

    Enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. And I’m glad it stayed as silly and campy as the original even if aesthetically updated to match with RE2make
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  • 2punk4u 2023-09-27 05:47:08.179543+00
    Yellow tape on destructibles? Fuck that
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  • mcluskyism 2023-09-29 04:17:12.053313+00
    I already thought RE4R was better than the OG, but the SW DLC etches it in stone. Absolutely fantastic, and easily bumps this up to a 5.
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  • COSMIC_CADET 2023-10-01 11:57:48.910591+00
    Separate Ways DLC is great, and obviously a million times better than the original expansion which was genuinely a bit shit.
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  • Pinks 2023-10-03 07:59:42.507049+00
    Since Separate Ways has gone the extra mile with the yellow paint and slathered it all over ladders - as if the player is so inept that they would see a ladder with nothing blocking it after playing the base game and not think to climb it - can we finally accept that this remake is made with the lowest common denominator in mind? It's easier than the original by a mile and far more generic in terms of writing too. A game can be well made but also horribly afraid of scaring off potential customers and therefor willing to sacrifice artistic integrity, can we get a reality check please?
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    • mcluskyism 2023-10-03 18:48:09.532602+00
      QQ
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