Resident Evil 4 for the GameCube and later PS2, was indeed that revolutionary game. Before delving into gameplay details, it is very safe to say Resident Evil 4 was the best game ever to bear the Resident Evil name, as well as the best game from the GC generation. It’s also hard to argue with anyone who considers RE4 to be the very best video game ever made - it received highest honours for 2006, and received PALGN’s first (and only) perfect 10. Capcom naturally decided to port RE4 to the Wii, with added motion controls and all extra content from both the GC and PS2 versions. Is it still good? Why, yes. Yes it is.
You reprise your role as Leon S. Kennedy, previously of Resident Evil 2 fame. Gone is the geeky, unsure persona of the RPD rookie. The new Leon is an elite government special agent, plucked for hardcore training from the aftermath of the Raccoon City incident. Adept with all forms of weaponry and firefight tactics, Leon also possesses some extremely cool acrobatic moves and hand-to-hand combat abilities. The best part is that all forms of this new combat feel extremely intuitive by using different gameplay styles in different sections of the game.
Stabbity stab stab.
RE4 is primarily an action game, and the Hitchcock-style suspense and fear of the older survival horror games is, for the most part, absent - RE4 manages very effectively to blend the slower paced atmosphere with white-knuckle action. One particular scene takes place in a creepy quasi-castle-laboratory establishment, a staple of the RE series. While collecting one of the many puzzle items, Leon is ambushed, literally by knights in shining armour. These bad boys are extremely tough enemies, and the intense firefight in close quarters than ensues is something never seen before in RE games.
The action takes place from an over-the-shoulder viewpoint, with a fixed camera. This means the player can not always see everything that is happening, and also leads to very frightening moments. The biggest addition to the Wii Edition is – SURPRISE – Wii motion control. Here’s the lowdown.
On screen at all times is a circular crosshair. This can be moved completely independently of Leon when walking. The movement is fluid and responsive, which is absolutely necessary for a pinpoint shooting game. The analogue stick on the Nunchuck is used to walk forward and turn. Hold down the B trigger to take an aiming stance, and use A to shoot. We don’t really know why B isn’t used to shoot, as it is a trigger and all – but whatever. The analogue stick is used to move your view, and the crosshair can shoot anywhere on screen, and aiming is therefore significantly faster than before – given that the player is somewhat of a quick-draw gunslinger. The other buttons on the Wii remote are used to bring up the menu, etc – but the intense shooting gameplay is intuitive and fluid with the Wii Remote. Chalk another success for Wii motion naysayers.
The action elements are appropriate for the storyline. Ashley Graham, the US President’s daughter, has been kidnapped by the Los Illuminados, a cult which is operating somewhere in Spain. The adventure has Leon first rescuing Ashley, then eventually coming to terms with the grand scheme of things – safe to say, this is no short trip. This rather important story would not fit well with slower-paced gameplay, as Leon has many adversaries to fight on the way to bringing down this populous and ambitious enemy.
Ada makes a return, and she kicks ass.
As previously mentioned, there are different locations throughout the game, and all are extremely well designed. Leon begins the game in a small, dilapidated village, and encounters some nasty locals. Leon rescues Ashley early on, and then proceeds to traverse the village and its surrounding area, a castle, a sewer system, an underground mine, and of course a laboratory. RE4 has the player travel across many miles of ground, with an intense story unfolding along the way. Music is often sparse while travelling, but this adds to the atmosphere and in turn adds weight to the many shocking sound effects coming from the characters and enemies.
Puzzle-solving was always a traditional RE gameplay element. Finding crests and keys took up a large portion of time, and was a great addition to the series’ earlier iterations. This is the new RE, and puzzle-solving has taken a step back to pave the way for deeper combat mechanics. Still, along the way Leon will come across many short puzzles and crest collection, as well as several which require a bit of lateral thinking. The puzzles elements work very well in the grand scheme of things, and complement the core action gameplay perfectly.
Throughout the adventure, a mysterious Merchant is available to assist Leon. Weapons and upgrades can now be purchased by using the currency found lying around and dropped from enemies, and unique treasures are spread out, requiring some intelligence and often ammunition to recover. The weapons include several different handguns, three shotguns, rifles, mine and rocket launchers, and even the legendary Magnum. Reloading is handled easily – just flick the Wii remote ever so slightly while in the aiming stance, and Leon gets the lead out. Nice.
Subtle play inclusions make the RE4 experience even more immersive. Press A to open a door; double tap to have Leon forcibly kick the door open. This can also be used as strategy – several enemies standing behind the door waiting to ambush Leon will not react indifferently to Leon bursting through. Enemies can be knocked down and subsequently attacked on the ground at point-blank range with any weapon. Hold the C button on the Nunchuk and use the Wii Remote to slash with the combat knife to conserve ammunition. A leg shot to a running enemy will cause a dramatic fall, while a head shot will send an enemy stumbling backwards. During several of the different enemy reactions, Leon can move in for some brutal roundhouse kicks, and even a devastating suplex throw. There is no shortage of gore, and expect many decapitations. Even still, a beheaded enemy is no indication that the battle is over.
Explosions = awesome.
Speaking of battles, no RE game is complete without bosses. Suffice to say, the bosses in RE4 are very plentiful, and the game sports perhaps the most well-designed bosses and battle scenarios ever created. Leon will fight enormous enemies hanging over underground canyons, utilise pinpoint aiming for a rafter-swinging village chief (a battle which takes place in a burning building, no less), and even find that point-blank shotgun blasts to a futuristic, Alien-esque enemy are useless. Studying the surroundings and choosing which weapons are most appropriate for the situation is done in the heat of battle, and creates a combat atmosphere almost never seen before. Never take your hands off the Remote – cutscenes sometimes require some quick button pressing and Wii-waggling for survival. One outstanding battle is a very tense knife-fight, presented as one long interactive cutscene, controlled entirely by lighting-fast button reflexes.
It’s been a couple of years, but RE4 has aged very well, and holds its own admirably against anything on the market today. No matter what your gaming background, everyone will find something to love with the revolutionary RE4 gameplay. It’s the best version, has the best graphics, and the most gameplay content. What’s not to love? It is a grand testament to the abilities of Capcom, and one of the very best games on the Wii. If you’ve played it before, there’s no better time than now to experience Resident Evil 4, one of the greatest games ever made. If you have never played it, go to the store and buy it now. No question about it.
Umm..accidentally on purpose or today tomorrow?
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