Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Resident Evil 4: Wii Makes The Right Moves


Resident Evil 4 is a beautiful game. The horrific European village is wonderfully crafted, there are residents pinned to walls with pitch forks, hands rotting on tables, towering bonfires, peeling wallpaper, ancient architecture and some truly terrifying enemies. So much artistic care and attention has gone into the title that you can’t help but admire it, even if they are outdated.

Indeed, for all their splendor, the visuals of Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition are very much last generation. They are the identical to the GameCube original (aside from the progressive scan and widescreen display of the PS2 version), so a visual face lift was certainly possible. However, with other Wii software boasting the graphical flare of N64, it is not surprising that Capcom didn’t feel the need to impress; especially as this is still one of the nicest looking games money can buy.


If you have never played Resident Evil 4 before, then get ready for something special. Six years have passed since the viral outbreak in Raccoon City, and Leon S Kennedy (of Resident Evil 2 fame) has a new job protecting the President’s daughter. But his job is made that little bit harder when she is kidnapped by possessed Europeans and taken to a secluded village in some Eastern European backwater. In his search for her Leon uncovers a village full of infected people and terrifying monsters, and a plot far more sinister than anyone had imagined.

Resident Evil 4 deviates from the traditions of the franchise. The puzzles are still here, but they take a back seat to the action; whereas the fixed camera angles, ink ribbons and box based item management are a thing of the past. Die hard fans may not be pleased yet, after five identical titles, it was about time the franchise grew up. And it has managed it with style. The opening village attack is one of those memorable gaming moments as a hoard of possessed zombie-like villagers descends upon you from all angles and you must fight them off with little more than a pistol. There are also some context sensitive knife fights, vehicle based gunplay and epic boss battles to break up the onslaught. It really is that good.

For those that have played the game before (probably several times) then there is only one real question, is the control system any good? Well yes it is. There are head shots a-plenty now the aiming has been improved and the clumsy knife is far more accurate and easy to access. However, Capcom could have taken these improvements one step further by allowing you to shoot and move at the same time. To shoot, gamers must stop, hold B to steady the gun, aim with the pointer and fire. This worked well in the past, but now that the cursor is onscreen at all times (courtesy of the Wii remote), it would have been nice to gun down enemies whilst on the run. This could have made Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition more next generation than updated graphics ever could.

Nevertheless the Wii controls are still impressive, making the title far more immersive than the PS2 and GameCube editions. Put simply, you are more in control, and swiping your knife and aiming your gun makes the violence more visceral and the action that little bit more real. The Wii remote does precisely what Nintendo said it would do: it makes gaming more interactive. It would have been nice to remove unnecessary button presses and some Wii specific content would have been appreciated. However, Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition is still the greatest version of one of the action genre’s finest assets.
Posted by wii-play at 4:20 AM
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