Board 8 > Resident Evil 4 Review Zone

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://opencritic.com/game/14200/resident-evil-4-2023-remake-

https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-5/resident-evil-4?ref=hp

One of the greatest games of all time probably didn't need a remake, yet I'm glad they went ahead and still did it so both old fans and newcomers to the game can play it in a brand new way! Since it takes place in the new continunity of remakes that RE2 and RE3 did there are some slight twists and reimaginations to the original game although it seems these changes have been for the better. We're currently sitting at a 94% through 77 reviews which is not quite at the 96% the Gamecube version originally reviewed at, but still pretty good.

IGN - 10/10
Whether you're a fan of the original or a newcomer with a hankering for some action-heavy horror of the highest quality, Resident Evil 4 is like a parasite-riddled Spaniard: a total no-brainer. Its combat is friction-free but no less stress-inducing thanks to its ferocious cast of creatures, its story rapidly shuttles through a series of action scenes that are diverse in structure but uniformly unwavering in intensity, and its world is rich in detail and full of fun and often snarling surprises. Its improvements over the original are too numerous to list, from simple quality of life changes to completely overhauled boss fight mechanics, and with the exception of the disappointingly diminished personality of the merchant, the team at Capcom has barely put a foot wrong. Whaddaya buying? Only the most relentlessly exciting Resident Evil adventure of all time thats been rebuilt, refined, and realised to the full limits of its enormous potential. A wise choice, mate.

Gamespot - 10/10
Capcom has masterfully created a new version of a beloved game and continues to blaze a trail with its Resident Evil remakes. Like the Resident Evil 2 remake before it, the studio has used advancements in technology and design to modernize an iconic survival-horror and action game by placing emphasis on capturing the spirit of the original, and respectfully evoking the same sense of atmosphere and tone that the original developers aspired to. At the same time, it empowers the player with thrilling new mechanics and places challenges in their way to test their mastery of them. In that respect, the remake stands as a re-envisioning of its past rather than a replication of it. In doing this, it raises the bar for what a good remake is and at the same time, preserves Resident Evil 4's legacy as a genre-defining experience and one of the greatest games of all time.

Easy Allies - 10/10
Resident Evil 4 more than lives up to the legacy of the original game that released almost two decades ago. Combat is dramatically improved thanks to smoother controls, more threatening enemy behavior, and most importantly, the new knife mechanics. Treasure hunting has been rebalanced to highlight difficult decisions regarding resource management. Optional side quests incentivize risk vs. reward, while certain boss fights have been dramatically improved. Capcom continues their winning streak with an absolute masterclass in survival horror.

Push Square - 10/10
Nearly 20 years later, Resident Evil 4 is just as much of a masterpiece today as it was in 2005. Capcom has faithfully remade a genuine classic by bringing it into the modern age and kitting it out with new content, tremendous combat, and striking visuals. What was there before was already enough to consider Resident Evil 4 one of the best games of all time, but now it earns that title in 2023 off the back of better environments and sublime action. This is Resident Evil at its absolute pinnacle; an utterly outstanding experience that will live long in the hearts of longtime fans while inducting a whole new generation of supporters.

Game Informer - 9.5/10
The Resident Evil 4 remake is about everything I could've wanted. But importantly, it doesn't overwrite its predecessor. If anything, this new version reinforces why the original Resident Evil 4 is a game people should still seek out, play, or at least watch and learn about. But as a love letter to one of the greatest games of all time, as a new historical artifact that reinforces why the source material was so landmark in the first place, this new trek through the Spanish countryside is as good as it gets and makes a great game that much better.

Digital Trends - 9/10
Im thankful for the cosmic coincidence that put a Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 remake just months apart from one another. Both projects show two valid, but completely different paths forward for game remakes. Dead Space just preserves the original, faithfully communicating what it was like playing it in 2008. As a counterpoint, Resident Evil 4 shows the value of careful reimagination. It isnt just in conversation with the 2005 version, but with the two decades worth of games that sprung from it. Its the past, present, and future of action-horror rolled up into an instant classic that stands side by side with its predecessor.

Noisy Pixel - 9/10
Resident Evil 4 remains a divisive entry in the series as it caters to fans of survival horror and action within a well-crafted gaming experience. The updated narrative, by far, makes this a solid entry as it fills in plot holes and provides character growth that wasn't present before. The atmosphere and level design only enhance the enjoyment, but the popcorn action structure of the final area hurts the overall pacing. Still, this is undeniably a stellar remake of an already fantastic game.

Destructoid - 7.5/10
Back in 2005, I liked Resident Evil 4, but I didnt love it. The remake hasnt changed that. Unlike the Resident Evil 2 remake, which was revolutionary, Resident Evil 4s glow-up is more of a faithful recreation rather than an overhaul. It changes just enough that, if you loved the original, I cant guarantee this will leave you unperturbed. Meanwhile, if you didnt like its first iteration, its not impossible that this will change your mind. The best I can say is that it is an earnest effort at recapturing the magic, and its worth checking out. It remains, as it always was, maddeningly inconsistent.

I am not hyped for this in the slightest (despite RE4 being a masterpiece that I love) but such great scores make me somewhat optimistic

Sounds like you need to play the chainsaw demo

There was a little vindictive part of me that wanted this to be shit, but I guess I'll have to play it now

Gotta love that opening line in the Destructoid review. Probably knocked 10% off the score straight away.

The Siliconera review is the lowest right now at 7/10. Maybe some people will see this game the way that reviewer did. It should be noted he's apparently a speed runner of the series

In an attempt to make Resident Evil 4 with more modern sensibilities, it has left behind what made the original game so great to begin with. Reload animations are significantly less punchy, Leons dialogue and character writing feel inconsistent at times, with voice performances for certain characters feeling extremely lacking by comparison. Its a fine game, and its passable in terms of quality, though it has some great accessibility options, but its hard to follow up on something that legitimately changed the direction of both the survival horror and third person shooter genre upon its initial release. This will definitely appeal to players that enjoyed both the Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 remake, but fans of the original may walk away feeling lukewarm. Ultimately, it feels like a byproduct of the current state of the industry, where innovation comes second hand to profit, which is ironic given the influence Resident Evil 4 had on the industry at large.

SHINE_GET_64 posted...

It should be noted he's apparently a speed runner of the series

Honestly that makes his opinion mean less to me. Speedrunners do not interact with games like normal people do.

SHINE_GET_64 posted...

Sounds like you need to play the chainsaw demo

Why play the demo if I can play the full game in less than a week!

Seems like this remake is the type of remake FF7 wanted from theirs.
Looking forward to seeing how the Holos play it.

Highest rated remake?

Cavedweller2000 posted...

Highest rated remake?

https://opencritic.com/game/6848/resident-evil-2
https://opencritic.com/game/14200/resident-evil-4-2023-remake-

We'll see.

As far as I am aware the highest rated remake is:

https://www.metacritic.com/game/3ds/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-3d

Though there are some even higher rated ports!

Oh I thought we were talking about resident evil remakes

Yeah I was talking all remakes (not ports). So if it stays at 94 it will be the same as Zelda 3D which I'm not sure if it is a remake or port. Was it remade from ground up?

You can't improve on perfection.

Cavedweller2000 posted...

Yeah I was talking all remakes (not ports). So if it stays at 94 it will be the same as Zelda 3D which I'm not sure if it is a remake or port. Was it remade from ground up?

It has fallen to a 92 now

but thats still really good

Big_Bob posted...

You can't improve on perfection.

That's been my stance since this grotesque monstrosity was announced, but god damnit I'm definitely going to play it anyway.

LightningStrikes posted...

As far as I am aware the highest rated remake is:

https://www.metacritic.com/game/3ds/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-3d

Though there are some even higher rated ports!

That's not a remake it's a remaster.

RE4 has always had room for improvement and from what I've seen so far, they're nailing it.

If the story changes keep up with what I've seen this will easily eclipse the original.

That opening village part in the original blew me away back on the Gamecube. While it obviously didn't have the same effect in the remake demo it was about as good as they could've made it.

Ever since the remake was announced I have not understood a single argument that RE4 should have aged perfectly. I don't think it has at all. I replayed it on PS4 but never got around to finish it despite loving it the first time, largely because I struggled to enjoy the controls in modern times.

I obviously jest when I say the original RE4 is perfect. However, it IS my favorite game of all time. The weird controls, quick-time events that were cool then but annoying now, and the second half of the game being too linear don't change the fact that it's paced perfectly, with hilarious dialogue, great set pieces, and amazing atmosphere. It was the first RE game that I played, and I remain a fan of the series to this day.

I did skip 6 though.

Maybe I should finally play this game

RE4 controls on GameCube are a bit hard to go back to.

Wii Version is still the best version of the game out at this time.

Should've been Code Veronica

I love RE2make but am lukewarm on OG RE4 so idk if I'll bother with this.

voltch posted...

Seems like this remake is the type of remake FF7 wanted from theirs.
Looking forward to seeing how the Holos play it.

All they had to do was not change the story and they would've got it!

OoT3D is definitely a remake, they redid all the assets. of course the Resident Evil remakes do significantly more than that. They almost verge on being reimaginings rather than remakes.

FF7R is exactly the type of remake I wanted as someone who does not like FF7 <_<

Yeah OoT 3D is a remake objectively.

I love ff7r a lot but I'm just saying that was the chief complaint from most people

UshiromiyaEva posted...

FF7R is exactly the type of remake I wanted as someone who does not like FF7 <_<

Oof, you think the ghosts and sewers are good?

They were the worst parts, but I'd still rather play them than original FF7!

I would say FFVIIR despite the title is not actually a remake and instead is a whole new game.

The ghosts are way worse than anything in the original FFVII

The ghosts are better than snowboarding.

Better than unavoidable random battles too

Like by far

Oh good, I actually really wanted to make that post but didn't want to take the heat. I even typed it!

People still defend unavoidable random battles?

Although as an aside, the FF7R ghosts (and other stuff) is why I never got around to playing it. I was actually looking forward to experiencing a modernized version of FF7 because I never vibed with the original. Learning that it wasn't actually a remake, but a sequel with time travel BS baked into the plot just completely evaporated my interest. Soundtrack was fantastic though!

No, but there's already a version of FFVII where you can turn those off!

KamikazePotato posted...

People still defend unavoidable random battles?

Would still rather deal with them than ghosts

LeonhartFour posted...

Would still rather deal with them than ghosts

Hear me out on this one - what about no ghosts and no unavoidable random battles? Dare to dream

"what if the perfect game that catered to all your wants existed"

yeah that'd be great

I mean really the ghosts are fine in the context of the story theyre telling.

KamikazePotato posted...

Although as an aside, the FF7R ghosts (and other stuff) is why I never got around to playing it. I was actually looking forward to experiencing a modernized version of FF7 because I never vibed with the original. Learning that it wasn't actually a remake, but a sequel with time travel BS baked into the plot just completely evaporated my interest. Soundtrack was fantastic though!

You should spoiler tag this stuff for those of us who have never played it. I've actually never played either version and have interest in playing both. I knew there were shenanigans, but didn't know anything specific :/

Anyway, can't wait for this! Wonder if I should go run through RE3 remake real quick first. Bought it and never played it.

they bring the game to a screeching halt every time they appear and I felt like they could've told the same story without needing to do that

anyway this topic is about RE4 a game I have never played so we'll get back to that now

KamikazePotato posted...

Although as an aside, the FF7R ghosts (and other stuff) is why I never got around to playing it. I was actually looking forward to experiencing a modernized version of FF7 because I never vibed with the original. Learning that it wasn't actually a remake, but a sequel with time travel BS baked into the plot just completely evaporated my interest. Soundtrack was fantastic though!

This is not necessarily correct? Like I know it's a theory, but I think there's very very good reason to believe that's not the case.

ctesjbuvf posted...

Ever since the remake was announced I have not understood a single argument that RE4 should have aged perfectly. I don't think it has at all. I replayed it on PS4 but never got around to finish it despite loving it the first time, largely because I struggled to enjoy the controls in modern times.

Can you expand on this?

I've always been curious on what people mean by the controls. Like is it button mapping, animations, the way the gameplay from controller to screen interacts, the way Leon moves?

There is so much to what 'controls' encompass. I'll be the first to admit that the actions for the buttons pressed for the original Gamecube version isn't exactly intuitive, many games aren't and I feel like we just only recently have started to see more intuitive options over the past 6 years or so. On the other hand, it takes about 10 minutes to get used to.

I will say the reason I think that RE4 has 'aged perfectly' is because Leon is still tanking here. And realistically the shooting has aged fine because that's how you would shoot in real life, by just standing your ground and aiming, not running and gunning.

RE4's control scheme is perfectly paced with its gameplay. That's why it hasn't aged despite modern control schemes evolving since then. Leon's walking speed, the tank controls, the slow & deliberate aiming - the game was crafted around all that.

KamikazePotato posted...

RE4's control scheme is perfectly paced with its gameplay. That's why it hasn't aged despite modern control schemes evolving since then. Leon's walking speed, the tank controls, the slow & deliberate aiming - the game was crafted around all that.

Yeah this. I don't even feel the game is dated.