Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition

"Survival horror just doesn't get any better"

When Resident Evil 4 was released on Gamecube in 2005, it was completely revolutionary. It was unlike anything most of us had ever played, and it took a dying series (and dying genre, in fact,) and single-handedly revived it. Many called it a flawless game. While I disagreed with that in my review of the Gamecube version (and pointed out several big areas in the game where I felt they had dropped the ball,) it was still a great game with an incredibly intense atmosphere, excellent graphics, and really effective sounds and lighting.
For whatever reason, I liked the Wii version better. I don't know if it was the fact that this game's maybe just better the second time, or if the Wii controller really added that much to the game, but after beating RE4; Wii Edition, I firmly had a "9" score in my head, rather than the "8" I gave the GC version. I did not re-read my review of the GC version before playing the Wii Edition (or before writing this review,) so I'm trying not to let that influence my opinion here. For whatever reason, when playing RE4:Wii Edition, issues I remember having with the GC version didn't seem like issues anymore, tedious moments didn't seem at all tedious, and I just had fun almost the entire time I played it. As a result, I highly recommend this game to all Wii owners.

Graphics; This is a direct port, budget-priced, of the Gamecube and PS2 versions, so the graphics were not improved; this looks like the Gamecube version. And while its visuals obviously don't look nearly as amazing two years later, it's still a really nice-looking game, with very detailed environments, tons and tons of enemies on screen at once, some amazing explosions and lighting, and very short and infrequent load times. Had this game been full price I would have complained about the lack of a graphical update, but this was a game sold for only $30 and still looks really nice anyway, so...it's really a non-issue. As a sad reminder of how us Wii owners have completely gotten screwed over, this 2-year old game from last gen is actually probably one of the Wii's best-looking games.

One of the benefits to this port is the fact that it includes the bonus features that were thrown in to the PS2 port of the game, which was also released in 2005. These include a new adventure featuring Ada, a character from the main story. Although everyone's saying that for this Wii Edition, the graphics in these have been upgraded from PS2 status to Gamecube status, after playing them, I'm not so sure, guys. The graphics in Ada's game looked, (to me, anyway,) noticeably weaker than the graphics in the rest of the game, so I think that the PS2 graphics in these bonus features were left as is.

Gameplay; Resident Evil 4 is no longer about tedious puzzles in a quiet mansion. This is a game where tons of enemies (from now on referred to as "villagers,") will be running after you at once, where you'll be running through a village crowded with them in nearly pitch-darkness, relying on the occasional flash of lightning to see if there's a villager standing right near you with an axe...

It's a really intense experience and it's a really fun one as well. In this version, I don't think there was even a single moment of tedium. The gameplay in RE4: Wii Edition has reached perfection. You have no idea what you're missing until you play through this game, but you'll never look at the survival horror genre the same way again after finishing it. There's just nothing like the feeling of reaching a "Save Room," and hearing that soothing "save room music," that's become a tradition of the series. And while RE4's "save room music," is admittedly one of the weaker ones in the series, it's still so much more rewarding to enter a save room in RE4 (with all the intensity that goes on outside them,) and hear that soothing music and to see the merchant there to sell you items. The first save room's a couple hours into the game, and (looking back to the GC version briefly,) when I first got to one, I breathed a sigh of relief that this feature of the series, at least, had remained.

Despite all these gigantic changes to the formula, I surprisingly didn't find myself nostalgic for the old-school Resident Evil games AT ALL with Wii Edition, (something that occasionally happened with the GC version) and I'm not sure why that was. But after playing RE4 on the Wii, with its awesome new controls, I don't think I can ever go back to playing a Resident Evil game on a regular controller, let alone going back to playing the old style of Resident Evil on a regular controller.

Resident Evil 4's "stop and shoot" gameplay makes it a perfect fit for the Wii Remote, and gameplay elements like slashing with a knife and reloading your gun are so much easier and more fun on the Wiimote. Aiming is also significantly easier, but the game's difficulty doesn't suffer because of it; more enemies have been included to compensate for the easier aiming. These controls add so much to the experience that I think it simply makes the game better. Maybe it's the controls, maybe it's the fact that it was my 2nd time through the game, I don't know, but the occasional areas that I found tedious and boring in the GC version, I had no problems with here. The game was fun ALL THE WAY THROUGH with never a point where I felt even slightly bored or annoyed. I remember in the Gamecube version constantly checking my map to see how much further until the next save point; never happened here. I didn't even want to reach the save points, I wanted to keep playing.

Certain gameplay moments, like scenes involving you riding mine carts and shooting villagers as they frantically jump on board, boss fights, and QTE's are all made more fun and intense with the Wiimote. And it's not like they weren't intense to begin with. RE4:Wii Edition is one hell of a ride. Now, I said the gameplay was perfect, and it is, but that's not to say that there aren't some things I wouldn't mind seeing changed a bit in Resident Evil 5. A little more of the series's traditional jump scares would have been appreciated. They're definitely in there, but I think the game could have used a few more. QTE's also could have been better implemented, and a bit less interaction with HQ would have been nice....nothing ruins the feeling of isolation more than having a helpful lady back in the US government with whom Leon communicates with way too frequently via radio. And one other small complaint is that after all the huge and epic boss fights that appear in the game, the final boss is a bit anti-climactic. But otherwise, we're really dealing with a perfect game here and one that all Wii owners should experience. As a nice bonus, if the Wii controls bother you, (which, really, they shouldn't,) the game even supports the GC controller. Unlike most other Wii ports, this is definitely one worth buying, rather than simply buying the GC version and playing it on Wii.

Sound; Sound effects are awesome, easily the best in the series. Gun shots are amazingly well-done, and the sound of a headshot to a villager is really satisfying. Thunder also adds to the mood, and the music's actually pretty creepy. I don't know if it's the best soundtrack in the series, exactly, but it really does a good job of setting the mood. The voice acting, on the other hand, can use a bit of work. While it's satisfactory most of the time (and easily up to par with the rest of the series,) way too often, the actors seem to try too hard to make their characters sound "bad ass" and it's painfully obvious when they try this. Leon's voice actor is the worst culprit of this. The villains are all campy and their voices fit well. Wesker, though, for some reason, goes back to his "Code Veronica" voice actor here, while I thought his new voice in REmake was better. But overall, the voice acting's fine and gets the job done.

Storyline; The storyline's perfectly serviceable. While it doesn't try to be as complex as the other Resident Evil games, the plot's still perfectly suitable for this type of game. It definitely never stops bringing the action, and I liked the ending a bit better the 2nd time as well. One thing I'd like to see end in RE5, though, is the campy villains, (much in the vein of Code Veronica,) who all talk and act like they're right out of bad vampire movies. This was done on purpose, but it definitely took away from the atmosphere. The catchphrases, too, have gotta go, and some of the actions Leon and Ada do are so over the top that they might have been right out of a Paul W.S. Anderson movie.

And one other nitpick I've got is the fact that the character of Krauser, probably the only serious villain in the game, seemed tacked on and unnecessary. The way he's introduced, too, was confusing, and the game treated him like we had seen him before in another Resident Evil game when he was actually a new villain.

Bonus features; As I specified earlier in the review, Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition contains not only the full Gamecube version of the game, but all the bonus features found in the PS2 version as well. Those who buy this game exclusively for those extra features, though, should keep in mind that you still have to beat the main story to unlock them, so take note of that. As far as their quality goes, Separate Ways is easily the most substantial, as it allows you to play as the mysterious Ada during Leon's adventure, providing a little more insight into her storyline. This is NOT a full-fledged adventure like the main story, however, but rather a series of 5 action-packed missions divided into chapters. It's, overall, not...particularly necessary. Granted, it's great to learn a bit more about Ada and her journey, and of course it's nice to see characters like Luis, Krauser, and Wesker get some more screen time, but it doesn't take long to realize that Ada's mission...just...wasn't all that interesting. It was pretty much exactly what it seemed to be from the main story....I'm not sure why they thought it was a story worth telling, especially when our biggest questions regarding it remain shrouded in mystery. Yet, still, it's a nice extra bit of gameplay that adds about 3 hours to the game, and as was mentioned, it's great to spend a little more time with these characters. But those who have played through the GC version multiple times and who have no desire to go through it again, but are considering buying Wii Edition anyway for the PS2 version's bonus features...I'd say don't bother. The bonus features are nice but definitely not worth the $30 all by themselves.

Verdict; Resident Evil 4 was a great game, and Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition is an excellent game. The Wii Remote adds so much to the controls that it's unbelievable. What we have here is probably one of the most intense and exciting games of all time. It's also extremely fun to play and there are almost no flaws with the gameplay. Some aspects, like the story, can definitely be improved in Resident Evil 5, but otherwise, this is really a nearly perfect game. It was easily one of the biggest surprises of last generation and it's great that it'll hopefully find a new audience on the Wii. It's really too bad that the Wii's not getting Resident Evil 5, because I think going back to a regular control scheme for that game is going to feel like a step back for the series. But otherwise, as long as they don't run this series into the ground, the Resident Evil series has been reborn and it's going to become one of the best in video gaming.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/19/07, Updated 11/10/08

Game Release: Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (US, 06/19/07)