Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition

"Laser sights? We don't need no steenking laser sights!!!"

Prologue

Before I begin, have you all seen the Resident Evil 5 trailer? Go to YouTube and watch that before reading this. You can thank me later.

Leon Axes A Question

Resident Evil is one of those series that is just like an old friend. Had a tough day at work? School days grinding a bit? Well, come on home, have a sandwich, blow a zombies head off. Always pleases everyone. In 2005, Resident Evil's latest incarnation hit the shelves, and people were taken aback. No more ammo saving, less puzzles, and a helluva higher body count. Gone was the scary suspense of yesteryear - the time had come for decimating a whole village with a shotgun, and then killing twice as many villagers later.

And now? The insanity has come to the Wii.

For those of you whose abodes have been conveniently situated under a boulder, I'll break down the story for you now. Leon Kennedy - survivor of the Raccoon City disaster and protaganist of Resident Evil 2 - is now a member of the US Secret Service, and is charged with the general protection of the President and his family. Straight after this appointment, the president's daughter is kidnapped. Leon is drafted into Europe, and investigates a village, where Ashley had apparently been sighted. He asked a villager about it, and narrowly avoids an axe to the face.

After this, he didn't get around to asking many other villagers. The whole village suddenly turns on him, and are only stopped when the church bell rings, causing them all, as if in a trance, to stumble towards the church, calling for a Lord Saddler.

Leon forgets this, he needs to find the president's daguhter! So he searches the village, fighting wave after wave of evil villagers before reaching the Church, where he finds Ashley, the daughter of the President. Now is the time for escape.........but I'll say no more.

Zombieeeeeesssssssss....sorta.

Let's face it, the zombies from old B-Movies really are a bit crap. "Oh no, he shuffling towards me at a low speed, I'll never escape." Not today. These psycho villagers are 100% NOT zombies, they CAN run, they CAN talk, they CAN use weapons, and they CAN plan. They ARE smart enough to sneak up on you from behind and they ARE exceptionally violent.

However, a change in the enemy seemed like good cause for a change in the hero.

The physically impaired Leon from Resident Evil 2 can now do more than run and shoot. But before we get to that, lets focus on the running and shooting.

The camera is positioned behind Leon's shoulder, meaning, unlike other Resident Evils, the player can not see behind him at all, a peripheral vision is at a minimum. However, similar to other Resident Evils, Leon can either shoot or run, but never both at the same time. Same with reloading; it can only be done at a standstill.

This adds a bit of tactics to the gameplay. Picture it - you have one bullet left in your handgun, but a god stock left out of it. Three villagers are closing in, but your backed into a corner. What do you do? Shoot one, and then reload? This gives the other two a chance to get intimate. Reload now? All three get closer but now you have a full clip.

Its a mindbender. And this situation could happen a number of times in the game - just with higher risks and bigger losses for the wrong choice.

Another additon to the tactical regime is the fact that shooting different parts of an enemy's body results in different outcomes - for example, a shot to the arm will cause a villager to drop his weapon, a shot to the leg will cause him to stumble and open an opportunity for a 'Kick' Prompt. Not only that, the villagers come with a diverse array of weapons to choose from, from axes to pitchforks to dynamite to miniguns to eletric tasers.

However, I must warn fans of the previous Resident Evils that the gameplay is far different (if you didn't already gather from my brilliant description), so don't shell out your dough if your expecing a survival horror - 'cause that isn't what this is.

Cutscenes and Beyond

Just come to a cutscene? Don't rest on your laurels yet. A number of cutscenes require you to quickly act in order to dodge fatal outcomes whether it be a button press or a wave of the Wiimote.
This makes you feel much more involved, especially in a certain instance where six or seven of these prompts come at quick speeds.

Having said that, this is not to bring focus away from the FMVs (which sport pretty much the same graphics as regular gameplay), as this version of the game uses the same graphics as the GameCube version, which were superior to the PS2 at initial release. In these cutscenes, a pretty decent story unfolds, although it links in very little with previous Resident Evils, and I think the UMBRELLA corporation is mentioned about twice.

This isn't to say that previous fans of the series will dislike the story - the two mentions of UMBRELLA are very much mysterious and a very much open to interpretation story-wise.

The characters that fill these cutscenes also perfect for the setting, and you'll learn to love and to hate them. From slimy Spaniard cop Luis Sera to evil dictator Osmund Saddler, you're bound to find a favourite at some point. Even a midget like Salazar has a fan club. However, these characters are help back with quite mediocre voice acting and, in my opinion, a bit of a shoddy script, which holds back the good story.

Super Control

I've been a bit vague about the control system because I really wanted to put it nearer the end, as it is such a difference from the old version. Shooting as simple as 1-2-3:

1. Hold B to stop and aim
2. Press A to shoot
3. Shake the Wiimote to reload.

You use the analogue stick n the Nunchuck to look around while aiming, hold C to ready the knife (although just slashing the Wiimote produce a faster - but weaker - knife attack) and, when not in combat, the analog stick is used to move, with C being held to run.

It's very much the same system has the GCN or the PS2, but the difference here is that - obviously - the laser sight had disappeared in favour of a circle.

Oh yeah, and you use the Wiimote to aim instead of the analog stick. :)

Using the Wiimote to aim turns this whole game around. Lots of people say that this makes the game easier, however, I thought it made the game ten times harder. I have pretty much slaughtered the PS2 version on Pro mode - only two hours in on the Wii and I had already died six times. Seriously, it's like a totally different game.

Wiiplay Value

GameCube owners really didn't get as much replay value from RE4 than PS2 owners as Separate Ways (Ada's story) and The Mercenaries were both missing. These two factors are both included on this version, but personally, I wouldn't have minded if they were gone. The main game itself has enough replay value in itself - because it can be so easily moulded. Speed runs, no merchant runs, no healing runs, and handgun only runs are all worth a thrill even after the main game is complete. That being said, it would've been nice if there had been some Wii-Exclusive Extras.

The Verdict

This is easily the definitive version of RE4. It couples the superior graphics of the GC version and the added extras of the PS2 version, and tops it all off with a brand spanking new control system, which adds an extra dimension to the bloodbath. If you have never played Resident Evil 4, then get it on the Wii, however owners of previous copies will still have a lot of fun with this.

Still need some convincing? It a budget game. About £20 ($30). But in any currency, in any amount, this game is worth buying. So go buy it. Now.

Score: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/04/07

Game Release: Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (EU, 06/29/07)