Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition

"A masterpiece in the Resident Evil series"

Introduction

The fourth instalment in the mainstream Resident Evil games. Released back in 2005 for the Nintendo GameCube, Resident Evil Four took fans and pushed them into a new game of redefined horror. Since then, Resident Evil 4 has been ported onto the Playstation two, featuring additional bonus content, the PC and finally the Wii. This has increased its fanbase even more and encouraged more gamers to enter the world of survival horror.

Gameplay

The gameplay is very straight forward, advance on with the mission while fighting hordes of new enemies and bosses, solving puzzles and staying on your toes with the eerily scary moments. Sometimes it may not seem obvious what you have to do, or how to beat a certain enemy, but a bit of conscious thought can enable the gamer to get through these situations. This game possesses the horror factor of the previous games, but with more action and slightly less survival based.

The game possesses 3 different difficulty levels, easy, which is what it says it is. Easy cuts out certain parts of the game and enemies are made weaker, a bit too easy for my taste. Normal is the base difficulty. Enemies are of a decent challenge, and the parts that were cut out in easy are now here in their full glory. A recommended starting level. The last difficulty is Professional, enemies are made a lot stronger in this difficulty. Unlocked after beating normal, professional should keep you on your toes throughout the whole game.

There is a new type of inventory system in Resident evil 4. It is a grid of squares, in which each item takes up an amount of dimensions, and the items may have to be shifted around in order to fit them, together. There is another new introduction in Resident Evil 4, money. In the form of the old Spanish currency, Peseta's, money can be used to buy things off of the Merchant, a man in a cloak who appears at various safe rooms to sell things to you, such as guns, First aid sprays and Attache Cases, which increase the space in your inventory. Treasure found can be sold to the Merchant for additional cash. Speaking of first aid spray, Resident Evil 4 removes the Blue Herb found in previous games, and adds the yellow herb which, when combined with a green herb or Mixed herbs (Green and Red) can be consumed to increase either Leon or Ashley's health.

I rate the gameplay 10/10

Graphics

To be honest, I find this game has better graphics than most modern games, even though it has the GameCube graphics. From the blood spraying out after either an enemy or Leon is executed and the flames of an Inc.. inc... err, fire grenade to the eerie atmosphere of the island base. When it is raining, the rain will hit Leon's shoulders, just like it would in real life. Many people think that the Wii has worse graphical capabilities than the Xbox 360 or the PS3, but when you think, does it REALLY need to be any better than this? My only complaint is that some of the faces look a bit cheesy.

I rate the graphics 9.5/10

Controls
The controls are fine with this game. Basically you point the Wiimote at the screen to have your targeting cursor appear. You hold “B” to ready the gun, and press “A” to shoot. “A” is the action button, whether it be picking something up, kicking a door down or suplexing that unfortunate enemy. The D-pad scrolls the camera slightly in the direction pressed to check round corners or check ledges above you. You can use the Nunchuck to walk, while holding the “Z” button to run. Pressing “+” opens the inventory screen, which is where weapons can be changed, or Herbs used. The “-“ button can be used to tell Ashley to follow you or wait behind. Holding the “C” button and swinging the Wii remote uses the knife. But don't set the remote down during cutscenes, as some scenes require you to swing the remote or press “A+B” to avoid death. Not doing so will see Leon suffer a gruesome execution. If you don't get the feel for the controls, a GameCube controller can also be used.

I rate the Controls 10/10

Sound

The sound is good, whether it be the rain hitting the ground, an enemy being alerted to Leon's presence and shouting to his allies or that eerie breathing heard on some parts of the island, hehe. Voice acting is rather good. A good part is, the characters actually have correct accents, whether it be Krausers “tough guy” American voice, or Luis's “Laid-Back” Spanish accent. My only complaint here is there could be inappropriate noises at scary parts. I feel that staying silent could increase the horror value.

I rate the sound 9/10

Story

Leon Scott Kennedy, the character from Resident Evil 2 is sent to a rural village in Spain to search for the Presidents missing daughter, Ashley. Upon his arrival, he finds that the entire village has been brainwashed by a mysterious cult, and are hostile towards Leon. Leon soon becomes victim to the brainwashing himself. Many other characters appear, including two from Leon's past, to help or hinder Leon's progress. Leon is in a race against time to locate Ashley, find a cure for his brainwashing and get out alive. If you want the full story, you are going to have to buy the game I am afraid.

I rate the story 10/10

Replay value

In addition to the story, there are 3 extra modes.

Assignment Ada- Play as Ada Wong in this short Scenario to find some Plaga samples on an island and escape alive. There is only limited ammo and weapons, so wit must be used at some points.

Separate Ways- Play the main story mode from Ada's perspective. Find out what Ada was doing while Leon was playing the main story with five different scenarios which require Ada to accomplish a certain task.

The Mercenaries- Pick one of five characters (Yes, one is Ada, surprise), each with their own weapons and play styles, and race against to clock to beat as many enemies as you can within the time limit. With five characters and four levels, this mini-game can potentially keep a player hooked for hours.

If these games aren't to your taste, then perhaps you could play the story mode with certain restrictions on yourself, such as no healing allowed, or no firearms allowed (Or both...). Resident Evil 4 also possesses a variety of weapons and costumes to be unlocked by completing certain tasks. Trying to get all of the extra content will have you playing for quite a while.

I rate the Replay value 9.5/10

My thoughts

I would recommend getting this game if you can. It can be bought for around 15 to 20 pounds in some places. Although a rare game in some shops, it can be bought with ease over the internet. I have high recommendations for Resident Evil 4. What is 20 pounds held up to hours of entertainment, I recommend it highly.
Overall rating: 10/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/03/09

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