Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition

"Good Game, Though the Wii Makes it Too Easy"

Since Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition is the most recent version, I'll base my review around it, though I'll be sure to add in my comments about the original.

I had been following Resident Evil 4 since its development, excited for it and when it came out it took me about a year to actually get to play it. When I did, I was truly amazed. The game stepped away from everything that made the series popular (though, I'm sure this new interface made the series popular in a different way). It drove me to buy the game for the Gamecube. Then the game is rereleased three additional times and I feel shafted because the GCN version carries the least amount of extras. But, fast forward 3 years and the Wii version comes out and an additional 2 years and I buy it.

To start out with, I don't regret having two versions of the same game. Out of all my games, this is the game I play the most in the least amount of time.

This game starts Leon S. Kennedy, a survivor of Raccoon City and protagonist of Resident Evil 2, out in the middle of Spain and all he needs to do is rescue the President's daughter, Ashley Graham. Of course, it sounds like a simple mission, but the two discs for the Gamecube (and one for the PS2 and Wii) would signify that it's not so simple. But then again, this is Resident Evil. It turns out that the village has something wrong with it and when you think you can just turn around and leave after rescuing Ashley, you end up losing her a couple of times and figure, why not just end this completely?

The game play, as I already mentioned, took a complete turn for the better from the first five Resident Evil games. Instead of a survival horror game, the game slips away from that genre into a more third-person action game, though still retaining some of its survival horror elements. Controlling Leon is relatively easy, and it gets even easier with the Wiimote. Along with shooting a variety of guns, you also have action commands, such as dodging and kicking your enemies, once again a bit easier with the Wiimote. Another aspect to the game play is Ashley—you must keep her safe from the enemy or else the game ends. Sometimes, though, I wish she would get captured, because she's annoying. But with her, you can get to places not previously able to be gotten to. She's good for something, I guess.

If you got the game for the Gamecube, you probably noticed that the graphics are as good as it gets, most likely due to the two discs. Even though it can get annoying to change the discs, it is a very nice game to just watch sometimes. The PS2's version had to downgrade the graphics since the PS2's power was a bit weaker than the GameCube's, but then the Wii increases the graphics again just to the point around the Gamecube—and no annoying disc replacement. Sometimes, while walking around, you'll want to just look at the environment and the detail the developers were able to put into it. All the cut scenes are in real-time, too, unless you're playing the PS2 version.

I think the one thing that keeps this game somewhere along the lines of the survivor horror genre is the music. Some of the music heard in the game definitely gets you on ease. One instance is when you're Ashley and you're all alone in a basement... ooh, scary. Though not in that way. Music is also another great indicator, I've found out, when you're done getting attacked by villagers (or cult members or whatever). But I've found that the music is most often never out of place. I even downloaded the soundtrack.

Some things that Resident Evil 4 does well? It's challenging the first time you ever play it. The next few times, you'll know what to expect and therefore be able to survive a lot easier. There's plenty of ammo and herbs scattered around, something I loathed about the first Resident Evil game, and since the enemies drop ammo most times, you'll never run out of it unless you're a real bad shot. Also, the inventory screen is awesome, a square grid that can hold up to a bunch of stuff—in my run throughs, I always have 4 guns, a bunch of extra ammo and eggs and herbs and grenades and most times I still have room for extra stuff. This inventory screen made me love Resident Evil 4 even more.

But, as I stated, the difficulty diminishes the more you play it, even with the professional difficulty. I think the only reason that it's any harder is that you have a handgun with ten bullets in the opening scene where you're brutally attacked by hundreds of villagers. After that scene, I always feel better about myself. Also, difficulty diminishes even more with the Wiimote, since now it's much easier to aim and even pull out your knife (this makes Krauser a joke fight, really). If you want to make the game even easier, beat the game and start a new game with Ashley in her suit of armor and you have all your good guns. The game is a joke and you can run through it in about 10 hours max, I'm sure.

Don't get me wrong. I already said that it's my most played game, because killing these people never gets old. You can use the infinite rocket launcher and blow them up and it always makes you smile. Also, the game has so many extras, such as Assignment Ada, the Mercenaries, and, in PS2 and Wii versions, Separate Ways. There's a target shooting minigame, too, so you'll never really not have fun. If I didn't have other games I wanted to play all the time, I'd play this everyday. I would never get sick of it, especially when I get to hear all the goofy dialogue. All in all, I think I'd give the game a perfect 10 out of 10, but the Wii version gets a 9, just because I'm a fan of difficult games. But I still love it.

Resident Evil 4 – 10/10
Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition – 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/30/09

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