06-23-2007, 11:12 PM
Heaven forbid you missed Resident Evil 4 two years ago when it was released on the Gamecube and Playstation 2. With breathtaking graphics, gripping gameplay and a compelling storyline, Resident Evil 4 has been hailed as one of the greatest games of all time.
An now, on June 19, 2007, Capcom has brought their greatest Survival Horror game to the Wii, including the extras from the PS2 version and the graphics of the Gamecube version. Only now, Wii controls have been implemented. How do they impact this legendary shooter? Read on to find out.
Story
In Resident Evil 4 you take control of Leon S. Kennedy, an ex-police officer and survivor of the Raccoon City Incident 6 years earlier. You are now working for the United States government and have been sent to a remote area in Europe to find the President's missing daughter, Ashely Graham. Ashley is kidnapped by a religious cult group known as Los Illuminados composed of the Spanish speaking enemies of this game.
Some people would've just given this much and ignored the story throughout the game. Capcom decided to stick with the story and it shows. A lot of thought has gone into this story. A big change in the story in RE4 is that the enemies are not zombies. They are parasite-infected Ganados. Sure they don't act much different from zombies, except for the fact that they can plan and use weapons. By the end of this game, you'll wish you were fighting zombies.
Capcom really did their homework with this story. They even added a class system to the Ganados. One of the finest video game stories in the industry.
Gameplay
You control Leon in an over-the-shoulder view of the action and move around with the analog stick on the Nunchuk. The Wiimote's pointer is used to aim. Holding the B button readies your weapon and the A button fires. To reload, you hold B and shake the Nunchuk. Shaking the Wii remote also unleashes Leon's trusty knife, something you'll need when you have no ammo. Its not complicated, and its good that Capcom didn't try anything too fancy with the Wiimote/Nunchuk combo. The game actually controls well with this setup, with one exception being that you have to move the camera with the analog stick on the nunchuk, rather than simply turning the camera by moving the pointer to the edge of the screen. It feels a tad clumsy, and its a shame that Capcom didn't point a little more thought into the feature. But it only takes a few minutes to get used to and doesn't hinder your ability to play this game. There are also in game interactive cutscenes, you having to shake the Wii Remote or press buttons to avoid danger. They pop up at unexpected times, forcing you to pay attention to the cut scenes. But one of the best things in this game is the ability to attack your foes after you've stunned them. If you shoot them in the face they will stumble backwards and you can rush forward and kick them away, conserving ammo and looking cool at the same time! Its really well done, more praise to Capcom for such a brilliantly designed game.
A few bad things come about during the game (but what games are without faults?). You can't move while you're shooting and often enemies will attack from multiply directions. And when you do move, even while holding the Z button to run, you feel pretty slow. For a man fleeing for his life, Leon sure doesn't move very fast. Its unrealistic and a cause of wanting to keep the camera behind Leon. Also, sometimes the camera gets in the way of you playing, inhibiting your ability to defend yourself. For a survival game, you are in danger a lot and you can't afford some of these mistakes. But for the most part, the controls are responsive and easy to control.
Graphics
Two years and still beautiful. Well, sometimes. Character models are top notch, better than some Xbox games! And they're animated fluidly, meaning that they move and react realistically to being hit or stunned. But the textures in the game are really blurry, as are most of the environments. Its said that everything else looks so beautiful, the water, the characters and the buildings, but the the walls and ground blur. When walking through a building, the whole screen seems to blur. With the added power of the Wii you'd think that Capcom would invest a few months into fixing some of the texture work. Unfortunately that is not the case. They also could've upped the graphical power just a bit. This is a beautiful game with graphics rivaling Twilight Princess, but its still the same as it was on the Gamecube version. It does however, run in true 480p Widescreen, something that the Gamecube version didn't.
One other problem, they half-@$$ed the change from PS2 to Gamecube engine when they added the Ada Wong Missions. They upped the graphics to Gamecube level, but the cut scenes are still the pre-rendered versions found in the PS2 version. Its peculiar to say the least.
Blood looks great in this game and it splatters everywhere when the Ganados get smashed or shot. Its not too much blood either, exactly the right amount you'd expect to come out of the human body.
Music and Sounds
Just about everything in this game is creepy. And that includes the music. It basically starts up when a Ganados approaches. It makes your heart pound when you here it, especially when the screen is filled with those creepy villagers. The Ganados also sound great, screaming and cursing in spanish and howling in pain when you shoot them. Totally realistic too.
The subtle stuff in this game makes it feel even more real. The sounds of your radio and reloading come from the Wii Remote speaker, adding to your immersion in this game. The only real problem is that the firing sound of your gun doesn't come from the Wii Remote which is disappointing by not entirely necessary. All in all the sounds really serve to preserve the creepy atmosphere present in this game.
Final Comments and Scores
Resident Evil 4 is a beautiful Gamecube game and an impressive Wii title. The controls are used well but the camera can get in the way and Leon is a tad too slow. Still this game is terrifying and you will be scared by game's end. Despite the problems I've stated this game should still be purchased by all Wii owners looking for another great game to add to their collection.Story: 9.7/10 A compelling storyline used perfectly thoughout the game.
Gameplay: 8.6/10 Camera gets in the way and you're a tad too slow. But the Wii controls have been used successfully here.
Graphics: 9.5/10 Beautiful but blurry. One of the prettiest games available on the Wii, which is sad.
Music: 9.8/10 Perfectly suited to this game and no sound is wasted. Would've been nice to hear the sounds of gunshots from the Wiimote...
Overall Score: 9.4/10 (not an average)
[The Rooster's Seal of Approval]
