Resident Evil 4 HD Review

In 2005 Resident Evil 4 changed survival horror and the gaming market itself forever with it's tight controls, technically proficient graphics and tense, scary gameplay unmatched by it's sequel. The classic has now moved onto the downloadable market for PS3 and it's certainly still a blast to play.

Six years after the destruction of Raccoon City in Resident Evil 3; Leon Kennedy travels to a distant town in rural England, searching for the presidents missing daughter. Upon arrival the agent is suddenly attacked by hostile villagers and is forced to press on to complete his mission, contending with many horrors along the way while also bumping into old comrades and deadly new masterminds along the way who are intent on unleashing a new form of virus called Los Plagas on the world. The story's atmosphere wins the day through constantly switching up environments as well as providing the immense fear as to what will crop up next to end Leon's life. Aside from some campy dialogue most modern Capcom games are known for the story manages to strike a near perfect balance between twists and scares. Resident Evil fans will rejoice for returning characters updated for the new fully 3D perspective.

At an good twenty hours or more; the story mode is Resident Evil makes up the bulk of the game perfectly. The story mode is made up of shooting enemies, solving light puzzles, escorting the president's daughter through hazardous areas, completing quick time events to avoid instant death and taking on the various bosses strewn through the game's five chapters. The merchant is also on hand throughout Leon's long ordeal to buy, sell and upgrade weapons as well as offer mini games to play through the game. For the majority of playtime you'll be playing as Leon but will also switch to the president's daughter at some points. Each chapter features distinct environments and enemies to blast through such as villages a castle and even an island research facility. The huge variation makes the game feel highly fresh even by current console generation standards and players old and new will want to play through at least twice over. After beating the story on normal, extra modes become unlocked like the mercenaries mode which players build up combos by killing enemies in an arena with different characters as well as the option to play through again with all the money and weapons collected from the previous play through. Despite not offering any form of multiplayer, the game's long story mode and extras unlocked therein provide a great value package for a £15 download.

Resident Evil 4's stellar gameplay may be accepted nowadays as part of modern gaming but back in the original release it was adored by players and critics alike for good reason. An over the shoulder view is entered when Leon readies his weapons or knife where he can then take aim using the guns laser sight or swipe across with the knife. Weapons, herbs and other items are selected from Leon's attaché case which must be upgraded to hold more gear. The catch is that Leon cannot move while aiming which gives the player total control, while amplifying the intensity in the process. Such a deep and precise control scheme is required for ending the many enemies that differ from the zombies found in previous games. They will rush you from multiple angles, use weapons both melee and firearms, shield themselves from gunfire as well as jumping Leon from behind. The enemies are constantly changing both in attack patterns and weak points so you'll never be aiming for the head all the time, some can cause extreme damage or even kill Leon outright such as the terrifying chainsaw man among many others each enemy provides a solid challenge. Thankfully Leon has a large range of tools to defend himself including pistols, shotguns, rifles and heavy weaponry as well as key areas of enemies that can be exploited. A shot to head can be followed up with roundhouse kick or a leg shot can be used to knock an enemy down to be finished off with a brutal stomp. The gameplay remains as challenging and yet fun as ever, death can come regularly but this is only from the player's error, not because the game became unfair.

Resident Evil 4's graphics still look decent by today's standards but the lack of an uplift or even a simple update to the visuals is a major disappointment on Capcom's part. The developer is clearly over reliant on the game's atmosphere to deliver the technical package; but this fails to some extent as the PS3 is capable of much higher quality presentation. Textures outside of the traversable environments still look blurry and lack detail and the environments, while immersive and varied, show barely any improvement from the original version six years ago. Still the animations are still well done both in game and in cut scenes and the game doesn't slow down or suffer from any loading times, but most who have seen or played the game will dismiss the presentation of this so called HD remake as a lazy effort for current generation consoles.

Resident Evil 4 HD can't really be classed as a HD remake but this is offset by the incredibly tight gameplay and many modes that made such a legendary hit among the gaming community when it was released. Series veterans shouldn't want to play it again and its nowhere near as ground breaking as the GameCube version was but for newcomers who missed out on this masterpiece you'll be making a good purchase for a great game, hailed by many as one of the best games ever made.

Rating: 9/10