Resident Evil 4 (Remake)
Jumping back into this game for probably the tenth time, it is still as gripping as it was the year it came out and had me playing over and over again. I knew I'd still enjoy it but for me it was absolutely addicting. I really appreciate how they toned down the cheesiness and cringe in the remake. The only thing that was a bit of an overcorrection in that regard was the lack of Leon one liners but he still has plenty in tact here and so it’s not a problem to me because it makes sense. If you don’t have him going up against completely cringe antagonists then you’re not going to get his top level action movie hero quips. And honestly I prefer it to be balanced like it is here.
The gameplay is what amazes me the most here though. It’s so easy to get lost in the gameplay loop and just keep going and going for hours while playing. Even when getting to the point of upgrading all weapons I still find myself taking detours to get treasures and complete the side quests in the game in the form of the merchant's requests. I’ve found this time I’m using the parry a lot more and it’s gotten me to enjoy the gameplay even more. I’ve found that as I’ve played more games and have gotten better, it’s the greater incorporation of defense that’s made that possible and so its ease of use, is what makes it so fun to me. RE3 had the dodge which the remake of that was done a lot better than the original but this one really steps it up. Of course it gets a little extreme when being able to parry the chainsaws with the knife, but still fits in perfectly with the mythos and journey of Leon S. Kennedy.
In playing these again I think I’ll say this one is my favorite of the RE Engine remakes as it excels at its perfection without drawback. I think about the RE2 remake and how I absolutely enjoyed the gameplay there but by the second run, it was still just as fun but the inconsistencies with the stories not meshing with each other became a headache. Like I said in my review for that game, that headache only exists from playing the original RE2 and knowing what it's like playing the game with stories that work perfectly together in sync. Of course with RE4 there's only one character and one story but still a longer run time than both RE2 stories combined. With the original games I found the RE2 stories more compelling but now I find the remake for RE4 more compelling especially with the more dramatic moments between Leon and Ashley. Not the deepest stuff ever but still nice for the game to have some heart in it. I feel the same with the added depth given to Luis' development and with the writing for Krauser in showing his respect for Leon grow without being too on the nose with the simple choice to have it where he always calls Leon "rookie" except for when Leon kills him, in his last breath he calls him by name. Still some action movie like cheese there but a more meaningful cheese.
But what like most about this remake is how most remakes focus on improving a game’s mechanics and making it more accessible from a gameplay perspective but this one focuses mostly on story and vibe and makes it more accessible from a story perspective which is what the original’s biggest flaw always was.
All in all, looking back at the awards the RE4 remake was up for the year it came out, I feel it was definitely worthy of the accolades it received and was nominated for. So far this is the best remake Capcom has made and only has me excited for the potential with the titles they still have yet to remake.