Resident Evil 4 HD – Review – Xbox 360

Capcom has redefined the survival horror genre a few times over the years, but the 2004 release of Resident Evil 4 may have redefined the whole third person genre. Resident Evil is one of my all time favorite series and I was really looking forward to this HD remake.

Story: After the events of Resident Evil 2, Leon Kennedy finds himself working for the U.S. Government. He is given a mission by the secret servie to go and rescue the Presidents daughter, Ashley Graham. Travelling to a small rustic village in Europe, Leon encounters a cult named: Los Illuminados (The Enlightened Ones). The villagers pledge their lives to the cult going as far as injecting themselves with a plague which makes them violent and zombie like.

Gameplay: At release Resident Evil 4 was far and away the best third person action game ever created, boy has that changed. Time has withered this classic leaving the controls and textures feeling old and tired. Even the HD graphics overhaul feels poorly executed, sure the visuals are crisp, but things just don’t look too great and they also show a motion blur that will hurt the eyes. Capcom also felt the need to change the control scheme, reversing the shoot and run buttons. This made no sense to me because it is a change from what we were used to in Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5. All of the special features of the previous versions are included in the game which is a very nice addition. Mercenaries mode, Assignment Ada, and Separate Ways are a nice diversion from the game and add some value to the $20 price.

Graphics/Audio: Like I stated before the HD overhaul adds a crispness to the visuals, but it also adds an annoying motion blur effect. Capcom really dropped the ball here, it just feels like a rushed project with a shiny coat of paint and not much else. The voice acting as in all Resident Evil games is campy in tone, but the eerie soundtrack adds the tension and fear to this survival horror classic.

Overall: I love the Resident Evil series overall, but Capcom seemingly mailed in this effort. Sure it’s the game we all love and remember but we were promised an HD remake, not a minor graphical makeover and an unannounced control scheme change. The price is low enough to warrant a purchase on nostalgia alone, but it may leave you with the feeling Capcom is just out to make quick money.

Pros:
-It’s Resident Evil 4
-Visual overhaul
-A lot of content for $20

Cons:
-Feels rushed
-Motion blur
-Control change

Score: 6 out of 10

A copy of this game was provided to reviewer for reviewing purposes from the publisher

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