Resident Evil 4 Remake

[gerey]

Leon has become much more talkative, now he regularly quips a one-liner as if he was a character in a Joss Wheedon's film. Shoot enemy in a head, kick an enemy off a ladder, take out a group with a lucky grenade throw - Leon has a joke to spout for every occasion. I assume in the final game at a certain point these phrases will start repeating, and Leon's chatty attitude will get old really fast.

Overall it was OK. Still not sure why are they even making this, original RE4 is still a perfectly modern game that doesn't need any "modernisations". I was hoping for remake to end up being a more horror-focused reimagining, tonally more in line with their recent remakes, but it looks like after RE3 got (rightfully) lambasted for inaccuracies Capcom decided to play it safe. Shame.

Just finished the demo, turns out the village chokepoint present in the original is here too, and just like in the original it largely trivializes the encounter (though, granted, a first-time player is unlikely to know about it or know how to (ab)use it if he stumbles upon it). Yes, the game feels significantly more challenging, the enemies are beefier and it's not as easy to stagger them unless you land a headshot.

I also thought the movement felt off, Leon has far too much momentum - which is not really noticeable when you're walking around, but the moment you start running to reposition it start feeling weird.

As for the part I quoted, I'll never understand the obsession people have wanting RE4 to be more scary or "RE-like", which itself is an oxymoron since the original RE2 and (especially) RE3 were already more action than horror, not that RE1 itself was that scary or taking itself too seriously. Trying to amp the horror in RE4 would take away from what made it stand out when it was released.

I didn't feel Leon was particularly talkative - he'll throw the occasional one-liner (only happened once during my fight in the village, when I threw a frag grenade), which is in line with how his character was portrayed in the original. I actually feel like the remake toned down his devil may care attitude significantly - here it feels less like he's completely disconnected from what's happening around him, and more as his way to deal with the stress of the situation.

All in all it seems that Capcom decided to play it very safe - though the introductory path from the starting house to the village seems much shorter than the original - since the village feels almost like a 1:1 with the original game.

The new additions to the gameplay are largely a collection of mechanics that were well received in previous RE games, and are unobtrusive. Stealth does feel somewhat pointless though, since the RE4 maps weren't actually designed with stealth in mind, but maybe Capcom has a few surprises in the full game?

[wndrbr]

As for the part I quoted, I'll never understand the obsession people have wanting RE4 to be more scary or "RE-like", which itself is an oxymoron since the original RE2 and (especially) RE3 were already more action than horror, not that RE1 itself was that scary or taking itself too seriously. Trying to amp the horror in RE4 would take away from what made it stand out when it was released.

RE4 already exists and it's a great game, so I thought it would've been nice if "remake" was more of a "reboot" and tried something completely different.

Stealth does feel somewhat pointless though, since the RE4 maps weren't actually designed with stealth in mind, but maybe Capcom has a few surprises in the full game?

my guess is that stealth mechanics were originally implemented for Ashley's segments, and then retroactively added to the rest of the game because why not.

[agentorange]

Leon has become much more talkative, now he regularly quips a one-liner as if he was a character in a Joss Wheedon's film. Shoot enemy in a head, kick an enemy off a ladder, take out a group with a lucky grenade throw - Leon has a joke to spout for every occasion. I assume in the final game at a certain point these phrases will start repeating, and Leon's chatty attitude will get old really fast.

Overall it was OK. Still not sure why are they even making this, original RE4 is still a perfectly modern game that doesn't need any "modernisations". I was hoping for remake to end up being a more horror-focused reimagining, tonally more in line with their recent remakes, but it looks like after RE3 got (rightfully) lambasted for inaccuracies Capcom decided to play it safe. Shame.

As for the part I quoted, I'll never understand the obsession people have wanting RE4 to be more scary or "RE-like", which itself is an oxymoron since the original RE2 and (especially) RE3 were already more action than horror, not that RE1 itself was that scary or taking itself too seriously. Trying to amp the horror in RE4 would take away from what made it stand out when it was released.

Eh, this is revisionist. The original games, especially RE1, were very much intended to be scary, and were (still are if you could play them with a fresh pair of eyes), and they did take themselves seriously in terms of story, setting, atmosphere, etc. The idea that that they're non-serious and goofy only comes from the voice acting and broken english which was an unintentional symptom of the game using amateurish voice actors, because it was all they had access to at the time, and the script not getting any proper localization treatment (compare it to the RE1 remake where they were able to get more professional actors and fix the dialogue and you can tell that the intention was to be serious and scary). RE2 and RE3 are more "action" in the sense that there are more enemies and more guns, but they are still firmly survival horror in gameplay and have a serious mood to them, especially RE3 which is by far the hardest of the original games and has a pretty somber and melancholy tone to its story. There's more than a fine line between Jill saying "I'll give you STARS" to Nemesis at the very end of RE3, after spending most of the game desperately afraid of it, and Leon having a marvel quip at the ready every time he kills a zombie.

[rusty_shackleford]

RE games are spooky

[gerey]

The original games, especially RE1, were very much intended to be scary, and were (still are if you could play them with a fresh pair of eyes), and they did take themselves seriously in terms of story, setting, atmosphere, etc.

I'll have to disagree on this - RE1 was very deliberately made to evoke schlock B-movie horror vibes. I'd argue that what the developers were mostly going for was tension, instead of actively trying to scare the player (besides the jumpscares). I agree that Capcom has focused more on the horror aspect of the franchise in their recent titles (RE1R, RE2R, RE7), but RE has always oscillated between horror and action, so Village and RE4R placing greater emphasis on the later isn't anything new. You could even say that it's the natural cycle of the franchise by now.

Leon having a marvel quip at the ready every time he kills a zombie

I've played through the demo three times now to experiment with the various features, and the number of times he makes a quip is extremely rare. In fact, it only happened twice - the first time when I threw the frag grenade into a crowd, and the second time when I ran out of ammo for the gun in the middle of the village fight (and this was less a quip and more an "Oh crap" comment).

Also, I have to say that the gameplay has grown on me - Leon's movements can still feel off, but everything else is very fluid and snappy. Being able to parry melee attacks is a great addition, though I still need to consciously remind myself the mechanic exists to make use of it.

Interestingly, actually staggering and kicking enemies might not always be a good strategy, since if you break their necks and are not quick enough to stab them while they are on the ground they will rise once again and take a lot more punishment before going down.

EDTI:

A few more observations. The difficulty in the game has increased by a fair amount. Obviously, the usual strategy of finding a chokepoint to funnel enemies through is still effective, but Capcom have done a good job of tweaking other gameplay aspects:

- enemies are much, much more aggressive in the remake and react faster and they like to gang up on you
- if one of them grabs you another one is going to try to hit you while you're immobilized
- they also seem to have gained a few new moves - enemies equipped with pitchforks can crouch their "lance" and rush at you
- they now have the ability to lay down bear traps
- there are fewer i-frames you can (ab)use - it's especially noticeable when you're trying to climb the stairs
- the melee attacks have been nerfed, at most you will be able to knock back two to three enemies, instead of 5+ like in the original
- the spread of the shotgun has been significantly decreased, so it's not as useful in knocking down groups of enemies

Only thing I wish is that they have tweaked the map design a bit to remove chokepoints, or at least allow enemies to create alternative routes to get to you.

Also, it seems that the demo has a similar thing going to the demo of RE7. Not only is there a chance to unlock a more difficult mode every time you start the game, but you can also unlock a TMP for subsequent runs if you fill the requirements. There's also a locked drawer in the village that requires a key to open, and I can only assume that Capcom will sneak the key into an update for the demo in the near future.

[wndrbr]

Achievements list has leaked. Separate Ways, Assignment Ada and Mercenaries and suspiciously absent. U3 boss isn't mentioned either.

► Show Spoiler

Platinum - Obtain All Trophies

Parry an Enemy With The Knife
Upgrade a Weapon
Get the exclusive Upgrade for a weapon
Rescue Ashley While She's Being Carried away by an enemy

Destroy A Clockwork Castellan
Defeat Del Lago
Defeat Bitores Mendes
Defeat the Verdugo
Defeat Ramon Salazar
Defeat Jack Krauser
Defeat Osmund Saddler

Defeat 3 Enemies with One Flashbang Grenade
Defeat a Garrador Using Only Knives
Kill 2 Parasites Inside A Regenerator With One Bullet
Throw a Grenade Into Ramon Salazar's Mouth
Use A Cannon To Defeat A Zealot
Make It Through Both Minecart Sections In The Underground Tunnel Without Taking Damage
Reach the Top Of The Clock Tower Without The Lift Stopping Once
Escape On The Water Scooter Without Taking Damage

Sell A Single Treasure For At Least 1,000,000 Ptas
Obtain All Treasures included on the village treasure map in one playthrough
Obtain All Treasures included on the castle treasure map in one playthrough
Obtain All Treasures included on the island treasure map in one playthrough
Obtain All Weapons
Destroy all ClockWork Castellan's

Complete the main story on Standard Mode Or Higher
Complete the main story on Standard Mode with an S+ Rank
Complete the main story on Hardcore Mode Or Higher
Complete the main story on Hardcore Mode with an S+ Rank
Complete the main story on Professional Mode
Complete the main story within 8 Hours
Complete the main story Without using a recovery Item
Complete the main story using only knives and handguns
Complete the main story Without talking to the merchant once

Complete a game at the shooting range
Get an S rank in all games at the shooting range
Shoot through and destroy 5 targets at the shooting range with one shot

[wndrbr]

Complete the main story within 8 Hours

sounds very forbidable.

Previous recent RE games all had "speedrun" achievements - RE3r demanded beating it in under 2 hours, RE2r demanded beating it in under 2 or 3 hours (depending on the difficulty setting), RE8 - 3hrs, RE7 - 4hrs (the number is so big because of cutscenes). Huge 8hrs number means this game is twice or thrice as big as any of those games.

[agentorange]

Complete the main story within 8 Hours

sounds very forbidable.

Previous recent RE games all had "speedrun" achievements - RE3r demanded beating it in under 2 hours, RE2r demanded beating it in under 2 or 3 hours (depending on the difficulty setting), RE8 - 3hrs, RE7 - 4hrs (the number is so big because of cutscenes). Huge 8hrs number means this game is twice or thrice as big as any of those games.

RE4 is filled with stuff that the player has only so much control over in regards to how fast it can be gotten through. Many areas that lock the player in an arena that will only open once a certain amount of time has passed or a certain amount of enemies have been killed, parts where the player has to rely on Ashley to do stuff while they protect her (not to mention the part where you play as her), boss fights like the Del Lago and Krauser one where there are lengthy patterns that have to be waited on, etc.
The game is also basically a rail shooter with the player moving in a straight line through all the areas, so unlike the original RE games where navigation could be time consuming the first time, because of the maze like layout, but after playing the game enough you could shave a lot of time off by knowing how to move through the areas, there is a very hard limit to how fast you can get through the areas in RE4.

[wndrbr]

Complete the main story within 8 Hours

sounds very forbidable.

Previous recent RE games all had "speedrun" achievements - RE3r demanded beating it in under 2 hours, RE2r demanded beating it in under 2 or 3 hours (depending on the difficulty setting), RE8 - 3hrs, RE7 - 4hrs (the number is so big because of cutscenes). Huge 8hrs number means this game is twice or thrice as big as any of those games.

RE4 is filled with stuff that the player has only so much control over in regards to how fast it can be gotten through. Many areas that lock the player in an arena that will only open once a certain amount of time has passed or a certain amount of enemies have been killed, parts where the player has to rely on Ashley to do stuff while they protect her (not to mention the part where you play as her), boss fights like the Del Lago and Krauser one where there are lengthy patterns that have to be waited on, etc.
The game is also basically a rail shooter with the player moving in a straight line through all the areas, so unlike the original RE games where navigation could be time consuming the first time, because of the maze like layout, but after playing the game enough you could shave a lot of time off by knowing how to move through the areas, there is a very hard limit to how fast you can get through the areas in RE4.

my comparison still stands because RE3 remake and RE8 are almost as linear as the original RE4.

[gerey]

Separate Ways, Assignment Ada and Mercenaries and suspiciously absent. U3 boss isn't mentioned either.

IIRC they mentioned somewhere that Mercenaries would be coming as a free DLC post-launch. The two Ada scenarios are likely going to be part of the inevitable DLC expansion.

As for the game length - RE4 itself was massive compared to other RE titles. It's partially the result of the development hell the game went through, they ended creating so many assets (enough that they were used to make other games even) they had to do something with them.

First-time average playthrough of most RE titles will take people anywhere between 6 to 8 hours, depending on how much they explore and how many times they die. RE4? It takes about 15 hours. And yes, like agentorange argues, lots of parts in the game gate your progression, but it's also true that the game has a lot of content - just when you thought it's nearing the end a new chapter opens up.

[wndrbr]

Duh.

I only mentioned the speedrun achievement because it somewhat proves that the remake is just as lengthy as the original was.

[wndrbr]

Review embargo is lifted a week before release. As expected, it receives an overwhelming praise from the gamejournos.



Whether it's actually good remains to be seen. Shills praised RE3 remake as well and we all know how it ended.

[SDG]

Preorderin from best buy so I get that sexy steelbook. I done likewise with RE2make and RE3make.

[SDG]

RE3 remake as well and we all know how it ended.

RE3make was good. Could have been better but still head and shoulders above other action games.

[krokodil]

same industry that spent 18 years calling RE4 a "masterpiece" and putting it in countless top 10 games of all time lists suddenly all say "actually we went back and played the original in preparation for this review and... IT'S LE BAD!" once the goyslop remake is out...

curious

[krokodil]

you can't even break wooden doors or enemy shields in the remake like you could in the original.. they must have imported some of that wood used in dachau and auschwitz.

[Segata Sanshiro]

IGN reviewer complaining about the original being unplayable today. This is the kind of people who get to decide what games today are masterpieces.

[KnightoftheWind]

Game reviewers can barely play new games that hold your hand and spoon-feed you, let alone the classics that actually had a learning curve to them and required skill to master.
My fear is that Capcom will eventually remove the original RE4 from sale in favor of the 2023 Soy edition. The jews in Hollywood are editing older films to remove "problematic" content, so why not video games also?.

[wndrbr]

Footage embargo has been lifted, and a bunch of other reviewers have uploaded their videos.

It's really funny seeing those shills suddenly realizing that the original game is "an aged piece of shit", and claiming that this new remake fixes every issue and makes Resident Evil 4 great again. "Yeah some content was cut, some encounters were removed... but it's for the better!"

You can't make this up.

[Segata Sanshiro]

They should remake RE7, it's been what, 5 years already? That's unacceptably old. I demand endless consooming.

[MadPreacher]

[KnightoftheWind]

Used to like Gmanlives, until he became just another review channel with pedestrian opinions. Just proves that if a game is flashy enough, and panders to nostalgia enough, it'll be well-liked. The tastes of the masses are shit.

[SDG]

Still not sure if I want the digital deluxe version or regular physical copy. I prefer physical...

[MadPreacher]

Still not sure if I want the digital deluxe version or regular physical copy. I prefer physical...

All you get in the physical copy is a code for the digital version if you're on PC. The disk will be cardboard.

[KnightoftheWind]

Even on consoles physical media is basically dead, most disks don't contain the full game anymore, only a portion of it. Either way a large download is required.
You know what came on the disk no questions asked?, the original Resident Evil 4.

[wndrbr]

Received the game as a gift, got to del Lago bossfight. Overall it's exactly what you expected.

things I don't like so far:
- the visuals are busy, cluttered and overly detailed, sometimes it's hard to see what's going on;
- devs knew about this issue, and instead of making the game look clearer they just opted to mark all interactable items with huge prompts;
- the movement is really sluggish because devs preferred fancy realistic animations over gameplay, so Leon now stumbles around like a drunkard;
- there's a lot more cutscenes and scripted sequences than in the original game, a lot more points of no return too;
- treasure map is a must have now. Spinels and other valuable items no longer shine, and it's really hard to discern them in the overly detailed environments.

things that are neight good nor bad, but worth mentioning:
- the difficulty is way higher than it was in the original game, but mostly because the combat feels very inconsistent (which is by design, but I'm not a fan of that). The original game had very tight and predictable mechanics - you always knew what animations/moves Leon and enemies will perform, the movement was very solid and gamey, and all of the enemies had predictable behaviors. The remake, on the other hand, is very "loose" - just like in RE2Remake, enemies tend to have inconsistent hit reactions (sometimes a headshot makes them flinch, sometimes it makes them to fall on the ground, sometimes it sets them up for a melee attack, and sometimes they just tank the damage and keep going). Overly realistic and sluggish movement goes here too, along with a very low accuracy on your starting pistol;
- not sure how I feel about turning spinels into a separate type of currency. Now pesetas can only be used to buy and upgrade guns, while all the cooler stuff (weapon attachments, inventory capacity upgrades, treasure maps, etc) is locked behind spinels.

things I like:
- bowgun is a very cool weapon;
- ganados randomly going berserk after having their necks snapped is a nice spin on the crimsonhead formula;
- inventory management is a lot tighter now - I had to move some of my gear (sniper rifle and TMP) to the storage box, because my inventory was constantly getting filled to the brim;
- the new crafting system looks interesting so far, though I'm not sure how it's gonna work in the later chapters. It's good that the crafting components actually take space, unlike in RE8 where your inventory capacity never mattered.

[SDG]

Game is legit so far. Captures those old RE4 feels and plays well. I dig it.

[wndrbr]

I'm in the middle of the Castle section, and I have a feeling that this game has no identity.

RE1 remake used the same formula as the original game, but did everything better and bigger. RE2 remake was essentially a different game with a somewhat similar plot, it did some things worse than the original game but it was easy to overlook those downgrades due to the game having a new identity while still maintaining the basics. RE3 as an adaptation was so loose it shouldn't have had "3" in the title, but even then it was its own thing, just not a good one.

RE4 remake is stuck somewhere inbetween. It doesn't really improve (imo) on the original RE4, since for every thing devs made better there's another thing that was made worse or outright cut. And it's way too similar to the original game to be considered a "reimagining".

I guess RE3's negative reception is to blame for that. Devs didn't want to make a faithful/improved remake of the game, but after RE3 got lambasted for being too different they were forced by Capcom to make one.

[Segata Sanshiro]

Game is legit so far. Captures those old RE4 feels and plays well. I dig it.

Did you play Fallout 1 yet?

[wndrbr]

You can skip the starting fight in the village by shooting the church bell. Pretty cool.