Playing a game that you love for the first time is an unforgettable thing. Sure, you can replay it, but that initial surprise and delight fades away with time. One such game for me is Resident Evil 4, which I've played many times, whether it be the excellent Wii port or the janky iOS port. But my best memories of the game remain with the original GameCube version.

The original 2005 Resident Evil 4 is still one of the best games I've played. At the time, I was a teenager craving more "grown-up" games, which the GameCube did not have many of. Resident Evil 4 perfectly filled that void. It was a truly mind blowing game at the time, with incredible visuals, captivating storytelling and outstanding action gameplay.

The game's setting in rural Spain was also cool for me personally. Being Puerto Rican, Spanish is my first language, so hearing it represented so prominently in a game was a treat. The villagers also have a very... colorful vocabulary that always kept things lively!

I never got around to playing the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3, mainly because those are the only two mainline Resident Evils I have not played, and it feels a little weird to experience them for the first time as reimaginings that reinvent the original vision. When I saw Resident Evil 4 was getting a remake as well, though, I knew there was no way I could miss out.

It is clearly evident how 2 and 3 benefitted from the remake treatment, but the same is not true of 4. Honestly, they could have easily slapped fancy new graphics and a modern control scheme on the original Resident Evil 4, and I wouldn't have complained. The original's atmosphere and game design would have easily held up. Heck, Retro Studios did this exact thing recently with Metroid Prime, and still got heaps of praise.

But this remake goes above and beyond in ways that are almost absurd. From the very beginning, you see the beautifully updated visual direction, which is darker and spookier than the original game ever was. Then you arrive at the Hunter's Lodge and see that the layout of the house has changed, and that there's a new scene where Leon makes a spooky discovery that helps to give the game a more horror-centric moment. Nice!

As you head to the village, you test out the revamped combat and controls, which feel appropriately modern. Then you reach the familiar environment of the village, and it starts to feel like this remake may stick pretty close to the original experience. But this is when the game starts throwing curve balls. Stealth? That was never part of the original game! Hold on--my knife just broke?! Wait, you can parry with it?! Then you confidently climb up to the top of the bell tower and the floor collapses, making Leon plummet into a horde of bloodthirsty Ganados. I could feel the developers cracking up at their own mischief.

You may feel like this is the old game you know and love, but the developers creatively found ways to toy with your expectations by referencing these little moments from the original game and reimagining them, while also reworking large swaths of the story, environment and enemies. This lovingly crafted remake doesn't try to replace the original--it recaptures that "first time" magic by basically being an entirely new game that evokes the things that made the original good, but also tries to be its own thing.

This remake definitely tones down a little bit of the original's catoonishness in favor of more realism, but the dialogue still retains a little of its original quirks. For the most part, the characters are much better. Ashley is way less annoying, and her dynamic with Leon throughout the game is a big highlight. Luis gets an expanded role that greatly benefits the story. Leon is still a loveable no-nonsense goofball that drops funny one-liners. At the same time, the game tries to align with the horror of the original Resident Evil games. There are a few really terrifying encounters, particularly in the middle and late sections of the game. Ammo also feels more scarce than in the original game, at least in the Hardcore mode, my difficulty of choice.

There's tons of other improvements and changes, but they're simply worth discovering on your own. I can't think of a single dull or frustrating moment in this remake. Capcom has gone and crafted a remake that respects the original, builds on it and makes it into something new. This is the gold standard that all remakes should aspire to achieve.

Note: Most of my spoiler tags are to avoid spoiling details about the remake, I will assume most readers are familiar with the original story or don't care about spoilers at this point. If you're interested in the game and on the fence, this review is still for you, but I'd recommend skipping the spoilers, I think seeing a lot of the touch-ups, what's new, what's not, etc. first hand with less prior knowledge is the way to go so I'll painstakingly spoiler tag with you in mind :)

The original RE4 I loved when it first came out for all the unsurprising reasons. So much about it was revolutionary for its time. Apparently it has the Guinness record for most critically acclaimed PS2 game, which isn't totally surprising but is impressive for such a beloved generation of games. You can still see elements that evolved from the 2005 version in games coming out today. Which itself makes it a questionable (and challenging) remake for Capcom to choose to do. Additionally, the game was already a soft reboot of the series, arguably more extreme than, for instance, the move from RE2 to RE2R. RE4 took the series in a way more action-oriented direction and emphasized less the ammo conservation and item management that made the original titles so iconic. The tone of the game is also rather outlandish and goofy and while at 16 I probably thought Leon's insults and one-liners were very "cool," imagining some of his childish arguments with Saddler and Salazar over the video calls coming up in a modern horror game today would feel a little jarring most of the time. There's also the issue of updating Ashley from one of the most infantilized female leads in gaming history. All that said, I think they did just about perfectly in walking the line between surprisingly quite faithful remake and updating basically everything that needed updating. There will be significant contenders for Game of the Year this year, but I think this one's already got a great shot at being mine.

The short of my response to this game is that I mostly agree with the praise that the critics have heaped on this game since launch and I have little to really add that's all that new. It's really damn good. So instead of just rehashing, I'll try to just point out the things that stand out to me that I've heard less of or at least not put emphatically enough, in my eyes.

First, my complaints are few. At times Leon feels a little clunky, just slightly. The game is very well balanced and his speed is important to that so I wouldn't actually change it, but there are times it could get annoying. Most especially, while it's part of the point of combat that you should avoid getting surrounded and cornered, unlike the 2005 Leon who had i-frames for days, Leon in this game is very susceptible to stunlock and that took some getting used to. While the tone is generally done very well to match the other remakes' more grounded tone, the segment on the battlements with the Troll throwing rocks at you I felt was still a little too over-the-top action movie in line with the original. It is a short segment though (protip: it is especially short if you grenade the counterweights through the gates ). The garradors have fairly confusing AI. After 10 playthroughs, I'm still not 100% sure I understand what sets them off and what doesn't, despite the first one being an in-depth introductory fight to teach you how they work . I uhh, think that's about all I could say that was bad at all (and these are major nitpicks, not anything that bugged me much). The rest was basically perfect.

Things that stood out to me are elements I am finding really work well with any of the recent slew of successful remakes. That is, taking elements that either wouldn't have fit as well with the remake's take and turning them into their own unique encounter. An example from a different game would be in Final Fantasy VII Remake, the arena fight with the Hellhouse, which would've made for a really weird random encounter but instead was one of the best sequences of the game when moved to the spotlight as a climactic boss fight . Or in this remake, the first garrador introductory fight in the dungeon with the chains is a really awesome and tense fight that while the original had a similar little dungeon area for, this felt like a totally new take that sold it so much better. As a side note, I somewhat wish they'd kept that as the only one to make it a unique monster, but there are only two more and this sequence does stand out as memorable . The game also doesn't shy away from just totally revamping segments that were admittedly weaker (or too silly). One such area is the Wine cellar which was probably one of the worst parts of the original in my opinion and while not one of the best in this game, it stands up to the rest of the game's standards as unique but interesting in its own right. This is just the general approach of the game. It mimics very closely all the parts of the original that were already really good, and adapts them and improves them while keeping their heart (a good example of this being chapter 4 when the plagas first emerge in the night, there is great atmosphere with very creepy chanting heard in the dense and shadowy woods, and you can find some murdered hikers if you explore. All this is fairly new, but really aligns with how that segment of the game felt originally with a shift into very ominous shadowy horror, while technically adding a lot to it).

The game also achieves a far more cinematic appearance. This is partially due to the RE engine's look and feel, which I remain in love with after several games. The lead characters are generally portrayed very well. Ella Freya (actress for Ashley) I think did an especially good job—along with a far better script—at turning Ashley from a mildly annoying fan service character into a very real person who not only isn't helpless, but experiences her own character arc and shows real emotion in the face of tangible trauma. The cutscenes also do a good job of making the game feel very real and in your face, more so than the original with its very gamey elements and action movie scenes and dialogue. With this, most importantly to me, the game sticks to the survival horror roots that the last several RE games have moved back toward. I think this is an incredibly hard thing to balance since it still has ammo drops from enemies and scenes like Leon avoiding chainsaws coming through the wall by...doing a backflip off the wall (!?) instead of just backing up . But still, I felt much more like I was in a gritty horror struggle, scrounging what I needed to make it through against uneven odds. It still manages to capture the action of the original to a large extent, but there was a noticeable shift to the grounded survival horror that the RE engine games have been doing a great job with.

Other elements of the game are just plain good. It looks awesome with great graphics and art design. It plays amazing with really solid 3rd person action gameplay with varied and well-paced dynamic encounters throughout the entire game. The game manages to feel just as grounded and spooky as the RE engine remakes aim for. There's also excellent replay value. I'm writing this right after finishing my 9th (I think) playthrough, getting all of the challenges and finishing each Mercenaries level with each character with an S or better. At this point, I'm probably moving on to other games but mainly only because I have many other games I want to play, because even after all that, I don't really feel tired of the game, which says a lot.

Briefly, something I'm more ambivalent on is kind of at the core of what's good, but what I also miss in the original. That's that the tone shift, while generally done well and in line with the other remakes, definitely misses some charm of the original. I think this game delivers a better story overall, but man, as stupid as some of Leon's lines in the original were, I do miss some of that silliness and Salazar's running around cackling at you while he drops this or that trap on you. It's one of the things I come to the original for when I revisit it and I had to pour one out when he didn't say "your right hand comes off?" Though we do get some consolation in that several of the challenge/trophy names reference the original script . But I suppose the good thing here is that RE4 (2005) is probably one of, if not THE, most available games out there in terms of platforms you can play it on. So unlike the original RE1, 2, 3, you can still very much play the original if you long for that, probably on the same platform you played the remake.

All in all, this long review could've been about 3X longer (and admittedly I already wonder if I'm going to edit it to mention something I feel is important that I forgot to bring up), but I think that's the main things I'd like to comment on. I mentioned how great RE4 was to me when it first came out, but these days it's actually not super high on my list of favorite RE games. I respect it a lot for its impact on the series and gaming as a whole, but as a Resident Evil game, I tend to think of it more as "the good action-focused one, all of which are lower on the list for me." This game however, while I suck at ranking things (well, mostly I suck at sticking to those rankings), is likely in my top 5 in the series, maybe even top 3. Considering how many there are and how much I like some of them, that's pretty high praise. RE3 remake was a bit rocky but it feels like Capcom really took the criticisms to heart and, like with RE6, are turning that rougher title into a lesson-learned that is ultimately giving us some great new games. With this one in the bag, I don't even care so much what they remake next, even if I have my preferences. I feel confident after this one that it's going to be awesome if they give it even some of the care and respect they gave this one.

My other Resident Evil reviews:

• Resident Evil (1996) - ★★★★★
• Resident Evil 2 (1998) - ★★★★★
• Resident Evil 3 (1999) - ★★★★★
• Resident Evil: Survivor - ★★★
• Resident Evil: Survivor 2 – Code Veronica - ★★
• Resident Evil Remake - ★★★★★
• Resident Evil 2 Remake - ★★★★★
• Resident Evil 3 Remake - ★★★★★
• Resident Evil 4 VR - ★★★★★

I am on a Resident Evil 4 binge, okay? Resident Evil 4 is the only thing I have been playing for the past week. During gaming club meetings at my college, I always went for the Oculus and played RE4VR while I stood there for 3 hours straight, expressing my adoration for Resident Evil 4. And this was before and after the remake came out. TL;DR, I love Resident Evil 4 (2005). It's very close to being a top 5 favorite game and a strong contender for the superlative that is the greatest video game of all time.

The phrase "Resident Evil 4 is one of the greatest video games of all time" is as natural as us organisms breathing air, so when a remake was announced 3 years ago, I was concerned. I was concerned with there being a remake because I felt like it was kind of a waste. Why make a remake of a game so legendary that 1. still holds up to this very day, 2. is available on every modern console, and 3. the remake had El Gigante sized boots to fill? RE:Village made things worse for me for reasons to be told later on. I was concerned until I saw the gameplay trailer of the village.

Instead of being a laser tight focused game like the original, RE4 Remake is a more loose kind of game. Not only in game design, but how Leon moves, how you control Ashley, and more. Crafting provides more flexibility with more decision making. Movement is more free flowing while aiming and you don't control like a tank. All analog movement. And yet the encounters feel designed around this control scheme the way tank controls did the original thanks to much more aggressive enemies while still maintaining that stop-go notion. Exploration is more emphasized in this version.

Let's change the subject to Resident Evil Village. This was supposed to be the spiritual successor to Resident Evil 4. As a video game, it's okay, but as spiritual successor to RE4, it is a huge disappointment. It's a more action focused game, it had the attache case, treasure hunting, the works. However, that game failed as a successor. It lacked variety in its combat encounters in terms of enemy placement, encounters, and arena design. The limb damaging system that made Resident Evil 4's combat special was only for ghouls which weren't the main enemies. Meat and mines (items that would take up space in the original if they existed) are stacked upon each other. Crafting materials took up no space in your case and can be stacked infinitely. It made for a very forgiving inventory system that lost a lot of the decision making that made Resident Evil games what they are. I bring up Village not only because it was supposed to be the spiritual successor to Resident Evil 4, but because it was the most recent Resident Evil game up until Resident Evil 4 Remake. It brings the question if Capcom learned from their missteps with RE4 Remake? And the answer to that is a big resounding yes. Every criticism I had with Village's design listed here has been rescinded in the RE4 Remake.

In the original game, there was only one sidequest in the game: a bit after the village fight, you were given a little sidetask to shoot 10 out of 15 blue medallions for the Punisher. Remake does that and more. There are more sidequests in the game. I get why there was only one in the original, even though, in retrospect, it may be weird. It was a fun little side thing and then after that, it's more laser focused than it already is. Exploration was supposed to be what makes the remake stand out from the original. I'm personally mixed on this. On one hand, they can provide for some nice backtracking; coming back to a previous area with a new encounter is always cool such as the stronger enemy sidequests. I like how some sidequests teach you some mechanics such as hunting animals for healing items or selling. On the other hand, some are as mundane as killing rats and some of that focus that made the original Resident Evil 4 the game that it is: lost here in the remake. Though one thing I really like about sidequests is that you can complete sidequests without reading the objectives. So if you know a sidequest on your replay, you can just do it before the game even tasks you.

For as cool, addicting, and well presented the expanded shooting gallery may be, I'd consider it to be what makes RE4 Remake a more loose game. You'd take a much longer break playing the shooting gallery than you would the 2005 version. Your reward for playing this and playing it well is better change for better gacha pods that give incremental boosts. This is an unobtrusive mechanic, but I find it unnecessary and antithetical to Resident Evil.

One thing I know for sure that the original RE4 has over the Remake is that it is a more polished game. Hit detection in the remake doesn't feel as good as in the original and hit reactions are all over the place. And that's due to the homogenization of modern RE games where most weapons have a crosshair instead of a laser sight. The laser sight in the original game communicated with the player what could be hit. If you saw a red dot aimed at the enemy, you knew that you were guaranteed a hit. Now the laser sight is relegated to only 2 weapons and my beloved Red9 can't use it. There could also be some glitches that would lead to death.

Did Resident Evil 4 need a remake? No. Does it live up to the original? Eh. Does it replace the original? Absolutely not. The 2005 version holds up so well. Not a single iota of that game's design has aged in the slightest. Instead, it stands alongside the original with its own take. I love the remake, but I love the original even more. Though if you were to ask me which one I'd be more likely to play, I couldn't give you a proper answer. That goes to show how Resident Evil 4 Remake still satisfied me.

I'm not entirely sure whether I actually had a better experience with the Resident Evil 4 remake than my first playthrough of the classic original game back in 2020, but it successfully recaptures a lot of what was good about that original while making noticeable improvements to many of its finer details. The game still goes on a bit too long, but the remake just has less bad parts overall, even if it doesn't hit perfectly in every single aspect.

So what exactly was improved? I'd say overall the puzzle aspect of the game is better, with ones I hated in the original being reworked or replaced here. Previously iffy sections like when you control Ashley for a bit and the final escape sequence went significantly more smoothly. The story and characterization lose some silly charm of the original game, which is a bit disappointing, but key characters like Ashley, Luis, and Salazar are noticeably better in this more serious version.

Combat is definitely modernized, feeling less stiff than the original game. Despite that snappier feel, it still has a lot of weight and power behind it. Some of the bosses felt a bit better, though others like the spectacle-driven "Del Lago" monster fell kinda flat for me this time. Of course it's always going to be hard to replace the novelty of seeing these scenarios play out for the first time. I can't say I necessarily had more fun with this gameplay than the original game, but it's easier to recommend to a "Modern Gamer".

"Standard" difficulty here is unexpectedly much harder than the original game's base difficulty, to degree I found pretty exhausting. Despite that, the game suggests that those who played the original skip Standard and go straight for "Hardcore". I think they're wildly off-base here. Think twice before picking Hardcore, since you can't drop down to Standard once you pick it. It could really use a difficulty closer to the original game, somewhere between Standard and the "Assisted" mode.

While I may not love how it's balanced, the combat is still the crux of the game's action appeal, and its source of tension in place of classic RE's more survival horror oriented design. Like in the original game, the infamous "water room" in the midgame castle section is still the clearest picture of the game's dynamic encounter design. Encounters like this smartly force you to make quick decisions about target priority, ammo count, and enemy weaknesses. Regardless of difficulty level, this design intent does still come across and does make for many sections that are at least as exciting as they were in the original game.

Again, they don't hit on every single change here, but they hit on a lot of them, and I'm glad they were willing to make those kinds of changes while still successfully keeping the core intact. I think a lot of people will love this, especially those wanting a more hardcore action experience. I would still recommend that Resident Evil newcomers start with Resident Evil 2 (2019) or Resident Evil 7, since they're less overwhelming (and just better in my personal opinion), but this is by no means something to skip.

What works

• A spiritually faithful and incredibly fun take on bringing one of the best third-person shooters ever nearly 20 years forward
• Visually gorgeous
• Super satisfying gunplay
• Treasure hunting tickles the same completionist urges as the original, despite being incredibly silly in the context of the story

What doesn't

• I found bosses to be strangely easy relative to larger hordes of normal enemies, which remained quite challenging throughout
• Ashley is far less of a typical damsel-in-distress, but I still think they could have done more with her character
• Where laser pointer :(

Verdict

The original Resi 4 is one of my favourite games ever, and might be the game I’ve beaten the most times. However, like the remakes of 1 and 2, I enjoyed this so much and find it to be so much of an improvement that I’m not sure I’ll go back to the original much if at all now.

Almost everything Capcom changed over the original feels like a net positive. Leon is more mobile, but the enemies are far more aggressive to compensate. The pacing is better and the island no longer feels like a bit of a drag. The flying bug dudes go down with a shot or two from a decently upgraded Red9, which makes them far less annoying. Regeneradors are genuinely fucking alarming now, rather than being creepy but ultimately not much of a threat.

I thought Salazar worked better as a strange child than a strange old man, and I would like an option to use a laser pointer on all weapons even if it’s just an unlock, but those are nothing more than minor criticisms.

I still found the game to be delightfully camp; some have said that it’s too self aware now and has lost a lot of its charm as a result, but I don’t agree—there’s still huge amounts of fun-dumb dumb fun.

I thoroughly enjoyed almost every minute of the 18 hours I spent on my first playthrough, and I’m already intending to go back and do a New Game+, not to mention The Mercenaries which is something I never really played much in other Resident Evil games.

I had high hopes for this game. I always saw the original RE4 as a pretty middle-of-the-road Resident Evil game... A really good action game in its own right, but not a great horror game most of the time, and one whose goofy tone really stood at odds with the brooding, contemplative tone of the RE games that came before it.

But here's the thing I rapidly learned though... When you take the goofy shit out of Resident Evil 4, the result is a dull, linear shooter.

The RE4 2023 experience can be distilled down to walking through a long hallway painted with lots of natural textures with no music and a totally flat soundscapes, then a combat arena, repeat. That's the game. Is that extremely reductive? Yes. Yes it is. But it accurately describes the sheer boredom I felt playing this game.

The gameplay becomes a lot more boring, too. The enemies are super bullet spongey on the standard difficulty, which makes the fights arbitrarily tedious. This increased tension in the RE2 remake, but in this one, it just feels like a wall put up between the player and enjoying the game. Remember - these are combat arenas. Not a sprawling level that requires backtracking. But unlike something like DOOM, where the action is fast and frenzied, and you have tons of variety in your weapons, RE4 has exactly one strategy... Shoot in the head or legs, then roundhouse kick. And you're gonna be doing that 2-3 times for every. Single. Enemy. In every. Single. Combat arena. The knife trick from the original where you could shoot an enemy's legs out and slash away for free damage? Can't do that here. The knives break, and pretty rapidly.

Everything that made RE4 a good action game is... Gone. The flirtation with Hunnigan, the cheesy one-liners, the ragdolling enemies, the ridiculous overacting... The merchant is no longer a cockney weirdo, and has been made more "realistic" with long line reads and flat delivery. This new version is just lifeless.

And I should reiterate too: I love slow, brooding horror. Absolutely. But the trouble is, RE4 is an action game. It's structured and designed to be a big, dumb action game. So if you take out the cheese and bravado, you're left with a pretty dull, linear shooter.

And again: This is set entirely in some sort of backwoods, luddite community somehow hidden in modern Spain. That setting is completely stupid and ridiculous. When you try and pair that with realism... The whole thing becomes utterly preposterous. Yes, even in a series with poison frog monsters and Steve fucking Burnside. You can say "Yeah, okay, whatever" when it's a big, dumb action game... But it isn't one anymore.

At the end of the day, I hold that RE4 never needed a remake. The original still feels shockingly modern, especially with the incredible mod support out there, and if you're going to do a remake... Maybe understand what the original is before ripping its spine out.

Is the game bad? Eh, probably not. The graphics and performance are amazing. The gunplay is tight. But I was just bored. Like really, really bored. I can't say I'm especially confident in the direction of the Resident Evil series right now. RE3make was disappointing, RE8 was well-received but a large departure from what made 7 good, and RE4 2023 is a flat, dull version of a stupid, bombastic game.

I have no idea what they're going to do with RE5 and RE6. Because those games are pretty damned mediocre, and have lots of room to grow. Code Veronica could go very well, or it could be ruined. I don't know anymore.

Maybe put Monster Hunter and Resident Evil in the fridge for a bit and just give me a new Mega Man game...

Hard to say anything about RE4 remake, because RE4 is my favorite.

Capcom has proved again and again to be the queen of remakes. I didn't know I needed this until I played it. And it's very close to perfection, in my opinion. I think this remake might even rival RE1's!

It's one of the most perfect examples I've ever seen when it comes to a "Faithful Reimagination". Almost everything is there. The atmosphere, the jokes, areas, challenges, bosses, enemies, characters, storytelling and even secrets. Yet, it all feels brand new. You can tell they've done a good job because it's actually hard to explain how accurate the experience is. Especially for me, who's been a huge fan of this franchise forever.

RE4 didn't need fixing (let alone an entire remake), but they nailed some things extremely well. Like the new emphasis on story. The original's was ok and its tale and tone worked well for the time, but this new take on characters, cutscenes, events and detailed incidents worked even better. It makes more sense now and it's better explained, not losing RE's twisted 80s sense of humour. I was even impressed with the writing, which is something that's usually not good in RE games, even with past remakes.

One thing I loved was how new features that I thought unnecessary worked like a charm. For example, I didn't want a stealthy Leon, but it wasn't uverused and furtivity felt badass. I didn't want a scary RE4 either. The original was scary due to how over the top and intense it felt. And they nailed that just fine. Krauser's final encounter, the first Garrador and the opening sequence are perfect examples of this "tension" I mentioned.

Hell, even the soundtrack is fantastic! The original had my favorite of the franchise and they managed to knock it out of the park AGAIN!

Although not every area made it in (unfortunately), the ones recreated, reimagined and restructured were incredibly well done. Parts like the battle in the shack, nightfall in the village, meeting El Garrador, Ashley's gameplay, both El Gigantes, the Regenerators and both of Krauser's encounters were astounding. A major improvement, while not changing or killing the original's atmosphere and urgency, without a doubt. It's all very well paced, not too mention how stunning this game looks on PS5.

Gameplay received a major overhaul, of course. Not only due to obvious and necessary modern quality of life improvements, but now it finally feels like a real sequel to past RE games. It took me quite a while to get the gist of it, but now I know how delicious it feels to play this. Just as I felt back when I mastered the original's gameplay. And I'm not only talking about combat. The merchant, puzzles, Ashley's interaction, bosses, menu management and even extras. Everything is new and works better now.

All in all, few things take the prize of best remake from this game. I don't care much for Mercenaries, but I really missed Separate Ways, even though it might be a future DLC. I also found unlockables and secrets quite complicated to get. A bit unnecessary, I think. Oh, having to repair your knife and vest constantly was a pain as well.

In fact, this entire game is very complicated. I didn't think it'd be THAT difficult. Maybe it's because I've become very good in the original, but goddamn some combat sequences and item management moments kicked my ass. Maybe it's me, but although I love this style of gameplay, aiming has been feeling a bit off since RE2. So when you put this style against 100 Ganados on a military island... you either get good or die trying. Some bosses like Saddler and Salazar were also a bit weird. Entertaining as hell, but odd.

Also, what the hell was that El Gigante on chapter 8? It was one hell of a surprise, sure, but couldn't they trade this for U3's fight, for example?

At last, but not least, while some characters like Ashley and Salazar are way better now, I felt like Ada and Saddler lost or shifted their original charm a bit. It's not bad, but I wish they were more faithful to the original. This happened with voice acting as well. GREAT job, for sure, but... I guess I prefer 2005's Leon and Luis. RE4 was a "serious" game that didn't take themselves too serious. Here, things feel a bit more critical.

Again, it's hard to rate this game, because this is my favorite. And unlike RE1 and RE2, I still prefer the original.

Yet the quality here is beyond ABSURD! Whether you've been here since 2005 or not, I highly recommend to pick this one up.

I'm not sure how to open up with this. This is a remake but is a fundamentally completely different game from the original. Much like in the way the original shook up the formula back in 2005 by becoming far more action oriented, this remake does the same thing by triple downing on the action aspect of RE4. Despite some rough edges I enjoyed it immensely, but I can see why some might not be completely satisfied by this direction.

Firstly, I want to point out that my experience was with Hardcore difficulty. As such, some of the things I noticed might not even apply to lower difficulties. Every single part of the game has been reworked to take full advantage of every single gameplay element to put action as its most prominent aspect. The knife parry is obvious but every single enemy encounter and set piece is pretty much cracked out. Enemies are ruthless and persistent. Simply trying to get the classic stagger melee combo won't be enough and you'll practically need to go gung ho with your guns and knife parrying in order to not get overwhelmed. While I cleared the game on hardcore, I feel the difficulty text is a complete lie. After talking to a few people, Standard seems to be comparable to the original Professional, whereas hardcore is a whole different beast. It is a ruthless difficulty and even though it says "for those who played the original", I would not choose it for your first playthrough. You simply can't treat this like the original where you could group enemies up and hero it out. One way or another, enemies will find a way to flank and get around you, whether it be through questionable spawns or just by the fact that your kicks rarely connect with multiple enemies, thus not being able to gain a little breathing room.

The script has also been completely rewritten and has taken a more serious approach to its narrative. The goofiness and campiness is mostly gone which is a bit of a shame. Leon still has some good one liners but overall it's a much weaker script in my opinion. Krauser's character was done the worst as they made him into a power hungry lunatic for some reason. While it ultimately doesn't bother me too much, I really wish they kept the original script.

If there's one thing I wasn't too fond of it's the boss fights. While they're certainly more cinematic, they're significantly more annoying as the game rarely makes it clear during them what's parryable, what you should crouch, what you should just move away from, and whether or not you'll get a quick time prompt to avoid. It makes them a bit tedious to go through, especially on hardcore.

Despite some of my grievances, like I previously mentioned, I still enjoyed this game far more than I thought I would. As a huge fan of the original, I'm glad they decided to essentially make a completely different game and a far more challenging experience along with it, though it's certainly not going to resonate with everyone. While I think there's some bumps and rough edges concerning bosses and the reworked script and voice acting, I had an immensely great time and I'm looking forward to doing a few more playthroughs. It's probably closer to a 4.5 than a 4 but certainly not a 5 in my opinion.