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Resident Evil 4 : Wii Edition

Wii Review

By Iun Hockley - 2nd July 2007 18:06

"Much as the DS has proven its worth against more powerful competition, so too has the Wii remote revealed hidden depths."

Resident Evil 4… what more can be said about this excellent video game? Released in 2004 and 2005 to critical and consumer acclaim the world over, it single-handedly revived a franchise that had become tired and unappealing to gamers through repetition and an unchanging style that was never that effective in the first place. True, the original games were good, but Resi 4 was really something else.

So, is it really worth buying the game all over again three years after original release? The answer very much depends on your devotion to the franchise and the love you have for the game when it was first released, and of course how desperate you are to play it with a Wii remote.

Of course, if this is your first time around with the game, then there should be nothing stopping you from buying it. In fact, why aren't you buying it right now? Don't bother reading the review, just scroll down to the bottom of the page to read the score and confirm what everybody else knows but you. Crawl out from the rock you've been hiding under for the last five years, get your coat and buy the game. Now.

Still reading? Ah, well I guess it's those of you who want to know how effective the Wii remote controls are and how they enhance the game ho are still here. The Wii remote has proven time and again that critics were wrong about it as just a gimmick and a stupid phase that people would go through before buying a 360 or PS3. Much as the DS has proven its worth against more powerful competition, so too has the Wii remote revealed hidden depths: it is almost perfectly suited to any action game. Resident Evil 4 is no exception.

Pressing the B Trigger takes you into an over-the-shoulder point of view to use Leon's chosen weapon. Gone is the (rather cool) laser sight, replace by the hovering green cursor of the Wii remote. When the cursor is placed over an enemy, it turns from green to red in order to distinguish friend from foe, and inanimate object from lurking monstrosity. The targeting is just as accurate as you are, so the uncoordinated should be aware that from time to time you will completely misjudge your aim. Otherwise it is perfectly suited to the Wii. Reloading is also a simple process of shaking the remote when in target mode – when you get as good as me (which you never will) you can make up cool swinging motions when reloading. Another cool feature is that the speaker makes reload and firing noises at the right time.

The remainder of the Wii controls are… okay. They work, but are unspectacular. Turning handles involves turning the Wii remote, shaking off enemies necessitates a whole lot of shaking. Even running sees you shaking frantically. These controls work well, but you cannot help but feel that maybe a little more originality could have been applied in the execution. There's nothing wrong with the controls as such, they just feel tacked-on.

The only major gripe I have with the game is that the extra features have to be unlocked after completing the main game once. I don't mind waiting for the Mercenaries and the Assignment: Ada mini-venture. But I would have liked for the Ada missions to be available from the very start. For new players, and those who have not played it at least 10 times through, this will make no difference. And some reviewers may gripe about the graphics: yes, they are 3 years old and looking a little dated, but what more can you expect? The game is not a graphical update, just an old game with new packaging.

So is this really worth your money? Yes. Yes it is. It was worth the money three years ago, and it will be worth the money three years from now. I still have to have someone in the room with me when playing as Ashley and I still squirm every time I hear the tell-tale buzz of a chainsaw. There is not much new in the game, but as the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Comments

D_prOdigy Says:
July 2nd, 2007 at 14:53 \|\| Total Comments: 1596

Ive asked this before, but to no answer:

If hypothetically N-E doesnt get round to doing a review of a certain game. Would you be prepared to post a reader review if it were up to your standards?

Mako89 Says:
July 2nd, 2007 at 14:54 \|\| Total Comments: 421

Is there such a thing as "livespan?"

S.C.G Says:
July 2nd, 2007 at 16:58 \|\| Total Comments: 380

Nice review Iun, to the point and fun to read :)

D_prOdigy, hypothetically yes, it's possible.

Mako89, yes there is, it denotes how long the game is in reality going to last you and Resi 4 has a decent Livespan.

*Goes back to decapitating the Los Illuminados*

Nintendo-master2 Says:
July 2nd, 2007 at 19:28 \|\| Total Comments: 1530

OMG! im addicted to this game! i bought it for the first time and i cant stop playing it! its f***ing brilliant! 10/10 ^_^

Gypooooo Says:
July 2nd, 2007 at 20:10 \|\| Total Comments: 105

I had a gamecube many years ago but it got the "PLEASE INSERT A GAMECUBE DISC" error that the majority of them got. Unfortunately this kicked in around the time that Resi 4 came out. Even worse I had been saving up for it for several months. In short I never got to play it.

Last christmas I got a Wii from my mum. She doesnt let me use it so Im going to buy my own.

This game still appeals to me but I'm not a big Wii-mote fan. Sure it worked well with Wii sports where the only thing you controlled were your arms, but with games where running is involved, like this one, I would much rather be holding down a button and pushing the control stick forward rather than shaking my hands violently.

I think I'm just going to buy the Gamecube version and play it through my Wii :D

P.S Great review!

Nintendo-master2 Says:
July 2nd, 2007 at 20:16 \|\| Total Comments: 1530

@ Gypooooo

NOOOOOO! dont buy gamecube on the wii version u can use the classic controller PLUS the gamecube controller with PS2 add-ons!

Mako89 Says:
July 2nd, 2007 at 22:45 \|\| Total Comments: 421

@ S.C.G , no such word as livespan exists, that's why i asked. And if you notice, N-Europe has changed it to lifespan.

23isnumber1 Says:
July 3rd, 2007 at 02:02 \|\| Total Comments: 273

No real need to be rude. Articles get edited, that's that.

Azmol01 Says:
July 3rd, 2007 at 04:09 \|\| Total Comments: 901

@Gypooooo, you do realize to run in Resi 4 wii edition, you hold a button and move the stick forward?

You can play with either the wii-mote, classic or cube pad. You'd be crazy to get the GC version, I've seen some shops sell it for £25 pre-owned! Shocking when the Wii version is only £29.99 new, cheaper online as well.

It has all the PC/PS2 content, improved graphics over the GC version which was the best looking version up until the Wii version as well as having controls which feel smoother, accurate, simpler and far more immersive than the its predecessors.

In short you'd be nuts to miss out on the Wii version! :)

Hahahesedmuff Says:
July 3rd, 2007 at 06:53 \|\| Total Comments: 28

i traded in downhill jam and i got it for 15 euros, well worth it for such a great game!!!

_Kurosaki_ Says:
August 5th, 2007 at 14:20 \|\| Total Comments: 7

i have played now at last re4 in wii! after playing it through 12 times in gc, i must say i'm too loved to gamecube version so i just think even if re4 is one of the greatest games in wii it's still even greater to me in gamecube! sounds nuts doesen't it?