Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition impressions

Well, I grabbed me a copy of Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition today. Hey, the Gamecube game rocked, and it was only $40 (Canadian), so what the heck? Here are my feelings thus far.



Of course, one of the main things to consider in any Wii game (Especially a port) are the controls. Well, at first, I admit they were a little odd to grasp. Then again, I have The Godfather: Blackhand Edition's controls burned into my soul as of now, so adjustment to any new control scheme takes a while.

My intense Corleone allegiance aside, the controls work very well, if a little unexpectedly. Of course, movement is handled by the analog stick, and camera angles are manipulated via the D-pad. As usual, interacting with the environment entails the use of the A button, and holding the Z trigger steps up Leon's pace to a sprint. Access the menu with the - button and the map with 2. To use your trusty pocket knife, merely swipe the Wii remote for a quick strike, or hold the C button, aim with the analog stick and then swipe for a more accurate cut (Quick swipes will auto-target nearby objects and enemies, sometimes yielding unwanted results).

But, it's with the gun play where things get a little odd. To enter the aiming mode, hold the B trigger. Once that is done, you can freely aim within the confines of the screen by pointing the Wii remote wherever you want. However, pointing the remote at the edge of the screen does NOT cause the camera to turn. Instead, all camera manipulation in aiming mode is handled by the analog stick. This can be quite odd to grasp at first, but once you get the hang of it, everything works quite well.

As for the graphics, they're merely Gamecube quality, but they still manage to blow me away with their beauty! Seriously, Resident Evil 4 looks better than many Wii games on the market today. Everything is dark and gritty, which does much for setting the mode for this survival-horror adventure. Leon and all other living beings are also all rendered very well, and even with 20+ people on screen at once, the frame rate rarely misses a beat. Some of the textures can be blurry at times, but it's pretty rare unless you're specifically looking for it.

It all sounds pretty great, too. The villagers have many different things to say, and Leon's occasional conversations with more civilized beings are very well acted out. The sound effects are spot on, too, from the biggest shotgun blast down to the sound of your feet tramping along in the underbrush. Capcom really outdid themselves here!

Those are my basic impressions of the game so far. Remember, this is merely a preview! The full review should be up on Monday evening, so keep an eye out for it! Until then, keep on gaming, folks!

The Duck Has Spoken.