Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition review

Well then, now that I've had time to fully test out the new control scheme, I feel I'm ready to write that review! BACK TO ADVENTURE!!!


Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
ESRB Rating: M for Mature (17+)
Release Date: June 19th, 2007 (North America)

Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition has been called one of the Wii's best games yet, right up there with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, The Godfather: Blackhand Edition and Super Paper Mario. Is it truly deserving of such an honor? Read on to find out.

Integral to any Resident Evil game is the story, so let's start with that. Players take control of Leon Scott Kennedy, an ex-Raccoon City police officer who now works for the United States government. It's his goal to retrieve the president's daughter, Ashley Graham, from her captors in Spain. But when he arrives at the small Spanish village, the locals are acting rather strangely. They're violent, attacking Leon at first sight. He quickly realizes that this is no ordinary village, and notes the similarities between the villager's behaviour and that of Raccoon City's residents during the T-Virus outbreak four years prior. This storyline is absolutely SOLID, and it ties in very, VERY well with all the other Resident Evils. Masterful.

Even though Resident Evil 4 is little more than a two-year-old GameCube game, the graphics still manage to impress. Leon and all the other living beings are rendered beautifully, and their movement is fairly smooth, if sometimes slightly wooden. Thin shafts of light permeate the dank Spanish countryside, giving Leon just enough light to work with, as well as setting the bleak mood of this spine-tingling survival-horror adventure. Every now and then you'll stumble across a blurry texture or two, but these situations are few and far between. Even though I know the Wii is capable of much more than this, it is still an amazing looking game.

An important part of ANY horror movie or game is the audio. Leon will be standing in the middle of a hedge maze, seemingly alone, when all of a sudden rampant footsteps and growls signal the fast-approaching zombie-dog. Sometimes it'll be hard to hear the canines growling and panting, due to a nearby fountain or something of the like, adding even more to the realism. The music is minimal, which is really ideal for something such as this. You certainly don't need anymore noise pollution getting in the way of hearing approaching enemies! And the voice acting, in stark contrast to that of the original Resident Evils, is well-acted and very clearly audible. Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition is certainly not a sight (Or a sound!) to be missed.

Well then, now on to the main reason this game was ported to the Wii in the first place: The controls. Since I've already outlined the controls in my impressions, I'll be focusing more on the minute details present during gameplay. Firstly, and most importantly, shooting using the Wii remote and analog stick in tandem is a dream come true, offering incredible accuracy and unmatched aiming speed. Holding the reticule steady with the Wii remote's pointer is worlds easier than holding an analog stick still in an awkward position, as was the case with the GameCube and PS2 versions of the game. In short, Capcom truly outdid themselves with the controls. I just hope to see more games of this style from them in the future, if only to once again experience the pin-point accuracy of Wii remote aiming. In a word: Genius.

What's this game's lastability? Well, if you've never played it before (And thusly have no clue what's going on), it should last you at least 20 hours. After that, there's Mercenaries mode (Basically kill until you die), Separate Ways (Missions following the mysterious Ada Wong) and more! Finishing this game completely will most likely take even the best players upwards of 40 hours, which is well worth the game's measly $30 US price tag.

SUMMARY

Story: 9.3/10

The constant twists and turns of Resident Evil 4's lengthy story mode will make any gamer's head spin, even if it does feel kind of cheesy at times.

Graphics: 9.0

Even though it's no more than what we saw back on the GameCube, Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition is still an incredibly beautiful game. A few touch-ups here and there with the textures would've been nice, though.

Audio: 8.7

Every sound byte is clear as a bell, and the in-game conversations are very well scripted and acted out. However, some of the randomly said phrases are repeated a little too often. And, as any person who's played this will tell you, one can only hear "HEEEEEEEEELP! LEON!" so many times before they feel like going AWOL.

Controls 9.9

The way this game plays, it's almost as if it was planned for the Wii right from the start. Aiming is flawless, and the ability to make a quick swipe with the knife is great when ambushed. However, moving Leon is a teeny bit clunky, and sometimes the quick knife swipes are a little picky.

Lastability: 9.0/10

The main story portion of this game is incredibly extensive, and even once that's done with, there's still the higher difficulty levels and additional modes. Oh, and before anyone asks, yes, "lastability" IS a word.

Overall: 9.5/10

So in the end, yes, Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition does belong in the ranks with Super Paper Mario, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and The Godfather: Blackhand Edition. The controls are solid, the graphics are great, the sound is incredible, and it will last you a long, LONG time. This game is a total steal at $30 US. Buy it. If you're too young, well, buy it, but don't play it! IT WILL FRIGHTEN YOU IN WAYS NEVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE!!! Oh, and they swear a bit. Not for kids.

Well, that is my review of Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition. Has anyone else played this? If so, do you agree with my score? I look forward to your responses.

The Duck Has Spoken.