As remakes go, Capcom knows how to make them. They go above and beyond when it comes to actually remaking their early Resident Evil titles. When RE1-3 were remade, they truly remade them. They not only featured updated graphics, but they also included revised scenes, music, and dialogue. I think the overall consensus with their RE remakes is that they set the bar for other companies to follow suit when it comes to remaking efforts.
To be quite blunt and honest, I’m not sure any other company comes close to the amount of effort that Capcom gives to make these games truly ‘remade’. Sure some companies come out with updates for next-generation systems, but to pull something from the 90s/early 2000s and truly make it up-to-date with the current generation and PC standards, well, that’s something wholly other. It’s the true definition of a remake.
Related, this past week, we were privy to seeing some gameplay from the upcoming Capcom remake of Resident Evil 4 that releases on March 24th. Let me tell you, folks, Capcom is still on its remake game. And this particular RE game has some special importance to it. Resident Evil 4 just isn’t another game for the series. It was the game that redefined the series and set the structure for the future of the franchise and even the more recent remakes. Going from a traditional RE voyeur fixed camera to a third-person, over-the-shoulder viewpoint was a significant shift in the gameplay design for the RE series.
In addition to the development design change, the game was released on the Nintendo Gamecube as a timed exclusive and was considered one of the best games on that system. Nintendo’s Gamecube needed a third-party hit back in the day and RE4 certainly delivered. That is significant because up to this point, there had been no real horror shows on the system. I think this game also brought a new audience, new characters, and a purposeful story that was more than just a B-movie horror narrative. It was big.
And I can tell you without a doubt, it’s still big.
Let’s get into it.
Pure Speculation, but safe to assume
Much like the other remakes, while the main theme of the fourth game seems to be very much intact, it still looks considerably different in terms of the journey. That doesn’t mean that Capcom has departed from what made Resident Evil 4’s journey different from the rest. From the footage that we saw, Leon still looks to lead a rescue of the president’s daughter, Ashley, and the game still looks like it will introduce a cult village of very ‘not well’ residents that have been infected by a Thing-like parasite. It still seems to maintain that new world discovery moment that was more than just the Umbrella Corporation infecting a village of people turning them into monsters. I’m glad this was kept, as it was an amazing departure from the previous three games in the series. On the other side of that coin, I’m also glad that it appears to be somewhat different than the original.
The new version of RE4 looks like it’s a bit more open and less linear. If you recall how RE4 was, it did narrow path options for players to travel. This time around, the world looks much larger. While this is pure speculation because I haven’t personally touched the new game, the world appears to be lining itself up with the likes of Resident Evil 7 and 8, where you have a lot more open options to explore and to run to when the time calls. One of the more fascinating and frightful parts of the last Resident Evil game (VIII) was how the baddies could be coming from any direction at any given time. The main reason for that is the openness of the space around the main character. While many people might be frightened at the idea of a narrow view and smaller landscape, because if you can’t hide or escape, then there is plenty of terror to be had, there’s positively nothing more frightening than having too much world around you and having no idea where the danger is coming from. Again, it looks like RE4 has taken the most recent structured path that Capcom has introduced with its latest installment of the RE series. Having a more cohesive world from game to game will do wonders for not only wanting to return to something more modern but to have a seamless transition between titles.
I’ll take the best of both worlds. Having something familiar with the story while being treated to a bigger buffet of a world for it to live within can only be a win.
Graphically gorgeous
Much like the previous remakes, the graphics in this one are out-of-this-world gorgeous. While I didn’t play the third game, the second had me at hello. The darker environments and the more uncertainty with a larger, scarier world filled with restricted lighting situations and remade audio to add to the atmosphere were something to behold. With what we have seen so far with RE4, it appears to be going the same direction. The more you can restrict viewpoints and kill the lighting to make room for things that go bump into the dark, the better the horror will be in a survival situation. If you have the raw power of modern consoles to accomplish this feat, why not go there? The graphic upgrade and play with lighting help to create a spookier atmosphere for Resident Evil 4, which you can see in the footage we have on this page.
From the moment that Leon arrives in the boat house, until the moment he travels with Ashley through a castle filled to the brim with maniac cult members, you’re going to just be flabbergasted with what you’re seeing. It’s along the same lines as the previous remakes which are just continually setting new standards for remakes in general. I wish more companies gave a sh*t about their classic games. It would be nice.
One thing I didn’t like
Why did Capcom have to go and change the Merchant’s lines? I don’t want him to give us a conversation! I just want to hear the famous lines of, “Whatta-ya buying?” or “Whatta-ya sellin’?”, and cap it all off with “(CHUCKLE CHUCKLE) Thank you.” Or “Is that alllll, Strange-a?”
You cannot change this classic dialogue. C’mon, Capcom. Give us back that goofiness. We all love it. It almost got some YouTubers arrested once. Classic. Don’t make him more than he needs to be.
Anyway, let’s wrap this sneak peek up.
Coming together nicely
Resident Evil 4’s remake looks like it’s going to be on par with previous RE remakes. We shall see how it does on the 24th. Until then, we’ll keep you posted on any updates with the game.
