Hiya!

Video gaming can be a very expensive hobby. It’s not like sports where all you need is a ball and you’re good to go. No, with video games, you actually need to put some money into the hobby. This is especially true when technology keeps on improving and game developers keep on utilizing as much computer processing power to squeeze out as much as they can from these new technologies. I’m glad Capcom realizes the fact there are some gamers who still don’t have enough money to buy a new fangled next-generation gaming console nor a blazing fast PC. I’m glad Capcom still is making games for the last generation of gaming consoles like my aging PlayStation 4.

That’s because I still got to play Resident Evil 4 Remake in one form or another. The question is if it’s even worth playing on old technology or not. Well, since I just finished Resident Evil 4 Remake’s story campaign, I think I’m qualified to answer precisely that.

Resident Evil 4 Remake, like the original game, puts you in the combat boots of Leon Kennedy. After the events of Resident Evil 2, Leon is forced into joining a special elite forces branch of the United States federal government. His latest mission has him travelling to a remote village in the outskirts of Spain to track Ashley Graham, the US President’s teenage daughter. He does figure out Ashley has been taken there by a cult known as Los Illuminados and it becomes Leon’s mission to get her out while fighting off infected villagers, mutated dogs and various insane people.

The first thing I will talk about is Resident Evil 4 Remake’s performance on the base PlayStataion 4, which is the system I played it on. If you played Capcom’s other Resident Evil games on the PlayStation 4, you do have a general idea of how it should feel like. The character models still look fantastic, especially in motion. I really think Capcom should outsource their RE Engine to other developers because it’s that good.

However, unlike the other Remakes, you can kind of feel the RE Engine struggling with creating these large maps needed in Resident Evil 4. Some textures come off as a little muddy and it can be difficult to spot enemies far off in the distance. There isn’t any kind of glitches like enemies popping into view all of a sudden but you can see some grainy textures and models when you use through the sniper scope. It’ll clear up in a split second or two but, in a heated battle, the time it takes for that to happen may mean you getting blown up by a stick of dynamite.

Not only does it take some time for textures to load properly, but some objects and levels seem to take extra time to do so as well. There were more than just a couple of times when I would pick up a treasure out in the field and it wouldn’t show the object until after several seconds. There were also times when I would run through a level and it would trigger a loading screen because it has to load up a cinematic. It’s not frequent enough to break immersion but it is enough to get a little annoying. Now, I can’t really compare these issues nor the graphical quality to other systems. I’m just stating the things I noticed while playing Resident Evil 4 Remake on the PlayStation 4 and that’s it.

I also have to mention how loud my PlayStation 4 would get while I was playing the game. There were times when the console’s fan would go full bore from the way it sounded. This happened quite often, especially during heavy action sections like the first village siege and when you have to stand your ground with Luis in the house. This is precisely why I had to play the game at night with the air conditioner on as the Philippine heat can get downright boiling at times. I wouldn’t want my PlayStation 4 to die because of Resident Evil 4 Remake, do I?

Besides the aforementioned graphical glitches, the delayed loading times and some really low resolution textures, I will say the game performs rather admirably on my aging PlayStation 4, all things considered. I won’t say it’s the most ideal way to do so because it does sound like the game is really demanding a lot from the system if my PlayStation 4’s fan is any indication.

Going to the actual gameplay, I will say Resident Evil 4 Remake is a whole lot of fun for the most part, if a little bit frustrating. Exploration is a lot of fun this time around as, while you don’t exactly have the freedom to explore each location any time you want, trying to find every hidden treasure and gemstone can be a rush. I would go around each location, trying to find every single crate and barrel I could find because I knew I would need every bullet, herb and gunpowder to get through each stage. There were times when I would get dangerously low on ammo and the game would seemingly know what ammo I would need as it would give me a bunch of shotgun shells in that last barrel. This made exploration not only fun but kind of necessary for me.

Combat is where things can get a little frustrating as you can get overwhelmed by the sheer numbers at times. Leon Kennedy might be a killing machine but even he has trouble at times with the number of enemies he has to contend with. Thankfully, he can use a knife to parry most attacks. Heck, he’s deft enough with the blade to knock out hatchets flying at him or even a freaking chainsaw!

It can help you in a pinch but you really shouldn’t rely on it that much. It’s better to use it for its intended use: stabbing people in the neck from behind! Capcom implemented a new stealth kill mechanic where you can sneak up behind enemies and use the knife to silently take them out. I find this the most satisfying way to dispatch enemies, especially against the brute type enemies. It’s also a must to stab stunned enemies who are writhing on the ground to prevent the parasite in their bodies from bursting out and changing into a tougher foe. This is one of the more frustrating elements of Resident Evil 4 Remake as these new forms can be really tough to kill. What even worse is there isn’t any rhyme or reason whether or not a dead enemy will just flat out die or transform. The uncertainly does make things a little more exciting as the randomness makes it hard to predict how to handle enemies. However, when there are 4 parasites head walking towards you, it makes you wish you handled things differently in retrospect.

Another frustrating thing about the combat is shooting with any of the sniper rifles. Taking aim with any of the various guns, even with guns which can equip the laser sight, can be kind of a pain, as even the slightest variance will cause your fired bullet to zip past by the enemy. This seems to be doubly true for any sniper rifle. If your aiming reticle is off by even half of a micromillimeter, you’ll miss. Making this more painful is the amount of sway you get even when looking through the scope! Even when enemies aren’t in their default pose of swaying their heads left and right, you really have to take your time in lining up your shot because of that slight sway. I kind of wish Capcom gave a little leeway because of this since, if that dot isn’t right on that exact spot, it doesn’t seem fair for your shot to whizz past when that sway hits.

While I do like the combat overall, I will say I dislike the boss battles. There aren’t really all that many in Resident Evil 4 Remake but they’re either too easy or too hard. After dying once, I breezed through the Del Lago boss fight without getting hit even once. The only reason I died was because I didn’t know I had to turn to one side when the giant fishy reached close to shore. The first El Gigante battle was also pretty easy as I didn’t use any particular strategy aside for shooting him in the face then shooting the parasite to stun him to get the opportunity to slash the insect with the knife. I even accidentally killed one of the El Gigantes during the boiler room fight without dropping him into the lava pit! Even the final battle against a transformed Lord Saddler was pretty simple to complete.

The other boss fights, however, can be a pain. Mendez’s first form is a cakewalk but his second form, where you just gotta use the sniper rifle to shoot him down, is troublesome to say the least. The Verdugo battle was just annoying as he never seemed to get stunned by conventional means. Shooting the transformed Ramon Salazar’s weak point is aggravating as he never seems to keep his mouth open to get a good bead on it. The second battle with Krauser was fun initially but, after having to tango with his mutated form 8 times, I just took out my Magnum and started blasting him. Screw using the knife and fighting honorably!

I will say the story in Resident Evil 4 is a little hit or miss. It’s an almost direct 1 for 1 copy of the original but with a few changes here and there. Nothing that radically changes the overall plot. They do expand the story a lot more, adding more history to how the villagers came to join the cult and things like that. I do wish most of it wasn’t told through the files you have to read. I also wish they added more lore, like how Lord Saddler actually became the influential cult leader he is when you meet him. The game also doesn’t really explain why, if Saddler’s plan was to send Ashley Graham back to the United States after infecting her, why didn’t they just let her go back with Leon? Is it because they had to make her drink that goop? Heck, what is that goop and why was it essential for her to drink it when they already showed Saddler has control over her with the “Temperence, child” cutscene? Things just don’t add up at times.

Speaking of Ashley Graham, I do like what Capcom did with her in the Remake. In the original, she was just too helpless for her own good and you even had to waste precious healing items when she got injured. In Remake, she just faints when she gets hurt but you can revive her instantly. This makes escorting her through some of the tougher areas easier but I do wish she would not get in the way all that much! Just stay behind Leon all the time, Ashley!

The vocal performances and writing are mostly good. I’m amazed Capcom still had Leon say some of the original’s cheesy lines but I’m more amazed how well they’re delivered. Ashley gets a lot more to do and say here. Okay, her taking command of a wrecking ball seemed a bit much but I’ll give it a pass because of how stupidly fun that battle was. Luis Serra also gets more time to shine and his casanova personality feels a little more earned here. Unfortunately, not everyone improved from the original as Ada Wong feels so flat and uninteresting in the Remake. You never really feel the connection she supposedly has with Leon because of the voice actress’ very monotone delivery. Ada Wong, to me anyway, should always exude sultry confidence. In Remake, they got the confidence right but none of the sultryness. Big miss in my book.

Is Resident Evil 4 Remake playable on the PlayStation 4? Absolutely, however, don’t expect a flawless experience, especially with some low resolution textures and aggravating load times. Besides this, I would assume everything else, from how the combat works and the hit or miss voice acting, it’s generally on par with the other versions of the game. If you’re concerned about playing Resident Evil 4 Remake on outdated hardware like Sony’s last generation console, you’ll still have a grand old time with it.

Byee!

Which version of Resident Evil 4 Remake have you played? Let me know in the comments section below!