Resident Evil 4 Wii edition is the definitive version of Resident Evil
4. The original game came out on the Game Cube in early 2005. Back then
the game was an instant classic gaining a huge reputation. The game was
released again later that year on the PS2 with some extra missions
bundled in. Again the game gained huge critical acclaim. Earlier this
year the PC version was released with more extra missions and now we
hit the Wii edition. The Wii edition is essentially all of these games
bundled into your Wii with an exciting new control scheme.
The game takes place in 2004 six years after the events of Resident
Evil 2 and 3. You play Leon Kennedy, a survivor from from Resi 2 who's
an American agent looking for the presidents kidnapped daughter. You
start the game in the middle of some woods in Eastern Europe searching
for her. You search soon leads away from these places as you make your
way to castles, labs and other horrific locations. The graphics are
generally really good for a Wii game but you don't tend to really care,
by the time you play the first 5 minutes your engrossed.
The gameplay in Resi 4 Wii edition is what really makes it stand out.
This is largely due to the awesome control system. You move Leon with
the right stick on the nunchuck, then when you want to aim you hold B
aim at the screen with the remote and fire with A. There are a couple
other neat control tricks to learn along the way but I won't spoil
them. The remote gives you pin point accuracy against your foes, it may
be slightly less precise than the king mouse and keyboard but it will
make you never want to pick up a dual analogue again. Everything about
the controls just feels right and you begin to think why don't all
games control this good?
Resident Evil 4 is one intense game. Because you can't move when your
aiming you become very afraid as enemies lurk towards brandishing all
sorts of deadly weapons. The shooting never seems to become repetitive
because the controls are so intuitive. It does sometimes feel more like
a shooter than a survival horror game but as you progress the horror
builds. Most cutscenes in the game require you to press button
combinations to do certain movements otherwise you lose health etc.
This is very clever as it doesn't only keep the cutscenes intense but
also requires you to pay attention to the great story. They wouldn't
make you watch the cutscenes if the story wasn't good, and it is, very.
A huge part of the game and it's story are the bosses. The game
features around 10 boss fights, most of which made me swear. They look
so cool and so scary at the same time. The best part is that each of
them are a joy to fight, thankfully they aren't as frustrating other
Resident Evil games. They keep you on the edge of your seat the whole
time and just working out how in hell your supposed to kill them is
great fun, which is rare for a boss fight. The game is also slightly on
the hard side but once you get through it, it's very satisfying.
Resident Evil 4 may have a new control scheme compared to the old games
but it still manages to keep it's horror moments. Numerous times I have
cursed loudly at my TV when people leap out of places you don't expect
them to or you see a very deadly foe coming for you. These moments
aren't very often but when they come around they are awesome.
The main story lasts about 14 - 18 hours depending on how good you are
or how much you want to look around for cool stuff. The game features a
very cool upgrade system for your weapons which gives the game a huge
amount of depth and replay value as certain scenarios are affected by
which weapon your using and how good it is. Resi 4 features an
assortment of cool weapons which when fully upgraded are so deadly.
Beyond the main game there are also extra missions and bonus games to
play after you complete the game for the first time. I won't lay them
all out as they could potentially ruin the story but they will give you
another 6 - 10 hours of gameplay.
Overall Resident Evil 4 Wii edition is one of the best games on the Wii
at the moment. If your into your shooters, story driven or horror games
pick this up as you will not be disappointed. The game controls great,
it keeps you on your edge and concludes with a great ending leaving you
eager for some Resident Evil 5.
