No one will blame you if you’ve forgotten how many times Resident Evil 4 has been ported — for the record this marks the fourth and fifth time for a gaming console, not counting the Nintendo 3DS' Mercenaries or PC and mobile versions. While the new Resident Evil 4 HD for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will run you $19.99, the PlayStation 2 and Gamecube versions can be found in Los Angeles area game stores for under $10. Though it’s hard to say that $20 is a bargain for a seven year old game, the title's significance to modern gaming is irrefutable and on par with the iconic status of Final Fantasy VII.
.jpg?t=20110922121911){kind=logo}
Resident Evil 4 marks the series’ departure from the original, and handicapping, tank controls and adoption of what is now the standard third person shooter controls. It is also the fork in the road that has taken the Resident Evil story away from its classic zombie fare and shifted the atmosphere to a more gritty form of horror. Leon, who was the rookie police officer from Resident Evil 2’s initial zombie outbreak, is now a top agent for the U.S. Government and is tasked with rescuing the President’s daughter from a strange cult.
Seven years ago, the game was a vast improvement over nearly everything else before it, but third person controls have improved drastically since then. Playing this game again takes some time to adjust and it kind of feels like driving a classic car. The left analog stick controls your movement and the right lets you look around although not while your weapon is drawn. This of course means no strafing or moving while shooting and requires players to use what you’ve become accustomed to as your movement stick, for aiming. An easier transition may have been to offer Move support for the PlayStation 3 version.
Article comments