Our review of Resident Evil 4 HD for PS3 has led us to believe that some things in this world are so fab that they never tend to breathe their last. A brief look at its history and you’ll know that this original GameCube exclusive later eked out a PS2 port following which it landed on PC and then on the Wii and finally it has made its way to PSN and Xbox Live. Resident Evil has set benchmarks for both genres that it falls under. And it is this fact which has led to it being considered somewhat of a Citizen Kane of the gaming world. What this version does is that it takes the game to a whole new level with a complete visual overhaul. Although, you’ll be surprised to know that it does not render itself in full HD. Okay, now before you go all ‘WTF’ over it, be rest assured that whatever graphics the game delivers are not bad at all.
For those of you who don’t know what the title is all about (if any), Resident Evil 4 follows the exploits of Leon Kennedy as he sets out on a mission to rescue the President’s daughter who incidentally, rather intentionally or even obviously, happens to be cute. That said, as Leon embarks on the journey to save the girl, he discovers bit by bit that the folks who have kidnapped her are in fact part of an extremely bizarre cult named Los Illuminados. Thus begins the game’s campaign which is filled to the brim with twists and turns, hair-raising sequences and rather usual plot elements, all summing up to present you with one of the best gameplay experiences ever to have set foot on consoles.
Talking about the visuals, as we mentioned above, they’re not what you’d call full HD. Of course, there’s a tremendous amount of up scaling involved and full marks to Capcom for that. But the fact that it doesn’t grab hold of the full HD tag is bound to make gamers out there a bit apprehensive about their purchases. If you ask us however, it really isn’t that big a deal as the visuals do look extremely polished. Moreover, Resident Evil 4 is a title known for its textbook gameplay which is bound to give you a satisfying horror experience even with half HD or quarter HD or no HD at all.
So what is it that makes it such an epic of a title? It is sheer situations you are faced with and incredibly challenging gameplay elements which manage to get you engrossed in the game instantly. We must warn you though that the game’s ‘no shooting while moving’ mechanic can be acutely frustrating in the beginning and it does take a handful of time to get used to it. So we suggest you to just keep on playing instead of pulling your hair out. And once you grab hold of things, you’ll be shooting the hell out of those Los Illuminados creatures.
There’s no need to tell you that Resident Evil 4 HD gets really scary at times. No kidding! Especially when the enemies sneak in from behind without making a single sound. The game’s music isn’t bad either. It’s one of those things which you never care to notice yet it adds so much to the whole experience. Resident Evil 4 kicks in an array of weapons which are sold to you by a merchant who’s dressed more like a gangsta and who appears at most of the save points. But the catch here is that you have just one suitcase to hold everything from health to ammo to grenades and guns. This encourages planning and adds another survival horror element to this game.
Furthermore, the entire extra minigames that were spruced up by the PS2 version, including the additional Ada missions, also make their way into this digital download. And to add to that, there’s the over 15-hour long campaign which seems so long that missions which you have completed in the beginning give the impression to having being played long ago. Value for money is hence one tag that cannot be whisked away from this title.
Final Word: On a parting note, we’d like to again mention it to you that Resident Evil 4 HD cannot be called a full HD title. But if ‘gameplay is king’ is your belief, we hope to have solved your ‘to buy or not to buy’ dispute with this review. At 19.99 USD (or 1600 Microsoft Points), the game is definitely a nice bargain considering you’re buying one of the most hailed games of all time. And if you are yet to play this awesome title we recommend that you go for it without any vacillation.
Graphics: 8/10
Sounds: 9/10
Environments: 7.5/10
Gameplay: 9.5/10
Replay Value: 9/10
Overall (not an average): 9.5/10