Slaying umbrella how only the Wii can!
June 29, 2007 – There are many things one can say about the survival horror series that sparked a genre almost single handedly. Most of those things would be true – deep character involvement, fascinating graphics, and of course, the thought provoking melodies that would creep out even John Carpenter to a certain level. Most of the other comments you might hear may suggest that Resident Evil has had its run at being one of the top games. I, however, have this to say about those who suggest Resident Evil has met its end; you have not played Resident Evil 4. What’s more, you have not played Resident Evil 4 on the Wii.
Of course, if you are any kind of horror game fan, then you have played Resident Evil either on the GameCube or the PlayStation 2. If you have not, then what rock have you lived under for the last two years? Okay, okay, maybe that is a little harsh, especially for those that have been, in fact, zombies to the next gen craze over the last year. Again, I kid. The simplest statement to be made about Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition is that there is truly no reason to not buy this game. Unless you do not have a Wii.
Leon S. Kennedy has become a special agent that operates under orders from the president. Leon is in search of the president’s daughter around with less than required information about the village where everyone seems to hate him. The thing that made Resident Evil 4 such an instant classic was the fact that it strayed away from the previous titles in ways that made it seem fresh. Zombies were the normal in previous installments. This time around, we have villagers that are raving mad, and their one common thought is that they do not like Leon one bit. I mean, for cripes sake, they have a troll.
I will not tread too much on the particulars of the game mainly due to the two years it has been available for mass consumption. However, two years in video game terms means a lot of advancements have been made to the graphics of games as a whole. Not to say that the PS3 and Xbox 360 do not do an extraordinary job delivering life-like replicas of environments we know, instead, it is to say that anyone would have a hard time finding a game that oozes eye candy with every exploding head like Resident Evil. Of course, the dialogue is a bit drab, but you have to remember that this is a Resident Evil game and, in addition, a survival horror game, so we should never expect too much. However, there are moments in the drama of the story you actually buy into the words flowing from the characters synched mouths.
You are not going to pick this game up for the rehash of the original title though, are you? No, you will pick this title up for the sheer possibility that a third party developer has figured out how to incorporate what we so desperately need on the Wii – the capability of shooting with precision and speed. RE4 delivers on both of those counts. So well that if you are not excited by the forthcoming title Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles already, you will be after only a few minutes of this edition. The great thing about the Wii controls for the shooting is that even though you expect to be flawless with headshots, the action never lets up enough for you to maintain a consistent streak of headshots for that to matter. Quite the contrary actually. Retaining the fast-paced action of the game and mixing it with the Wii controls only raises your heart rate a bit more than expected. There are, however, a few problems with the controls. One of the largest, most notable is that controlling Leon seems a bit loose and clumsy at moments. These clumsy movements of Leon will cause you several encounters with the enemy ending in your own blood splattered along the clothing of your enemies. This is nothing more than growing accustomed to the control schematics of the game with the incorporated Wii controls.
You will also find that the motion gestures capabilities of the Wii-mote are also utilized in the game. You will be able to shake off the grab attacks of the enemies as long as you are quick enough. Another use of the gesture technology is the use of the fabled standard issue knife of the Resident Evil series. Running out of weapons used to mean a quick game over in the franchise. I can attest to the capabilities you will quickly master practicing with your knife as soon and as often as you can.
There’s really not much to say about a game that has won several game of the year awards. I mean, yeah, I could rant and rave about how this is the greatest of the series ever: of course, that may not be entirely true. I could also claim that Resident Evil will always be the title to beat when it comes to survival horror games. Even though all of those things may be true, there is simply one thing that must be said about the new edition for the game. You must own it, even if that means racing to the game store to find one of the reclusive Wiis. The president’s daughter’s been kidnapped – it’s up to us.
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