The Resident Evil 4 Remake

The ASOTU Crew has a broad collection of skills, talents, and interests – some of which are of the video game variety. Chris, our horror game fan, played the Resident Evil 4 remake, and he has thoughts.

Overall rating: 9/10

From the first moment, the game is somehow a faithful recreation of the original and the exact right amount of upgrade to capture my attention for the full 16-ish hours I played in the week after its release.

9/10 because once the main game was over, there was not much left for me to do. At the new game price of $60 bucks, I typically need more than 16 hours to feel I got my money's worth. No matter how nostalgically delighted I am.

Positive notes: 

• The combat left no crumbs. Essentially, the game moves you from one big terrible fight against monsters to the next as your supplies slowly dwindle. You have to make do with fewer resources and more skills. This is a satisfying experience because the controls and customizability of your character's gear make every action count and every victory feel earned. 
• The graphics and sounds were repulsive (in a good way). Every disgusting mutated enemy and eerie dark forest created the sort of discomfort that forced me to focus all the more on little things like not being eaten, remaining un-eviscerated, and also keeping all the arms and legs attached to my character's body. It's the little things. 
• Campy, like we like it. While the game is firmly fixed in a dark and spooky tone, the main characters don’t seem to understand that and still make wise-cracks and deliver dialogue worthy of an early-90’s action flick starring an actor whose claim to fame is being really good at back flips. 

Less positive notes:

• Low replay value. After almost 20 years since the original, I expected a little extra base-game experience. The game's alternative game mode releases next week and may hook me. 

Still about 45% escort mission. About half the times I saw the game-over screen was because an important non-playable character got stuck between a few zombies and did not possess the AI needed to change directions and escape. This was one of the main complaints about the original game. The curse lives on.