I have no nostalgia towards the RE franchise and I played this game after playing the remake. And yet: I think this is one of the best action games I've played. A good old game is what it is

Leon kills an entire Spanish town to save a white chick, Good job Leon

this is literally the best re game ever made

re4

leon is so hot

Nice game The Best Game Ever and make me nostalgic

It's gonna be difficult to review this game as what can be said about it at this point?

I have probably run through this game well over 100 maybe even 200 times across all its various ports. From the Gamecube to the Ultra HD Steam version, I've seen a lot of RE4. Don't let that 300 hour number fool ya - I've probably got well over 1000 maybe more on this game combined with all its versions.

I think what makes this game hold up so well is the fact that it is so simple. It's not too hard for newcomers (especially if you have played a third person shooter before), and it's not too easy for genre vets as the dynamic difficulty can deliver surprises. The mechanics are easy to use. It's primarily just moving and shooting. Get to one area, clear it out, get to the next area.

Unlike previous Resident Evil games where enemies were to be avoided, here in RE4, the enemies are the puzzles. Dispatching them and getting from point A to B is the puzzle. How do you do it efficiently/correctly/consistently? And how can you improve it? What weapons should you use? How should you upgrade them?

As it turns out, the answer to all those questions is... whatever works for you. This is greatly benefited by the satisfying gun-play. The guns in this game have a certain charm to them that makes each of them unique to use. It's not like in previous RE games where you would find the shotgun and pretty much barely use the handgun anymore. Here, every weapon can be useful in any scenario.

I would absolutely love if Capcom gave this game the Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster treatment. Add some QoL to the gameplay (moving while shooting, switching weapons via the D-pad, and cut out some of the fat: Dos Gigante fight, Novistador enemies, and the entire island).

The 2023 remake greatly disappointed me with its shift in gameplay to utilize the knife more. I absolutely hated that. Why remake a game that is all about the guns and make the knife the big thing? What were they thinking turning the combat into a QTE fest of parrying? Ugh. Just awful.

But that's the risk you run when remaking something that was already good - there isn't much to change other than maybe some superficial details here or there. If the Remake focused on gunplay (and actually had consistent aiming, i-frames, proper wait/follow-me commands for Ashley - y'know, all the good stuff this game had), I would have enjoyed it way more.

Ever since the remake's release, I have found a new love for this game that wasn't there before. I have grown to appreciate its design way more mechanically and understand why it works so well and has held up over the years. And if it's not the gunplay that serves it well, it's the added benefit of its comical performances.

Paul Mercier's portrayal of Leon Kennedy simply is too good. It's almost like he knows he's the protagonist of a video game. Nothing gets in his way and he exudes confidence. It's shocking to me that Capcom thought that the Remake needed new dialogue and new actors - they really could have re-used the audio from this game and it would have worked far better.

The story is of course nonsensical - a roller-coaster of attractions and events that really could only happen in a video game - but that's part of the fun. It doesn't take itself seriously, and none of the characters try to make it serious. Trying to bring seriousness into it (like the Remake did) takes away the charm.

The best way to pay homage to Resident Evil 4 isn't to remake it. It doesn't need one. Yes, there is some age to it (tank controls, graphics, etc.), but that's superficial. Like I said, a Deluxe Remaster would serve this game's legacy far better than whatever Capcom did with that Remake.

I wholeheartedly recommend this game to anyone who wants a fun roller-coaster to playthrough. I definitely recommend it over the misguided remake. And if tank controls scare you, try control Type II - it's not a total fix, but it makes the control scheme more modern. I also recommend installing the HD Project as it not only greatly improves the textures for the game, but also adds re4tweaks - a sort of limited game modifier that can tweak certain aspects of the gameplay (debug menu, skip the intro, fixed camera in Ashley's segment, auto-complete QTEs).

If you have already played through this game multiple times as I have, and just need a reason to go through it again, well, how many ways have you tried to challenge yourself playing it? No yellow herbs? No weapons upgrades? Knife only? Pistol only? No reloading? No merchant? See... that's one of the the best aspects to this game that the remake also fails at - it's actually fun in this game to limit yourself. The gameplay is just so tailored to any experience you want and it's consistent enough for you to know how to react.

I cannot express my love for this game enough. Pick it up, play it, have some fun.

Leon: shocked to see that Spanish people read and use toilets like us normal humans

San Andreas of the Resident Evil series.

I love shooting Spanish people as one of the hottest video game protagonists ever