Resident Evil 4

With its release on the GameCube in 2005, Resident Evil was an instant hit. Within just over two weeks, the game sold over 300,000 copies and was subject to highly positive reactions from fans and critics alike. To date, the game has sold roughly 4 million units on the four platforms its been released. Not long ago, Capcom and Nintendo ported the game to the Wii, resulting in what is arguably the best version.

For those new to Resident Evil 4, the story follows Leon Kennedy of Resident Evil 2 on his latest outing-in Spain. The former Raccoon City cop is now a government agent on a mission to retrieve Ashley Graham, the daughter of the United States' president. Shortly after his arrival, things take a turn for the worse and Leon finds himself stranded amidst a chaotic region in remote Spain controlled by a group known as Los Illuminados, who use humans infected with parasitic organisms called Las Plagas to do their dirty work. Over the course of what seems to be just a couple nights, Leon and Ashley encounter the many horrors produced through experimentation with Las Plagas. The thing I really liked about this game was that it actually feels like you're playing out an action movie at times, and others you feel like you're in the latest psychological thriller. This adds a whole new feeling of depth to the experience, rather than take away from it; you can really tell when playing RE4 that a lot of effort went into making this game so atmospheric, tense, and sometimes terrifying.

As is to be expected, RE4's gameplay is outstanding on the Wii. The knife controls and actions like turning cranks or running in cutscenes are now dependent upon gestures, and the aiming system is controlled with the Wii Remote. The only issue I had with the control setup was the minor detail of not being able to change the fire button from A to the B trigger, but this is negligible with how brilliantly the controls work on the Wii. Admittedly, playing with the Wiimote can be somewhat disorienting at first, but once you've grown used to them, it'll all be second nature. Even so, the game allows the use of the Wii Classic Controller as well, for those interested in a more traditional feel. Still, one of the things that really sets this edition apart from the others is how well the motion controls work with it, so those who opt not to use the remote/nunchuk setup are missing out.

Another excellent thing is the fact that, if you missed out on the added content that PS2 owners got when RE4 was re-released, it's all been added onto Wii Edition as an added treat. And what's more, the graphical quality hasn't suffered in the least from the transition. Cutscenes are once again in realtime 3D, rather than run as movie files. Though, one minor detail regarding them is a lack of too many different buttons or gestures involved in the timed action sequences. It doesn't take away too much from the experience, but it does feel like they removed a little bit from the effect it had in the GameCube version.

The combat has also had some minor tweaks, the most immediately noticeable being aiming, both through Wiimote functionality and through the new aiming reticle rather than the red beam. Some were put off by the removal of the red pointer, but I personally found it to improve the ability to aim, albeit only marginally. Apart from these changes, though, the combat is by and large the same product. Enemies are still reactive dependent upon where you shoot them-shots to the foot make them stumble or yelp in pain as they're hit, and shots to the head either kill them instantly or stun them long enough for Leon to perform an action like a kick or a body throw. And the boss fights, of course, are varied, intense, and challenging as ever.

And of course, what would Resident Evil 4 be without the unlockable content? There's been nothing added in terms of bonus content, unless you've never played the PlayStation 2 console version, in which case Assignment Ada has been improved by way of adding the knife function, Separate Ways is now a mode of play (in which you play a side story as Ada Wong and find out just how involved in the story she really was-there are some really inventive methods that they explained the puzzles here, and a couple areas that are entirely new). There are tons of unlockable weapons, and while some are totally useless, there are also powerhouse weapons like the ever-popular Hand Cannon and Chicago Typewriter, and the PRL, which is only obtainable through beating the extremely difficult Professional Mode.

There is no multiplayer functionality in RE4, as is probably to be expected, but there is the challenging Mercenaries Mode, in which you must complete given objectives within an alotted time frame to obtain higher ratings. With higher ratings, you unlock new characters to play as and new missions. Characters include Leon Kennedy, Ada Wong, HUNK, Jack Krauser, whose Plagas arm is available as a powerful finishing move; and even the notorious Albert Wesker, who has a powerful finishing technique of his own. Getting a five star rating on all five missions with each of the five characters gains you the aforementioned Hand Cannon, which isn't initially all that great until you unlock its Exclusive effect. Needless to say, there's a lot of reason to keep coming back to RE4.

Resident Evil 4 still looks great, graphically. Characters are very well modeled in movie scenes and out of them with great attention to details on the characters, like facial hair, blemishes, wrinkles, and even cuts and scratches. When in motion, characters look smooth and fluid, just as they should and movements are never jerky or sloppily done in that almost every little thing moves or happens exactly as one would expect.

When hit, enemies respond immediately with a jerk or spasm, or even being violently torn apart in explosions. Gore in video games has been an issue for some time, but Resident Evil 4 just does it marvelously, from the first time you're decapitated by Salvador to blowing Bitores in half during the boss battle. If you shoot an enemy in the head with a powerful enough weapon, or just hit them with a lucky shot, chances are their head will explode in a shower of bone and gore, and it's just so satisfying to watch that many will find themselves hoping to see it happen again.

As stated earlier, the movie sequences are once again in full 3D, rather than the watered-down sequences used on the PS2 due to functionality issues. Another nice treat is that instead of showing characters in their normal outfits if you've chosen the first costumes unlocked by completing the main story mode, they'll actually be shown in the movie scenes, whereas before Leon and Ashley were always shown in their regular outfits. Unfortunately, it doesn't work the same way with their second unlockable costumes (Leon's mobster outfit and Ashley's suit of armor). This isn't much of a problem at all, but it would have been nice to see it added in since they bothered to put in the others. Another minor issue is with the absence of improved textures; with the increased hardware power, it was actually a bit surprising to see the same textures from the previous releases rather than slightly improved ones for a higher-spec console.

Now, on to the sound, another area in which Resident Evil 4 really stands out. The sound effects themselves are great; gunshots, explosions, roars and barks, doors closing and windows breaking, and machinery working all sound so realistic that you'd probably think you were actually hearing them if you were playing the game in full surround sound. In terms of the acting, even though the dialogue is about as cheesy as it is in any Resident Evil game-you get some great lines like, "No thanks, bro!" and "MIIIIIIIKE!"-the voice acting in this one stands out above the rest and sounds quite good.

The musical score, which was commended by several magazines and sites as having the best original score of X year, is fantastic. It's difficult to adequately describe how effective and atmospheric the soundtrack is in the context of the game, but every track gives the sense that it just belongs exactly where it is. It all sounds like it would fit so well in a high-budget Hollywood film, which is, again, something that you kind of feel like you're playing at times.

The bottom line is that if you've somehow managed to miss out Resident Evil 4 entirely, perhaps by living in a cave since early 2005 or by just not bothering to pick it up at all, you may be doing yourself a disservice in not picking up what will surely be recognized as one of the greatest games of the previous generation. Whether you're a Wii owner who missed it completely or a veteran player looking for a refreshing take on an excellent title, Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition is the game for you.