The new control scheme makes this the best way to play RE4
The Good: Great graphics - Superb controls and gameplay - Incredible soundtrack - Great Value - Creepy enviroments - Awesome boss fights and enemies.
The Bad: Even though the graphics are great there's not an upgrade from the gamecube version - Ashley is very annoying.
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Back in 2005 Capcom released a game for the game Gamecube that became one of the sigle greatest games ever created, that game was Resident Evil 4, gamespot's game of the year and an overall superb game in every single way, and maybe there's a chance you've played it for both the Gamecube or it's PlayStation 2 port, so unless you hated the game there's no reason whatsoever not to play it again because the Wii controls breathe new life into it making this the best version of the game by far.
If you unfortunately haven't played Resident Evil 4 then here's how the story goes: You're Leon S. Kennedy (who fans of the series will recognise for his appearance in Resident Evil 2) a US government agent searching for the president's kidnapped daughter. Your search takes you to a little village in Spain were you'll find half man-half Zombie people called Ganados. The story is great and really interesting with some incredible plot twist, some occasional clichés and interesting characters, there's also a new (for Nintendo owners) side story called Separate Ways where you'll control Ada Wong, plus the classic Mercenaries mode is back. Overall superb story, but it's so different from previous Resident Evils that some of the fans of the previous game will have a hard time appreciating it.
The gameplay still holds itself after all this time and the new Wii controls makes this a joy all over again. Just like the other versions you'll control Leon from a third person perspective and there's a lot and i mean a lot of weapon variety to be found. You'll use these weapons against the Ganado who are very creepy enemies and they are very strong, you'll shoot them wherever you want: in the knees so they fall, in the head so you can see a gruesome show of blood and guts.
Leon is controlled with both the Wiimote and Nunchuck, movement is done with the nunchuck's analog stick and use the Z button to run. Aiming mode is entered with the B button, you won't be able to move during this mode but thats ok considering how slow some enemies are (that doesn't mean you won't get killed from time to time) and you'll control a circular reticle for aiming instead of the laser of the previous versions and shoot with A, it's very intuitive and there's a visceral feel to it. The knife is used by holding C and then pressing A or waggle the remote, and for reloading you'll hold the B button and the D pad or wave the remote. There are also some puzzles from time to time to give you a break from all the action and they're not incredibly hard but they do their job very well.
The game still looks superb even if it basically looks like a Gamecube game, the creepy enviroments and ugly enemies look better than ever, specially the Village levels because they look so detailed and spooky but that doesn't mean that the rest of the game looks bad, the sewers and the castle still look superb. The cinematics are superb and make this game feel like a movie. The classic cinematic battles are here, but this time instead of repeatedly pressing a button you'll have to wave the Wiimote, so don't you dare to put it down during a cutscene because it'll get you killed, it feels great and it adds a lot more to the experience.
The enemies and bosses are some of the best in videogame history, El Gigante still looks incredibly scary and Del Lago is sure to create some heart pounding moments, the Ganado and the mutated enemies like Garrador will give you some great gaming moments too. Overall they are all memorable.
The music stands out as one of the best soundtracks ever, it's very atmospheric and creates a sense of suspense and some ambient noises that will sure keep you fearfully waiting for the next enemie to appear. The voice acting is good too, except for one little annoying thing (Ashley) but other than that it's superb, specially the spanish speaking enemies you'll encounter during the adventure screaming things like Agarrenlo! Or Un forastero!
All in all Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition is the best version of the game, from it's intuitive controls to the great graphics and sound and cinematic feel, this is worth a look even if you've played this classic before.
