I'll buy it at a high price!
Somebody out there is probably yelling that this is a GameCube game—or at best, a PS2 game—and we shouldn’t have a Capcom retread on our Top 10 Third-Party list. But here’s the thing: the Wii version of Resident Evil 4 is inarguably the best version. Once you experience pointer controls for aiming Leon’s gun(s), you just can’t go back. And yes, the graphics have not aged as well as some other Wii games, but who cares? RE4 is infinitely replayable and never boring. The additional Ada Wong missions (from the PS2 version) are entertaining and give a new perspective on the story, and Mercenaries mode is far more doable with Wii controls. The Wii version is so good that when an HD remake arrived on PSN recently, I didn’t get it because it didn’t support Move. I can’t go back to using a stick.
In fact, it was difficult for me to get into Resident Evil 5 because of RE4: Wii Edition, and I was not about to double dip on the Gold Edition (which supported Move) because I’d already bought the standalone DLC. Besides that, I wasn’t sure my save information would translate to the Gold Edition.
That means RE4: Wii Edition is the best possible RE game out there right now. If you don’t own it, you should. The game is extremely accessible, largely because it doesn’t rely on previous RE lore. It doesn’t even bring up the T-Virus, which formed the basis of the first four games. Nope, this time, Leon S. Kennedy is out to rescue the President’s daughter, who’s been kidnapped by a crazy European cult. They’re experimenting with a mind-controlling parasite. Leon travels through three distinct environments: a rundown village, an impressive castle stronghold, and an island fortress.
GOREGASM!
You face a variety of horrifying enemies, including worm-like parasites that burst from people’s necks and super-stretchy, tough-to-kill Regenerators who can only be downed by meticulously shooting slug-like parasites off their bodies with a thermal rifle scope. IT’S SO INTENSE. And the game’s unlockable weapons just make you want to replay it again: a 1920s barrel-clip machine gun called the “Chicago Typewriter” is my personal favorite, although the freaking LASER BEAM that blows enemies’ heads off is a highlight, too. The boss monsters are also wonderfully horrifying and provide some incredibly “close shave” encounters—including quick time events!
Some see RE4 as the beginning of the end of the RE franchise, and it’s true that RE4 changes the series’ tone pretty dramatically, but RE5 is far more guilty of that sin, and the upcoming RE6 looks more like Gears of War than Resident Evil. RE4, however, still manages to capture that beloved franchise tone of fear while providing a much better way to play. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to give it a shot.
