Resident Evil 4 HD Review

Considering the sheer number of versions that exist for Resident Evil 4, there's a good chance you've played this survival horror/third person shooter classic. What started with the GameCube exclusive creeping over to the PlayStation 2 shortly after its initial release has bled into ports aplenty. The latest takes shape as Resident Evil 4 HD for the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. How'd it turn out? Glad you asked, stranger.

Let's get one thing clear -- Resident Evil 4 HD doesn't really have HD graphics. The graphics come straight from the GameCube version with simple upscaling versus a full HD overhaul -- a decidedly bad move on Capcom's part as upscaling without upgrading really shows the game's age. When presented in its original form, the blurriness of the standard definition presentation allows you to look past the last generation textures and rough edges to see the development team's original vision, and to appreciate how creatively they worked within the system's limitations.

Unfortunately, thanks to this quick upscaling job, all of RE4's graphical shortcomings suddenly have a harsh spotlight shining on them. When closely examining the environments -- something you do quite often while scrounging for herbs and ammo -- things look shockingly bad. These "HD" graphics -- the point behind the port in the first place? -- ultimately just make you wish the game had actually received a true HD makeover as the title insinuates.


But graphics aside, the game plays the same as it ever did -- most certainly a good thing. Resident Evil 4 puts players behind-the-shoulder of Leon S. Kennedy on his quest to save the president's daughter, Ashley, from an evil, zombie cult. These parasitically-controlled humans come smarter and faster than the undead baddies from previous Resident Evil games, and they prove an interesting and memorable enemy for this title, moving the mysterious story along and providing a constant and unsettling enemy for our hero to face.

Most of the adventure finds Leon going from location to location, trying to survive while following clues as to Ashley's whereabouts and shooting things in the head as he does so. The title's greatest strength lies in its near perfect gameplay -- it's well-balanced (the action just keeps on rolling from start to finish), varied (with action commands, short puzzles and epic boss fights), and exceptionally fun. Seeking out and upgrading weapons adds a light RPG element that feels like a natural addition to the Resident Evil formula, and the wonderfully cheesy story never ceases to provide a quotable line around every corner.


You'll find plenty of replay value as you can revisit the game using whatever inventory you amass along the way. And as you likely remember, after beating it once, you can buy an infinite rocket launcher, which comes with the promise of infinitely awesome zombie explosions. With a handful of incredible mini-games, like The Mercenaries (which has you killing as many zombies as you can within the time limit) and Assignment Ada (a standalone adventure that follows Ada Wong on her own devious adventure), you'll definitely get your money's worth with this purchase (assuming you don't already own a copy of this game). The lack of additional content for this go 'round feels like a miss, but the small inclusion of Achievements and trophies (no platinum WTF?) to an original title that already had plenty of bang for its buck makes sense for XBL and PSN.

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