49. Resident Evil 4 (PS4)
Several years ago, I played and beat the outstanding remake of Resident Evil 4, a game I knew I would like, but just how much I liked it surprised even me. Beyond just how amazing that remake is, it reminded me that it had been far too long since I played the original game it was based on. In fact, it's now been over 20 years since I last beat OG Resident Evil 4, a game I got caught up in the hype of around the time in released in 2005, and proceeded to devour that game over the course of a few weeks in my late teens. Other than reminders of what transpired in that game through playing the remake, I'd mostly forgotten most of what happens in RE4. So yeah, it I was criminally overdue to replay the original RE4.
Like many people, I was highly skeptical about the bold new direction RE4 took the series and how much of a huge departure it was from the survival horror roots of RE1, RE2, RE3, and Code Veronica. I also hated how they removed the zombies (sort of) and the game was now an over the shoulder action game. As I said though, the acclaim RE4 received when it first came out was enough to put my reservations about how different this game was aside and try it out. Replaying it again over 20 years later, I'm reminded just how much I loved this game back in 2005, and still love it in 2026.
RE4 is an incredible game. Beyond how important it was for popularizing and in many ways pioneering the over the shoulder action shooter genre, the pacing, cinematics, and overall action in this game was in a league of its own, and still mostly holds up today. This game throws a lot at you throughout the entire game, however you are rarely ever in a position where you don't have what you need to succeed. There is typically bountiful amounts of ammo and healing items, allowing you to face the many waves of enemies, crazy bosses, and other challenges RE4 throws your way. The core gameplay is hard to fault outside a few somewhat annoying sections throughout the game's six chapters. The only parts of RE4's gameplay I found less than ideal, if not completely annoying were other aspects of the gameplay you're forced to engage with.
Probably the one I had the biggest issue with has to do with escorting one of the main characters, Ashley, throughout large portions of the game. While most of the time, these escort sections aren't too bad, it's far too easy for Ashley, who is completely helpless by the way, to take damage, accidentally get killed, or get carried off while you're busy with crowd control. The game does throw you a bone in the form of being able to give Ashley healing herbs, but the issues I mentioned still stand. Escort missions and gameplay mechanics are hard not to screw up, and while Capcom did better than most in RE4, it's still not great and leads to the game's most frustrating sections.
Another somewhat, albeit less annoying gameplay part is the parts of the game you're forced to do quick time events (QTEs). While QTEs have a better track record than escort missions, they are still very easy to screw up and RE4 has some of the least forgiving QTEs I've come across in a game from this era. Luckily the HD version of RE4 I played on the PS4 did improve the original 6th console generation versions QTE mechanics by essentially limiting them to either or both shoulder buttons or pressing the square and X button on the PS4 simultaneously. This made QTEs in RE4 far less of an annoyance and more of just a mundane task to avoid an attack from a boss or getting through an interactive cutscene. Still, I can't help but feel like RE4 would have been better without them.
There are a few fairly minor gripes I had with specific bosses, certain sections of specific chapters, but honestly these other complaints are so minor is the grand scheme of what is otherwise a classic game if there ever was one. The arsenal in RE4 is fun as hell to use, the dynamic gameplay of uses different weapons or techniques to get through the same area offer a lot of replayability, and just overall the combat in RE4 is great. It does kind of suck that you can't move and aim at the same time, a feature that would eventually become available in future RE games, but you learn to work around this limitation of early third person shooter gameplay, and you're left if a very fun experience overall.
Visuals in RE4 are practically perfect. The fact that a game originally released in 2005 still looks this good and is still this entertaining speaks volumes to RE4's graphical and presentation quality. Cutscenes are highly cinematic, environments mostly feel unique and fresh throughout the game, and once again, the pacing in RE4 is among the best in the series. The story in RE4 is also incredibly original, fun, and interesting too. And of course, this game did more to place Leon Kennedy as practically the poster child of Resident Evil than any other game he appeared in before RE4 and any game he has appeared in since. There are also a wealth of other excellent characters in RE4 too, all contributing to why this game kicks so much ass.
Character models all look highly details and still look great today. Areas and environments are all masterfully crafted and possess levels of detail that some modern games still fall short in achieving. I could literally go on and on, and on about how great RE4 looks. Any minor issues are quickly forgiven by just how amazing 95% of everything else in this game looks.
Audio, while excellent overall, does fall a bit short compared to the visuals. There are quite a few good tracks in RE4. The game is also great at ramping up your anxiety based on certain musical cues that start playing if you've been spotted by an enemy or you're in the middle of a tense combat situation. Voice acting is great as well, although it must be said there is a level of cheese in this game that absolutely dates this game as a mid-2000s action game. And trust me, I mean that in the absolute best way possible. This game absolutely has a unique charm to it that perfectly encapsulates the era of gaming it originally was released in. I guess I wish RE4 maybe had a few other songs I liked more, and maybe some of the voice performances could have been slightly better in terms of dialogue, but really this game sounds great and is hard not to appreciate.
What's truly commendable about the original RE4 is that it's still worth playing 20 years later, and that's 100% true even despite the incredible 2023 remake. The remake and the original, while technically the game plot and story, are so different in terms of tone, feel, gameplay, and other aspects that they are both great in their own way and still absolutely worth their own respective playthroughs. It also has to be said that the original RE4 possesses an almost goofy charm to it that is almost entirely absent from the remake, which by itself makes the original a unique experience worth experiencing.
I have to say, I knew I'd enjoy replaying RE4, but I guess I underestimated just how much I'd love returning to it. I figured time would have exposed from of the cracks in RE4's 20 year old gameplay, but really it didn't. Same with the visuals, story, and audio too. If anything, I'm a bit annoyed with myself for taking this long to have replayed RE4 again. Regardless, I'm beyond happy I have finally tackled this absolute classic again and already look forward to the next time I give this game a whirl. (7/25/26) [42/50]
