A remake of Resident Evil 4 feels very different now I’ve played through the entirety of Resident Evil Village . The first-person sequel is essentially a modern successor to the survival-horror masterpiece, adapting many of its ideas and mechanics for a new audience. It’s a campy, overblown adventure filled with over-the-top villains and nonsensical plot developments that ape the series’ finest hour, even if it sacrifices many of its own ideas in the process. Now, unless this rumoured remake completely overhauls the original vision, I can’t help but think it might end up feeling obsol
The last 2D Zelda was released in 2004 – The Minish Cap . It was followed by Twilight Princess , Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, Skyward Sword , A Link Between Worlds, Tri Force Heroes, and Breath of the Wild. Now, we have a sequel to the latter on the way. 2D Zelda seems to have died out, but that’s because 2D as a whole has seemingly been tossed to the wayside. Even now, remakes of 2D games opt to 3Dize them (if that isn’t a term, it is now). When I say that Nintendo should release another 2D game, I’m not talking about a remaster or remake or even the style of the 2D games but in 3D a la Link’s Awakening for the Switch. I’m talking flat, 2-dimensional sprites – the whole kaboo
This system was a clear upgrade over the simple six to eight inventory slots available to players of the Resident Evil titles prior to the fourth installment, as it added a unique puzzle-like component to managing your inventory. There’s a certain sense of accomplishment that a player feels when they look over their meticulously ordered attache case after shifting around weapons to maximize available sp
Spectacle is all well and good, but it’s short-lived, and doesn’t stick in your mind like the haunting corridors of Raccoon City Police Station. I’m not going to remember the Lady Dimitrescu boss battle for years to come, but Leon’s first hesitant steps into Raccoon City are already cemented into my mind. Resident Evil 4 is filled with moments like this. Despite being a rollercoaster ride of gunfights and boss battles, it never fails in making you feel vulnerable. Leon could have a fully upgraded arsenal at his disposal, but not taking his surroundings into account would lead to an untimely de
Overall, Resident Evil 4 is a game that has aged exceptionally well. There’s very little in the original game that explicitly dates it as an older title, but one thing that definitely needs an upgrade is the game’s approach to quick-time events or Q
Yes, rapidly pressing buttons during a cutscene to dodge lasers or run away from a boulder is a clear holdover from the 2005 – 2010 game design zeitgeist, where irritating QTEs would bring players to a game over screen if they put their controllers down to grab a drink during a cutscene. These events are more annoying than they are challenging, and are best left beh
The only problem is that the game’s color palette is very brown. Although the art direction is excellent overall, especially where the game’s dangerous monsters are concerned, the uniqueness of certain settings suffers on account of a lack of variation in the game’s color scheme. This is especially noticeable when compared to the expressive, richly detailed colors of the first three Resident Evil titles. That’s one of the reasons the classic fixed-camera games are worth playing today , so the remake’s producers should take the opportunity to widen the variety of colors used in the g
If the remake of Resident Evil 4 decides to trim the fat in a similar way to 2 and 3, it will lose moments like this. The original is the longest game in the franchise by a significant margin, and this is for good reason. Each major location is like a game in itself, taking time to introduce you to their threats, puzzles, and further intricacies before things inevitably descend into an avalanche of action. You hurl grenades around like other modern entries, but here it feels earned, like you’ve triumphed over unstoppable horrors and can finally take your revenge. The campaign being cut short would rob these moments of their brilliance, and this isn’t how newcomers should experience one of the best survival horror games ever concei
If Zelda goes back to 2D, it stands alongside the indie scene. It showcases that these older takes shouldn’t be abandoned due to their age. Many other games are doing this already, but none have the clout of Zelda. Going back to 2D with its next main entry – not a remake, remaster, or spin-off – would set a major precedent: not every new triple-A title needs to splash out to make a big blockbuster. It could be a hybrid like Octopath Traveler with its 2D sprites on top of its paper-like background, or it could go the full mile and be completely 2D. Whatever it does, going back would be refreshing for gaming and hidden locations Guide it could pave the way for other studios to do similar things with their own catal
