2003
š„±I played this through in one painful sitting and it honestly felt like I was being fucked with the whole time.
The game is insultingly dull, the enemies are lacking for the series and the areas are both uninspired and needlessly huge or complex. Every mission has at least one part that either makes no sense or exists only to waste your time, often both. The combat felt exactly the same start to finish and every boss could be killed near instantly by activating Devil Trigger and holding square.
Seriously the reputation is deserved, just skip this entry it adds nothing to the franchise but a sour taste.
The game is insultingly dull, the enemies are lacking for the series and the areas are both uninspired and needlessly huge or complex. Every mission has at least one part that either makes no sense or exists only to waste your time, often both. The combat felt exactly the same start to finish and every boss could be killed near instantly by activating Devil Trigger and holding square.
Seriously the reputation is deserved, just skip this entry it adds nothing to the franchise but a sour taste.
2023
I had been meaning to review this when I platinumed it but once I did I just sort of went to bed and never got around to it. I think the fact that my gf still hasn't played beyond the prologue has me hesitant to say much about it, but I also feel icky having not said anything at all about what is almost certainly going to be my GOTY.
Yep, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, I loved it. I remember way back when the first trailers for this dropped and I really wasn't sure how I felt about it; the English VAs and the very Game of Thrones-esque setup and focus on politics, I was cautiously optimistic at best and maybe even slightly disappointed that it wasn't more familiar at worst. More fool me honestly, the "this isn't Final Fantasy" argument is so old by now it's as much a staple of the franchise as the deities. I don't care if this doesn't look, sound or play like 4, 7 or 10, it absolutely bangs.
I agree with a lot of the criticism I've seen around the combat, more specifically that the basic attack button is limited to essentially a single 4-hit combo, but what I don't agree with is that this makes the combat boring or plain. I've preached to everyone that will listen by now to play this game with controller mapped to scheme C so that magic is on L1 and I stand by this making the combat 10x more fun and fluid. Being able to chain together attacks, follow-ups, combos and specials in a variety of ways is so satisfying, and the "one combo" point is completely lost behind the ways you can use the skills together to slap around your enemies and look great doing it.
Furthermore, the story feels pretty damn "Final Fantasy" to me, the core plot is even built around giant crystals smh. I won't go into spoilers, but following a single character through multiple stages of their life ends up working really nicely I think. The timeskips aren't just noticeable but they're meaningful, you can physically see the changes to people and places based on the events of the previous arc. They could've done more with it I'm sure, but I think it's neat.
To that point, this means our boy Clive carries this game on his shoulders start to finish, and I'm not the first to say that Ben Starr totally nailed this performance. The cast across the board were superb - special shoutout to Charon for sounding exactly like every woman in the town I grew up in - but Square have shown once again that casting actors that don't have massive VA backgrounds can pay off really nicely. I love all the regular names as much as anyone else, but seeing Ben come in out of nowhere and leap to the top of my 'best performance' vote list somehow makes me appreciate the game even more than if it had been aced by somebody that I would expect to nail it.
In classic fashion I've said very little about the game itself, but hopefully this little gush was at least somewhat interesting to read. It can now serve as evidence that this franchise truly does have me by the balls. They aint perfect, but these games deliver for me personally on so many levels.
Quick shoutout as well to the lore catalogues in this game, Harpocrates' tomes and Vivian's map are two of the coolest and most dense lore-libraries I've seen in a game, maybe ever. Also the map actually wrinkles under her finger in cutscenes which is hot. And speaking of hot all the characters are super pretty again, especially Jillš
I'm looking forward to Rebirth being my 2024 GOTY as well, (Sorry Persona 3 Reload š)
Thanks for reading all, hope you're enjoying your summers and whatnot! Not sure what my next review will be but I'm surprised to be really enjoying Sword and Fairy 7 right now so there's a good chance it'll be that!
Yep, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, I loved it. I remember way back when the first trailers for this dropped and I really wasn't sure how I felt about it; the English VAs and the very Game of Thrones-esque setup and focus on politics, I was cautiously optimistic at best and maybe even slightly disappointed that it wasn't more familiar at worst. More fool me honestly, the "this isn't Final Fantasy" argument is so old by now it's as much a staple of the franchise as the deities. I don't care if this doesn't look, sound or play like 4, 7 or 10, it absolutely bangs.
I agree with a lot of the criticism I've seen around the combat, more specifically that the basic attack button is limited to essentially a single 4-hit combo, but what I don't agree with is that this makes the combat boring or plain. I've preached to everyone that will listen by now to play this game with controller mapped to scheme C so that magic is on L1 and I stand by this making the combat 10x more fun and fluid. Being able to chain together attacks, follow-ups, combos and specials in a variety of ways is so satisfying, and the "one combo" point is completely lost behind the ways you can use the skills together to slap around your enemies and look great doing it.
Furthermore, the story feels pretty damn "Final Fantasy" to me, the core plot is even built around giant crystals smh. I won't go into spoilers, but following a single character through multiple stages of their life ends up working really nicely I think. The timeskips aren't just noticeable but they're meaningful, you can physically see the changes to people and places based on the events of the previous arc. They could've done more with it I'm sure, but I think it's neat.
To that point, this means our boy Clive carries this game on his shoulders start to finish, and I'm not the first to say that Ben Starr totally nailed this performance. The cast across the board were superb - special shoutout to Charon for sounding exactly like every woman in the town I grew up in - but Square have shown once again that casting actors that don't have massive VA backgrounds can pay off really nicely. I love all the regular names as much as anyone else, but seeing Ben come in out of nowhere and leap to the top of my 'best performance' vote list somehow makes me appreciate the game even more than if it had been aced by somebody that I would expect to nail it.
In classic fashion I've said very little about the game itself, but hopefully this little gush was at least somewhat interesting to read. It can now serve as evidence that this franchise truly does have me by the balls. They aint perfect, but these games deliver for me personally on so many levels.
Quick shoutout as well to the lore catalogues in this game, Harpocrates' tomes and Vivian's map are two of the coolest and most dense lore-libraries I've seen in a game, maybe ever. Also the map actually wrinkles under her finger in cutscenes which is hot. And speaking of hot all the characters are super pretty again, especially Jillš
I'm looking forward to Rebirth being my 2024 GOTY as well, (Sorry Persona 3 Reload š)
Thanks for reading all, hope you're enjoying your summers and whatnot! Not sure what my next review will be but I'm surprised to be really enjoying Sword and Fairy 7 right now so there's a good chance it'll be that!
2016
I'm not normally interested in the 'PC Master Race' debate but I can't deny that this feels so much better to play on mouse & keyboard.
I actually dropped this game on PS4 a few years ago, but after playing Doomy Turtle via gamepass on my PC, I figured there was no way that game was so good and this one not worth finishing.
Playing through it from the start on PC, it was better almost immediately. Eternal takes what I like about this and turns it all up to 11, it's still a noticeable step down coming back to this one, but it just feels cool when you get in a groove and the soundtrack is kicking ass right with you.
Biggest complaint by far is the platforming and some levels designs are lacking and slow down an otherwise awesome momentum. Overall, really glad I gave it another go. Great reboot to a badass franchise with one of the most likeable silent protags in gaming
I actually dropped this game on PS4 a few years ago, but after playing Doomy Turtle via gamepass on my PC, I figured there was no way that game was so good and this one not worth finishing.
Playing through it from the start on PC, it was better almost immediately. Eternal takes what I like about this and turns it all up to 11, it's still a noticeable step down coming back to this one, but it just feels cool when you get in a groove and the soundtrack is kicking ass right with you.
Biggest complaint by far is the platforming and some levels designs are lacking and slow down an otherwise awesome momentum. Overall, really glad I gave it another go. Great reboot to a badass franchise with one of the most likeable silent protags in gaming
2019
When I played this way back when, I found myself getting lost and turned around, forgetting where I was going, and getting in a panic so often that I'd end up rushing or charging into something and getting myself eaten-on a lot more than I should've. Honestly I found it pretty frustrating at times, but the overall experience when carefully preparing and planning and all that was so good I still gave it a 4/5.
I had done Leon A/Claire B on Standard blind, then Claire A/Leon B Assisted with guides to get all the misc trophies and left it there. Too scared to play on Hardcore or bother trying for S rank (my standard playthroughs were 6+ and 5+ hours..)
Recently I've gotten back into Resident Evil in a big way, replaying 3 Remake to give that a fair shot after many requests from my partner, and after loving that game alot more I came back to this one, deciding to do a Claire A standard route. About halfway through the run, I was once again sent a helpful guide by the missus to provide a tip on getting past some lickers. The creator of this guide - Darkness - was so darn charming and comforting that I immediately wanted him to help me get that S rank I'd been so afraid of.
I finished my Claire run (mostly) un-aided, got myself an A Rank and decided my next play would be Leon B on Hardcore, guide at my side and gf cheering me on.
Whole new experience honestly. Just as stressful at times but much, much more calculated. I made more than a few mistakes but was able to accommodate or make up for them, and every milestone came with a wave of pride in my success. It was so much fun! I completed Leon B with a final time of 01:54:26 (albeit it took me over double that in real time lol) but I bagged myself an S+ rank!!
This "review" ended up being me rambling for days about my life-story with this title, but I guess the point is that even after 3 playthroughs with each character I'm finding new ways to have fun, learning new tricks, what once felt like unbalanced, arbitrary bullshit now feels like sneaky but effective challenges.
I really like this shit man, this is how survival horror zombie games should feel. I'm upping my rating a full star to 5/5 idgaf. I'm so hyped to get back in tomorrow with a Claire A Hardcore run, infinite launcher in hand for the wackiest, slackiest playthrough yet :p I don't need that S+, a regular S will get me the platinum and playing in a new style is exactly why I'm so excited. Lesfuckingoo >:)
If you read this far, hi lmao. It's 4:40am and I am high on RE2 :)
I had done Leon A/Claire B on Standard blind, then Claire A/Leon B Assisted with guides to get all the misc trophies and left it there. Too scared to play on Hardcore or bother trying for S rank (my standard playthroughs were 6+ and 5+ hours..)
Recently I've gotten back into Resident Evil in a big way, replaying 3 Remake to give that a fair shot after many requests from my partner, and after loving that game alot more I came back to this one, deciding to do a Claire A standard route. About halfway through the run, I was once again sent a helpful guide by the missus to provide a tip on getting past some lickers. The creator of this guide - Darkness - was so darn charming and comforting that I immediately wanted him to help me get that S rank I'd been so afraid of.
I finished my Claire run (mostly) un-aided, got myself an A Rank and decided my next play would be Leon B on Hardcore, guide at my side and gf cheering me on.
Whole new experience honestly. Just as stressful at times but much, much more calculated. I made more than a few mistakes but was able to accommodate or make up for them, and every milestone came with a wave of pride in my success. It was so much fun! I completed Leon B with a final time of 01:54:26 (albeit it took me over double that in real time lol) but I bagged myself an S+ rank!!
This "review" ended up being me rambling for days about my life-story with this title, but I guess the point is that even after 3 playthroughs with each character I'm finding new ways to have fun, learning new tricks, what once felt like unbalanced, arbitrary bullshit now feels like sneaky but effective challenges.
I really like this shit man, this is how survival horror zombie games should feel. I'm upping my rating a full star to 5/5 idgaf. I'm so hyped to get back in tomorrow with a Claire A Hardcore run, infinite launcher in hand for the wackiest, slackiest playthrough yet :p I don't need that S+, a regular S will get me the platinum and playing in a new style is exactly why I'm so excited. Lesfuckingoo >:)
If you read this far, hi lmao. It's 4:40am and I am high on RE2 :)
I wish I could give this game the lengthy, detailed review that it deserves, but unfortunately my memory doesn't allow for that, so this will have to do.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a perfect game, held back by it's own perfectionism. It works so hard to make everything feel as good as it possibly can that as a result there's simply too much. It took me over 3 years to complete this, and as someone who can easily bash out a 150-hour JRPG in a month or two, that really says something.
Now obviously I wasn't playing it consistently, not after the first 3 months. But seriously.. 3 months! To reach the Epilogue! For 3 months I played this game - and this was back when I used to pick a single thing and play that in basically all of my free time. Granted I spent a lot of that time doing optional activities, but even considering that the game is just SO, BIG.
I remember coming back after around 6 months and deciding to finally get through the Epilogue one weekend while I was visiting my mum over Christmas. About 15 hours later I'd barely scratched the surface of Part 2. (Yep, that's right. Even the fkn Epilogue is 2 parts long!)
After that, it was a hefty 3 year break, playing for maybe an hour once or twice in between before fully committing to beating it recently.
The point I'm trying to make - quite fittingly in the most roundabout way possible - is that this game is by all means incredible. The attention to detail is unmatched, the cast and story are superb, and the fact that Rockstar did all this to set up RDR1 ... They went so far beyond the call it's laughably impressive.
But alas, it's just too much. I'm giving this game a 5/5 because it absolutely deserves it. But unfortunately Rockstar's tedious game design and absolutely insane scale of everything in it means that I, personally, had to experience it in such a way that by the time the credits rolled, everything prior to the Epilogue was already a fading memory. And that kinda sucks.
I would love to replay this game in a more appropriate way, start to finish without years-long breaks. Maybe some day..
(My gf is definitely gunna make me watch her play it once a year eventually though it's fine huehue)
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a perfect game, held back by it's own perfectionism. It works so hard to make everything feel as good as it possibly can that as a result there's simply too much. It took me over 3 years to complete this, and as someone who can easily bash out a 150-hour JRPG in a month or two, that really says something.
Now obviously I wasn't playing it consistently, not after the first 3 months. But seriously.. 3 months! To reach the Epilogue! For 3 months I played this game - and this was back when I used to pick a single thing and play that in basically all of my free time. Granted I spent a lot of that time doing optional activities, but even considering that the game is just SO, BIG.
I remember coming back after around 6 months and deciding to finally get through the Epilogue one weekend while I was visiting my mum over Christmas. About 15 hours later I'd barely scratched the surface of Part 2. (Yep, that's right. Even the fkn Epilogue is 2 parts long!)
After that, it was a hefty 3 year break, playing for maybe an hour once or twice in between before fully committing to beating it recently.
The point I'm trying to make - quite fittingly in the most roundabout way possible - is that this game is by all means incredible. The attention to detail is unmatched, the cast and story are superb, and the fact that Rockstar did all this to set up RDR1 ... They went so far beyond the call it's laughably impressive.
But alas, it's just too much. I'm giving this game a 5/5 because it absolutely deserves it. But unfortunately Rockstar's tedious game design and absolutely insane scale of everything in it means that I, personally, had to experience it in such a way that by the time the credits rolled, everything prior to the Epilogue was already a fading memory. And that kinda sucks.
I would love to replay this game in a more appropriate way, start to finish without years-long breaks. Maybe some day..
(My gf is definitely gunna make me watch her play it once a year eventually though it's fine huehue)
2020
The first time I played this I really wasn't impressed to be honest. I wasn't in the right mood for the style of gameplay it demands, and I get so lost with all the backtracking that Nemesis quickly became a huge annoyance for me.
Playing it again in a more fitting mood, not trying to rush through everything and being a little more careful.. Yeah I hadn't been fair at all. I've stood firm for ages that this is an average game and ole Nemmy is the most frustrating, broken enemy in the series, but in reality I was just a stinky butthead.
Sure it's short, but the quality is pretty ace across the board. Not to mention Jill being the hottest, most badass girlboss in gaming (maaaaybe second to Tifa but sh) -- I get it now. It's not perfect and I wish there was more to it, it definitely falls short in some ways compared to RE2 (where is the awesome end credits song?!?) but yeah, I'm convinced. This game good.
Also despite having a really dumb and stoopid name that makes him sound like a fool that doesn't like AI, Carlos is neat :p
Playing it again in a more fitting mood, not trying to rush through everything and being a little more careful.. Yeah I hadn't been fair at all. I've stood firm for ages that this is an average game and ole Nemmy is the most frustrating, broken enemy in the series, but in reality I was just a stinky butthead.
Sure it's short, but the quality is pretty ace across the board. Not to mention Jill being the hottest, most badass girlboss in gaming (maaaaybe second to Tifa but sh) -- I get it now. It's not perfect and I wish there was more to it, it definitely falls short in some ways compared to RE2 (where is the awesome end credits song?!?) but yeah, I'm convinced. This game good.
Also despite having a really dumb and stoopid name that makes him sound like a fool that doesn't like AI, Carlos is neat :p
2016
Short and sweet for this one - much like the game itself. The movement and gunplay are excellent, I personally wasn't a fan of most of the scopes/iron sights but they weren't unusable. I played on Master so I wasn't consistently zipping around doing tricks like I maybe should've been, but when I was able to pull off cool shit in one of my many attempts of a firefight it felt amazing.
The story is forgettable but the relationship between Pilot Cooper and BT, his Titan, was the highlight of the game for me. Did a great job of making us feel like a duo rather than just a mechsuit which I wasn't expecting at all. I'm not normally into mechs to be honest but humanising one definitely appealed to me a lot more (even if they don't give the same treatment to any of the other Titan's you destroy throughout the game... :p)
Anyway overall this was a really good time, glad I played it, my only regret is that - as with Cod 4 MWR - the training course trophy is going to be a huge pain in the dick and - unlike Cod 4 MWR - I really don't think I have this one in me... It's so much harder, at least twice as input heavy and it's twice as long to boot, fuck (:
Update: I did it... Somehow .-.
The story is forgettable but the relationship between Pilot Cooper and BT, his Titan, was the highlight of the game for me. Did a great job of making us feel like a duo rather than just a mechsuit which I wasn't expecting at all. I'm not normally into mechs to be honest but humanising one definitely appealed to me a lot more (even if they don't give the same treatment to any of the other Titan's you destroy throughout the game... :p)
Anyway overall this was a really good time, glad I played it, my only regret is that - as with Cod 4 MWR - the training course trophy is going to be a huge pain in the dick and - unlike Cod 4 MWR - I really don't think I have this one in me... It's so much harder, at least twice as input heavy and it's twice as long to boot, fuck (:
Update: I did it... Somehow .-.
2023
I very nearly dropped this game to a 4.5 because of how fkn annoying it is having to replay certain sections if you die to bosses (even using the warp spell) but honestly the soundtrack alone convinced me otherwise.
Time-wasting bullshit isn't what I'll remember this game for, it's the superb soundtrack, interesting and diverse dungeons/bosses and honestly just how neat the concepts are. Both that of using the ocarina to achieve the things that it can, and the fact alone that your destiny as the hero forces you to just fast-forward past 7 years of your life so you're tall enough to hold a sword lol.
I know I've already praise the ost out the ass, but as 26 year old whose been gaming for most of his life and somehow never touched this title personally, it was really quite something hearing so many songs from it and excitedly thinking "Oh!! So this is what that's from!" -- It was like finally seeing a movie I'd been hearing through the walls my whole life. I hope this makes sense but idk, it was cool :p
Anyway, you don't need me to tell you how iconic this game is, the variety in just about everything, including your inventory and their uses, makes this a pretty solidoccasionally time-wasting bullshit adventure game š
(It also made for a perfect excuse to whip out my 3DS after years of neglect, something I hope to keep up as I move onto another classic that passed me by: Dragon Quest VIII)
Thanks all, hope you had a great January :D
Time-wasting bullshit isn't what I'll remember this game for, it's the superb soundtrack, interesting and diverse dungeons/bosses and honestly just how neat the concepts are. Both that of using the ocarina to achieve the things that it can, and the fact alone that your destiny as the hero forces you to just fast-forward past 7 years of your life so you're tall enough to hold a sword lol.
I know I've already praise the ost out the ass, but as 26 year old whose been gaming for most of his life and somehow never touched this title personally, it was really quite something hearing so many songs from it and excitedly thinking "Oh!! So this is what that's from!" -- It was like finally seeing a movie I'd been hearing through the walls my whole life. I hope this makes sense but idk, it was cool :p
Anyway, you don't need me to tell you how iconic this game is, the variety in just about everything, including your inventory and their uses, makes this a pretty solid
(It also made for a perfect excuse to whip out my 3DS after years of neglect, something I hope to keep up as I move onto another classic that passed me by: Dragon Quest VIII)
Thanks all, hope you had a great January :D
Absolutely fantastic collection. I struggle to think of another series so... complete? Everything that happens in each game is directly related to something in another. Every planet, race and character has lore and history. So many major conflicts and key details about things that may be discussed or learned about during a mission are built upon down the line, often tying into the story in ways far more significant than I would've expected. Rarely is something explained without later being shown, it's pretty amazing, and it makes every resolution to a conflict all that more fulfilling.
I could understand the complaint that Shepard serves as this Mary Sue of the universe, somehow becoming involved with just about everything and always at the forefront to correcting anything that can be, but honestly I can't agree with that being a negative. Commander Shepard is a hero, and I finally see now why the character is so beloved by so many.
It's strange to think that games with so much player-input and dialogue options could still have a protagonist that doesn't feel like a self-insert. Despite me choosing everything that she said, I still found myself looking at Shepard and respecting her as a character. I'm not sure how to really explain this but idk, I really love this series.
I've reviewed 1 and 2 already (although my review of 2 is p much just adrenaline-fuelled gushing bc I love it so much), I'm hoping to review 3 on its own page as well but as of right now I'm almost overwhelmed with the simple fact the journey is over. All I know for sure is that I loved it, this franchise has skyrocketed to my favourites of all time and while I understand why 3's ending is divisive I can't understand how anyone could call it bad.
That's all from me, this collection was free on PS+ recently, anyone that has that has no excuse not to experience it for themselves :p
I could understand the complaint that Shepard serves as this Mary Sue of the universe, somehow becoming involved with just about everything and always at the forefront to correcting anything that can be, but honestly I can't agree with that being a negative. Commander Shepard is a hero, and I finally see now why the character is so beloved by so many.
It's strange to think that games with so much player-input and dialogue options could still have a protagonist that doesn't feel like a self-insert. Despite me choosing everything that she said, I still found myself looking at Shepard and respecting her as a character. I'm not sure how to really explain this but idk, I really love this series.
I've reviewed 1 and 2 already (although my review of 2 is p much just adrenaline-fuelled gushing bc I love it so much), I'm hoping to review 3 on its own page as well but as of right now I'm almost overwhelmed with the simple fact the journey is over. All I know for sure is that I loved it, this franchise has skyrocketed to my favourites of all time and while I understand why 3's ending is divisive I can't understand how anyone could call it bad.
That's all from me, this collection was free on PS+ recently, anyone that has that has no excuse not to experience it for themselves :p
2020
This is kinda petty but idc, I haven't played this game but the fact I went and bought a physical copy of Modern Warfare and the game installed both Warzone and Vanguard INSTEAD of fucking Modern Warfare is pathetic. I shouldn't have to go digging through the content packs to access the game I paid for and forced to have 2 others wasting space on my hdd.
Also, the Game icon on my Homescreen is for Warzone, the Game boots up to the fucking Warzone menu. I did not buy Warzone, ya cunts. I do not want to fucking play Warzone. Fuck off.
Also, the Game icon on my Homescreen is for Warzone, the Game boots up to the fucking Warzone menu. I did not buy Warzone, ya cunts. I do not want to fucking play Warzone. Fuck off.
2009
Honestly speaking, this game isn't even all that good. The levels and combat are both decent enough, but the bosses just take too long. That said, I struggle to think of a game I've had more fun playing with someone else.
I've played this so much since it's release, but here I am 13 years later playing it with my best partner yet and it's more fun than it's ever been.
I've played this so much since it's release, but here I am 13 years later playing it with my best partner yet and it's more fun than it's ever been.
2023
Well folks, here it is. One of the biggest releases of this year, a remake of one of the most beloved and influential games in the genreās history, and top 2 most anticipated 2023 games for yours truly. Did it deliver? Did Capcom succeed in producing the GOTY contender I was confident they would? You know damn well what the answer is, but if youād like to stick around and read the ramblings of a man consumed, settle in. This oneās gunna be a ride. š
(if you donāt please just skip to the end and like it tyily)
-- Warning, I went Overboard --
I suppose I should start with a confession. Despite being a huge Resident Evil fan for most of my life, I was actually never massive on the original Resimid Evil 4. I enjoyed playing it way back in the day, and thereās really no denying how important it was for gaming as a whole, but the more I was spoiled by better mechanics over the years, the harder it became to go back and play it again. I know this is still something of a hot take, but tank controls and standstill aiming are such a hurdle in the original that the challenge never felt like it was by design, but due to restrictions of the gameās mechanics. One might argue that the mechanics were factored in as a part of the design to be fair, but idk, it just doesnāt feel right for me, and worse yet it breaks my immersion a lot.
Anyway! The reason I bring that up is because I donāt really remember all that much from the 2005 game, and as such will not be using it as a basis or reference for my opinions. I know the reception to this title has been absurdly positive, but almost every criticism Iāve seen has been ābut x was better in the originalā and I donāt really see things that way personally. Itās okay to prefer the things that the original did differently, but if youāve played this game then you surely recognise that itās not a straight remake, itās a new version. Itās not there to replace the original like the 2001 Resident Evil remake, itās a new take on the title, just like the RE2 and RE3 remakes were.
-- Reinventing the Wheel - Gameplay --
So letās talk about the actual game, shall we? Itās amazing. Genuinely it is handcrafted to be the absolute best that it can be with the resources available. It looks gorgeous, it feels fantastic and the design as a whole is top tier honestly. Every area works exactly as intended, thereās not a single battle in the game that I can think of where the arena felt too easy, unfair or restrictive. Sure not every single room or part of a map looks entirely unique, but having beaten the game three times I didnāt find myself tired of a setting even once, and thatās pretty cool.
Further to this, the enemies are handpicked and diverse enough to ensure that you never feel entirely safe. You can approach each area or enemy differently, but with the inclusion of opponents that require a different strategy, you quickly find yourself having to adapt to every situation almost independently. This is especially effective for players like me, who tend to find weapons theyāre most comfortable using and make them their primary arsenal. Personally I ran with the SG pistol and Riot shotgun, with a rifle for certain enemies and an smg for close quarter crowd control. Tactical, right? You might think Iām prepared for anything, I certainly did. That was until the introduction of a later enemy that almost demands penetrative or explosive damage. Suddenly my backup rifle Iād mainly been using to safely pop tentacle-y heads became my new best friend. Friendship ended with laser sight SG pistol and shallow but strong Riot shotgun, now the Stingray rifle is my best friendā¦ For now.
Every weapon in this game holds on its own and the upgrades are really effective at allowing you to kit yourself out however you want to play, but what Iām getting at here is that no matter how well optimized everything can be, the game wonāt ever become a monotonous āuse pistol on approach, use shotgun when close, loot and leaveā ordeal - youāre going to need to get into a groove of how to handle different enemies, and this groove is one of my favourite things in any game ever.
I know I said I wasnāt going to compare and I swear this is the only time, but being able to move while aiming and so effortlessly switch weapons, reposition yourself and effectively maneuver in general is such a godsend for this game. The flow of combat never stops being fun and for me personally that flow was a huge part of why I never loved the original. I couldnāt be more happy with how improved this is and Capcom have really gone above and beyond in making this version of the game feel like youāre in total control at all times.
-- Leon Kennedy: Survivor - Character & Tone --
As someone who for their teen years was mostly into Resident Evil through the Milla Jovovich movies and playing Resi 5ās co-op with half a dozen people, Leon Kennedy was always someone that I knew was cool, but didnāt really get to know properly until a few years ago. Iād played through his campaign in RE6, but as Iām sure you know that isnāt the best title to refer to when considering these beloved characters. So as you can expect, the RE2 remake was when I got my first real taste of Leon and of course I grew to love him quickly, but there was always a faint hint of ābut I prefer Claireā when thinking of that entry on its own. Naturally theyāre their own, very different characters, but this meant that Leon still hadnāt had a chance to shine brighter than anyone else. To me he was only āthe bingo guyā from my long forgotten RE4 (2005), and now the lovable baby faced cop from RE2. Resident Evil 4 (2023) changed that.
Leon is such a bonafide badass in this game that he easily skyrocketed to the top tiers of my favourite characters in the series. Combined with my existing love from RE2R, seeing how different he was this time around was like reuniting with someone after theyāve had years to train and come to terms with what happened to them. A stark contrast to the original RE4ās Leon being comically smug and campy - Traits that make for some really great lines, but that donāt quite fit the tragic character arc that our boy has been on and is still going through. This remake is no stranger to silly one-liners and dorky quips, but none of them compromise the core theme that the title is going for. The campy moments feel more to me like Leon letting out his inner dork (or badass), enjoying those brief moments that he can and taking pride in his abilities, but not in a way that undermines how seriously heās taking the situation. Leon truly cares every step of the way, heās been through a hell of a lot and heās allowed to be confident in himself after surviving something that wouldāve killed almost anyone else. Heās true to his goals and every triumph makes that endgame feel just a little bit more possible:
āThis time, it has to be different.ā
-- The Controversial & The Cheese Lover - Side Characters --
Iāll have to stress here again that my memory of the original is lacking, so you might have guessed that until this remake my opinion of Ashley was pretty much āLEON!~ā - I always thought she was a highschool student that had quite possibly never been outside before and was allergic to doing as she was told (So just any teenager really) - but alas! āNew Ashleyā is here and she is just wonderful.
The updates to her appearance and demeanor have ultimately resulted in a different character to what I find most people remember. Now much more clearly a young adult, Ashley is a very welcome companion throughout the game, feeling much closer to the likes of Bioshock Infiniteās Elizabeth or TLOUās Ellie, in the sense that I actually liked having her around and seeing her contribute on our journey. [Who knew that could be done by a character whose name wasnāt a variation of the name Ellie!?]
This reimagined Ashley works perfectly within the setting of the game, and the moments she shares with Leon as well as the way she reacts to things do well to establish the kind of character she is, despite her limited role in the overall plot. Sheās not just a damsel in distress to be saved, she wants nothing more than to go home and she knows that the only way that happens is if she follows Leonās lead, getting involved only when itās really going to help, and otherwise letting him do his thing. I wonāt go into specifics, but the way Ashley and her relationship with Leon develop over the course of the game made it impossible for me not to come away from it loving them both.
I have rambled so much so Iām afraid Luis and Ada are getting smaller parts, but the short version is that I enjoyed them both. Luis was a bit of an enigma for a lot of the game, and I canāt say I loved every single part of his story, but looking back at the full picture I really appreciate his role and actually quite like his personal arc. Heās fun to be around and somehow despite being a badass himself, heās able to make Leon look even more like a badass by comparison, which is really something. One of the earlier scenes in the game with the two of them is one of the hottest scenes from a game in recent memory, and I mean that in the least gay way possible.
As for Ada.. Well Ada is an interesting character. Iāve heard a lot of takes on her performance in this and honestly I donāt know where I land. Iām hoping that the inevitable Separate Ways DLC gives us a better insight into why she behaves the way that she does. Iāve heard a lot of hate about the way she talks but I donāt think itās nearly as bad as the drama makes out. To me it just sounds like everything she says is in a slightly erotic voice, but where she doesnāt fully want to be there in the first place? Like the director told her to be hot but distracted lol, idk. I didnāt find her character nor performance to be a detriment to the game and I look forward to coming back to see more of her. (Especially because her character model is stunning, seriously) - Speaking of coming back..
-- Different this Time - Replayability --
Resident Evil games have always been famous for their replay value, they encourage or even demand that you run through them more than once, often with specific handicaps or conditions in order to unlock certain rewards. When I first heard that this remake was gonna take around 17 hours on the first run, the thought of doing a second one quickly became more of a fear than a goal. I was convinced that no matter how much easier it was the 2nd time, itād be nothing but a slog and thereās no way you could beat it in 1 or 2 sittings like all the games before itā¦ More fool me, because Capcom simply does not miss. My first standard playthrough took me just shy of 18 hours to complete, with a number of deaths along the way and a slew of missed collectables and trophy opportunities. Being who I am, this meant that a replay was necessary, if only for the sake of breezing through to get the easy trophies. But thatās not what I decided to do.
I donāt quite remember what inspired this decision, perhaps just over-confidence from having beaten the game once, but I decided to try my hand at a NG+ Professional run. At the time, I had not unlocked any of the bonus rewards or weapons. I had a B in Standard difficulty and Iād missed about 13 of the Castellan dolls needed to unlock the knife that can become unbreakable. I also didnāt use a guide, but decided that if everyone online was beating the game in 4-5 hours the second time, then I could too.
This run would take me 5 hours and 35 minutes, just 5 minutes too long for me to get an S Rank. š
In my attempts to be as fast as possible I played fast and loose, running past or through as many encounters as I could, ignoring almost all loot that wasnāt within arms reach and regretting it dearly when I found myself without ammo going into a boss fight. This run was so much fun that I wasnāt even mad when I ended it so close yet so far from getting the S rank I wanted. Iād be lying if I said that some parts werenāt really fkn hard and equally as annoying, and I was torn up when the clock struck 6am and I finally conceded, buying an RPG for the final boss that Iād been too ill-equipped to beat for dozens of attempts, but I had fun.
And it wasnāt in vain! This A rank meant that I now had a bonus weapon that could be upgraded to have infinite ammo, and a costume for Ashley that, well if you read this far you know damn well what it does lol. Even after a collective 22+ hours (it was actually closer to 40 bc of deaths and idle time oop) and 2 completions under my belt, I wanted more.
I was hoping to use my new gun, but given the trophy list I instead decided to work on an Assisted run, in which I would get the trophies for all treasures, all Castellan dolls, no recovery items, no merchant, and pistol + knife only, in a single run. This went about as well as you might expect. I wonāt break it all down again but what a challenge this was, every room had to be treated differently to the last two times and with my no healing nor merchant I couldnāt repair my knife/armour or regain any health if something went wrong. Iām telling you Iāve seen people complain that the knife durability is pointless, but when you canāt repair it even starting out with 2 fully upgraded ones will not help you. I went through every knife in the game and ended with about 10% hp on the one you unlock after your first playthrough. By chapter 12 I was finishing off downed enemies with bullets because stabbing them wouldāve meant having no way to parry, and this was on Assisted.
This run was challenging as hell, but I beat the entire game - final boss included - using nothing but the SG-09R, the Punisher, and knives. Fuck yeah. š
The only bad news to come from all of this is that playing the game on NG++ Assisted with only 1 or 2 hits worth of hp per battle did NOT equip me for playing New game Professional at all lmao. But Iāll get there eventually!
-- Final Thoughts - Thank You for your Time --
In conclusion, it finally makes sense to me now why Resident Evil 4 is so often called the best game in the series, and this remake may even be just that. If the 2005 gamecube release was this mind-blowing to the players of its time, I get it.
If you read this whole thing then you have my dearest thanks. This game has become something of an obsession since it was released and it felt only right that I give it a āproperā review to boot. (That and this is the best excuse I have to just talk about it lmao) - I hope this was enjoyable or interesting to read, I know a lot of my reviews are just me word vomiting every thought I have, often without a real point or through-line, but I choose to lazily write that off as passion. š
If anything I said was wrong, gave you a new perspective on something or was worth responding to at all please do let me know. It means a lot to know these reviews serve as even a little bit of engagement between yāall and I. Thanks again everyone, hope youāre having a wonderful week, and I look forward to seeing your own reviews or seeing you back for my next oneā¦ Whenever that may be. Take care! š
(if you donāt please just skip to the end and like it tyily)
-- Warning, I went Overboard --
I suppose I should start with a confession. Despite being a huge Resident Evil fan for most of my life, I was actually never massive on the original Resimid Evil 4. I enjoyed playing it way back in the day, and thereās really no denying how important it was for gaming as a whole, but the more I was spoiled by better mechanics over the years, the harder it became to go back and play it again. I know this is still something of a hot take, but tank controls and standstill aiming are such a hurdle in the original that the challenge never felt like it was by design, but due to restrictions of the gameās mechanics. One might argue that the mechanics were factored in as a part of the design to be fair, but idk, it just doesnāt feel right for me, and worse yet it breaks my immersion a lot.
Anyway! The reason I bring that up is because I donāt really remember all that much from the 2005 game, and as such will not be using it as a basis or reference for my opinions. I know the reception to this title has been absurdly positive, but almost every criticism Iāve seen has been ābut x was better in the originalā and I donāt really see things that way personally. Itās okay to prefer the things that the original did differently, but if youāve played this game then you surely recognise that itās not a straight remake, itās a new version. Itās not there to replace the original like the 2001 Resident Evil remake, itās a new take on the title, just like the RE2 and RE3 remakes were.
-- Reinventing the Wheel - Gameplay --
So letās talk about the actual game, shall we? Itās amazing. Genuinely it is handcrafted to be the absolute best that it can be with the resources available. It looks gorgeous, it feels fantastic and the design as a whole is top tier honestly. Every area works exactly as intended, thereās not a single battle in the game that I can think of where the arena felt too easy, unfair or restrictive. Sure not every single room or part of a map looks entirely unique, but having beaten the game three times I didnāt find myself tired of a setting even once, and thatās pretty cool.
Further to this, the enemies are handpicked and diverse enough to ensure that you never feel entirely safe. You can approach each area or enemy differently, but with the inclusion of opponents that require a different strategy, you quickly find yourself having to adapt to every situation almost independently. This is especially effective for players like me, who tend to find weapons theyāre most comfortable using and make them their primary arsenal. Personally I ran with the SG pistol and Riot shotgun, with a rifle for certain enemies and an smg for close quarter crowd control. Tactical, right? You might think Iām prepared for anything, I certainly did. That was until the introduction of a later enemy that almost demands penetrative or explosive damage. Suddenly my backup rifle Iād mainly been using to safely pop tentacle-y heads became my new best friend. Friendship ended with laser sight SG pistol and shallow but strong Riot shotgun, now the Stingray rifle is my best friendā¦ For now.
Every weapon in this game holds on its own and the upgrades are really effective at allowing you to kit yourself out however you want to play, but what Iām getting at here is that no matter how well optimized everything can be, the game wonāt ever become a monotonous āuse pistol on approach, use shotgun when close, loot and leaveā ordeal - youāre going to need to get into a groove of how to handle different enemies, and this groove is one of my favourite things in any game ever.
I know I said I wasnāt going to compare and I swear this is the only time, but being able to move while aiming and so effortlessly switch weapons, reposition yourself and effectively maneuver in general is such a godsend for this game. The flow of combat never stops being fun and for me personally that flow was a huge part of why I never loved the original. I couldnāt be more happy with how improved this is and Capcom have really gone above and beyond in making this version of the game feel like youāre in total control at all times.
-- Leon Kennedy: Survivor - Character & Tone --
As someone who for their teen years was mostly into Resident Evil through the Milla Jovovich movies and playing Resi 5ās co-op with half a dozen people, Leon Kennedy was always someone that I knew was cool, but didnāt really get to know properly until a few years ago. Iād played through his campaign in RE6, but as Iām sure you know that isnāt the best title to refer to when considering these beloved characters. So as you can expect, the RE2 remake was when I got my first real taste of Leon and of course I grew to love him quickly, but there was always a faint hint of ābut I prefer Claireā when thinking of that entry on its own. Naturally theyāre their own, very different characters, but this meant that Leon still hadnāt had a chance to shine brighter than anyone else. To me he was only āthe bingo guyā from my long forgotten RE4 (2005), and now the lovable baby faced cop from RE2. Resident Evil 4 (2023) changed that.
Leon is such a bonafide badass in this game that he easily skyrocketed to the top tiers of my favourite characters in the series. Combined with my existing love from RE2R, seeing how different he was this time around was like reuniting with someone after theyāve had years to train and come to terms with what happened to them. A stark contrast to the original RE4ās Leon being comically smug and campy - Traits that make for some really great lines, but that donāt quite fit the tragic character arc that our boy has been on and is still going through. This remake is no stranger to silly one-liners and dorky quips, but none of them compromise the core theme that the title is going for. The campy moments feel more to me like Leon letting out his inner dork (or badass), enjoying those brief moments that he can and taking pride in his abilities, but not in a way that undermines how seriously heās taking the situation. Leon truly cares every step of the way, heās been through a hell of a lot and heās allowed to be confident in himself after surviving something that wouldāve killed almost anyone else. Heās true to his goals and every triumph makes that endgame feel just a little bit more possible:
āThis time, it has to be different.ā
-- The Controversial & The Cheese Lover - Side Characters --
Iāll have to stress here again that my memory of the original is lacking, so you might have guessed that until this remake my opinion of Ashley was pretty much āLEON!~ā - I always thought she was a highschool student that had quite possibly never been outside before and was allergic to doing as she was told (So just any teenager really) - but alas! āNew Ashleyā is here and she is just wonderful.
The updates to her appearance and demeanor have ultimately resulted in a different character to what I find most people remember. Now much more clearly a young adult, Ashley is a very welcome companion throughout the game, feeling much closer to the likes of Bioshock Infiniteās Elizabeth or TLOUās Ellie, in the sense that I actually liked having her around and seeing her contribute on our journey. [Who knew that could be done by a character whose name wasnāt a variation of the name Ellie!?]
This reimagined Ashley works perfectly within the setting of the game, and the moments she shares with Leon as well as the way she reacts to things do well to establish the kind of character she is, despite her limited role in the overall plot. Sheās not just a damsel in distress to be saved, she wants nothing more than to go home and she knows that the only way that happens is if she follows Leonās lead, getting involved only when itās really going to help, and otherwise letting him do his thing. I wonāt go into specifics, but the way Ashley and her relationship with Leon develop over the course of the game made it impossible for me not to come away from it loving them both.
I have rambled so much so Iām afraid Luis and Ada are getting smaller parts, but the short version is that I enjoyed them both. Luis was a bit of an enigma for a lot of the game, and I canāt say I loved every single part of his story, but looking back at the full picture I really appreciate his role and actually quite like his personal arc. Heās fun to be around and somehow despite being a badass himself, heās able to make Leon look even more like a badass by comparison, which is really something. One of the earlier scenes in the game with the two of them is one of the hottest scenes from a game in recent memory, and I mean that in the least gay way possible.
As for Ada.. Well Ada is an interesting character. Iāve heard a lot of takes on her performance in this and honestly I donāt know where I land. Iām hoping that the inevitable Separate Ways DLC gives us a better insight into why she behaves the way that she does. Iāve heard a lot of hate about the way she talks but I donāt think itās nearly as bad as the drama makes out. To me it just sounds like everything she says is in a slightly erotic voice, but where she doesnāt fully want to be there in the first place? Like the director told her to be hot but distracted lol, idk. I didnāt find her character nor performance to be a detriment to the game and I look forward to coming back to see more of her. (Especially because her character model is stunning, seriously) - Speaking of coming back..
-- Different this Time - Replayability --
Resident Evil games have always been famous for their replay value, they encourage or even demand that you run through them more than once, often with specific handicaps or conditions in order to unlock certain rewards. When I first heard that this remake was gonna take around 17 hours on the first run, the thought of doing a second one quickly became more of a fear than a goal. I was convinced that no matter how much easier it was the 2nd time, itād be nothing but a slog and thereās no way you could beat it in 1 or 2 sittings like all the games before itā¦ More fool me, because Capcom simply does not miss. My first standard playthrough took me just shy of 18 hours to complete, with a number of deaths along the way and a slew of missed collectables and trophy opportunities. Being who I am, this meant that a replay was necessary, if only for the sake of breezing through to get the easy trophies. But thatās not what I decided to do.
I donāt quite remember what inspired this decision, perhaps just over-confidence from having beaten the game once, but I decided to try my hand at a NG+ Professional run. At the time, I had not unlocked any of the bonus rewards or weapons. I had a B in Standard difficulty and Iād missed about 13 of the Castellan dolls needed to unlock the knife that can become unbreakable. I also didnāt use a guide, but decided that if everyone online was beating the game in 4-5 hours the second time, then I could too.
This run would take me 5 hours and 35 minutes, just 5 minutes too long for me to get an S Rank. š
In my attempts to be as fast as possible I played fast and loose, running past or through as many encounters as I could, ignoring almost all loot that wasnāt within arms reach and regretting it dearly when I found myself without ammo going into a boss fight. This run was so much fun that I wasnāt even mad when I ended it so close yet so far from getting the S rank I wanted. Iād be lying if I said that some parts werenāt really fkn hard and equally as annoying, and I was torn up when the clock struck 6am and I finally conceded, buying an RPG for the final boss that Iād been too ill-equipped to beat for dozens of attempts, but I had fun.
And it wasnāt in vain! This A rank meant that I now had a bonus weapon that could be upgraded to have infinite ammo, and a costume for Ashley that, well if you read this far you know damn well what it does lol. Even after a collective 22+ hours (it was actually closer to 40 bc of deaths and idle time oop) and 2 completions under my belt, I wanted more.
I was hoping to use my new gun, but given the trophy list I instead decided to work on an Assisted run, in which I would get the trophies for all treasures, all Castellan dolls, no recovery items, no merchant, and pistol + knife only, in a single run. This went about as well as you might expect. I wonāt break it all down again but what a challenge this was, every room had to be treated differently to the last two times and with my no healing nor merchant I couldnāt repair my knife/armour or regain any health if something went wrong. Iām telling you Iāve seen people complain that the knife durability is pointless, but when you canāt repair it even starting out with 2 fully upgraded ones will not help you. I went through every knife in the game and ended with about 10% hp on the one you unlock after your first playthrough. By chapter 12 I was finishing off downed enemies with bullets because stabbing them wouldāve meant having no way to parry, and this was on Assisted.
This run was challenging as hell, but I beat the entire game - final boss included - using nothing but the SG-09R, the Punisher, and knives. Fuck yeah. š
The only bad news to come from all of this is that playing the game on NG++ Assisted with only 1 or 2 hits worth of hp per battle did NOT equip me for playing New game Professional at all lmao. But Iāll get there eventually!
-- Final Thoughts - Thank You for your Time --
In conclusion, it finally makes sense to me now why Resident Evil 4 is so often called the best game in the series, and this remake may even be just that. If the 2005 gamecube release was this mind-blowing to the players of its time, I get it.
If you read this whole thing then you have my dearest thanks. This game has become something of an obsession since it was released and it felt only right that I give it a āproperā review to boot. (That and this is the best excuse I have to just talk about it lmao) - I hope this was enjoyable or interesting to read, I know a lot of my reviews are just me word vomiting every thought I have, often without a real point or through-line, but I choose to lazily write that off as passion. š
If anything I said was wrong, gave you a new perspective on something or was worth responding to at all please do let me know. It means a lot to know these reviews serve as even a little bit of engagement between yāall and I. Thanks again everyone, hope youāre having a wonderful week, and I look forward to seeing your own reviews or seeing you back for my next oneā¦ Whenever that may be. Take care! š
This game exceeded even my highest expectations in almost every way.
I could talk about it for hours but as with Remake I don't think it's possible for me to do it justice, it's peak. I've spent over 200 hours with FF7 Rebirth now and I could easily jump back in for a 3rd playthrough today.
This game is such an achievement, and home to some of the most beautiful scenes, characters and music in memory. If the final part is able to do even half as many things as well as this does, then we're in for a phenomenal trilogy of games.
As an aside, getting the platinum for this was insanely fun and surprisingly easy ... until the last few combat simulations. It took me around 40 hours over 5 days to get them done. I am begging that part 3 is easier š„¹
Thanks for reading folks, hope you're all doing well!š
I could talk about it for hours but as with Remake I don't think it's possible for me to do it justice, it's peak. I've spent over 200 hours with FF7 Rebirth now and I could easily jump back in for a 3rd playthrough today.
This game is such an achievement, and home to some of the most beautiful scenes, characters and music in memory. If the final part is able to do even half as many things as well as this does, then we're in for a phenomenal trilogy of games.
As an aside, getting the platinum for this was insanely fun and surprisingly easy ... until the last few combat simulations. It took me around 40 hours over 5 days to get them done. I am begging that part 3 is easier š„¹
Thanks for reading folks, hope you're all doing well!š