Me and Resident Evil 4 have a long history, as it was one of the first games I've ever gotten from a family member and I was instantly blown away. I never saw anything like it and to this day it's my third favorite game of all time (Bloodborne and Fallout New Vegas surpass it but only slightly). When news came out that it was getting a remake I was somewhat cautious since the last REmake at the time sucked ass (though REmake and RE2make are superb) but after playing those fears are funny in hindsight. RE4make is absolutely one of the most respectful remakes I've played in recent time, with clear homage and new additions making the experience just different enough for old fans (and some pretty cheeky changes which is always hilarious). Some new changes also surpass the original imo, with my new favorite gameplay change being that of the knife. In OG 4 it was already a force to be reckoned with but they somehow made it BETTER in the remake, with so much utility offensively and defensively which makes it the first thing players should upgrade, with the only downside being durability that can only be repaired at Merchants which is a bit annoying. Another great addition is those of the script, with so much more character added to everyone (props to whoever voiced Ashley she fucking nailed the performance and keeping RE2make Leon was also an excellent decision). Some smaller changes also help the pacing through like treasures being easier and merchant requests making spinels much more important (though I didn't really care for how many were either the same objective or just fetch quests).

The two main things that keep this from being better compared to the original would be the Pacing and overall gameplay. Pacing wise the Remake does a great job with keeping momentum but at the same time feels a bit sluggish in some sections (mainly the middle). Gameplay is a weird one because the guns do feel really good (would absolutely recommend turning ballistic volume up in the audio) but is so much weaker compared to the original games excellent gun sound. That being said the new gore effects are so fucking good and make blasting ganados a bloody treat. Also felt escorting Ashley felt a lot worse compared to the original, with so much of the direct control from controlling her gone in place of weird ai shit that does a really bad job of not getting out of the way (though she is also much easier to maintain health wise which is appreciated). Last thing I'll say about the gameplay is fighting some of the new enemies/bosses felt worse, with Del Lago and Garrador being kinda nerfed in the transition but for differing reasons (Del Lagos fight takes away a lot of tension and Garrador is easily cheesed with the stealth system). Lastly there is some content from the original that sadly did not make it to the remake but at the same time the new stuff is really damn good (besides the red guys being really fucking annoying).

Resident Evil 4 is a quality game that should be experienced by anyone who calls themselves a horror fan or shooter fan in general. Whether its original or remake this game is one of the best in its genre and I can't wait to come back to it for years to come.

9.5/10