Resident Evil 4: Wii Version

I've never actually played a Resident Evil game in my life, despite all they hype the series gets. I think it's due to the fact I've never been a fan of horror games. Seeing as Resident Evil games are generally survival horror games, I've had less reason to play them. Survival horror games, while having good action and such, never have much depth. Right, now on with the review.

I decided to go with the Wii version since I actually have only one other game for my Wii, and I wanted to see how the Wii would manage with a 3rd person shooter. As with other shooting games, movement is done by the use of the nunchuck, and everything else is done by the Wiimote. The plot is rather basic. In this game you are Leon from Resident Evil 2 and have been sent to a remote part of Spain to rescue the US President's daughter. Upon arriving at the village where it's suspected she's being held captive, Leon receives a rather rude welcoming in the form of villagers wanting to run him through with pitchforks, axes and scythes. Unfortunately, that's about as good as it gets. However, the real greatness lies in the atmosphere. There's just something about diseased looking villagers that's more creepy than zombies. I won't go any further into the plot because that would just create spoilers.

Most of the controls are pretty spot on. The motion sensory is put to good use through aiming, and it's handled well. There were a few odd moments where my cursor/aiming sight wouldn't move, but I think that was just the Wii having a bit of trouble keeping up with all the action that would be going on in one moment. What I didn't like was the high amount of "Wiimote waving". For some reason, developers like to put as many motion sensitive elements into Wii games as possible. With Resident Evil 4 it was used to run during cut-scenes and reload during gameplay. Um, ok? I still don't understand how that adds any extra fun. Who actually likes having to furiously move their arm in order to run? Surely it would have been better to move the Wiimote back and forth. That would actually simulate running decently. Flicking the Wiimote to reload was nothing more than a replacement for pressing a button. Having Leon limp and run slower when he was low on health was a nice touch, and it helped increase the difficulty of an otherwise easy game.

Despite how impressive the bosses looked, they were also quite easy. They weren't exactly a walk in the park, but I could defeat them after only a few tries. Graphically, the game is very nice to look at, but it really does a fantastic job with the boss fights. They are so freaking huge. I have to say that I loved the first boss. The way you have to fight is just so fun to do because it's so fresh. It actually felt like I was in a movie, which I guess is what the developers were going for with the entire game. Another great moment was when I was having to dodge the tail of a creature that tried to impale me from above and below me. While it wasn't a boss, it was definitely a highlight of the game for me.

If I was to give an honest opinion about Resident Evil 4, I'd say it was good. It definitely had some flaws that I hope get sorted out for Resident Evil 5, but those weren't enough to remove the fun from the game. I would recommend it for those who like the Resident Evil series or like 3rd person shooters.