System: PSN, Xbox Live
ESRB: Mature
Score: 3/5
Resident Evil 4 HD really disappointed me. I have played and beaten both the Gamecube and PS2 versions of the game, and both were breathtaking, but of course that was in 2005 and 2006. Nonetheless, I can safely say those versions, as well as the Wii version, are all better than this version, hands down. It costs a shockingly high $19.99 ($9.99 for Plus members) and the game feels like nothing but a quick cash-in for Capcom. I recently sat down and played the Gamecube version again, and I’m loving it. The atmosphere is tense and heart pounding, the controls are tight and responsive, and it just feels right.
In 2005, no game looked and played better than Resident Evil 4, and that’s a fact, it changed the survival horror genre forever. After playing this “HD” version, I’m angry, wishing I wouldn’t have wasted money on it, wishing I could get the money back, because I feel used. Let me put it to you straight, the graphics have only been “upscaled”, so it hasn’t been totally overhauled, and it just looks bland, plus the lighting is way off, and that fog effect is almost gone completely, it lost all of it’s horror-like features. It may looks nice at first, but as you get into it, you will easily see it’s flaws. As far as the sound goes, putting it bluntly, it’s bland and boring. It sounds muffled and like it was ported over from a last-gen game (it was). They didn’t take the time to improve it, so it just sounds like a recycled mess. The controls are below average as well. This was the deal breaker for me. I put the game down because I couldn’t handle it any more. Leon’s movements are much worse than they were before. Often times as you’re running, you’ll stop numerous times, mainly because the controls didn’t get any attention when porting over. There are two control schemes, and neither feel right. If it was me, I would have “L1″ as aim and “X” as shoot. Very big disappointment there. The story is the same, the characters are the same, it’s still Resident Evil 4, minus all the good gameplay and horror we knew from the original port. All in all, the game is simply a rip-off for the asking price. You can buy a used Gamecube and a used copy of RE4 for cheaper, and get a better experience out of it. If you haven’t played Resident Evil 4 before, shame on you, go buy the Gamecube, PS2 or Wii version and skip this cash-in.
Pros:
Still Resident Evil 4
Story line & Characters
Great Boss Fights
Cons:
HD graphics aren’t full “HD”
Great controls have been replaced with sluggish, average ones
Audio is aged on just sounds bad
Duke Nukem Forever is the definition of a “mixed bag”. It leans for toward the bad side though to be completely honest. Some of the dialogue is just plain funny, but the voice actors are awful. The graphics are bland mostly, but do show signs of polish. The controls are one of the better parts to the game, but aren’t anything special. The story is boring, as the single player campaign doesn’t have much to offer. The multiplayer component is good, but it’s only one good thing out of many bad things. I do not recommend Duke Nukem Forever, it’s a wannabe. It wishes it was as cool as it’s old family members, but it’s not, by a long shot.
