RE4 First Impressions

Other Games
1

Okay.

I’ve spent about an hour with RE4 on the Wii, and having played both the Gamecube and the PS2 versions through at LEAST 5 times each, here are my thoughts on the Wii version.

Upon popping the game in and booting it up … the first thing that came to mind was … did this game look BETTER on the Gamecube? I wish I still had my Gamecube version to test out as a graphical comparison.

(What I did have was the PS2 version, which I’d like to be the first to report, looks SUPERIOR in wide screen mode, and an upscaled resolution via PS3’s PS2 backward compatibility options.)

The Wii version shows massive amounts of pixelation on my 52 inch screen and shows filter artifacts even with the high def cables in. Zelda TP doesn’t have the same problems, and looks pretty sharp in comparison, and one could argue that both games were essentially built from the ground up on the Gamecube hardware.

So, I guess I expected a bit of a graphics polish from the gang at Capcom … and I was a bit let down in that department, no big deal.

I’m also a bit cheesed off about the firing controls … as I had purchased the Wiimote “gun” shell from Hong Kong JUST for the experience of playing through RE4 with it … but the way that the controls work (and you CAN NOT ADJUST THEM) are hold the B button to aim and press the A button to fire.

Um, correct me if I’m wrong, but Isn’t the B button more like a TRIGGER on a GUN??? And wasn’t the whole POINT of the Wiimote to make gameplay more IMMERSIVE?? Well, guess what, pressing the A button is the equivalent of pressing a gamepad button to shoot, which is what we’ve been doing with games for YEARS.

sigh again, not a HUGE deal … but, I’m still cheesed off.

Finally, the “quick knife / quick reload” controls … they’re the “shake the Wiimote to slash your knife / reload your gun” action features … and while I’m sure with more time in the game I’ll learn to curb my motions … I wound up dying a few times right out of the gate because instead of quickly targeting a bunch of Ganados (zipping around with the target reticule) in a crowd, the Wiimote made me slash my knife or reload my pistol…

Boy, did Leon look stupid swinging his knife while he should have been melon-busting parasite heads.

I haven’t gotten that deep into it, and I’m sure most of these frustrations will either wear off as I get closer to the end, or make the game completely un-bearable … and only time will tell, so I need to get back to it all.

For now, it’s looking like a 7 out of 10. Could go up or down from here.

2

I’d love to go through the whole list of reasons as to why the PS2 port is inferior to the original GC version (like for example how all the GC cutscenes run in real time, while the PS2 ones are recordings of them), but it doesn’t really matter when it doesn’t change the experience much.

3

I’m surprised you mention the controls as a downside when it’s what people seem to love the most about the Wii version. I wouldn’t know about the graphics but it makes sense that the PS3’s upscaling options would make it look tidier on a large screen though I imagine that the frame rate problems and lower quality textures, etc, remain.

I’m more surprised you bought a dodgy piece of kit like the gun attachment though. Really, why would you buy a third party thing like that without even knowing if any games will be suitable for that kind of set up?

I really can’t think of anything but the most basic lightgun style shooter being able to work OK with something like it, if I was to buy a similar thing I’d wait for a game first and an official product that I’d see support for…

4

[quote=“Al3xand3r”]I’m surprised you mention the controls as a downside when it’s what people seem to love the most about the Wii version. I wouldn’t know about the graphics but it makes sense that the PS3’s upscaling options would make it look tidier on a large screen though I imagine that the frame rate problems and lower quality textures, etc, remain.

I’m more surprised you bought a dodgy piece of kit like the gun attachment though. Really, why would you buy a third party thing like that without even knowing if any games will be suitable for that kind of set up?

I really can’t think of anything but the most basic lightgun style shooter being able to work OK with something like it, if I was to buy a similar thing I’d wait for a game first and an official product that I’d see support for…[/quote]

I LIKE the controls, they just take a while to get used to, they don’t do much to “immerse” the player into the “gun / trigger-play” of the game, and I’m DISSAPOINTED that they didn’t do MORE with them in terms of environmental puzzles.

READ.

READ my REVIEW.

Dodgy eh? Do you own the gun shell for the Wii? Have you had hands-on experience with it? It would make sense considering how you’ve formed such a concrete opinion of it …

… and, yes, very silly of me to expect a developer as trustworthy as Capcom to have a control setup feature in the options.

5

Yes, you like the controls so much you mention absolutely nothing good about them (which part did you want me to READ?) and you think you will either get used to them or they will make the game unbearable. UNBEARABLE. I READ THAT. CAPS RULE.

Why do you get so defensive anyway? All I said was that your REVIEW was surprising to me because all other reviewers I’ve read praise the controls and especially the newfound level of precision with which they can aim their weapons. You don’t have to agree with them but I don’t think it’s immoral to be surprised when reading your piece.

As for the gun shell, well, if it’s not dodgy then which game’s experience did it enhance and enrich showing you its wonderful potential and making you purchase it?

Nice take on the “if you don’t own it, don’t judge it” mindset. I guess you bought FarCry for your little Wii then? Even if you did, some people just knew better and didn’t.

Finally, I also don’t see why Capcom was expected to add control options that make RE4 playable with a random third party accessory. Sure any options at all would be good (if redundant for most) but that doesn’t mean they would make it any more suitable for the gun shell as, once again, they wouldn’t bother testing for something so random and without support, official or otherwise.

Many companies come up with such silly plastic things for the Wii these days, that doesn’t mean we should buy everything, expect developer support and get all upset when we don’t get it. Think (and maybe even gasp try) before you buy. BEFORE.

6

At no point in the review did I say that I was “down on” the use of the Wiimote as a control scheme.

Having been through the game repeatedly on other consoles, and having purchased a peripheral that, YES, WAS intended to enrich the experience of using a Wiimote as a GUN.

(If Nintendo expects us to swing it like a sword in Zelda … and all initial gameplay footage showed it being used as a GUN in RE4 … I don’t see WHY you’re so shocked that I’d expect as much out of the software and peripheral hardware)

I can’t think of a reason as to owning the game on the system other than to ENJOY the Wiimote controls to the fullest.

My criticisms of the control features are rather simple, realistic dissapointments stemming from legitimate expectations.

Those expectations come from the fact that Capcom rarely dissapoints, and often goes above and beyond to provide gamers with AT LEAST enough in terms of OPTIONS to please everybody.

There are more than a few Resident Evil games that have allowed users to choose a few different control schemes … so what is also so SHOCKING about me expecting to at least be able to swap a button or two?

And, really … if you need to have it explained to you, I’m only as “defensive” as you are “aggressive” of my decision to buy a peripheral.

Don’t swoop in and make an extreme judgement on my purchasing practices and expect me to lie down for it.

7

You were defensive about me being surprised over your control issues actually, I have no problem with you being upset over me pointing out your issues with the peripheral were your own fault rather than Capcom’s, that’s expected, heh.

As for the rest of your post, you keep saying Capcom and Nintendo should have given you the ability to play this game with some random accessory from a different company. Uh, why the hell should they? Where did they promise you something like that?

What Resident Evil 4 footage shows people playing it with a gun attachment or better yet with the specific gun attachment you purchased? All the footage I’ve seen shows the wiimote and nunchuck alone and I’d say that’s how the real product works too so you were not fooled by anyone as you try to make it appear.

You are obviously mad at Capcom instead of being mad at the company which made a useless accessory almost no game can function with. They are the ones who made it, they are the ones who didn’t and/or couldn’t get software developer support and since they knew that, they are the ones who should have made a peripheral that is properly functional with what’s out there.

But noooo, you have purchased it and apparently, in your mind, that makes it instantly recognisable and noteworthy by everyone therefor Nintendo and Capcom should have taken that under consideration for all their titles that involve guns and since they didn’t, your criticism is obviously valid and justified. Is this a joke? Your logic is not quite… logical.

8

[quote=“Al3xand3r”]You were defensive about me being surprised over your control issues actually, I have no problem with you being upset over me pointing out your issues with the peripheral were your own fault rather than Capcom’s, that’s expected, heh.

As for the rest of your post, you keep saying Capcom and Nintendo should have given you the ability to play this game with some random accessory from a different company. Uh, why the hell should they? Where did they promise you something like that?

What Resident Evil 4 footage shows people playing it with a gun attachment or better yet with the specific gun attachment you purchased? All the footage I’ve seen shows the wiimote and nunchuck alone and I’d say that’s how the real product works too so you were not fooled by anyone as you try to make it appear.

You are obviously mad at Capcom instead of being mad at the company which made a useless accessory almost no game can function with. They are the ones who made it, they are the ones who didn’t and/or couldn’t get software developer support and since they knew that, they are the ones who should have made a peripheral that is properly functional with what’s out there.

But noooo, you have purchased it and apparently, in your mind, that makes it instantly recognisable and noteworthy by everyone therefor Nintendo and Capcom should have taken that under consideration for all their titles that involve guns and since they didn’t, your criticism is obviously valid and justified. Is this a joke? Your logic is not quite… logical.[/quote]

I’m sorry, but at this point, I’ve gone through POINT by POINT and not only clarified, justified, and backed up every single one of my criticisms, but done so to the point of exhausting them.

Just because you claim that they’re “illogical”, that does not make them illogical. You simply fail to see the logic in them.

Let’s explore that - If I bought a SWORD peripheral, then expected a game where the main character primarily uses a GUN to function in a way that would simulate a SWORD … well, then that would be riduclous, illogical, and worthy of being picked apart.

I bought a gun peripheral to play a gun-based game with. It’s not “crap” it’s not “shoddy” it simply doesn’t function in a way that seemed to be … LOGICAL … and Capcom did not as they had done previously in other versions of Resident Evil allow users to customize or choose from various control setups.

And, honestly, I’m fairly certain that I’m not the ONLY person in the world who bought that peripheral with the intention of using it for RE4. If a HANDFULL of those people find my post via a google search, well, I could give a lesser shit about how you view the usefullnes of the peripheral, or the validity of my review.

To bottom line it, then I’m DONE discussing this with you -

When I buy a game for the THIRD TIME, and one that’s supposed to be the PINNACLE (based on the “immersive controls” ) of all three experiences, I have EXPECTATIONS.

Sure, they may not be YOUR expectations (and I’d hardly call them over-reaching or “illogical”, but that’s why I wrote MY own review.

If you don’t like my review, play the game yourself and write your own review. I EAGERLY await reading it.

9

You bought a gun peripheral from company A which is totally unrelated to company B which made the game you bought and you somehow expect the two to cooperate as you want even though there was no indication whatsoever that the two had any kind of intention to compliment each other’s products. I’m sorry but that’s not logical at all.

Guncon is also a gun but could you play Syphon Filter with it on the Playstation? I mean, it’s a gun, and Syphon Filter involved guns too so they should work! That’s pretty much your so called logic in this case too. The only difference is that the products could in theory have been compatible though there was no indication that they were as you tried to show with your “BUT ITS A GUN AND THE GAME HAS GUNS” ramblings.

Capcom had no reason to make it so as once again the peripheral is from a third party which didn’t try to ensure developer support, the fault being theirs and the mistake of purchasing it yours. You buying something doesn’t make that something noteworthy nor does it mean companies should support it. Even if there were any control set up options, your gun shell could still be useless as they’d once again be options created with just the wiimote and nunchuck in mind and not any random accessory by any random company. Think before you buy and take responsibility for your mistakes rather than blame software companies for not supporting any random plastic piece that gets released for ignorant, clueless people to purchase.

Nice to see you going back to the “if you don’t own it don’t comment on it” style of thinking with the “if you don’t like my review [hmm, I thought it’s a first impression, not a review] write your own” bullshit, lol. Guess what, this is a public forum I frequent, if you don’t want to see my comments either ignore me or don’t write here. I will however link to some actual reviews of the game to make this thread a bit more USEFUL.
metacritic.com/games/platfor … dentevil4/

10

LOL, it’s SO painfully obvious that all you want is two things:

  1. Bash me, my review, and my purchase.

and

  1. Get the last word in.

Well, good luck with that.

And, would you mind finding me the EXACT MOMENT where I claimed that I expected Capcom to “work together” with the Hong Kong based peripheral company in so many words?

If you’re going to keep attacking me, you should at least claim things that I actually SAID.

11

And, please, don’t think that ASININE GunCon comment slipped under my radar.

That’s a very good attempt to project a concept onto my criticism that makes NO sense.

The GunCon is a LIGHT GUN GAME PERIPHERAL. Syphon Filter is a 3rd Person action game. It’s IMPOSSIBLE to use it for anything it wasn’t DESIGNED FOR, and an argument that it SHOULD BE, IS ILLOGICAL.

The Wiimote in RE4 functions the EXACT SAME WAY that it would WITH the Hong Kong gun attachment on the Wiimote, apart from the button that functions as the trigger is NOT the B button. You point it at the screen and it moves the reticule around. It’s nothing more than a plastic shell with an extension port for the nunchuck.

A continued assault on my logic and intelligence is only going to serve toward your continued frustration with me, as I’m not changing my stance on this issue.

12

As long as you are negative about the game or Capcom or Nintendo when you should have simply known better yourself, your logic and intelligence is worth insulting.

Yes, the wiimote functions the same way but it doesn’t give you as direct and easy one-hand access to all the buttons required for most games (the d-pad is often used, as is the A button), hindering the gameplay of most titles regardless of the B button. That should have been reason enough to avoid its purchase.

RE4 works fine with the wiimote + nunchuck combo, RE4 according to you doesn’t work fine with your gun attachment, so I’d say they don’t function in the exact same way (if only on the practical level, which matters as much as any) therefor some consideration of the product you purchased would have to be done for RE4 to work properly with it. That could have been the case if the companies worked together, but as I said before (and never said you claimed they did), they didn’t.

You just made a useless purchase, Capcom is not at fault for not supporting this thing. You are at fault for buying it but you just want to blame someone else, how funny. Next time think or try before you buy as your wonderful logic alone has apparently failed to satisfy your needs.

I imagine you bought something like this:
gizmodo.com/assets/resources/200 … brando.jpg
Sorry, it really wouldn’t work as fluid as the regular set up for most titles, for reasons stated earlier.

There are also things like this:
joytech.net/images/products/ … hooter.jpg
Even worse design but if you had bought that you’d probably expect it to function properly with all games as well, heh. This is what I mean when I say too many random things get released, you can’t expect companies to take each and every one of them under consideration during development, and you certainly can’t expect them to do that because you happened to buy it. At least not until something official comes along, preferably with a game showing its potential use.

13

Lol, good to see you’re still obsessed with getting the last word in. Too bad I’ll never let you have it.

Once again, you give me an opportunity to blast holes in your criticisms.

A.) My experience with the Wiimote on RE4 is FULLY DOCCUMENTED. I provided hands-on functionality experience from my very first hour in … and I concluded that the controls DID IN FACT IMPROVE. Did you even READ my review…or are you too busy trying to twist my words to make it look like I’m bashing Capcom? You fail.

B.) I didn’t BLAME Capcom for anything. You claiming that I BLAME Capcom is the same as claiming that I “expect them to work with the Hong Kong accessory company”. Being DISSAPOINTED in somebody is NOT AT ALL the same as BLAMING SOMEBODY for something. You fail.

C.) The pistol attachment is NOT USELESS. While it doesn’t function as hoped for RE4, it actually works fine with Wii Play, and likely other games in the future.

D.) “You keep saying Capcom and Nintendo should have given you the ability to play this game with some random accessory from a different company.”

You said that,

and then you said this -

“but as I said before (and never said you claimed they did), they didn’t.”

So…you say that I expectd that Capcom and Nintendo should have worked together with some random company…and then you backtrack and say that you DIDN’T claim that…

So, um, what is it buddy? Did I claim that or didn’t I?

DO YOU EVEN READ YOUR OWN POSTS??

You fail. At everything.

Heh.