Resident Evil 4 Remake is a fantastic game that has received high praise from critics and audiences alike. Though the game is great in nearly every way, it doesn't completely take the original Resident Evil 4 out of the picture as the 2002 Resident EvilRemake did to its 1996 original. Resident Evil 4 Remake was built off the foundations of what many consider one of the greatest games of all time. While it does many things to match or surpass the original, there are still facets of the 2005 Resident Evil 4 that reign supreme.
It should be noted that players all hold different opinions, and what some find better in one game, others will think are worse. Having separate opinions is great, and should create discussion in the community. Both the original Resident Evil 4 and the remake are phenomenal games, so even when it feels that the original did something better, it probably means that it's still excellent in the remake.
6 The Reload Animations & Weapon Sounds
A fan-favorite aspect of the original Resident Evil 4 was the reload animations. They helped give every weapon its own personality and feel. While the reloads in the remake look spectacular and all the guns sound great, there's a certain charm about the original game's animations and sound effects that can't be replicated.
One good example is how Leon reloads the Red 9. In the remake, Leon still uses a stripper clip and shoves the bullets into the weapon just like in the original, but instead of flicking his gun to the side to get rid of the used clip, he just grabs it and drops it. While this reload is more realistic, having Leon flick the Red 9 to the side gave both Leon and the weapon an action movie feel that was both humorous and cool.
5 Certain One Liners
It wouldn't be Resident Evil 4 without cheesy quips from Leon. The remake handles these one-liners nearly perfectly, and in many ways, they do them better than the original. For example, Leon doesn't speak at all outside cutscenes in the original game, whereas the Leon of the remake is constantly quipping and trash-talking foes as he fights.
That said, a lot of iconic one-liners from the original have been relegated to achievement names in the remake. While it's still great to see these classic lines referenced, it would've been even better to hear the fantastic voice talent of the remake say these iconic lines for a new generation of fans. Luckily, a few of the classic favorites still made it into the game. Fans can look forward to hearing Leon ask about bingo and mention "that dog" in the midst of a tense boss battle.
4 The Salazar Fight
The Salazar boss fight is rather weak in both the original Resident Evil 4 and the remake, but for different reasons. In the original game, players often felt that the fight was boring. It consisted of simple dodges and QTEs while fighting a mostly immobile monster attached to a wall. While the remake gives Salazar a total facelift, the fight is unfortunately lackluster.
When enemies are shooting the player in a Resident Evil game, it can easily become annoying. While Salazar won't be shooting players with rifles like in Resident Evil 5 or 6, the majority of his attacks involve beams of acid that require players to seek cover behind a pillar or floor in the boss room. While the original fight is rather boring, the remade fight can become quite frustrating, especially on higher-difficulty runs.
3 Arcade Combat
Though the encounters, weapons, and enemy types are shared between the original Resident Evil 4 and the remake, the fighting styles and flow of combat are completely different. They're different enough that it almost feels unfair to compare them, but some players agree that the arcade feeling of the combat in the original game is more fun.
The combat in the remake is amazing; it requires players to learn how to parry and positioning in rooms is still a crucial feature, as enemy AI is much smarter than it used to be. That said, there's something about the tank control combat in the original that felt incredible to master. Because of the limited control scheme, learning enemy spacing and attack openings is much more important. Once these are learned, fights feel like old-fashioned arcade fun, especially in the Mercenaries game mode. Luckily, fans of the remake will also get to experience amazing combat in the fast-paced Mercenaries game mode, a free DLC available as of April 7, 2023.
2 Pacing
Resident Evil 4 has some of the best pacing in video game history. Though the game was linear, it kept the player engaged. Thanks to the awesome combat encounters, players always had to be on their toes. Resident Evil 4 Remake had a nearly impossible bar to reach when trying to match the pacing, and while it does a great job, it still doesn't beat the original.
New Merchant quests and certain expanded areas break up the pacing enough to be noticeable. While there are almost always foes to fight when backtracking or completing Merchant requests, some of these sections can feel too long or out of place when moving the story forward. Luckily, they are seldom required, so players can simply skip them if they want, though spinels gained from completing Merchant tasks aren't great to miss. The pacing in both games is great, but the original is tough to beat.
1 Soundtrack
Like many things, the soundtrack in Resident Evil 4 Remake isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination. The soundtrack for the remake is awesome, but the soundtrack for the original is even better. One particular song from the remake stood out among fans, titled "The Drive V2." It plays in the incredibly redesigned shooting galleries hosted by the Merchant, and the song features a part that plays during the "Bonus" mode which plays the original drive song from 2005's Resident Evil 4.
Even the fan-favorite song from the remake features the original soundtrack. The music in both games is great, and the remake's soundtrack does a lot to build tension and drive forward the horror feel, but the original game's combat songs are unmatched. The basic fight songs and boss themes from the original are some of the best in franchise history, so it would have been hard to match them. For players really looking for the old soundtrack, a paid DLC can be bought to swap sounds and songs in the remake with those of the original.
Resident Evil 4 Remake was released on March 24, 2023, and is available on Playstation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC.