All the previous bonus content, like Ada's bonus chapter, Separate Ways, is included in this version. Capcom's also gone back and remastered the game's textures for the new resolutions.
So what do you get for your $20 this time around? Well, you get Resident Evil 4 in 1080p or above, with anti-aliasing and locked at either 60FPS or 30FPS depending on the strength of your rig. Leon isn't up against zombies this time instead, he has to dispatch a village controlled by the Las Plagas parasite. The game drops the previous Resident Evil fixed viewpoint for an over-the-shoulder camera that's locked behind Leon, and ups the action with new context-sensitive controls and quick-time events. Resident Evil 4 Ultimate HD Edition still puts you in control of Resident Evil 2 survivor Leon Kennedy, sent to a quiet Spanish town to rescue the U.S. Tweak the mouse sensitivity and you'll be putting headshots in Los Ganados. Capcom doesn't want to let RE4 sleep because it was one of the franchises' critical high points. Then there was the first PC port, the motion-controlled Wii Edition, Mobile Edition for iOS, the iPad Edition, and the first HD digital release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Resident Evil 4 was originally a GameCube exclusive, but a PlayStation 2 port came out later in the same year. This is actually the latest in a long line of Resident Evil 4 re-releases and ports.
Which brings us to Resident Evil 4 Ultimate HD Edition on PC. At the high-end, you get works of art like Bionic Commando: Rearmed, while the bottom is owned by travesties like Silent Hill HD Collection. Tales of Symphonia Chronicles, Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD, and Assassin's Creed Liberation HD are recent entries in the form, with games like Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster coming soon. We've seen a number of different versions of HD remakes some are drastic, while others are simple repackagings of old concepts.
What's the point of an HD remake? Is it just a spit-and-polish job, moving the graphics into high-definition for classic fans and a new audience? Or perhaps it's a chance for a developer to improve on what came before in slight ways without destroying the core that fans love? Maybe it's full retune, with every aspect of the old title getting a new look and an overhaul if need be.Īt their core, HD remakes are a chance for publishers and developers to repackage what worked before for more sales.