Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition micro-review
OK, just won my first boss fight. I like this game, and recommend it to those who can stomach survival horror games.
I found the initial pace a little choppy, having to peek at GameFAQs to make sure that the prologue - which lets you wade around a little, and then suddenly shoves you into the deep end - was actually winnable. I consider this a design flaw that could have been rectified by even a single line of monologue, the hero thinking out loud about the correct combat tactics to use. This would teach players that, yes, that's how you play this game, and you could let them fend for themselves from that point on. Since then, though, the pace has been smooth.
The controls really do make fine use of the Wii controller. Aiming and shooting with the Wiimote feels great. One of my favorite moments of play so far was running out of ammo while cornered, and surviving by wildly waving the Wiimote in the air, which causes your dude to mimic your actions in-game with his combat knife. I lived through that with one bar of health left. I think that's the moment when the game won me over.
There is a yuck factor. But once you're cool with the fact that most of the action seems to involve running around shooting crazy yelling old men in the face (but it's OK because they are crazy), and that you will be occasionally subjected to the sights and sounds of your own head getting chainsawed off, it's actually really fun and engaging.
I found the initial pace a little choppy, having to peek at GameFAQs to make sure that the prologue - which lets you wade around a little, and then suddenly shoves you into the deep end - was actually winnable. I consider this a design flaw that could have been rectified by even a single line of monologue, the hero thinking out loud about the correct combat tactics to use. This would teach players that, yes, that's how you play this game, and you could let them fend for themselves from that point on. Since then, though, the pace has been smooth.
The controls really do make fine use of the Wii controller. Aiming and shooting with the Wiimote feels great. One of my favorite moments of play so far was running out of ammo while cornered, and surviving by wildly waving the Wiimote in the air, which causes your dude to mimic your actions in-game with his combat knife. I lived through that with one bar of health left. I think that's the moment when the game won me over.
There is a yuck factor. But once you're cool with the fact that most of the action seems to involve running around shooting crazy yelling old men in the face (but it's OK because they are crazy), and that you will be occasionally subjected to the sights and sounds of your own head getting chainsawed off, it's actually really fun and engaging.