How do you make a game that’s already incredible even better? I mean… again. After all, Resident Evil 4 has undergone HD treatment, and this year received a full remake. Well, if you thought sticking a screen in front of your eyes and swinging your arms around like a crazy person is a good way to take Resident Evil 4 to new heights, have I got the thing for you.
I’m not looking to rewrite what our own Richard Allen said in his review (which you can find here if you’re wanting more info on the game itself). Everything here is the same as it was in his writings, but rebuilt and arranged around what the PSVR2 offers. He summarized:
Resident Evil 4 was a 10/10 game when it was released and remains so to this day. Despite the years since its initial release, Leon’s adventure has held up incredibly well thanks to a combination of fantastic gameplay, a fun story, campy characters, varied environments, and a lengthy campaign. Now with a new facelift which modernizes the gameplay while providing an incredible graphical update, adding thrilling new set pieces, and expanding the story, RE4 easily retains its spot amongst the best games ever.
This is not only true, but elevated in VR. We’ve seen how awesome previous games have introduced virtual reality, heck, Village won a TGA award for it a week ago. It’s just astounding to watch as something third person can even work from this perspective, let alone be at the top of its genre. Not to mention, this mode is completely free if you already own Resident Evil 4. It’s a huge win for players.
Opening the game in VR is simple. After loading in, you select to play in VR, and off you go. There are a few comfort and gameplay settings to choose from, but everything is mostly straightforward. I love the choices in difficulty. Being able to use assisted mode is great for newbies like me, keeping me from hating my life choices. That said, there’s not just normal mode, with a hardcore difficulty for those looking for even more of a challenge. These kinds of things keep people coming back, which is awesome. You can also play seated, another boon to us lazy people.
I chose to jump into the tutorial, and while it’s simple, I’m glad they added it. There is a lot going on in this game, so any forms of help are appreciated, especially as it begins in a contained area with no infected. There is the option for reloading the long way (read: manually), or the easy way, another thing I like. Being able to reload in a near realistic experience adds to the terror, and while I could have taken the easy way out, it’s more fun to frantically eject a mag while fumbling for another.
After the brief tutorial, I felt prepared enough to enter the creepy European countryside. One thing I’m not fond of here- the perspective shift. I understand why not everything can be retrofitted for VR, but having to watch a cutscene unfold on a screen inside VR can pull you out of the immersion.
Once exiting the police officers vehicle to look for the missing officer that went to pee and never came back (oh man, how in the world could something like that happen!), things get gnarly. Moving into the first-person perspective, the world is suddenly enveloping you. Not only is this game pretty in third-person flat screen, but in virtual reality it feels like you’re there. Horror games have to do this in VR if they’re going to be good, and Resident Evil 4 nails it.
Walking to the first dilapidated cabin, I truly didn’t want to go inside. Outside was spooky enough striding through the mud, pushing through brush and prickers, and listening to the cold air as crows sounded off. Opening the door led to another odd perspective shift though, and this follows with several weird jumps to third-person in certain instances, like melee. While the transition works and it’s not necessarily jarring, it interrupts the immersion. I like being captivated in VR, and watching Leon open a door or climb a ladder breaks up those moments.
Fighting my first villager was terrifying. It’s not that I didn’t see it coming from a mile away, but there’s something about virtual reality that transforms the experience. He’s not just running at Leon, he’s sprinting at ME. This is unnerving, and until I adjusted, left me firing a bullet or two more than I really wanted to. After that, I felt like John Wick in some instances, turning and burning Las Plagas with headshots a plenty. Thankfully you have your knife if you run out of ammo, and I was certainly using it a lot, flailing wildly. You can also do a first-person finisher by swapping the weapon to an underhand grip when prompted, and it’s gory.
The good news for PSVR2 players is how incredibly the game runs. Not only do you have the phenomenally detailed environments, but you can choose to run the game in performance mode (Quality in the regular game runs at 4K and up to 60fps with dips, and performance is capped at 60fps with 4K dynamic resolution). I didn’t even notice that large of a difference, to the credit of the Capcom dev team. Everything is smooth as well, running perfectly on the PSVR2. I can’t say enough good things about the handling, as my movement and weapon use were all perfectly tracked. There’s been nothing worse recently than to reach for my gun and miss it multiple times, and that didn’t happen in RE4R.
I get the feeling Resident Evil 4 will also be a good one for anyone dealing with motion sickness. It doesn’t bother me to walk around in VR much, I have a pretty good stomach for these things. That said, the game is so smooth and features options to help you handle it if you don’t. The blurring of the peripheral (vignetting) as I walked is a wonderful touch, and I’ll always prefer the snap motion when moving my view. Some games, even as well as they do the movement, make my stomach churn at the end. Resident Evil 4 has the perfect setup, with other options to customize your experience further.
David Burdette is a gamer/writer/content creator from TN and Lead Editor for Gaming Trend. He loves Playstation, Star Wars, Marvel, and many other fandoms. He also plays way too much Call Of Duty. You can chat with him on Twitter @SplitEnd89.
Resident Evil 4 was a triumph of a remake, and it somehow one upped itself with VR. The movement is perfect, the terror is real, and it’s a fantastic new way to experience one of the best games of the year. After eighteen years, Resident Evil 4 is the gift that keeps on giving.
PROS
- An already phenomenal game boosted by VR
- Movement and gunplay are sublime and well-tracked
- Environments are even creepier
- Great settings/options for all
- Free for owners of RE4R
CONS
- Perspective shifts in cutscenes and certain prompts break the immersion
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
Buy Now
