Resident Evil 4 REmake - March 24th 2023 - real gamers play on Hardcore ;)

[Majora]

It does seem to be the valley area that people keep mentioning, it's the area I predominantly had in mind too when it came to slightly dodgy spawns. I haven't noticed anything like it in the castle area FWIW and I've nearly finished that now.

 

Also, you can clear out the valley if you run around it long enough because initially I didn't understand I had to leave after completing the objectives and just kept running round and round in circles in an empty arena lol. The spawns do stop and the music turns off if you're persistent enough 

[Popo]

I assumed the enemies at the canyon (valley?) set piece endlessly respawned, is that not the case? 

[robdood]

That's not @CrichStand's issue, its more that the respawning seemed frankly bugged and enemies just appear right in front of him rather thatn subtly out of sight

 

[SuperCapes]

Wondering how egregious this issue actually is I turned to a bunch of streamers for answers, those who explore everything and those who speedrun. Couldn't see any issues at all in the valley. That is not to say the issue does not exist. Just want to make it clear for anyone on the fence. It is likely something that happens rarely. 

 

10 chapters deep and the only issues I have seen are purely visual, and are likely a limitation rather than a bug. 

 

It truly is special. 

[CrichStand]

12 minutes ago, Majora said:

I have very occasionally felt like the game spawns enemies behind me in a slightly cheaty way (eg I clear out a corner of an arena, move a bit away and then suddenly there's enemies in that corner behind me again in a way that doesn't feel completely coherent/logical given how the battle has played out so far and the confines of the arena) but nothing like what Crichstand is describing. I dunno, that just sounds weird/broken.

That is exactly what I’m describing! You can also see them appear out of thin air. I guess some people will notice it and some people won’t, there are numerous factors involved. But once you do realise what’s going on, there’s no real going back, especially when it’s to the extent that I’m experiencing it. Obviously on Hardcore it’s even more of an issue......

 

BUT ITS ONLY IN A  FEW SPECIFIC AREAS. Large chunks of the game are incredible. I’m talking about 3 sections in 3 Chapters.

 

Whilst I do think it’s poorly implemented/designed and a baffling decision, I also think @robdood has made a good point. The purposefully running around stuff is part of the original Resi games. These sections are almost like you’re meant to be doing that, it’s a way of maintaining that chunk of classic Resi gameplay.
 

Problem for me is......it’s 2023. Shit has moved on. Some of the design in this feels dated and like a developer attempting to replicate stuff like TLOU but in some ways not having the knowledge, tools, budget to actually pull it off. Or being limited maybe by the source material or technical limitations. At the very least, give me an indication that’s how that segment should be played. Have Leon say “time to get my running shoes on and grab that key”  or something.
 

That said, I’d sooner be able to go through those sections using stealth. Jump to all guns blazing when it kicks off. Dodge some shit. Use various moves like evade to skilfully take stuff out and be rewarded for playing well. Basically - TLOU.  This gives the illusion of that and outside of these sections pulls it off brilliantly, but at times it also plays and is still designed like a 20yr old game, despite it being a 2023 remake.

[spanx]

No sound playing on PC. Definitely to game as sound is working elsewhere. 
 

Urgh, sometimes I hate PC gaming

[Uncle Nasty]

22 hours ago, Keyboard Koala said:

 

What about games that received a 10 but should be a 7 though?

 

Elden Ring?

[spanx]

14 minutes ago, spanx said:

No sound playing on PC. Definitely to game as sound is working elsewhere. 
 

Urgh, sometimes I hate PC gaming

And three crashes in a row no the sound works. What a ball ache

[Keyboard Koala]

11 minutes ago, Uncle Nasty said:

 

Elden Ring?

 

Nah, that one game based on an HBO series. 

[Popo]

Oh my god. The rain. That rain. It’s even worse than I remember. 

[dumpster]

It's got the Gus Van Sant Psycho problem, which I will briefly explain as I doubt anyone else sat and watched the DVD extras of Gus Van Sant's Psycho to learn this.

 

So back in 1998 Gus Van Sant remade Psycho starring Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche, and he did it as a shot for shot remake, with just a couple of changes to the dialogue.  Everyone said all along that this was a terrible idea and the end result was pretty unwatchable. But Gus Van Sant had a really interesting take on why he was doing this. 

 

He said later that there were multiple generations of people who don't watch old movies. They wouldn't dream of watching a 1960s movie made in black and white.  They had never heard of Hitchcock. They did however enjoy a good horror and so the remake was an experiment to see if a modern audience, unfamiliar with the material, would enjoy it.  And that's the key thing; people forget that Psycho is a (spoiler alert)  film about a woman who steals from her boss. It's about 45 minutes of her trying to get away, changing cars, struggling through the rain, being tailed by a suspicious policeman and all that.  She stays at the motel and spends time with the owner and she realises that, just as she has been trapped in her life choices, Norman is also trapped working for his mother in the motel.  The conversation is as long as an rllmuk post by @CrichStand complaining about respawning enemies that no-one else has a problem with, but by the end our protagonist has decided to go home, give the money back and face the consequences.  And only then does she get stabbed in the shower. 

 

it's really hard to view a film like Psycho with a fresh pair of eyes because it's so well known that the famous shower scene stops being a twist.  But imagine having never seen the original film and being one of the new generation who might not know it's going to kill the main character 45 minutes in?

 

Gus Van Sant claimed that the overwhelming majority of the criticism came from fans of the original movie claiming that the remake was rubbish and it was sacrilege to even attempt it.  But this massive negativity drowned out any praise from people who went to see the film knowing nothing about it, and the film was made for them.  It was an experiment but we don't know whether the new audience liked it.  However the old audience went to see it and sat in the cinema mentally replaying the original movie in their heads whilst watching the remake.  You can't help yourself and yet you'd never prefer the remake that's not what it's about. It's not aimed at that audience.

 

So Resident evil 4 then.  It's the same over the shoulder view in the original and the remake, which is obviously different to the remakes of 2&3. RE4Remake is to RE4 what RE1Remake on GameCube is to RE1 on Playstation. This is the same game again but with a load of polish and enhancements as needed.  The graphics are amazing, the sound is phenomenal, the controls feel tighter and the merchant is brilliantly done.  When you pick up pesetas the game flow doesn't stop to tell you and so on.   It's a really good game but it is not the transformative remake like we've seen before.  You're still playing Resident Evil 4 again and almost forget that it's a better version.  It's like when you first get a 4K television and stick a movie on.  For the first 10 minutes you are impressed by the resolution of your shiny new TV and you can see every actors stubble in ultra clarity.  But then the movie kicks in, you get engrossed in the story and you forget its on 4K.  Reaident Evil 4 suffers for me because of this.  When it's going well (and there are loads of fantastic moments) you forget you're playing a remake because RE4 was ALWAYS this good.  And then when it isn't perfect you start playing the original game mentally in your head and forming comparisons.  You can't help yourself. 

 

What we need is some sort of mad scientist to invent a pill that selectively allows you to erase a memory.  You could choose to erase any memory of ever playing Resident Evil 4 on any console.  There would be an antidote for afterwards of course, but wouldn't it be incredible to play this remake having no knowledge of the original? Edge wouldn't give it an 8, it would be hailed , rightly, as the single best game of all time.

 

But of course, how many people on this forum are under 40?  Have we got anyone in this thread at all who has bought this with no prior knowledge of the original at all?

 

Game of the year for me... Possibly decade, if I was brand new to it...

 

 

[CrichStand]

Just thought of something else that could be a factor......

 

How many people on here never played the original? I finished it on GC but can’t remember anything about it.
 

With some of these set pieces or specific areas, maybe people that remember the game are like “ok, run through and grab the Key like in the original”..........”Job done, that was class”!

 

On the other hand I’ve been, “ok it said I can use stealth kills and shit. I’ll take out this dude, sneak into that room, climb onto the roof, snipe that dude in the distance” etc. Step forwards all the zombies trigger.  Retry a few times. Nope!

 

Then I’ve tried a different approach. Nope! Then a different approach. Nope! Fuck it, all guns blazing it is! Nope! Whilst doing this I have absolutely no idea why I’m in the area or what my objective is. I’m just getting killed over and over again whilst aimlessly running around like a headless chicken. I find an item. Now what? I run around like a headless chicken again until I find something else. Whilst doing all this I’m then seeing all the spawning and stuff going on which compounds the problems and makes me feel cheated.

[Kryptonian]

I still want to see videos of enemies spawning in front of the player so see if it’s a deal breaker for me. I’m imagining it to look really shit and annoying, I’m off to YouTube to see what’s what

[SuperCapes]

Comparing Resident Evil 4 and The Last of Us in terms of gameplay design is probably the funniest thing I have read all year. 

 

Well played.

[Madness]

I’m five chapters in and yet to notice any unfair spawning, or areas where enemies keep coming after I’ve polished them all off? 🤷🏻‍♂️

[dumpster]

6 minutes ago, Kryptonian said:

I still want to see videos of enemies spawning in front of the player so see if it’s a deal breaker for me. I’m imagining it to look really shit and annoying, I’m off to YouTube to see what’s what

It's really not a problem, there's a couple of people on the thread who thinks they might have seen similar issues occasionally, loads of people who have no issue, and one person who has multiple long posts on every page.  

 

Makes me think of one of my old customers who brought back The Matrix on DVD saying it was faulty because he just wouldnt accept that (a) there is meant to be a green tinge to the scenes inside the matrix and (b) there isnt a problem that occurs at the factory where one individual disk has more green in it than the rest.  

 

[CrichStand]

@Kryptonian If I could post a quick phone clip up I’d show you. As I’ve said though it’s a small part of the overall game. 3 sections in 3 Chapters so far. I wouldn’t base a purchase or not purely on it. There’s a lot to love about it and if you can remember the original, I’m getting the feeling these sections play a lot better because you already know what to do and how to do it!
 

There seems to be huge amounts of replay value too if you’re into collecting everything and getting all the S ranks and stuff. Feels like not having Ranks for each Chapter is a bit of a strange thing to leave out, unless something unlocks later. A Bayo, DMC setup would work really well.

[stir fry]

I would like to see this respawn closet thing, I've not noticed it but I have noticed the game is not as clever about hiding enemy spawn triggers. Tho it hasn't interfered with my gameplay at all, at least not up until chapter 6 which I'm on now. The thing is, if it were to happen a lot on a hard section on professional difficulty that a ganado just teleported behind you and you couldn't hear them, I bet a lot of us would be pissed at that lol. That's not really the kind of challenge you sign up to with professional mode, it's just unfair nonsense. But again, has not happened to me at all so far.

 

edit I have OBS running all the time when playing this so if it does happen to me I'll be sure to share

[oinkster]

16 minutes ago, CrichStand said:

@Kryptonian If I could post a quick phone clip up I’d show you. As I’ve said though it’s a small part of the overall game. 3 sections in 3 Chapters so far. I wouldn’t base a purchase or not purely on it. There’s a lot to love about it and if you can remember the original, I’m getting the feeling these sections play a lot better because you already know what to do and how to do it!
 

There seems to be huge amounts of replay value too if you’re into collecting everything and getting all the S ranks and stuff. Feels like not having Ranks for each Chapter is a bit of a strange thing to leave out, unless something unlocks later. A Bayo, DMC setup would work really well.

I've just gone back to the area (it's this one in the pic I found to be jarring) - and I couldn't make the particular "thin air" thing happen again. The enemies were respawning behind, but that's not a problem for me.  Previously, just by the chest the dynamite dude was fading in. It just looked really shoddy - the only way I can describe the visual effect is like Zelda BOTW, when something runs  out of the view buffer and fades away - but in reverse. 

 

It's a fantastic game, I'm really enjoying it  and it doesn't hit my enjoyment one jot. Just wanted to add some solidarity @CrichStand

[Kryptonian]

17 minutes ago, dumpster said:

Makes me think of one of my old customers who brought back The Matrix on DVD saying it was faulty because he just wouldnt accept that (a) there is meant to be a green tinge to the scenes inside the matrix and (b) there isnt a problem that occurs at the factory where one individual disk has more green in it than the rest.  

[Broker]

In the castle now (chapter 9 I think) and the ammo balance is a bit off. It was ok in the remakes if you ran out of ammo because they were clearly designed around you sometimes having to dodge or run. This though, it traps you in rooms with 20+ enemies regularly, and when you’ve not got any bullets that’s just pointless. I’m at a section now where I walk into a room, the door locks behind me, and I’ve got about 25 bullets. There’s two rooms filled with enemies, many of whom have giant parasites that pop out of their heads, and there’s an effect where Leon keeps staggering and grabbing his head when I’m trying to aim. I’m only on standard difficulty but I’m really not sure what I’m supposed to do.

 

One of the most beautiful, perfect things about the original was that you always had just enough ammo to handle whatever the game threw at you, making every encounter a really tense stand-off where you had to use all your resources. Here I’m finding that the balance is a bit off, a lot of areas are quite easy and a few seem incredibly tough. I’m coasting through the majority of the game with no issues on standard, but there are bits where I’m dying repeatedly and I’m just not sure what it wants me to do.

[Kryptonian]

Yeah if enemies are respawning behind me and it’s plausible they could be clambering out of the undergrowth or just coming back from the loo I wouldn’t mind or notice I reckon. If they appear infront of me like Dr Strange it’s a different story

[CrichStand]

@oinkster Yeah it’s really obvious in the valley section. There are spawn points near the entrance to the area. There is one to the far right. There is one back left. Walk over them and zombies magically appear.

 

You clear the area. There are no more zombies. The music ends. Phew! You look at the roof of a building where the zombie you’ve just killed has died. He’s very much deceased. You turn around. “NEEEEEEUUUURGHHHH”. You turn back and there is suddenly a bloke that has materialised out of thin air on the building throwing dynamite at you again, and suddenly all around you zombies have appeared out of nowhere.

 

 You kill them all. The music ends. All clear. Phew! There’s no more about. None on the roof. You climb a ladder onto the roof.“NEEEEEEEUUURGH”. Zombies are on the roof and all around you from nowhere. The fuck have they come from?

 

You kill them all. Music goes quiet. All clear. Phew! You walk past a ledge that is empty. It’s zombieless. You turn around. Zombies teleport in, right in front of your eyes. “NEEEEEEEEEURRRRRRGHHHH”! 
 

This is what I’m talking about. In other areas you clear them walk forwards and then loads of zombies suddenly appear behind you again when it’s impossible for zombies to be behind you again, which breaks the atmosphere, all logic, and damages the gameplay. You then have to deal with all these all over again AND the ones in front. You polish them all off and guess what! That’s right.......”NEEEEEEEEURRRRGGGH”...........they appear behind you again. 🤣

 

This is the stuff that I think is really shit. Because well, it’s in a 2023 AAA game that costs £60, and that kind of stuff is really shit. All the other stuff is amazing. It’s maybe 10% of the overall game I’ve played so far though. It’s something that you may notice but also you might not. It might bother you if you do notice it, it might not. It’s there though and it’s a thing and something to take note of. Combined with the lack of knowing what to do in these areas it becomes terrible.

 

I wonder if this is why Hardcore Mode is recommended for those that have finished the original Resi 4? They know you’re probably going to need some knowledge of the game and what to do in order for the game to actually play well?

 

Hopefully this clears up all the spawning stuff and what I’m talking about for those that haven’t noticed it. 👍🏻

[Ry]

Na. You need to elaborate for a 5th time. 😉

[spanx]

Stability issues fixed. 
 

Absolutely brilliant so far. Definitely glad I’m playing through on easy first as I am utterly useless in combat, but starting to progress from firing aimlessly around people to actually shooting them in the head then sticking my boot in their face. Stopped for the evening having met the merchant and looking forward to more tomorrow
 

Quite a moment to play my first RE. 

[Benny]

Just gave myself a belly laugh with Ashley

 

Spoiler

I wondered if she would be stupid enough to walk into traps while following behind me, so I steered her into one. I was like "Ha! You're such an idiot Ashley."

 

Then I promptly turned around and stepped in one myself

 

[CrichStand]

15 minutes ago, Ry said:

Na. You need to elaborate for a 5th time. 😉

😂🤣😂🤣 So, about the spawning.......
 

Jokes! Think someone mentioned this earlier, but the save music is really cool. Got that classic Resi save room chilled vibe going on.  The 3D Audio in general is pretty spectacular and some of the best I’ve heard.

[Jolly]

I'm absolutely fucking loving this. I appreciate a large portion of of my enjoyment is due to the fact that it reminds me of being twenty, but I'm perfectly fine with it.

[NecroMorrius]

8 hours ago, krenzler said:

So what's the best course of action for this? I set my FOV as wide as possible (PS5). Is it better to leave it at stock then (3 clicks down from widest) - or is it a problem either way?

I would guess leaving it at the default helps. I’m not sure if it affects PS5 or if playing on an ultrawide (as I’m doing) makes it worse. I haven’t seen a lot of people moaning about it outside of a Steam thread but it was noticeable enough for me that I went looking to confirm I wasn’t nuts. Essentially “shot randomness spread” is a bit wider than expected given the onscreen crosshairs. 

 

 

[Majora]

Polished off the castle this evening. Definitely shorter than in the OG but I don't really mind as I always thought the castle was a little overlong.

 

The village is my favourite section in the original but I preferred the castle in this version. I think mainly because I genuinely consider the village to be an essentially perfectly paced and designed set of encounters in the original and I don't think anything they did to them in the remake made them better as such. They were just different.

 

By contrast, I felt like they really tightened up the pace in the castle over the original and noticeably improved many of the set-pieces. They also seem to have made an effort to make it feel like a more coherent location rather than the rather odd and random feeling flow of rooms the original castle had. It felt like a fresher take on the source material than the village which was a bit 'slightly inferior cover version'. 

 

God knows where they got Ada's new voice actor from though, she couldn't sound more bored if she tried.