Capcom’s return to its 2005 third-person shooter horror classic, Resident Evil 4, sure managed to impress when it debuted last year. The remake was nominated for multiple awards at the Game Awards, winner of the Golden Joystick’s Game of the Year, and it snagged a spot on Kotaku’s best of 2023 list. But if you missed out on grabbing a copy, or if you were waiting around for a decent price, that time is now.
Read More: GOTY: Kotaku’s Top 12 Games Of 2023, Ranked
Resident Evil 4 is currently on sale at Best Buy for just $30 for the PS5 version (sorry, Xbox fans). If you’re okay with owning a PS4 copy (the PS5 upgrade is free if you have the disc version), you can also snag it on Amazon for the same price (see it here). Perfect if you happen to have an Amazon gift card or two after the holidays.
Playing on PC? Try the free demo on Steam
While this discount is only available for PlayStation gamers, if you’re on PC and are fancying a test drive of Resident Evil 4, the “Chainsaw Demo” is but a free download away. And it runs great on Steam Deck!
Following the story of Leon S. Kennedy, who first appeared in 1998’s Resident Evil 2 (and its 2019 remake of the same name), Resident Evil 4 takes the series’ classic horror vibes to the Spanish village of Valdelobos, where Leon is tasked with securing the president’s daughter. As you might expect, things turn out to be a little more complicated than a simple hostage rescue as Leon encounters violently possessed village folk, with other biological horrors lying in wait.
How different is the Resident Evil 4 remake from the original?
If you’re like me, you were more than excited to play the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3, as the originals featured fixed-camera angles and tank controls that appeal to old-school gamers who grew up on the original PlayStation. But RE4? With a camera angle that went on to inspire Gears of War and basically every major third-person shooter from 2005 onward, you might be tempted to sit this one out.
Well you shouldn’t. In our review of Resident Evil 4, Kotaku’s Zack Zwiezen described the game as “better than the original” thanks to subtle tweaks to a very proven formula. Though there are notable differences:
It’s in the details and execution where Capcom has tweaked and edited the narrative and overall game. Some boss fights are missing, replaced either with new ones or just left off the table entirely in an effort to keep the story moving. Ashley is still a young woman, with a similar outfit, but you no longer can look up her skirt, and characters aren’t constantly hitting on her in uncomfortable ways. Leon can now move, aim and shoot at the same time. Oh, and QTEs are gone from cutscenes! […] This is a faster, more aggressive, and more modern-feeling Resident Evil 4.
So if you haven’t jumped into this return to a landmark third-person horror title, you owe it to yourself to grab a copy while it’s still on sale.
