In 2005, Capcom released “Resident Evil 4,” and gaming was never the same. The fourth installment of the long-running horror franchise was instantly recognized as a classic and pioneered many of the tropes, mechanics, and story beats that defined the action-horror genre for more than a decade.
The game still holds up almost 20 years after its initial release, but since many of the “creative” types working in the industry would rather siphon from the past than create new content, “Resident Evil 4” followed its predecessors, RE 2 and 3, to get a remake.
Unfortunately, like so many remakes or remasters or redos nowadays, the updated “Resident Evil 4” features a plethora of changes designed to make the game more “accessible” to modern audiences. Oof.
Far more terrifying than any zombie plague or mutated monstrosity is the “modern audience,” an excuse for game developers to remove all the fun from a piece of pop culture nostalgia and replace it with leftist-approved messaging. Looking at “Resident Evil 4,” that means removing all the campy fun from the original game, and replacing it with industry-standard dark and gritty realism.
Player-controlled protagonist Leon S. Kennedy has morphed from a too-cool-for-school action hero with hilariously bad one-liners into a brooding, cynical cyborg. And comically annoying sidekick Ashley Graham has been radically remade into what appears to be a “strong female character,” something gaming rags like Kotaku celebrated as an advance for women’s rights.
It’s worth noting here, I’m not taking issue with powerful female characters in gaming.
