I’ve had the Wii version of RE4, cleverly titled Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition, since it was released. However I really never got around to playing it until recently, and man is it as awesome as ever. The new Wii controls work significantly well, with the aiming reticule on screen at all times. Whenever you need to shoot, just hold down the B trigger to aim, and fire away with a press of the A button. A quick jerk of the controller downward will reload, and performing a slashing motion at any time will result in Leon whipping out his knife and slash away.

The controls do have some minor trade offs. In the original, when aiming, the camera would follow where ever Leon would aim his gun. In this version, the aiming reticule doesn’t move the camera, as it is still controlled with the analog stick. There is this weird paradox where at first glance it’s easier to shoot people and play, yet it’s significantly harder to master. It has never been easier to shoot an oncoming projectile out of the air, yet at the same time it’s slightly harder to turn Leon toward a villager who might be striking from the side. Leon’s sweet laser site is also gone from the mix. The plus side is that you no longer need to hold in a button to have Leon take out his knife, as a simple slash is all it takes. It would have been nice if Capcom went the extra mile and added strafing (which probably would have made the game way easier) or at least a quicker way to change weapons, ala a Metal Gear style set up. Minors gripes all around though.

For those of you complaining about the Wii’s slim pickings, you really can’t do any better than RE4. That is, assuming you never played the original masterpiece before. Seriously, if you never played RE4 before, you owe it to yourself to play this game. It’s an amazing title that has held up significantly well through the years. For 30 bucks, you’re getting a heck of a lot of game here. The single player is a 20 plus hour adventure, and there is tons of bonus content, some of which was only found in the PS2 version. If you never played it before, the Wii controls do make things easier, and I believe they do add to the experience. This is also the only version of the game with a true wide screen mode.

Me personally? I love RE4. I missed the PS2 version because I felt the new stuff wasn’t enough to justify a full price purchase, and the hit it took in the graphics department is a slight bummer. The Wii version is essentially the “complete” experience. It is a cash in on Capcom’s part to jump on the Wii band wagon, but what a cash in it is.