Resident Evil 4, known as Biohazard 4 (バイオハザード４,Baiohazādo Fō?) in Japan, is a 2005 survival horror[2]video game published and developed by Capcom. It is the sixth installment of the Resident Evil series. The game debuted in North America on January 11, 2005, for the Nintendo GameCube, and was later released in Japan and Europe. As of the release of the 2023 remake of the same name, this game is now officially known as "Resident Evil 4 (2005)".
Resident Evil 4 has been ported to multiple platforms. On October 25, 2005, it was released on the Sony PlayStation 2 with additional gameplay features but slight visual and aural downgrades, including a lack of shadow and lighting effects, reduced sound quality, as well as lower-resolution textures and character models.[3] A PC port developed by Ubisoft was released on March 2, 2007, and was generally criticized for its poor visuals, awkward control scheme, and lack of new features compared to the original release. A port for the Nintendo Wii was released on May 31, 2007, in Japan, June 25, 2007, in North America, June 29, 2007, in Europe, and July 5, 2007, in Australia. It was praised for its use of motion controls. By the end of the decade, a simplified build of the game had also been ported to various mobile platforms, including iOS, Zeebo, and Android.
Remasters[]
In celebration of the series' 15th anniversary, a 720p upscaled "HD Edition" was released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on September 20, 2011, packaged alongside Resident Evil CODE: Veronica X as the BIOHAZARD Revival Selection. Capcom later released a remaster of the game for Steam and Windows, developed by QLOC, titled "Ultimate HD Edition" in October 2014. A fan-made HD overhaul of this port entered production shortly after and was released on February 1, 2022, to overwhelming praise[4][5] and with the blessing of Capcom.[6] A third remaster of Resident Evil 4, based on the QLOC port, was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on August 30, 2016,[7][8] and later ported to the Nintendo Switch on May 21, 2019.
On October 21, 2021, a nearly ground-up virtual reality build of the game was released for the Oculus Quest 2, with free DLC releasing on April 20 of the following year. This port received a notable marketing run but was poorly received upon release compared to the previous versions. The VR version was widely and heavily criticized by fans, both in Japan and the West, due to American Armature Studio's censorship of content. The developers and executive producer Tom Ivey stated that the changes were made to "update" the game for a "modern audience," removing a number of in-game animations (such as the animation triggered when players attempted to look up Ashley's skirt), dialogue, and flirtatious banter between characters. Some of these changes were made at the expense of continuity and context in cutscenes essential to the game's plot. The controversy continued and aggravated (with accusations of American neo-puritanism and imperialism on Japan) when, in April 2022, the VR version's executive producer Tom Ivey stood by the changes and censorship, saying, "I definitely agree with the changes we made to the game, so we're definitely on board with that. We think it's the right thing."[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]
Remake[]
On June 2, 2022, it was announced that Resident Evil 4 would be reimagined for modern platforms with a release date of March 24, 2023. This remake will utilize the RE Engine, include PSVR2 support, see major alterations to the game's overall tone and narrative, and return to a more "traditional" survival horror formula than its predecessor."
Cast[]
The game's English voice actors recorded their parts in four sessions, over three to four months.[18]
