We live in an age of video games where remakes and remasters are commonplace. You can look back at every year of gaming over the last several years and at least find one remake, remaster, or sometimes both, and then talk about how we got them. The question that always pops up with these titles, though is, “are they good?” That sounds basic, but plenty of remakes or remasters were nothing more than cash grabs or to “feed off the trend” that has been going on. But it stands out when you make an excellent remake or remaster, such as with the Resident Evil 4 Remake.
The remake already had plenty going for it on multiple levels. Such as how the last two remakes in the franchise were smash hits that helped further revitalize excitement for the series. Then there’s the fact that the original game helped save the franchise previously and had been ported to numerous systems over the years. Additionally, the PS5 and other next-gen systems would be the “key places” to get the best version of the game, so many were excited to see what they looked like there. The results are in, and it was a record-setting one. As noted by multiple sources, the Resident Evil 4 Remake sold over three million units in only two days:
By comparison, the previous remake that had Leon S. Kennedy in it had three million in its first week. The other remake took almost a year and a half to reach four million units sold. So as you can see, the title you remake will affect how people react to it and whether they want to buy it.
The critics loved the game too. The PS5 version of the title stands at 93 on their site, a very impressive number. The user reviews are just as strong. The game also had strong Twitch numbers in its first few days.
Now the question becomes whether Capcom will continue its remake frenzy with the franchise until there’s nothing left. The easy answer is “yes,” and for just as easy a reason. The next title in the franchise is one of the most hated games in the series, and its follow-up wasn’t much better.
So perhaps with the remake treatment, they can trim off some of the bad elements and make them worthy titles.
But for now, Capcom will revel in how well the remake has done and ponder what to do next.
