Following Sony's most recent State of Play event, it's finally official that Resident Evil 3 will be seeing a modern reimagining in early April next year. The iconic game has been the only thing on the minds of franchise veterans since the rampant success of the Resident Evil 2 remake back in February, and while many forecasted that the game would be a major ways off, it turns out Capcom has its finger on the pulse when delivering the next big Resident Evil experience.

Of course, while finally revisiting Jill Valentine, Carlos Oliveria, and the utterly horrifying Nemesis is the next big experience for the franchise, it is worth wondering where Resident Evil's newfound enthusiasm with revisiting its roots will lead following the remake's release. While many fans are naturally hoping Capcom might return to the likes of Code Veronica or even the first game in the series, it's also worth considering whether the third game's groundbreaking sequel, Resident Evil 4would - or more importantly even should - receive a full remake in the same vein as Resident Evil 2 and 3.

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The fourth game is, after all, a staple of video game history. When it dropped back in 2005, it forever changing the landscape of survival horror and launched Resident Evil into the stratosphere, carving out the franchise's unwavering spot as one of the most important IP's in the history of the medium. In many ways, Resident Evil 4 is one of the core reasons that the series is still relevant enough to release AAA blockbuster remakes of its earlier games and have them sell like wildfire. In that regard, why isn't the game already in line for a glitzy, HD reimagining with the budget to match its transcendent legacy?

In truth, there are as many reasons why Resident Evil 4 should be the next game to receive a remake from the ground-up as there are counter-arguments as to why it's absolutely fine as is. Perhaps the biggest point in defense of the latter is that the game doesn't exactly falter when compared to modern standards. Granted, it might feel more restrictive than later entries in the series, with the game preventing players from moving while aiming and the controls feeling largely more rigid, but the core innovations Resident Evil 4 introduced back in 2005 remain integral to the formula to this day.

When Capcom went back to the drawing board while remaking Resident Evil 2, it made complete sense. The original three games revolved around outdated game design, favoring restrictive tank controls and a fixed viewpoint instead of allowing players to pilot both their character and camera with relative ease. Instead of fully altering the world, story, or characters (all the elements which fans loved about Resident Evil 2), the remake restructures the game's obsolete design and transforms it into a horror experience built to thrive in 2019.

Resident Evil 4, while arguably not up to the technical standards of many modern experiences, is far from as obsolete as the franchise's first handful of entries. The over-the-shoulder camera, third-person aiming, and overall format utilized in the reimagining of Resident Evil 2 was, after all, first established throughout 4's sensational rebranding of the series back in 2005. In fact, one of the remake's most critically acclaimed features was its faithful resurrection of the systems and mechanics first established in the fourth game, with many citing Resident Evil 2's remake as a return to form for the franchise's classic formula. With its design emulating Resident Evil 4 so closely, it begs the question of whether a remake would seem unnecessary; almost acting as more of a visual touch up than a full reimagining of the original title.

It's also worth taking into account that Resident Evil 4 isn't exactly hard to get hold of in 2019, with ports of the sequel making their way to PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Gamecube, Wii, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, the Nintendo Switch, PC, and even mobile. If fans want to revisit Leon's high-octane adventure to rescue the president's daughter from the clutches of the undead, they don't even need to dust off their long-forgotten PlayStation 2's to jump right back in.

Yet, it's worth remembering that Resident Evil 4 is undeniably one of the series' most pivotal entries. The action-centric format that eventually went onto define the later games in the series was done to perfection in 4, with the game completely reinventing what it meant to play a Resident Evil titleIt goes without saying that while a remake might not be as utterly transformative as games like Resident Evil 2 and the upcoming remake of the third game, there's still a lot of merit in updating Resident Evil 4's combat and clunky controls to show just how incredible the game's core gameplay and set of mechanics were back in the day. Fixing the aiming so players can move while shooting and adding some of the incredible nuances that made Resident Evil 2 such an immersive next step for the series would go a long way if added to the fourth game, especially if done so alongside a major visual overhaul.

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Resident Evil 4 also stands as one of the most iconic and popular stories in the series to date, with the return of Leon and the establishment of an entirely new tone for the franchise becoming unanimously celebrated by the fanbase. There's no denying that the game features some of the best moments in the entire series so far, with Leon's first encounter with the game's horrifying villagers, the intense cabin assault, and his battle with the unstoppable Verdugo standing as a mere handful of the game's biggest highlights. It stands to reason that a tale this iconic in terms of both Resident Evil and gaming as a whole deserves to be touched up and re-released in modern-day, regardless of whether or not its original release still holds up under modern scrutiny.

Leon fighting an El Gigante

Taking pros and cons for whether a Resident Evil 4 remake is necessary to one side, the game would also sell incredibly well for Capcom, which is surely a more corporate reason for the title to get a modern facelift. The fourth game remains a staple of its lineup (hence its constant re-releases on later platforms), meaning that it's no doubt a big moneymaker for the company and one that would succeed if eventually redesigned for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

Regardless, whether or not Capcom elects to resurrect Resident Evil 4 for newer hardware, it must be said that the company's love for its older games and dedication to seeing them endure the test of time is commendable. For the thousands of players who were too young or missed the boat on getting to experience the beginning of the franchise, this slate of remakes is an excellent way to recapture the essence of the original titles while also refining the series' formula and producing utterly exceptional products.

Whether or not they agree that revisiting Resident Evil 4 should be the next major step for the series going forward, nobody can deny that Capcom's work over the last few years is quickly ushering in an incredibly bright future for the franchise going forward. Here's to hoping that Resident Evil 3 will be yet another stellar stepping stone to more incredible Resident Evil games in the future, whether that leads to a remake of the fourth game or a new title entirely.

Resident Evil 3 is scheduled to be released April 3, 2020, on PC, PS4, and Xbox One

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