Resident Evil 4 HD

And what is there to say about its combat? Every great third-person game since has been influenced by Resi 4's over-the-shoulder viewpoint and pacing, whether that's Gears going all-out for the meat, or Dead Space re-assembling and refining it all with relish. The game introduces its once-unfamiliar mechanics slowly before letting you loose in a Ganado-infested village where the sound of a chainsaw cuts through whatever heroic plans you had, and from there it just builds and builds.

Leon is the unluckiest guy in the world. Sea monsters, giants, mad Russians, head-munching worms, acid-spewing insects, psycho turncoats, room-filling masses red in tooth and claw and a half-scorpion, half-Gene Simmons: they all want a piece. The boss encounters are spectacular, without the over-reliance on repetition that's the hallmark of so many Capcom games - and when the odd one does return, things get even more interesting.

Take the Garrador. The name in Spanish means 'man with claws', and this one's blind, but capable of tracking running and gunshots. The first encounter's in a relatively open room with bells at either end that can be rung to attract him, exposing the good old weak spot on his back. Easy. The second is in a tiny cage, with minor enemies inside and outside. Here you can't simply bide time and set up shots, but have to escape quickly and put down the grunts before confronting the Garrador. The third time, it's the most open room yet - but you're at one end, two Garradors are at the other, and you're surrounded by cultists that simply have to be shot.

This technique of addition and variation holds true for Resi 4's basic combat. The Ganados and cultists are awesome opponents, not quite intelligent but definitely inexorable, forcing you into ever-tighter corners and more desperate moves. The touch of genius here comes with context-sensitive melee moves that, against all instinct, have you rushing towards the crowd again and again to deliver a roundhouse kick and just squeeze a little breathing room. And when you're in that corner and make that headshot, only Resi 4 would turn it back in your face by having an even more deadly enemy sprout from the corpse's neck.

Certain encounters have been tweaked. The sequence fighting Salazar's 'miserable insects' in the sewer is the most notable beneficiary, a dangerous encounter that experienced players could sneak through with a sniper rifle in previous versions. Here, they get right in your face and are much more adept at not sitting around waiting to be shot, and it's a much better battle for it. The difficulty level on Normal has been upped a notch from the rather weak-sauce Wii equivalent, pleasingly enough, though it's annoying you that can't select Hard without completing the game first - which surely many have done five times by now, albeit not here.

Resi 4 HD includes all of the bonus content that previous versions have introduced, though the only substantial tidbit is Separate Ways (an Ada-starring mission), and that's forgettable enough. Resi 4 is a huge game, however, clocking in at around 12 hours per play-through, backed up by the superb Mercenaries mode and loaded for repeat play with a clutch of in-game weapons and costumes.

But surely we're all repeat players by now. (If not, where have you been? And buy this as soon as possible.) For those of us that have played it, the question is, how much? If, like me, you've been through its various versions many times and unlocked everything again and again, you just don't need to see her like this. If you enjoyed it at release and haven't been back since, seriously consider the Wii version. It'll be cheaper to get hold of, the pointer controls are great, and if anything, it looks better with soft edges.

That's the killer: Resident Evil 4 HD doesn't look better than Resident Evil 4 SD. Who would have known, but scaling back clever fogging and lighting effects (as this has done in many places) and simply exposing old textures in 1080p doesn't look that good. It's a stark sight.

Resident Evil 4 is a brilliant game, but that's exactly why Resident Evil 4 HD is such a disappointment. This is no definitive version or director's cut (wouldn't that be something), but a criminally half-baked attempt to winkle a little extra cash from the still-beating heart of a classic. Resi 4 deserves better than this; Resi 4's legions of devoted fans deserve better than this; and Capcom should be much better than this.