Resident Evil 4 Remake’s Raingate, Explained
It’s the rain in question. What do you think?Gif: Game Informer / Capcom / Kotaku
First, there was Spider-Man’s infamous Puddlegate. Then there were the not so watery streets of Cyberpunk 2077. Now it seems the next watery video game fan controversy involves the heavy rain seen in some early gameplay from the Resident Evil 4 remake. looking as bad as the ghastly rain of the GTA Trilogy Remasters. Others are convinced that it is only video compression. And remember: none of them have played the game yet.
Rumored for some time, Resident Evil 4 was officially announced by Capcom in June 2022. This new remake will update the game’s controls and combat, while retaining the same core story and characters. Once again, players will take on the role of Leon as he travels to a rural part of Western Europe to rescue the President’s daughter and finds himself caught up in many gruesome and campy shenanigans. But based on gameplay recently released by Game Informer, some Resident Evil fans seem to think Leon’s biggest threat won’t be giant monsters or infected villagers, but dull rain.
On Reddit and Twitter, you can find many gamers who think the in-game rain looks awful in the upcoming remake. While I don’t know who was the first person to share these concerns online, they quickly spread through the community. Some have even suggested that the rain looks just as bad as the infamous and gruesome rain seen in the Grand Theft Auto: Definitive Edition trilogy. This rain was so bad it made the game nearly unplayable during storms and was eventually improved by the developers through a post-release patch.
Anyway, here’s the remade rain from RE4 that causes such a kerfuffle:
Capcom / Game Informer
I fully admit that I watched this footage twice when Game Informer first posted the video and thought nothing of the rain. But even in YouTube comments, you can find people worried about its intensity and distraction.
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Kotaku has reached out to Capcom about the weather in the upcoming remake.
Others think people are being too picky and suggest the real problem isn’t the rain but YouTube’s terrible video compression. I’m inclined to think the YouTube compression certainly doesn’t help this rain look good, but I can also see how some might find the big, distinct white drops of water to be too much.
Of course, since it’s about the internet and gamers, some people take it too far and suggest that the devs are lazy or that’s a sign that the whole game will be one giant “money grab”. and rushed. It’s completely silly and silly. Remember: none of us have played the game, it’s not even finished yet.
Resident Evil 4 is due out March 24, 2023 on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Maybe it should include a rain intensity slider.