2003: A video released to the internet reveals "The Capcom 5." They included one project that died silently, two cult hits, one really awkward hallway shooter, and the extension of a franchise that had been living off of remakes and retooled projects aborted on prior platforms. It looked interestingly different from prior games in the series, giving birth to a storyline that took place in some sort of castle with a dark spirit that followed the protagonist.

2004: Shinji Mikami took over directing duties of the last title, bringing it from a psychological horror to something more traditional to the Resident Evil franchise. The castle still remained, the dark spirit was gone, and the new media of the game showed people that fighting the slow-walking forces of evil would take a new perspective.

2005: Resident Evil 4 releases to the masses. Soon, players realize that this new entry is very little like the games that came before it. Zombies are replaced by an evil cult. Silly, overwrought gathering "puzzles" are simplified as much as possible to keep the player in the action as much as possible. Even though the hallmarks of the series in creative, gory deaths and cheap shocks were still around, Resident Evil 4 was a much less cerebral effort. Instead, it concentrated on action and atmosphere--and delivered in spades.

Critics hailed it as the best game on the GameCube, with the only slight complaints lying in the still slightly awkward control system and the faked widescreen that didn't quite make sense in the days when HDTV gaming was about to hit its stride. Gamers discussed it at length on the internet, letting almost every fan vote and list that involved the GameCube or last-gen in general include the title.

2006: Over a million copies later, Resident Evil 4 hits the Playstation 2. In this case, the port was not as well received as the original, as it added content at the expense of graphic fidelity. Analogous to releasing a director's cut of a DVD on VHS, it garnered more than slight derision from the fanboy crowd.

2007: The third release of Resident Evil 4, this time for the Wii, combines both the visuals of the GameCube version with the added content of the Ps2 version. This time, all of the prior complaints have been rectified. The visuals are clean, the game has true widescreen, and the controls are more intuitive and responsive than before.

Visually, RE4 is a bit dated due to the elements that make it up--GameCube era visuals, even as they are the best of the system's output, are somewhat lower than expectations in this new generation. Animations are still nice, however, and the flame effects are still pretty. Just don't expect Gears of War.

In the matter of controls, however, RE4 really benefits. The Wiimote, bane as it may be to some people, works particularly well with the almost lightgun-style combat of the title. Picking out specific body parts to unload on is easier and more accurate than before, giving the player an easier time to take out an enemy's legs. As well, when targeting something shootable, the cursor on the screen turns red and the Wiimote gives a slight rumble. As there are some particularly dark areas in the game, this makes scouting areas a bit easier.

Content-wise, the Wii version is on-par with the Playstation 2 entry in that it includes Separate Ways, a sidestory involving Ada Wong. As well, the game includes a couple of alternate costumes, a new weapon, and, for the first time in the United States, an easier mode. As well, the balance of treasure/ammo is inversely proportionate to that of the GameCube entry, giving players less shots but far more opportunity to make their guns a bit more effective.

All in all, unless Capcom figures on re-releasing the game again on the next Wii with enhanced visuals and more content, I think it's safe to say that Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition is the definitive version of one of 2005's biggest action games. It's fun, it's fast, and although the Wii's controversial controller is at the center of it, it facilitates instead of hinders the gameplay. If you haven't played RE4 and own a Wii, it's probably time you took it for a spin.