In this survival-horror "Wii-release," Resident Evil hero Leon S. Kennedy, now a government agent, is out to rescue no less than the President's daughter -- all the while taking on... no, not Umbrella zombies this time, but deranged villagers, bent cultists, mutants and some other full-on monsters, all with the benefits of an improved control scheme that uses the Wii remote to aim weapons, shoot, slash with a knife and crank off location-specific hits).

The Wii version takes the best bits from the previous versions -- the extras from the PS2 release and the superior visuals of the Gamecube release. It doesn't particularly "push" the Wii's hardware, mind you, which is too bad, but it still looks very good; the backgrounds aren't pre-rendered but in-engine, so the game has an better, more cohesive overall look. The game is as graphic and gory and intense as ever (yes, Virginia -- you did just witness a power-tool-wielding lunatic viciously chain-saw your own head right off your neck!), with nigh-overwhelming hordes of enemies, frantic chases and some mind-freak monsters that go way beyond the shuffle-and-groan creeps of your "typical" zombie-shooter. Alas, there is no particular Wii-specific content, but considering the wealth of subject matter pilfered from the other versions, it suffices.

Moreover, there's the control scheme, which, it must be said, kicks admirable amounts of butt. Not only is the aiming more intuitive (with an actual reticule instead of that laser-sight stuff, which makes for meaningful, critical arm, leg and head-shots), but the frenzied, shake-the-controller technique used in reloading weapons (or slashing with your knife, or frantically throwing off some onscreen unfriendly who's managed to close to throttling-range) just feels right.

The incorporation of PS2 elements means that this version also includes the side-story "Separate Ways," in which players control spy-chick Ada Wong (thankfully voiced by the same actress as before), wherein you can check out the story from her point of view. Add to that a true widescreen mode, and you truly have the best of both (previous) worlds in this new iteration.

The sound is great too, from messy point-blank shotgun blasts to the shrieks of whatever godawful thing is nearest you: Not only is the overall character voicework actually good -- not just "not-suck" good, but actually good good -- but there's a subtle, marked extra-coolness about hearing the chick-chack of your reloading weapons or the slash of your knife in the air through the Wii-mote's integrated speaker.

At its core, Resident Evil 4 for Wii is the same two-year old game, but the new iteration wears the years very well. And if this is your first crack at Resident Evil 4, you are to be envied the experience. Some Wii-specific goodness would have been, um, gooder, but Capcom has managed to roll this sucker out proud.