I mean I was one of the biggest worriers with the Resident Evil 2 remake thinking they couldn't capture the spirit of the original game and ended up changing tunes after I played the final product. I just think trying to remake RE4 is an even more daunting challenge and would be such a radically different title I don't even know if it'd resemble the original game.
RE4 stands out to me still because of it's balance and control scheme working in tandem to create tension and that's the meat of RE4 to me (Along with the cheesy B level presentation). RE2 remake worked for me despite being worried about the perspective change because it captured much of the meat of the original with its environment exploration, puzzles, item conservation, etc, everything sans the fixed camera angles I love but it's still very much RE2 to me.
Plus then the worries about fitting in all the content in the jam-packed original game at a higher visual fidelity and even trying to re-tell the story seems like such a crazy endeavor when we saw they couldn't capture everything from the original RE2 in the remake.
I guess what I'm saying is for most people remaking the fixed camera angle games makes sense cause very few people still dig that whereas I feel RE4 still has a very solid fanbase that loves everything about that game outside a couple of people who can't handle the controls. I guess Capcom probably has lots of time to think about what they'd want to do and I'd still be interested to see what their ideas would be.
Sorry if some of my sentences feel redundant, I had to read over this a couple of times and type different thoughts out.
Resident Evil 4 is one of my favorite games of all time, and was my "gateway" into becoming the horror enthusiast I am today. Trust me, it's a very special title for me. But the original Resident Evil 4 isn't going anywhere, and at least it's available on nearly everything, and on PC at least is getting a fantastic HD mod from some very talented, hard-working fans.
I don't know if they'll choose to remake RE4, I know the possibility is on the table for them. Even if they choose to remake it, we wouldn't see it before 2025, and probably even later than that. By that point RE4 would be over 20 years old. I know the temptation is to say just remake the game but prettier, because there's a huge chance they may end up making a game that's just not as good as the original game was.
But then Resident Evil 4 ironically was created by the team choosing to change up Resident Evil's original formula from what it had been, and then with their new direction focusing to get the most out of it with design and pacing and variety. Theoretically to remake RE4 in the style of REmake 2, the task would be to embrace that spirit, to change up in this case Resident Evil 4's formula from what it had been and then with their new direction focusing to get the most our of it with design and pacing and variety.
I think the Ultimate HD RE4 with the HD Mod is as much HD-ifying as the original RE4 needs. I think if they choose to remake RE4, they should focus to modernize and stylize it, and again the original game isn't going anywhere, so a remake should try to modernize it's vision. And to make RE4 for a modern audience in something like 5+ (probably more) years from now, it will mean they have to reimagine the whole game anyways.
RE2 I know some of the dev story behind it, there was a lot of things scrapped and redone and trouble with direction and rough patches within the team itself. It was a very turbulent development cycle, and ultimately it lead to them deciding to home in on what was working with the remake and what was crucial and making that as good as they possibly could while cutting out the fat. There's good and bad to that, but it made a very focused experience.
I know the inherent risk of the task, but as Capcom's RE team is staying more the same team and consistent these days, and since even the possibility of RE4 is still some ways off, here's hoping their experiences with REmake 2, RE8, and whatever else before then help prepare them for taking on that sorta' task (if it even happens).
