Over the past few weeks, Capcom has released high-definition remakes of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil: Code Veronica X on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace. Across both platforms, the two games each feature $20 price tags, and bring with them a host of improvements.

This is not a review of those games. Objectively speaking, they're both excellent videogames, and both have been repeatedly reviewed over the past decade. If you want a review of Resident Evil 4 I recommend reading this CVG piece, while those craving a review of Code Veronica should take a look at this article from Game Revolution.

Instead of a review of the games themselves, this piece is more of an overview of how the game's have changed in their most recent incarnations. Yes, both are now in high-definition, but what exactly does that mean for a game originally released during the Clinton administration?

If anything, this is a review of how Capcom has modernized two of its most beloved survival-horror classics. Now please hit the jump so I can stop explaining the premise.

Resident Evil: Code Veronica X HD

Of the two games, Code Veronica should, in theory, benefit most from this jump to a more modern system.

It does — don't get me wrong, the addition of Achievements/Trophies alone should be reason enough for most gamers to replay the title — but at the same time, a combination of turn-of-the-millennia game design tropes and the quirks of remastering what is now a very old game create a unique set of issues for this title.

Yes, technically speaking, the graphics are now high-definition. They have not however, been redrawn specifically for that purpose. You get a full HDTV image, and the models that make up the majority of the game's areas and characters look as crisp and clean as they ever have, but the textures that adorn the walls and floors of the game still look much as they did when the game was ported to the PlayStation 2 in 2001.

Likewise, the game's cinematics (which alternate between pre-rendered and in-game graphics) occasionally feature jarring aesthetics issues. One angle might appear slightly fuzzy, like the camera had been smeared with a light coating of Vaseline, while the next angle looks as sharp as anything released on the Xbox 360 today. It's not necessarily bad, but it's definitely something you notice, and serves as a constant reminder of the game's age.

On the opposite hand, the audio in Code Veronica benefits greatly from the jump to the modern era. That's likely the result of audio technology not advancing too wildly over the past decade but regardless, Code Veronica HD sounds better than it ever has. My response to hearing the claws of undead dogs click along a stone pathway is almost Pavlovian at this point, and reliving that aural nightmare in 2011 is exactly as chilling as it was when I first played the game. Actually, moreso since I couldn't afford a decent sound system at age 16.

The biggest knock against this game has to be its controls. Remember the old school, tank-style Resident Evil controls? They're in full effect here, and while they were frustrating when the game was originally released, they are absolutely maddening in 2011. I'm a guy who could, as a kid, beat Resident Evil 2 with no saves in under three hours, yet attempting to readjust to the series' trademark movement style is almost impossible at this point. If you've got the kind of deep nostalgia for the series that I do, Code Veronica HD is serviceable (and you will eventually adjust), but if you didn't grow up with this kind of thing, I have to imagine you'd have more fun curling up in a ball while the undead hordes eat your face.

Honestly, it's going to happen anyway, so why prolong the inevitable?

Resident Evil 4 HD

Just as Code Veronica HD is a modern remake of the most recent re-release of Resident Evil: Code Veronica, Resident Evil 4 HD is a remake of the relatively recent Wii version of the game. Obviously it doesn't include motion-activated Wiimote support, but this inherited legacy means that the game features all the extras added to the game in its PlayStation 2 and Wii iterations.

Translation: This is the definitive version of Resident Evil 4.

That said, the fact that its source material is only a few years old means that the improvements to the game's audio and aesthetics are relatively minor. Yes, everything has been scaled up to fit on an HDTV, but otherwise the sights and sounds of this game are the same thing you enjoyed on the Wii.

For the record though, that should be a seen a positive, not a negative. The Wii game was gorgeous, and while RE4HD may not compete directly with Gears of War 3, it's still a very attractive, atmospheric experience.

Also benefiting from the format change are the game's controls. RE4 was the first game in the series to feature more action-oriented gameplay, and the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 controllers are perfectly suited for that kind of thing. It may not look or sound markedly better than it did before, but this is definitely the most accessible way to play the game.

Conclusion

The question remains: Should you spend $20 on either of these games?

For me personally, that's a no-brainer. I grew up with Resident Evil, and these are the finest versions to date of two of the series' best entries. Granted there are a few warts in each title, but it's nothing I can't overlook in favor of another chance to kill zombies and enjoy each game's hilariously overwrought storylines.

For others however, that question is a bit more complicated. Resident Evil 4 is a pretty easy recommendation for modern gamers as it doesn't feel terribly aged, but Code Veronica, both in its aesthetics and in its gameplay, can really only appeal to players who already have a strong sense of affection for the game. Throw Code Veronica in front of a 16-year-old Halo player and his head will pop like a grape.

In the end, the decision comes down to your history with the series, and the love you have for Capcom's survival horror games. If it were entirely up to me, I'd make you all buy a copy of each, in the vain hope that Capcom might decide to port the first three Resident Evil games to modern consoles.

Sorry, but at this point decapitating the undead is my only real joy in life.