Technologies

Resident Evil 4 Remake Takes the Horror Level of the Original Up a Notch

It’s scary good.

Resident Evil 4 Remake is a significant improvement over the original game, but not in the ways Resident Evil fans might expect.

With its over-the-shoulder camera and precision aiming, Resident Evil 4 revolutionized not only survival horror but the shooter genre as a whole when it was released in 2005. With this remake, developer Capcom included a slew of enhancements and optimizations that make this once revolutionary game even better.

Buy Resident Evil 4 Remake

$60 at Target

With its previous remakes of Resident Evil, Capcom mainly focused improvements on three areas: controls, presentation and mechanics. This time around, the control and presentation advancements are a little less dramatic, mainly because Capcom is updating a newer video game.

Improvements to presentation in RE4 Remake focus mostly on mood. One issue I and many other Resident Evil fans had with the original RE4 was simple: It wasn’t that scary. This remake, however, addresses that. Capcom ups the fear factor with several improvements to the mood and setting, from the horrific-looking monsters to nerve-wracking areas where Leon’s flashlight is the only light source. These enhancements make RE4 Remake a wonderfully horrific experience for any Resident Evil fan.

The biggest advancements in RE4 Remake are in the game’s mechanics. Capcom has fixed the «Ashley problem.» For those unfamiliar with RE4, Leon from Resident Evil 2 returns to the series. He’s on a mission to rescue Ashley, the president’s daughter, from a cult in rural Spain. After he finds her, Ashley becomes his partner, adding an escort mechanic to the game. In the original, Ashley was controlled by AI and there were many frustrating moments when she’d get in the way of Leon’s shots or be quickly snapped up by enemies, leading to a game-over screen.

In RE4 Remake, Leon can now order Ashley to stay further behind him so she rarely gets caught in the crossfire. She also does a good job of avoiding enemies, making it less likely for her to get abducted. The improvements to Ashley transformed a character who was disdained by fans of the game into someone who’s both charming and endearing.

Capcom also beefed up the backstory and motivations of other characters in RE4 Remake. New documents and files from the villagers and others make them more sympathetic. In turn, the bosses who took advantage of those people feel even more evil than originally depicted. These compelling characters made for a more emotional playing experience, unlike the original, where they came off as campy and hokey.

a chainsaw wielding man with a bag over his head — Dr. Salvador is back and creepy as ever.

Screenshot by Oscar Gonzalez/CNET

I had developed a distaste for the original RE4 because it led the series down a path that took horror out of the franchise. The remake revitalized my fondness for the game, taking me back to 2005, when I first played the original. Back then, seeing a game play so differently from the older Resident Evil titles was mind-blowing. Now this remake creating a true horror vibe with interesting characters is giving me a lot of that same joy.

RE4 Remake comes out on Friday for $60 on PC, PS4, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Technologies

iPhone 17 Preorders Spike and Overall Phone Sales Aren’t Slowing Down Despite Tariffs

Global smartphone shipments saw a notable increase in the third quarter of 2025. Plus, preorders for Apple’s new iPhone 17 beat out the iPhone 16.

Despite tariffs and market uncertainty, global smartphone shipments increased 2.6% in the third quarter of 2025, compared to the same time last year, according to the International Data Corporation. Additionally, preorders for the iPhone 17, which launched last month, outpaced last year’s iPhone 16.

These increased sales include premium phones like the latest iPhones and Samsung foldables, suggesting yet again that pricier phones still sell in periods of economic strain. It’s a remarkable achievement, says IDC senior research director Nabila Popal, citing shrewd financing options as the reason people keep buying these high-end phones, which cost anywhere from $800 to nearly $2,000.

«[Phone makers] have mastered the art of innovation not only in hardware and software to entice upgrades but also in removing purchase friction. They have flawlessly combined cutting-edge devices with innovative financing models and aggressive trade-in programs that make the upgrading decision a ‘no-brainer’ for consumers,» Popal said in an IDC press release.

Apple sold 58.6 million iPhones this quarter, an increase of 2.9% over the same period in 2024, with more preorders for the iPhone 17 series than its predecessor. But Samsung wasn’t far behind, with its Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 selling better than all of the company’s prior foldables. The company still reigns atop the phone market with 61.4 million phones sold, representing 19% of the market in the third quarter of this year — an increase of 6.3% from the same period last year. Meanwhile, Apple lands slightly behind Samsung with 18.2% market share this quarter.

The other phone makers trailing Apple and Samsung are, in order: Xiaomi, with 13.5% of the market; Transsion, with 9%; and Vivo with 8.9%. The remaining companies in the phones industry, from Chinese stalwarts like Oppo and Honor to Motorola and Google, make up the remaining 31.4% of the market for the quarter. All told, 322.7 million phones were sold, up from 314.6 million in the third quarter of 2024, according to IDC.

IDC’s findings for the third quarter continue the small but steady growth of phone sales over the year, including a modest 1% increase in the preceding three months — which includes the April deadline when President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs. In the second quarter, IDC cited midrange devices like Samsung’s Galaxy A36 and other phones that started incorporating AI. But even persistent tariffs haven’t slowed down people’s appetites for pricier phones in the third quarter.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Oct. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 14.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword has an odd vertical shape, with an extra Across clue, and only four Down clues. The clues are not terribly difficult, but one or two could be tricky. Read on if you need the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.