I seem to have gotten the Playstation 2 version of Resident Evil 4 into playable condition in Windows 7 with the pcsx2 emulator.
My first problem was getting the faster VM version to work in Win 7.
I ran it in compatibility mode and checked off the "last worked in XP" option.
Windows worked in the background to find a solution and did, albeit, with a minor glitch. Now, when I shut down the game, the sound and process continue, so the only way to shut it down completely is by killing the process in the task manager. Not a biggie.
In no time at all, Viola, the start screen.
When I was done getting the VM version running, I had to find the best plugins for my rig. These seem to work best for me:
Graphics - GSdx 846 (MSVC 15.00 SSSE3) 0.1.9
Sound - P.E.O.p.S SPU2 1.9.0
Despite having a dual Core CPU, I had to shut down the Multi Threaded GS (MTGS) and Dual Core (DC) Modes.
Running the MTGS mode actually depreciated performance and maxed out both cores. With the option turned off, one core fluctuated between 50% and 90% while the other never went higher than 10%
This all Resulted in a pleasantly playable Resident Evil 4. Here are some shots of the gameplay.
There are some intermittent periods of slower gameplay, but its not so bad as to make it unplayable.
Its really cool to run the PS2 version on my computer because the PC port is a bit different. The PC port is nice, but some of the games original ambiance was lost. The metals seem more metallic, and the scenery seems to have more contrast in the original. There is also a certain amount of character animation that was lost. Of course, I do have the PC port up and running as well. :-)
It runs a lot smoother than the PS2 version, but there is definitely a certain charm attached to the original game. I guess I'm just a total Resident Evil fanatic.
