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Resident Evil 2 Review

3K View2025-03-27

INTRODUCTION

I have fond memories of playing the original Resident Evil 2 in my dorm room at the University of Kansas back in 1998 (Oh, 1998 Daemon, you had so much to learn!) Another great gaming recollection of mine is playing the 2002 remake of the first Resident Evil on GameCube with its beautifully updated visuals, completely new areas to explore, and terrifying new enemies. Now, in 2019, Capcom has given me a new experience I’ll remember for a long time: this ground-up remake of Resident Evil 2 is a very fun, very creepy adventure thanks to its completely new and modern graphics, controls, and some smart quality-of-life improvements. The two playable characters’ stories aren’t as different as I’d hoped, but I enjoyed nearly every gory minute of my return to Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield’s shoes.

ABOUT THIS GAME🎮

I hadn’t played the original Resident Evil 2 since its release 20 years ago and only remembered the broadest of strokes: I knew it largely took place in a police station, the Lickers were introduced, and the giant spiders in the sewers were a nightmare. If a similar amount of time has passed for you, or if you’ve never played it, it might not be apparent what an enormous improvement this remake is unless you look at it side-by-side with the original. That’s because instead of the usual remastering treatment where we see upgraded resolution and textures hung over an old game’s skeleton, here Capcom started from scratch and remade the whole thing using the RE Engine, which is the tech that powered Resident Evil 7.

THESE ARE THE BEST-SELLING ZOMBIES I’ve EVER SEEN IN A GAME.

Now, instead of pixelated characters running from pre-rendered background to pre-rendered background, Resident Evil 2 is a fully 3D, over-the-shoulder affair with atmospheric lighting effects, impressive facial animations, and the best-looking zombies I’ve ever seen in a game. They’re juicier than ever (I’d venture a guess the designers were heavily inspired by the Tarman from Return of the Living Dead) and I love the way they lurch around and react when you blow off very specific chunks of their heads and hands courtesy of the satisfyingly detailed dismemberment system.Capcom does noticeably reuse the same handful of zombie models, though. Especially later on in the story, you’ll likely recognize the same undead faces you blew off way back at the police station.
Some events have been rearranged or expanded upon and there are some surprising twists I didn’t remember, but this is a mostly loyal remake of the suitably dark and twisted story of Resident Evil 2. It’s two months after the zombie outbreak of the first Resident Evil, which took place mostly in a spooky mansion. The horror has now overrun the entirety of Raccoon City, which is divided into three large areas that serve as the story’s acts. Exploring its dark hallways, solving puzzles, and hoping to god there isn’t a zombie around the next corner all remains fun today. Charting each area, learning the lay of the land, and eventually overcoming the obstacles in your way really never gets old. There are statues with hidden compartments everywhere, mutated reptiles stalk the sewers, and there’s a vast scientific lab buried underground. None of it holds up against much scrutiny, but they’re all fun places to explore.

Our heroes Leon and Claire, meanwhile, have strolled into town at a really bad time and are almost immediately separated. The pair is likable enough but two dimensional in their unwavering heroism. They never have a moment of despair or self doubt, and that makes them a bit dull, whereas a couple of the side characters are more charismatic and interesting. The mysterious Ada Wong in Leon’s campaign keeps you questioning her motives and wondering whose side she’s really on, for example.

THIS IS REAL SURVIVAL HORROR, WHERE IT ALWAYS SEEMS LIKE you’re JUST BARELY SCRAPING

Crucially, inventory and ammunition management is still a key part of Resident Evil 2’s gameplay. This is real survival horror, where it always seems like you’re just barely scraping by with enough ammo and healing items. You can’t carry everything you find with you, so what you should store and what you should carry is a battle constantly being waged in your mind.

Those quality-of-life improvements I mentioned include automatically updating your maps to let you know if a room has been cleared of items or if you missed something, frequent and unlimited save points, and freedom from the infamous barrage of loading screens. All of those are very much appreciated when exploring Raccoon City.

Tension has been elevated by the excellent sound design. Very little music accompanies gameplay, which leaves plenty of room for creaking doors, thunder and rain, the moans of the undead somewhere just out of sight, and heavy footsteps of something sinister in the next room over. Resident Evil 2 gets atmosphere like nobody’s business.

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭

Capcom did a fantastic job of resurrecting all the best parts of the classic Resident Evil 2 and making them look, sound, and play like a 2019 game. If you’re of the mind that the series had lost its way for a while there, this game is very much a return to form. The zombie combat is satisfying and exploring the dilapidated ruins of Raccoon City is a thrill. The one big letdown is that the two characters’ stories aren’t different enough to make the second playthrough as rewarding as the first, even after unlocking the 2nd Game mode. But whichever you choose to play as, the experience of playing through the new Resident Evil 2 for the first time establishes a new standard for remaking classic games.

Pros ✅ & Cons ❌

✅ Pros:

✅Amazing graphics – The details make the world feel real.
✅ Scary atmosphere – Sound, lighting, and zombies make it intense.
✅ Challenging gameplay – Not just action, but also puzzles and strategy.
✅ Good story – Keeps you interested until the end.

❌ Cons:

❌ Can be very scary – Not good if you don’t like horror.
❌ Limited ammo – Makes the game hard sometimes.
❌ Mr. X is stressful – He never stops following you!

⭐ MY FINAL RATING: 9/10

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