Resident Evil 2 also known as RE2 released in 2019 with very positive reviews in Steam which has piqued my own interest to see if it lives up to the hype. The RE2 remake has promoted an improvement on everything in the original game with an improved camera, new story elements, new map layout, combat improvements, voice acting, and a graphical upgrade to finish off the list.
Pros and Cons
Pros
-Fantastic story with two playable characters that offer their own unique stories
-Fun survival horror gameplay
-Unique puzzles that provide a real challenge
-Beautiful graphics everywhere you go throughout Raccoon City
Cons
-Only minor issues that didn't affect gameplay
Story
September 1998, police rookie Leon S. Kennedy received a rather weird call telling him to not come to work. Curious, he decides to go to Raccoon City and upon arriving at a gas station, meets a university student named Claire Redfield. When they reach the city, they find out that it’s crawling with zombies, and with little left to do, they head towards the police station where refugees are said to be held.
However, the two are separated when a nearby truck driver who was attacked earlier crashes his oil transport causing a fire between the two. Both Leon and Claire must travel separately by foot to reach the station and find a way to make it to safety.
RE2 is split up into two stories. Leon and Claire will have their own scenarios where they will fight the same enemies but may have different obstacles to deal with. You don’t have to play as both to understand the full story but each has their own unique story.
Gameplay
The gameplay for RE2 has been completely changed from the original, with improvements and new features added. The character movement and camera are in your control which is a huge improvement as you can control your aim without those awkward camera angles from the original.
Combat has also been improved. While aiming at enemies you can take them out in three hits to the head so it’s best to aim there. However, zombies won’t stay dead, some of them returning back to life after a few minutes. They can die if their head is blown off by a critical hit but you only have a random chance to get them. I recommend saving your ammo for the right occasion as just mindlessly shooting enemies won’t work as they may just come back.
If you see one zombie, don’t even bother with it, just run past it even if there are two or three spread apart (keywords SPREAD APART). Ignore them until they are clumped together then you can shoot. This screenshot will show you a prime example of when it’s best to use your ammo.
There are also some other enemies you will have to be careful around when fighting. Zombie dogs for example will come back to life just like normal zombies. Then, there are lickers which can be trouble if not taken care of, for some reason though, when they die they are dead for good. Only forms of zombies can come back to life it seems.
Then there is Tyrant, this thing will chase you throughout the game if you make noise with your gun, so be careful when shooting. I also recommend not even trying to fight Tyrant, as he is immune to anything you throw at him; he can be temporarily disabled if enough damage is inflicted on him but I don't recommend going for this strategy, retreat instead.
There is inventory management, weapons will usually take one inventory slot but upgraded ones will take two. Some items that are used for puzzle solving may also take a second slot, so be mindful of what you are carrying.
There will be moments where you will have to do some puzzle-solving and this is where you will have to start thinking and these provide a good challenge. I enjoyed how creative the puzzles were. My favorite puzzle is one where you had to obtain three medals to unlock a secret door. It was a clever approach that also had you solving a few smaller puzzles along the way.
Graphics and Performance
RE2 is a beautiful game, Raccoon City is honestly a creepy place that is crawling with the undead. Some areas may have something else lurking in the shadows providing plenty of suspense preparing yourself for things that may or may not be there.
I tested the game on an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB, AMD Ryzen 5 1500X Quad-Core Processor 3.50, with16 GB of RAM. I experienced a smooth 60 FPS running into no issues.
Final Verdict
I am honestly impressed with what RE2 was able to provide. I found no issues with the game which is a rare thing for me to say. Even if you have already played the original RE2 I still recommend picking this up as the improvements made will feel like a completely different game compared to the original. It’s a gem of a game and one that I highly recommend for RE and horror fans.
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