The second of Capcom’s REmake line of Resident Evil games which as the subtitle suggest reworks the first initial few entries into the modern age with current game development tech and graphics. In Resident Evil 2 you play as either Leon Kennedy or Claire Redfield as both go on their own paths to discover the cause of a zombie virus outbreak in Raccoon City. 

Resident Evil 2 is a 2019 remake of the original 1998 game of the same name, it is developed and published by Capcom. It is available on PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One.

Editor’s Note: Near complete to complete spoilers for Resident Evil 2 may be present within this review.

Leon S. Kennedy is forced to turn a normal first day on the job as a cop into a zombie extermination in Resident Evil 2.

Originally released on the Playstation One in 1998, Resident Evil 2 continued Capcom’s acclaimed horror franchise with new characters & it’s classic survival gameplay. After several releases the sequel like it’s predecessor has received a from the ground up remake which gives it a modern age feel without screwing anything up. In fact REmake 2 aides the core Resident Evil 2 experience rather than hinder it.

Zombies are a lot tougher this time around in REmake 2….A LOT tougher.

THE GOOD: In an age where remakes and remasters have become common place, especially in the video game industry REmake 2 strives as an extremely passion-driven retry at an already classic title. After some disappointments with Capcom’s previous porting efforts with Devil May Cry, REmake 2 while not necessarily a true port was some much needed zombie snarls to my ears. It feels like Capcom went above and beyond simple gameplay tweaks and a graphical overhaul. So much so that it feels like a whole new spirit was planted into the game to ensure that it felt as modern as humanly possible without insulting those who grew up with the initial vision said team worked equally as hard on crafting. 

REmake 2 is a pinnacle of what can be accomplished when a project is driven by passion and soul.

Without spoiling too, too much of the story basically you play either the aforementioned Leon or Claire and you explore the Raccoon City Police Department (which is oddly connected to nearly every ounce of the city) as you dig deeper into discovering the cause of the outbreak. As you progress through the game zombies increase in number as well as difficult. This eventually leads you to the introduction of the terrifying Mr. X; an unkillable tyrant that will haunt you up and down the game map once you reach the halfway point of the game. REmake 2 makes it a point to conserve on your ammo and items which only further adds to the difficult. You can’t careless spray enemies with gunfire like in latter entries within the series. It takes quite a bit of planning and even muscle memory for the layout of the map to get around without landing in tough spots. Knives and grenades can be used for quick escape routes if you wind up in a large enough crowd of zombies. Both Leon and Claire have original storylines pertaining to each of them that advance the storyline in new ways.

Terror comes in a new coat of paint in REmake 2.

THE BAD: Zombie kills will often feel very RNG based, in that it’s not so much up to skill, but more up to luck on when you can finally put them down for good. And with ammo usage being scarce throughout the run it makes running an often viable tactic. One would be quick to mistake this as being “simply part of the game”, but when 4-5 head shots refuse to be the killing bullet this is more often than not a glitch or bug in the game. 

Zombies are real bullet sponges in REmake 2, and not in the usual way which cheaply aides players.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: The second remake of Capcom’s classic horror series is a near perfect game that improves upon the original in so many ways that it’s almost a flawless experience. Thought some hiccups exist, they’re so limited that you may only encounter one of them consistently throughout your run and if that’s the price of admission to experience a gem getting a second go round then it’s well worth it.