Recreating A Classic

I'm not sure about you, but I often look back at the games I used to play through somewhat rose-tinted glasses. I remember Resident Evil 2 being this graphical masterpiece that took the fixed camera approach and created a cinematic marvel. How good was the original!? Well, after firing up the PlayStation and giving it another try, my memories were shattered. Compared to most modern games, the controls were janky, the camera angles made aiming difficult and it just brought me down to earth. I still wanted my Resident Evil fix though, so I bought the well-received remake. So Brilliantly Close To The Original The first thing that hit me when I began this game was the visuals. Each character is still recognisable from the original, but have been brought into the 21st Century with a dramatic High Definition makeover. Leon looks like he should be part of a boy band with his flowing locks and Claire, with her signature red jacket, is his female counterpart. Marvin, the mortally wounded officer, is still here clutching his wounded abdomen while attempting to help new recruit Leon escape. As an aside, the voice acting for Marvin by Christopher Mychael Watson is possibly the best in the game. The original, pixelated as it was, did a good job of setting the scene for the Racoon City Police Department. The fixed camera doing an alright role of showcasing some of the architecture of the building. The remake, however, takes these corridors, rooms and textures to a whole new level and right from the start lends itself to the eeriness of the situation. Fans of the original might be able to tell exactly where this is in the original game No Change Here The story is still as great as it was originally with the game taking place immediately after the occurrences of the first game. Leon is making his way to the station to begin his job as a rookie cop, while Claire is heading there to find her brother (Chris Redfield from the first game). Each character is playable from the beginning with a few minor changes between the two. Like the original, upon completion, you are able to play the other character as though they were on the same timeline as your first playthrough. Action Game, Horror Game or Escape Room I've never really known where to place Resident Evil 2 in terms of genre, some would say that the Resident Evil series is what began survival horror. I mean it's not so much an action game despite there being moments of kill or be killed. The game itself features a lot of figuring out puzzles. Find the key, locate a handle, find a fuse and this is only within the first 45 minutes or so. The downtime between shooting zombies in the head allows tension to build and I love that. More modern horror games should take note. Prying Loose of the Fixed Camera The move from fixed camera to over the shoulder is a big one but shows that this type of game works really well from this aspect. It does remove the cinematic aspect a tad, but also ups the tension as you look over the shoulder of your chosen protagonist, living their experiences up close and personal. Get up close as Leon bursts a few zombie heads Verdict If like me, you were a fan of the original game and/or the Resident Evil franchise as a whole, I would recommend checking this game out. It really is a labour of love towards the original game. Each character, each cutscene, each location has been lovingly recreated to take advantage of modern hardware. It's great. Now just remake the original for me. Pros • Incredible Visuals • Voice Acting is great, especially Marvin • Inventory Management is far easier than the original • Additional Features and modes add longevity Cons • No Photo Mode to speak of ——— Original ratings: • Visual Design: 10/10 • Sound Design: 8/10 • Gameplay: 9/10 • Longevity: 9/10 • Fun: 10/10