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Capcom: Resident Evil 2 Remake Review

Posted by: Nick on February 3, 2019 at 10:30 AM CST


Again there are spoilers here. Not sure how you can spoil a game that is older than 20 years but giving you the heads up anyway.

So after playing the game for about 50 hours and getting a platinum trophy, we think we've made up are minds about why we like it. First the game went back to form. It made RE scary again. Not to say that RE7 was not scary and an awesome game but this took one of the series favorites into the modern era. We made some observations on what has changed and what has stayed the same, the balance of which is what makes this game great.



What Remains

- The plot. Although minor changes to clear up some things that did not make sense. Like Ada's flimsy reasoning for why she was there in the original.

- The characters. Some have greater roles. Marvin, Chief Irons, Ada, Sherry, Annette, Mr. X all have a greater part to play and get more screen time.

-The item box. Needed.

-The game flow and layout. Although greatly improved to make more sense as a police station. Example the front desk being near the main entrance instead of hidden behind a fountain.

-The Claire A/Leon B and Leon A/Claire B dynamic. Although now called "second run" and does not seem to be affected by in-game choices however puzzles are remixed and you will not be able to access certain areas the other character was in, giving some independence to a second play through.

-Bonus modes. Fourth Survivor (still tough) and Tofu (still really tough).

-Ability to unlock infinite ammo weapons when certain conditions were met.



What Has Changed

-Defense weapons. Introduced in the RE1 remake for Gamecube, function similarly here except you can choose to use them for offensive purposes too. The knife is particularly useful but can break down. Think Breath of the Wild.

-Gunpowder and ammo creation. Introduced in RE3.

-Upgradable weapons. Introduced first in RE3 from nemesis parts but more notably in Code Veronica.

-Free aim. Headshots are not always instant death. These guys have hard heads.

-Sound sensitivity. I think this first made a difference in RE Dead Aim. Lickers track you based on movement and zombies will respond to gun fire, except when using a silencer as Claire. Likewise a well-placed flash grenade will confuse a licker's hearing and draw zombies.

-No more ink ribbons. Except on Hardcore mode you can save whenever.

-Flashlights in dark areas. Great ambiance technique.

-Constant chasing by Mr. X and cannot be downed. He'll follow you almost everywhere. He'll take a knee for about 30 seconds but won't go down like he used to in the original. You get no ammo for downing him either. It is awesome to hear his menacing pacing throughout the building and give you the sense of dread as it gets louder.

-No more camera angles. Follow in third person. Introduced with RE4.

-Records system. Used to unlock costumes, weapons, and art work. Introduced on the Dreamcast version of the game, not recalling if the N64 version had these as well.



Overall Thoughts

We first had a chance to play the game at San Diego Comic Con last year and were blown away buy the atmosphere the game created. It took something old and familiar and left you worried about what would be around the next corner. It is truly amazing to create surprises in a game you have spent hundreds of hours playing.



This seems like a great experiment for Capcom and hopefully it will lead to an RE3 remake, which was seriously under appreciated. I think with a modern overhaul they can make a whole city of dread and anxiety come to life in a truly amazing way. We are certainly hoping to see it in the next couple of years and it seems likely given the success of this game. If you are a fan of horror or Resident Evil game then this is a must for you. If you can run to the store and grab a copy and if you can't run then limp there as fast as you can before they get you.

Photos courtesy of Capcom.


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