Resident Evil 2 Review (PS4)
Introduction
This is a remake of Resident Evil 2, originally released on PlayStation. This game uses third-person shooter controls, with good emphasis on survival horror elements. Many features returned from previous Resident Evil games, as well as boasts two major scenarios.
Story
This game takes place in Raccoon City. Claire Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy met in a petrol station after encountering zombies. They went to the city, and due to an incident, they are forced to split up and eventually reunite for a short moment at the Raccoon City Police Department. However, they are forced to split, and eventually have to fight against zombies and other horrifying creatures in the police station. They willl eventually find themselves exploring underground areas beneath the police station, which may be the source of the monstrosity that is going on the surface.
The game's story is good, but all four scenarios have inconsistent story issues that make it difficult to nail a single and concise story. For example, a certain event regarding Sherry's mother in Claire's 1st Run/2nd Run scenario contradicts an event in Leon's 1st/2nd Run. It is easy to take in consideration that the complete story of Resident Evil 2 incorporates many story events from the four scenarios, and neither scenario is truly canon like Resident Evil Remake's story.
The characters are good. Claire is a strong and independent character like the original Resident Evil 2, whereas Leon is a naive yet strong-willed police like the original game. I like how Capcom revamped certain characters' stories in this game, especially the Birkins, Chief Irons, Ben, Ada, and most of all, Marvin. Certain background lore can be read by reading files in the game as well. However, I find that this game has too few interactions between Claire and Leon compared to the original game, which is disappointing.
Gameplay
This game is a third person shooter survival horror game. It plays most similarly to Resident Evil 4 - 6 and the two Revelations games, but with emphasis on survival, where you will finite amount of supplies in the game.
Before you start a game, you must choose between Leon and Claire. Each character has their own unique arsenal of weapons, as well as story events. Once you have completed either character's story scenario, you will unlock the 2nd Run mode. 2nd Run mode is mostly an arranged mode where you will play the other character's story, but with shortened prologue, arranged item placements, different puzzle solutions, and etc. 2nd Run mode for both characters however, does not many exclusive scenes other than one early scene and the true ending.
To complete a game's scenario, you must complete your story objective, which ranges from solving puzzles, finding key items, and defeating a boss. Most of the time, you must explore different rooms and find the necessary key items to progress. Once you have found them, you can place them at certain key locations, examine them, or store them in your Item Box for later retrieval. However, not all rooms are accessible easily, as you may need to find keys or tools to open them before exploring them.
The great thing about this game is the map system. Like Resident Evil Remake's map story, it will colour code your room sections accordingly, such as red if there are items to be found in this room. It will also mark items that are seen by your character but not yet picked up in an room as well as key items-related areas. This is a great feature in case you are stuck in this game.
Leon and Claire have access to different sets of weapons. They can be found while exploring in the game as well as using certain items to open the necessary areas. Some weapons can be upgraded as well, by finding the necessary parts from safes and etc. The sub-weapons system also return in this game, where you can use a sub-weapon to defend yourself from an enemy grab, or use it to kill an enemy. They can be found in many areas, such as knives and grenades.
As you progress in the game, your inventory management will be more crucial. You can store items in the Item Boxes scattered in safe rooms, or find pouches to increase your current inventory limit. It is also wise to store or dispose any key items if they are not used anymore, as you may need the space to carry other items.
The combat is basic third person shooting. When you aim your gun, you will notice that the crosshairs will slowly to become smaller. When it does, it deals slightly higher damage as well as more accurate shots. However, you have to be stationary, and in certain occasions, you nay need to shoot at enemies while strafing to avoid enemy attacks as well.
Zombies are the common enemies, but they can be a big threat to you if you are not careful. For one, headshots will not immediately decapitate their heads, but they may be staggered, There are other options such as destroying their legs, rendering them from chasing you. Other monsters such as Lickers are dangerous, but can be avoided by walking past them instead of running.
Boss fights are particularly well-designed and balanced. You will fight them in many areas, and they are very dangerous. You can find supplies in the battle area, but you will be screwed if you ran out of ammo or sub-weapons when fighting them, forcing a reload from your latest save point. Take your time in fighting them and learn their attack patterns.
The gameplay is excellent. The overall gameplay is on par with Resident Evil 4's gameplay, but this game has better survival horror emphasis. Great controls, good emphasis on survival horror, good diversity of weapons, [perfect length to beat the game, memorable boss fights. good progression, and good puzzles. The only major issue I have with this game is the 2nd Run scenario designs for both characters. They are not different enough or impactful enough compared to the original RE2's zapping system, where certain decisions in Leon A/Claire A may affect certain things in Leon B/Claire B.
Graphics
This game has amazing graphics. Great looking character models, great environment designs, and solid framerate. The zombies look disgustingly good, as well as many other B.O.W.s in this game. The lighting is also used well in this game, with proper
The only issue I have is the face designs of certain characters such as Claire. They could have modelled it to look as good as Claire's face in Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles, but it is a minor nitpick on my part. No bugs and glitches encountered while playing the game.
Sound
Pretty great voice acting by all actors in this game. They did commendable job in voicing their characters. For example, Chief Irons sounds more menacing than the original game, and Sherry has a cute and appropriate voice. It is a shame however, that veterans such as Sally Cahill (Ada RE2/RE4), and Alyson Court (Claire RE2/RE:DC/RE:D) do not return to voice the characters in this game. Their replacement voice actors however, did amazing job in voicing their characters.
The music is good, but I find that they are not loud enough to make it memorable while playing the game. I do like some of the tracks in the game, such as Mr. X's theme, the theme when escaping certain bosses, as well as certain boss themes.
Replay Value
This game has good replay value. Once you have finished the 1sr Run of Claire/Leon, you can choose to play the game again in 2nd Run mode for either Claire or Leon. You may also choose to play the game's optional modes such as The Fourth Survivor and Ghost Survivors, complete all Records, shoot all Mr. Raccoons, get S ranks for all four scenarios, and etc.
Conclusion
This is an excellent third person shooter and survival horror game. By far, one of my favourite Resident Evil games. It is also a pretty great remake, but it is not without story issues. Highly recommended to survival horror game fans and new fans to the genre.
Score
Story: 8/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 8/10
Final Score: 9.0/10 or 36/40
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Excellent survival horror experience.
- Good story.
- Great characters.
- Great gameplay.
- Steady progression and pacing.
- Great gameplay controls.
- Good variety of weapons.
- Good puzzles.
- Good difficulty options.
- Intense boss fights.
- Great voice acting.
- Excellent graphics.
- Good replay value
Cons
- Too few interactions between Leon and Claire.
- Story inconsistencies for all four story scenarios.
- Average design of 2nd Run mode.
- Sparse music.
**Screenshots are from official Capcom's Resident Evil 2 site.
This is a remake of Resident Evil 2, originally released on PlayStation. This game uses third-person shooter controls, with good emphasis on survival horror elements. Many features returned from previous Resident Evil games, as well as boasts two major scenarios.
Story
Experience Leon and Claire's stories in this remade/reimagined game.
This game takes place in Raccoon City. Claire Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy met in a petrol station after encountering zombies. They went to the city, and due to an incident, they are forced to split up and eventually reunite for a short moment at the Raccoon City Police Department. However, they are forced to split, and eventually have to fight against zombies and other horrifying creatures in the police station. They willl eventually find themselves exploring underground areas beneath the police station, which may be the source of the monstrosity that is going on the surface.
The game's story is good, but all four scenarios have inconsistent story issues that make it difficult to nail a single and concise story. For example, a certain event regarding Sherry's mother in Claire's 1st Run/2nd Run scenario contradicts an event in Leon's 1st/2nd Run. It is easy to take in consideration that the complete story of Resident Evil 2 incorporates many story events from the four scenarios, and neither scenario is truly canon like Resident Evil Remake's story.
The characters are good. Claire is a strong and independent character like the original Resident Evil 2, whereas Leon is a naive yet strong-willed police like the original game. I like how Capcom revamped certain characters' stories in this game, especially the Birkins, Chief Irons, Ben, Ada, and most of all, Marvin. Certain background lore can be read by reading files in the game as well. However, I find that this game has too few interactions between Claire and Leon compared to the original game, which is disappointing.
Gameplay
Survive while exploring many dangerous areas.
This game is a third person shooter survival horror game. It plays most similarly to Resident Evil 4 - 6 and the two Revelations games, but with emphasis on survival, where you will finite amount of supplies in the game.
Before you start a game, you must choose between Leon and Claire. Each character has their own unique arsenal of weapons, as well as story events. Once you have completed either character's story scenario, you will unlock the 2nd Run mode. 2nd Run mode is mostly an arranged mode where you will play the other character's story, but with shortened prologue, arranged item placements, different puzzle solutions, and etc. 2nd Run mode for both characters however, does not many exclusive scenes other than one early scene and the true ending.
To complete a game's scenario, you must complete your story objective, which ranges from solving puzzles, finding key items, and defeating a boss. Most of the time, you must explore different rooms and find the necessary key items to progress. Once you have found them, you can place them at certain key locations, examine them, or store them in your Item Box for later retrieval. However, not all rooms are accessible easily, as you may need to find keys or tools to open them before exploring them.
The great thing about this game is the map system. Like Resident Evil Remake's map story, it will colour code your room sections accordingly, such as red if there are items to be found in this room. It will also mark items that are seen by your character but not yet picked up in an room as well as key items-related areas. This is a great feature in case you are stuck in this game.
Use different weapons to eliminate the monsters.
As you progress in the game, your inventory management will be more crucial. You can store items in the Item Boxes scattered in safe rooms, or find pouches to increase your current inventory limit. It is also wise to store or dispose any key items if they are not used anymore, as you may need the space to carry other items.
The combat is basic third person shooting. When you aim your gun, you will notice that the crosshairs will slowly to become smaller. When it does, it deals slightly higher damage as well as more accurate shots. However, you have to be stationary, and in certain occasions, you nay need to shoot at enemies while strafing to avoid enemy attacks as well.
Fight against zombies and monsters in this scary police station.
Boss fights are particularly well-designed and balanced. You will fight them in many areas, and they are very dangerous. You can find supplies in the battle area, but you will be screwed if you ran out of ammo or sub-weapons when fighting them, forcing a reload from your latest save point. Take your time in fighting them and learn their attack patterns.
The gameplay is excellent. The overall gameplay is on par with Resident Evil 4's gameplay, but this game has better survival horror emphasis. Great controls, good emphasis on survival horror, good diversity of weapons, [perfect length to beat the game, memorable boss fights. good progression, and good puzzles. The only major issue I have with this game is the 2nd Run scenario designs for both characters. They are not different enough or impactful enough compared to the original RE2's zapping system, where certain decisions in Leon A/Claire A may affect certain things in Leon B/Claire B.
Graphics
Amazing graphics.
The only issue I have is the face designs of certain characters such as Claire. They could have modelled it to look as good as Claire's face in Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles, but it is a minor nitpick on my part. No bugs and glitches encountered while playing the game.
Sound
Great voice acting, but sparse music.
The music is good, but I find that they are not loud enough to make it memorable while playing the game. I do like some of the tracks in the game, such as Mr. X's theme, the theme when escaping certain bosses, as well as certain boss themes.
Replay Value
Good replay value.
Conclusion
An excellent game, no questions asked.
Score
Story: 8/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 8/10
Final Score: 9.0/10 or 36/40
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Excellent survival horror experience.
- Good story.
- Great characters.
- Great gameplay.
- Steady progression and pacing.
- Great gameplay controls.
- Good variety of weapons.
- Good puzzles.
- Good difficulty options.
- Intense boss fights.
- Great voice acting.
- Excellent graphics.
- Good replay value
Cons
- Too few interactions between Leon and Claire.
- Story inconsistencies for all four story scenarios.
- Average design of 2nd Run mode.
- Sparse music.
**Screenshots are from official Capcom's Resident Evil 2 site.
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