The game which I will be reviewing today happened to be my very first entry into the horror game genre, and is what I believe sparked my interest and love of the horror genre as a whole in video gaming, it's called Resident Evil 2. This game was originally released in January of 1998 on the very first Playstation console. There's also been quite a few ports of the game over the years, for consoles like the Dreamcast, N64, the Gamecube and a few others. It might be the biggest shock I've had as a gamer as well in a way, because it was really nothing like what I had played before. I personally believe this game is a great example of classic horror overall.
There are several reasons why I believe that. Something which I really loved in particular about Resident Evil 2 were the characters that you got to play as. Mainly because they're just ordinary everyday people for the most part, which was a new experience for me in video games at the time. I was always used to playing some sort of extraordinary character in previous game titles, whether they be a super soldier, an alien, a superhero, a highly trained spy, or perhaps a mushroom addicted super plumber. Where as with Resident evil 2 the characters we're given to play are just normal everyday people. They had no super powers, no high levels of training, or anything really special about them. They were just a person like you or me.
I honestly wish this was something which happened more often in video games. It's a rare thing to feel like you're a small spec of dust in a much larger, lethal world these days while playing a video game. I honestly just believe it's sort of a fascinating concept to use in a video game. These type of characters are something which I personally enjoy much more over playing a super powered character trying to vanquish some evil being, or alien armada or some such (Though, I of course still do enjoy those types of games obviously). Even after all these years have passed since it's original release, I still find myself getting freaked out at times while playing this game, and I believe a big part of that is just how vulnerable I feel using such ordinary characters. It's great!
This game takes place in a fictional city based in the United States called Raccoon City. There have been a lot of theories on which city they used for the inspiration of Raccoon City, and the closest we've gotten to a real answer is that they based it off of Springfield, Missouri. Resident Evil 2 opens with showing us the aftermath and chaos caused by the outbreak of a virus known as the T-Virus released by the shadowy, depraved organization know as the Umbrella Corporation. The T-virus's main effect on human beings is the process of zombification, as well as sometimes mutation into a hideous monster, for those who don't know.
We're placed into the shoes of a rookie police officer who is just arriving into town for his very first day of duty, Leon Kennedy. The other character we get to play as is a young woman named Claire Redfield, who happens to be the sister of Chris Redfield (One of the main characters from the first Resident Evil game). Both of these characters have arrived into Raccoon City on the same night, stumbling into each other for a brief period of time before getting separated from one another thanks to a truck driver who was bitten and then turned into a zombie.
You're given the option of which character you want to start playing with between Leon and Claire. Depending on which of these characters you've chosen to play, you then follow their respective paths and story throughout the game to try and uncover what exactly has happened to the city, as well as how they can possibly find their way out of the hellish nightmare. The narrative for both characters is mostly a straight forward one that is easy to follow, though that isn't to say that it's not a well written story with plenty of backstory and wonderful pacing.
The dialogue itself is also well written, and while the characters at times crack a joke here and there, it never gets too corny or ridiculous where you can't take it seriously. (You know what I'm talking about, I'm looking at you House of the Dead with your silly script and characters.) As long as you don't get sidetracked too much, you'll be able to progress through the narrative at a relatively fast speed, with story progress happening every 20-30 minutes so you never feel like you're going at a snails pace.
Resident Evil II also does an amazing job of creating a creepy and unsettling atmosphere the entire playthrough. Not only because you're stuck in a city of the dead, with tragic events and monsters lurking around every corner. But, because it has a great sound design with dread filled musical score in the background, as well as dark and dreary backdrops for the character to explore. All of these things work together quite well to make a perfect storm of dread and tension. And, it is a good reason why the game has such creepy environments and uneasy feeling to exploring the next unknown area.
Another interesting aspect of this game are the camera angles it uses, which are referred to as static angles or fixed angles. The angles themselves embed a sense of fear and anxiousness with how they're setup in this game, since you're unable to see everything happening in the room which you are in. The fear of the unknown really sets in with these static angles, and only adds to the horror aspect in my opinion since who knows what is waiting for you at the other end of the room.
While there have been people complaining of this style of angle work in the series, I really think it worked for this game and had they used anything else it would have taken away some of the fear and scariness of the game. I understand why people were frustrated with it and every thing, because at times it could get to be frustrating, but it truly helped to create a sense of tension for the player, and I surely hope if they do end up remaking this game that they stick with it.
And, even if the angles can be frustrating at times it's not like the game is going to be totally unfair to the player with not showing you what's happening in the room you've entered. While you won't see everything, you can certainly hear most of everything happening upon entering new areas, since the audio of the game usually alerts you to when something isn't quite right. Upon entering into an area, you'll usually be alerted by the sounds of moaning and shuffling of zombies, or the pitter patter of zombie dogs moving around waiting for you, as well as the creepy noises of the lickers. In short, unless you're playing the game without any audio for some reason, you'll usually pick up on if something bad is about to go down and can then be cautious with moving when exploring a new section of the game.
Another great aspect to this game which it does a fantastic job on are the puzzles and the acts of solving them. The puzzles never feel too insane to deal with, and they're usually quite clever with how they're set up and placed into the world you're in. They're also usually not too difficult to solve as well, and shouldn't prove too frustrating as you try to progress along. Now, that isn't to say that they're going to be so easy where a 5 year old could solve them or anything.
I mean, I've definitely had a much harder time with other puzzle games compared to Resident Evil 2's puzzles, but they're not so easy as to being able to solve them within moments. There are a few where you'll actually have to take time and figure out how to solve them. And, while there are some silly puzzles here and there that don't make much sense from a logical point of view, overall I would say they're utilized quite well. Nothing feels out of place when dealing with them, and they always serve a good purpose without wasting any of your time.
I briefly mentioned before that you can play as two different characters in this game (Leon and Claire). The way which they have it set up adds some great replayability value to the game, at least in my opinion as I had several playthrough's where I got something new out of them each time. At the very least I think you'll find enjoyable elements for 3-4 runthrough's of the game. When using each of these characters you'll be passing through quite a few familiar areas, experiencing a fair amount of the same events. I mean, a police station can only be so big, right?
However, you'll get a different story path with both characters that involve unique enemies to encounter and deal with, as well as some different areas to explore to boot. And, thanks to the B scenario's that the game has been kind enough to include, you can unlock more of the story and experience one of my personal favorite enemies from the Resident Evil universe (I'm not gonna say what since I don't like delving into spoilers, but it truly is a great enemy not only because of how it's designed but because of it's element in the story) by playing through what the other character was doing during your part of the story.
Actually, while we're on the topic of the type of enemies that you'll encounter in this game, I'd like to take a moment and say that besides the typical zombies we encounter, Resident Evil 2 has some of the most amazing creatures from the Resident Evil series overall. Again, I don't want to go too heavily into them so I don't spoil everything, but the Licker's introduction alone netted it as one of my all time favorite monsters from this series. (I love the bizarre design of the monster and it's choice of weapon so much that I actually had a painting done recently to hang up on my wall!)
The main big bad monster is also quite unique and has some very disturbing elements to its design, and also brought in a new element of creatures/virus for future entries into the series. Not to mention it's origin was kind of unexpected yet fascinating, and led into a separate game in the series which explained it a bit more clearly. (Seriously, the lore of this series seems massive and there is so much information to digest, I can't help but love it all) I remember between the zombies and all these monsters I was scared out of my mind when I was a little kid, and even to this day I occasionally get the heebie jeebies.
Now, having said all of that, is this game the same game which blew my mind as a kid in the late 90's? I'd have to say with a heavy heart that no, it sadly isn't. There are just some mechanic parts as well as graphical parts of the game which haven't aged well over the past few decades since it's release (I'm rounding up a bit since we're fast approaching the 20 year mark), which I'll be talking about next. It is however, still a wonderful game that has stood up to the test of time (for the most part) and retained being a creepy, scary horror game that gives a wonderful experience.
Probably what I believe to be the biggest issue with this game at this point in time are the controls it uses. They are incredibly tank like and stiff, and it definitely shows its age in this regard. Almost anytime I died throughout my time playing this game, even in recent times, was due to the controls just not responding well for me. (Of course back when I originally played it I died plenty of times from foolish choices, I won't lie.) Just the act of trying to turn can be so slow and unresponsive at times that if you're surrounded by multiple zombies or enemies you may find yourself looking at a game over screen with your corpse being red upon. You also really have to take your time with aiming carefully, as trying to aim quickly while you're on the move is simply impossible with this games controls.
The other section of this game which did not age well and comes off as a little more than dated are the cutscenes and voice acting. If we're comparing it to what we get today especially, they really don't hold up all that well. After going back and playing through it in recent times, I also noticed the voice acting isn't all that great either. However, I think the game deserves a pass because something that came out back in the late 90's can only hold up so well to what we get now a days. And, even with it's aging cutscenes and clunky voice acting, it was still quite good for it's time. Compare it other zombie games coming out around that time and you'll think this games cutscenes and voice acting are a masterpiece.
Now, even with these shortcoming Resident Evil 2 is still an absolute classic game in the horror genre that is pretty hard to beat. It is a shining example of what survival horror should be like even to this day, and personally I believe it to be the best Resident Evil game out of the entire series.(Yes, even better than Resident Evil 4 which honestly departed away from the horror genre for the most part.) The wonderfully written story, perfect pacing and creepy and downright chilling atmosphere make this game an absolutely unforgettable experience in video games in general. I would definitely recommend this game to anyone who hasn't tried it and is need of a great horror game to try out. I mean, Halloween is just right around the corner. What could possibly be a better time to play this than the spookiest time of the year?
Thanks for checking out my review! Hope you've enjoyed it!