Resident Evil 2 is one remake you need to play

Resident Evil 2 Remake, Rated M for Mature, (Xbox One,PS4,PC):

Resident Evil 2 is back for a fresh new stroll through the zombie-infested Raccoon City.

The game’s visuals have been visually redone from the ground up making the game look even more visually stunning than most games that are out now. The zombies themselves show muscle and tendons in grotesque details.

We need to talk about the difference between a remaster and a remake.

A remaster brings back the classic game you know and love, updating visuals while keeping the content the same as the original. A remake keeps the original in mind while adding, changing content, updating visuals, and controls.

Resident Evil 2 came out almost 20 years ago on the Playstation 1. Many players are experiencing the story for the first time in this new game. The game has you choose between two characters: Leon or Claire. Each person has a different story and will tell more of the story of what happened in Raccoon City.

While I can’t talk about story details for fear of spoiling the great moments for new players, I can talk about the environments. The main place players will be exploring is the police station. The station has many different floors and rooms to explore. You can spend hours just trying to find what all the rooms contain and solve the different puzzles. The station had a zombie outbreak so it’s dark and scary inside and out.

Rooms are dimly light with moon light glaring through winds. You have reflections on shiny floors and blood splatter on walls. The entirety of Raccoon City from the police station to the sewers oozes atmosphere. Even the zombie models will have your jaw dropping at the first few times you see them.

Zombies have parts of the flesh exposed and their faces have skin ripped off. Even tendons and muscle tissue can be seen. This game easily stands up to any game released today. The game play is perfectly paced as you progress and find keys and other items which in turn will help you obtain better weapons. Just as you get that “I’m good” feeling, or think you know what to expect, the game throws a different enemy or something else at you to make you scream.

This game does things to unsettle you that other modern horror titles can take notes from. The camera is the classic behind-the-player view, letting you see all the action. With this view, you can see every gory detail of the enemies’ heads exploding. Because the camera is still close to the player, you will have to vigilant and keep looking back to make sure nothing is coming behind you.

Another fix is players no longer need ink ribbons to save the game. One thing I wanted them to get rid of is the limited inventory system. I understand only holding so many health and ammo items, but story items should have their own space.

Each of the different enemy encounters are tense and scary as the game only offers limited ammo. You constantly have to evaluate if the fight is worth it or can you just get out of there and save your resources for the next boss.

There’s fear and dread exploring every room and new section as you never know when a zombie will come out of nowhere and try and take a bite our of you. The boss battles are well done with each one being a challenge, but never feel unfair.

Resident Evil 2 Remake shows that bringing a classic game into the current year can provide an unforgettable experience. Resident Evil 2 gets 9/10.

Sascha Heist is a Penticton gamer. Feel free to contact Sascha at sggall@telus.net with gaming questions and more.

On XBox One : acehardy13