RESIDENT EVIL 2
50 reasons why returning to Raccoon City could be the best thing to happen on PS4
50 reasons why you should look forward to returning to Raccoon City
Getting lost in lore is easy when it comes to Resident Evil (trust us, we went right down the Resi rabbit hole while writing our two massive features this month). But whether you’ve been with the series since the 1998 sequel and just need a refresher or you’re a newcomer to Raccoon City and want to know what all the fuss is about, we’ve got you covered.
Remade for PS4 using the RE Engine, Capcom’s bespoke game development toolset used to make Resident Evil VII (one of the best frightfests on PS4), the new Resident Evil 2 is the perfect blend of classic gaming and modern tech.
“It took a huge amount of trial and error to recreate the feel of the original game while implementing a new gameplay system,” says producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi reflecting on updating the 1998 game. “This challenge was very motivating to the team, though, and as a result we’ve been really gratified to see players around the world enjoying the demo. It made us feel our efforts were worthwhile.”
We couldn’t agree more, so here are the 50 reasons why the Resident Evil 2 remake will not only be the best reborn classic on PS4, but one of the best PS4 games yet.
01 DOUBLE TROUBLE
The remake features separate scenarios for its twin protagonists, just like the 1998 game. The original had A and B story lines for each lead. Depending on the order in which you played as each protagonist, this could alter certain events as well as item and character locations. Having gone hands-on as both Leon and Claire in the remake, we can’t wait to re-explore their paths, and see what surprises await in this retelling.
02 OIL BE BACK
Just like the original, the new game opens with its heroic twosome – bike-loving student Claire Redfield and rookie cop Leon S Kennedy – meeting and then losing each other as an oil tanker crashes and explodes. After the pair resolve to meet at the police station, Claire soon encounters young Sherry Birkin, caring for her throughout both of her scenarios (more on the Birkins to come).
03 CITY LIGHTS
Naturally Leon and Claire are the stars, but the setting shines just as brightly. And on PS4 Raccoon City has never looked better. The glimmer of store lights on wet tarmac, the stillness of the traffic… this is a city to admire and fear. The original game moved the setting from an abandoned mansion out in the woods into the city, capturing an urban nightmare. Returning to these re-imagined rainy streets will be a treat in itself.
04 GUNSMITH
What’s a return to Raccoon City without a look at Gun Shop Kendo? The famous store is back, and you’ll be scurrying through it to escape the groaning throng just out of sight. 05 FATAL FRAME The switch to the RE Engine doesn’t mean there’re fewer shocks in this remake. The dev has put a focus on ‘wetness’ and ‘darkness’ to evoke a sense of fear. While you can see ahead, and control the camera, you still won’t know what’s coming next or from where. Thanks to that darkness, it still feels like you have blind spots and need to be wary of what’s lurking in the shadows or around corners.
06 LIGHT AND SHADE
Helping those scares is the torch. You’d think shining a light into dark rooms couldn’t still be shocking in 2018, but some clever environmental designs mean a statue or even cleverly stacked office equipment will trick you into thinking a zombie lurks in the shadows… only for the real thing to shamble up on you from behind. We found quiet anticipation just as scary as full-on action when we played the beginning of the game. Torches in dark rooms were big in the ’90s. Here Claire does her best Scully impression.
07 EYE OF THE JAGUAR
The Jaguar Stone is one of a number of important, though obtuse, items that can solve puzzles and grant access to later areas throughout both characters’ scenarios. Similarly obscure keys make a comeback in the remake. Whether it’s collecting themed keys or deciphering another police officer’s hand-drawn notes about puzzles in the building, we already know there’s plenty of head-scratching to come.
08 WRITER’S BLOCK
Alongside staples like safe rooms and storage boxes, Ink Ribbons will have a roll (buh-dumtsh) to play. The seventh mainline game featured the functionally similar tapes for Madhouse difficulty, and producer Tsuyoshi Kanda has confirmed that higher difficulty settings in this remake will feature a similar saving system though an auto-save feature will be available for those wanting a more casual experience.
09 IN LEON’S SHOES
Leon’s a good guy trying to help out in a situation gone horribly wrong. But he’s not yet the cocky, self-sure Leon of Resi 4. He’s fresh-faced and vulnerable. You feel his hesitancy as you control him slowly making his way though ransacked corridors. Any zombie grabbing onto him feels dangerous. But he can handle himself up close.
10 FRIGHT LIKE A GIRL
Sherry becomes a big deal in future games. Here we see her for the first time remade using every ounce of PS4’s power. There’s a ‘Last Of Us’ vibe to how the scared child is presented in this remake, putting real emotional weight behind your need to protect her.
11 SHE’S A TROOPER
Sherry loves her parents both very much even though their busy work schedule leaves the couple with little time for her. In Claire’s scenario, we’re able to briefly play as Sherry, avoiding enemies and solving simple puzzles in order to net another key.
12 FIRST AID
It’s Hell out there but you shouldn’t neglect your health. Healing herbs come in red, blue, and green variants and can be combined in order to restore even more health to Claire and Leon. As this is a Resi game, they aren’t the only things that you can mix together. In an early section where we played as Claire, we blended different types of gunpowder in order to create acid and flame rounds.
13 SOUND SWAP
As part of the deluxe edition, alongside a number of bonus skins for Leon and Claire you’ll be able to switch out the new soundtrack for more classic tracks from the original game. The ambient soundtrack from our hands-on had us on the edge of our brown-tinged seats, but the original soundtrack is also a true classic. Decisions, decisions, which to use? Play the game twice!
14 CHANGE OF SCENERY
In the 1998 game, the police station’s odd architecture was down to the fact it had previously been a museum, hence the out-of-place statues. In this PS4 remake it’s never looked better, or creepier. The remake uses the concept to create a grounded place where traps and setups could take place. Believability is crucial for this Resident Evil 2, and those corridors feel totally real as you walk through them.
15 VIRTUAL DEPARTURE
The developers are very committed to the perspective they’ve chosen, as producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi explains: “The game has been created with the over-the-shoulder camera in mind, so we didn’t feel VR was an appropriate choice.” While RE7 is one of our very favourite PS VR experiences, we felt just as frightened with headphones on playing RE2.
16 BOTTOMS UP, FILL CLAIRE’S CUP…
Claire’s set of wheels is an officially licensed Harley Davidson Night Train, a bike that originally went on sale in 1998. Does the licensing mean it’ll play a bigger role this time around?
17 SAVE THE DATE
Claire’s bike has the licence plate ‘J2198,’ significant as a reference to the original game’s Japanese release date: 21 January 1998.
18 BLAST FROM THE PAST
Hulking monstrosity G is the result of an uncontrolled dose of the Golgotha virus. You battle him as Claire in a bid to protect Sherry, but he pursues both protagonists, mutating between each standoff. The giant, bloodshot eye in his shoulder may be a point of weakness the first time you’re up against him but he’ll still shrug off rounds like it’s nothing. You must make every single shot count… though acid and flame rounds may well count ever so slightly more.
19 SUIT UP
DLC will give Leon a few options in his wardrobe, including an alternate Arklay County sheriff getup. Both protagonists have a few different looks in the remake, such as the noir skin that turns both Claire and Leon into snappy dressers (and includes an optional black and white filter), plus military skins, and their classic outfits.
20 BIRKIN FAMILY VALUES
The G mutant we face time and again in our demo, who hunts us across the game, is William Birkin, creator of the G-virus and (as you can guess from the name) father to Sherry. In-game he’s a monstrous opponent, but get up close and we can see the detail levied at his return – he looks gruesome. We almost feel sorry for him. Almost…
21 TRUTH WILL OUT
Ben Bertolucci is incarcerated after attempting to investigate the dodgy dealings of Raccoon City police department chief Brian Irons. Regardless of whether you’re playing Leon’s A or B scenario, he meets a sticky end in his cell after offering a few helpful hints to Ada and Leon. That scene, with its new emotive lighting and acting, has more impact in the beautifully-done remake.
22 BIGGER IS BETTER
The devs are on record as saying they always ‘over spec’ when creating a Resident Evil game, then work hard to include everything planned for. The same is true of this RE2 remake; the goal is to overachieve and then find a way to match expectations.
23 STYLE UPDATE
Claire has received a noticeable redesign. The cut-off shorts are gone and the jacket is now a long-sleeved style. The design feels like classic Claire, but with a newfound realism and detail – we love the ‘Made In Heaven’ jacket patch.
24 YOU’RE LICKED
Take it from us, check your ceilings. An early note found by Leon in the police station advises that you creep around ‘like [the writer’s] Grandma’ when you’re anywhere near the blind, skinless Lickers… but, trust us, you’ll want to deal with these skittering nightmares before they deal with you.
25 NO PEACE BUT QUIET
Raccoon City’s freshly reworked police department is especially eerie thanks to smart sound design. Now the game plays with an over-the-shoulder camera, putting you in the room, surround sound has been included. This means your perception of what’s in front or behind you shifts as you move – that’s a massive extra layer of scares. Playing the demo with headphones on and helpful Capcom staff moving around behind us, we didn’t dare turn around.
26 KNIFE TO MEET YOU
Your trusty combat knife returns and can be used as a last-ditch deterrent for enemies that get too close, like Lickers and G. Unfortunately, in a close-quarters scuffle Leon and Claire will lose grip of the blade they’ve wedged in any enemy. Don’t forget to retrieve it! And if you don’t have anything sharp and pointy for stabbing monsters to hand, you can always ram something a bit explodey into an enemy’s mouth for an explosive follow-up shot. Boom!
27 AN IRON FIST
Police chief Brian Irons was always thought of as an eccentric, but he is revealed to be deeply unhinged, taking the wind out of our sails when we encountered him after a nasty bout with the hefty, G-mutated Birkin during our hands-on. Entrusted with protecting the Mayor’s daughter, we first met Irons in Claire’s original scenario leering over the poor girl’s corpse lain out across his desk – Eli Roth would be proud. Expect this horrible sequence to look even nastier in 4K on your PS4 Pro.
28 DOOMED DIARY
There’s plenty of lore still in the game if you hunt around for it. Leon can find a number of Operation Reports throughout the police station that recount the events of late September, 1998. Their recorder, Elliot Edward, unfortunately does not survive beyond those meticulous notes…
29 FATHER OF CHAOS
William Birkin was the head of the Golgotha virus project. He is protective of his research to the point of consuming samples so they cannot be stolen. In the original game, he intended to betray the Umbrella Corporation after being denied a promotion by handing his research to the US military and was responsible for contaminating Raccoon City’s water supply with the T-virus in the first place.
30 SAGE ADVICE
After running through the dark, notquite-deserted police station, Leon encounters Marvin Branagh, one of the few survivors. Showing the newbie cop that Claire is still alive via CCTV, the lieutenant imparts some advice as he gives Leon the combat knife: “If you see one of those things – uniform or not – you do not hesitate. You take it out… or you run. Got it!?”
*Gulp* Resi 2 just got real.
31 REWRITING HISTORY
In the remake Leon explains to Marvin that he was meant to start as a Raccoon City police officer the week before but received a call that told him to stay away. The original game leaves the reason behind his late arrival vague… though an old 1998 guide book alleges he turned up late due to a bad break up, a resulting night of drinking and a subsequent hangover. Somehow we doubt we’ll see any of that in the remake. Has Capcom toned down Leon’s bad boy image?
32 A VIEW TO A KILL
In 1998, fixed camera perspectives and pre-rendered backgrounds were in vogue out of technical necessity. The remake instead uses the RE Engine to deliver a third-person, over-theshoulder perspective for its frights and fights. Resi has never played better, or felt as claustrophobic.
33 RE-ST IN PIECES
Combat has been given more than a face lift – it’s now got a face off as well. Enemies can take quite a beating, shrugging off meaty chunks of flesh as they’re struck by bullets. But character models don’t just show damage on the surface, you can slice and shoot off limbs too. An early scene where Leon pulls a colleague through a door and all that comes is his upper torso is particularly harrowing, his glistening intestines spilling out of his abdomen. Everything is gloriously gory thanks to the RE engine.
Producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi says, “If I had to point to one technical aspect [that I find most exciting] it would be the feedback reactions of the characters and zombies, be it the zombies’ bodies altering or the bites and marks left on the player.”
34 FRIGHT NIGHT
There are some quieter scares amid the action. A body lying in the dark can have as much impact as a shambling horde or undead dog. The game looks beautiful, and the focus on realism in this remake gives the original source material a new, harrowing tone. The way the whole game fits together, how you quietly push open doors, how rain patters against window glass, feels so real you could be there. But you’re thankful you’re not.
35 MOTHER OF INNOVATION
Just before the outbreak hits its stride, Annette tells her daughter to leave school, retrieve a locket from home, and then head to the police station for safety… Little does Sherry know that within that locket is a vital sample of her parents’ research. An accomplished doctor, Annette worked on the G-virus alongside her husband. She is protective of her work, to the point of neglecting Sherry and pointing a gun at any other survivor she encounters for fear they want to steal her work.
36 LONE SURVIVOR
After completing both Claire and Leon’s scenarios with an A ranking in the original game, you could finally play as Special Agent HUNK in his own minigame. Dubbed the Fourth Survivor, this game mode gives you a limited loadout with no further item pickups available as you run and gun your way from the sewers back up to the police station’s helipad.
37 ALL ABOUT ADA
This mysterious woman claims to be investigating who’s behind the Raccoon City outbreak but clearly knows far more than she’s letting on. Upon first meeting Leon in the original game she narrowly avoids shooting him, mistaking him for a zombie. The pair become uneasy allies from there. She’s initially looking for the imprisoned investigative journalist Ben Bertolucci and later we can play as Ada in order to score another key for Leon.
38 DEAR JOHN
Ada claims she’s looking for her missing boyfriend, John Clemens. Series fans will remember finding a note from him addressed to Ada… in RE1’s Spencer Mansion. The remake’s new visuals help sell her duplicitous nature, as the animation is now more nuanced and realistic. Her retro-inspired redesign helps too…
39 TURN COAT
Ada has seen a noticeable change in style. No longer sporting her trademark red dress, the sunglassesat-night-look, while suspicious, feels like a nod to classic spy thrillers of the Cold War. But who knows what firepower she’s got tucked away under that trenchcoat? When we asked producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi to spill the beans, all he’d say was, “You’ll have to look forward to seeing what Ada gets up to in the full game!”
40 CREEP, CREEP
This is a survival horror game, so even though this version of RE2 embraces the shooter setup of newer games in the series, the direction leans towards jump shocks and scares. A stumbling figure caught in the corner of your eye is as shocking as any G-virusmutated monstrosity.
41 ’ GATOR RAID
Members of the remake team have touched on how difficult it was to update some of the original’s sillier moments. They even considered cutting the giant ’gator fight. Yoshiaki Hirabayashi said, “People don’t remember it as silly because the whole game was groundbreaking at the time, but that moment was ridiculous. It was a difficult process for us, making that work today.” We can’t wait.
42 CREATURE FEATURE
Speaking of silly bosses, remember the plant creature? In 1998 it looked like it had stepped off the set of Little Shop Of Horrors. In 2018 it’s back, but only after producer Tsuyoshi Kanda insisted and “butted heads.” Like all the creatures in the remake it has a realistic new design.
43 PASS THE OSCAR
The slant towards realism in creature designs also stretches to the game’s human cast. It means every character feels as though they have a stake in the world, with Sherry and the cast of ill-fated cops and scientists delivering heartfelt performances. The days of shoddy FMV are as over as wonky monster designs. Resident Evil 2’s being remade for the modern era of videogame storytelling.
44 FACE TIME
Some of the most enduring members of the voice cast are being replaced, with long-time Claire actress Alyson Court confirmed to not be involved. While we’ve heard their voices, the new actors voicing your favourites have not yet been officially named… but the people providing faces have been. Lending only their likenesses to the roles, models Eduardo Badaluta and Jordan McEwen play Leon and Claire, while music producer Patrick Levar lent his face for Marvin Branagh.
45 NOT SUCH A GOOD BOY
Your garden-variety shambler is interspersed with a number of other undead horrors, not least of all being man’s worst enemy, the zombie dog. The furthest thing from a good boy, they’re far more agile than their bipedal brethren. Like in classic Resi, running away is often the best policy…
46 BUT HE LOOKS GREAT
…but if they catch up to you, enjoy wrestling with some of the most gruesome pooches on PS4. The new zombie dog models drip with blood and drool. Up close they sell the remake’s fantastical realism perfectly, just as all the horrible threats in this new Resi 2 do. Lovely, eh?
47 GOOD GAME, BAD TIME
Resi would be nothing without its rogues’ gallery of biohazardous threats. Alongside the resurrected residents of Raccoon City, there are plenty more monsters to survive against. But we always have time for a classic zombie remade using the power of PS4 – they look properly gross here. And now they actually shamble, their movements unpredictable as they sway and lunge at you. Even these basic enemies are a big deal if they grab you, and if you don’t take care to create space or stay aware of just where they could pop from, they will. We found just avoiding them was a tough challenge. Even two or three can ruin your day.
48 SKIN IN THE GAME
Elza Walker was the original female protagonist of Resident Evil 2 early in development. A biker much like Claire, she arguably took safety on the road more seriously, sporting full body motorcycle leathers. The remake pays tribute to her with a special DLC skin.
49 EYE DOCTOR
Don’t let G get too close. He’s huge but he’s fast. Our winces were audible when he grabbed our Claire’s head to smash her, and we spent a lot of the time in a panic trying to create distance, as he soaked up bullets. One thing he didn’t like? The flames of a shot from our grenade launcher.
50 SOY SURVIVOR
The Tofu Survivor will return, as a delicious side to the remake’s main course. This minigame is similar to HUNK… except you play as a giant chunk of tofu. Not even zombies can resist a mouthful of this block of bean curd, and you have just the combat knife and a handful of herbs to rely on.