The long-awaited remake of 1998’s Resident Evil 2 is finally here.
It’s been 21 years since rookie police officer Leon S Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield first escaped the zombie-infested Racoon City.
But before you dive into the game again, here are five things you need to know.
A fresh face
The remake has obviously had a huge facelift.
Capcom decided to use the RE Engine, which was created for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.
It’s a joy to behold, with features such as ‘subsurface scattering’ and ‘dynamic shadows’ helping take RE2’s presentation well beyond most other AAA titles.
The characters have had some work done, too.
Not only have Leon’s massive shoulders been streamlined into a more human form, but the cartoon style is also gone from the game (Capcom has promised to add the pixelated, original versions of the main characters, though, as a post-launch DLC).
Add to the mix a free camera, that replaces the fixed camera in the original and you have a very different game, which still somehow manages to emulate the dark, suspenseful feel of the original.
It also improves aiming, which was a real bugbear in the 1998 version.
Now you have control over exactly where you shoot – rather than praying the auto-lock system picks up an enemy.
To help ramp up the thrills, the game supports binaural audio creating a truly unnerving experience.
More replayability!
Two different characters means two different campaigns, which in turn means even more gore-soaked fun.
Both stories intertwine, but feel very different – with Leon’s perhaps more tense than Claire’s more action-packed affair.
No matter who you play as you will be constantly juggling items in your inventory as you battle to solve the games’ many puzzles.
If you don’t like backtracking then Resi’ 2 may not be for you.
Ammo is important
Conserve your ammo – you’ll need it for the eight-ten hour campaign.
If you have ever played The Last of Us you will know how it feels to skimp on your ammo.
This niggling persists throughout Resi 2. The good news? Your knife is always close at hand and perfect for keeping the deadly T-Virus away from you.
If you are new to the series there is a far easier ‘assist’ mode that makes bringing down the dead a walk in the park.
That’s until you bump into the ‘Tyrant’ – a monstrous, white-faced giant who pursues you relentlessly through corridors.
Zombies are tougher than before – here are some tips
Nothing but a fatal head shot will stop the zombies, apparently.
Shoot off all their limbs and they’ll still keep crawling at you, so if you see a ‘dead’ zombie that you personally didn’t take out, chances are you’re about to get bitten
Here’s how you can prevent that:
- Always keep your shotgun handy – it is by far the most useful weapon when facing off with a particularly strong biter.
- Always keep a counter weapon handy – be it combat knife or grenade, it’s more than likely save your life should a zombie get its claws on you.
It is a hit!
The remake of the 1998 classic has received universal acclaim from fans and reviewers alike, making it 100% worth playing whether you are new to the franchise or just a fan of the original.
It scored an even higher Metacritic score than the original game with publications giving the thriller a whopping 91 compared to the original’s 89.
We’re sold.
Resident Evil 2 is out now on PC, Xbox One and PS4.