Resident Evil 2 is a game that truly needs no introduction. It's a from-the-ground-up remake of the classic 1998 survival horror game of the same name, and one that has been highly anticipated ever since it was first speculated that Capcom was working on such a release. The inspiration to the famed developer/publisher came from a fan project that was aiming to recreate Resident Evil 2 in first-person mode, using a modern day game engine. How well does this release hold up to the hype, and is it one of the best releases in the Resident Evil franchise thus far?

To say that Resident Evil 2 is merely a remake would be a catastrophic misclassification; more-so it is a reimagining of the events that transpired in Raccoon City on September 28, 1998. While much of the core of the original release has stayed intact, just as much has been left out, moved around, or further fleshed out. Players take on the role of either Leon S. Kennedy, a rookie cop who just showed up for his first day on the job, or Claire Redfield; college student and sister of original Resident Evil character Chris Redfield, who is searching for her brother. Leon and Claire meet up in the beginning and proceed to have overlapping story arcs throughout the game, but they both find out that their ultimate goal is to stop the spread of the G-Virus; a creation of the evil pharmaceutical company Umbrella, and the cause of the zombie outbreak.

Although one should never play or avoid a game based merely on its graphics, we should all take a moment to appreciate just how jaw-droppingly gorgeous Resident Evil 2 looks. Leon, Claire, and the rest of the cast look life-like and are visibly younger in appearance; which gives a great additional layer of depth to the franchise. The original release had little to no atmosphere, and was relatively bright; especially in comparison to this gritty and visually dark recreation. Very few areas are not slathered with blood and gore, and many windows burst which causes the flood of rain outside to make its way in. The lighting is just absolutely phenomenal, and players will never be able to guess what's around the next tight, darkened corridor. All of this graphical prowess and the game runs at a smooth-as-butter 60+ FPS with no crashing and no bugs; a much appreciated and highly applauded feat.

Truly Capcom has managed to put the "survival" back in survival horror; a genre that has long since neglected its difficult roots in lieu of the more conventional "fun-for-all" modern day appeal. Though the atmospheric effects and environments in Resident Evil 2 are downright frightening in every aspect, the real scares happen any time an enemy shows up. Mere zombies can take anywhere from 6-8 headshots before they finally go down, and many times they stand back up an additional time or two. With such limited resources, this overwhelming, bullet sponge mechanic forces players to make executive decisions on which foes are worth taking down, and which ones can otherwise be skirted around time and time again through the many back-and-forth treks that will be made within the tight corridors of the Raccoon City Police Department (RPD).

The aforementioned is also one of the downsides to Resident Evil 2. There are just so many zombies at any given time that it makes getting around the RPD a tiring chore. This goes even more for the Second Runs, which are arguably more difficult B-Side scenarios for both Leon and Claire. Capcom has introduced a new feature in this reimagining, and that is the use of wooden planks to board up windows. Of course, the supply of these boards is limited and not every window can be taken care of. Windows left unattended will keep letting floods of zombies in, and in some cases will cause areas of the game to become nearly impassable over time. It also doesn't help that all of the high-octane weapons are kept hidden away until the last hour or two of gameplay, with no means to unlock them as beginning weapons via subsequent playthroughs.

This brings us to another point; the lack of unlockables, which is a staple in the Resident Evil series. Sure, there are tons of character models, concept art, and challenges to unlock. However, Resident Evil 2 is stingy when it comes to anything else. Without providing any spoilers, players will be disappointed in the lack of weapons that the game houses overall, and even more let down with the absence of available unlocks for those that are present. There are two scenarios each for both Leon and Claire, plus an additional game mode that will become unlocked once players finish at least one of the Second Runs. Each of these runs takes 5-8 hours upon their first playthrough, meaning that players will get a maximum of 35-ish hours out of the game with the other unlockable mode. This is of course not counting the die-hard fans who will go back to achievement hunt such difficult gems as getting an S-Rank with both characters and beating the game in under 14,000 steps.

When it comes down to it, the Resident Evil 2 remake is everything that fans dreamed of when it comes down to its campaign. The true ending isn't even unveiled until players make the dedicated leap to finish the game for the third time via a Second Run; a necessity to obtaining some form of closure, as the main ending is underwhelming and jarringly abrupt. However, Capcom has seemed to forget a major component to what makes a Resident Evil game part of their franchise; unlockables. It's what keeps players interested in countless runs through the same slog that can be easily reduced to a mere couple of hours with optimal routes. As far as replayability goes, it's not here, but the game is worth playing a few times over... just don't expect more than 20 hours out of the most casual player.

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Resident Evil 2 is a game that truly needs no introduction. It's a from-the-ground-up remake of the classic 1998 survival horror game of the same name, and one that has been highly anticipated ever since it was first speculated that Capcom was working on such a release. The inspiration to the famed developer/publisher came from a fan project that was aiming to recreate Resident Evil 2 in first-person mode, using a modern day game engine. How well does this release hold up to the hype, and is it one of the best releases in the Resident Evil franchise thus far? To say that Resident Evil 2 is merely a remake would be a catastrophic misclassification; more-so it is a reimagining of the events that transpired in Raccoon City on September 28, 1998. While much of the core of the original release has stayed intact, just as much has been left out, moved around, or further fleshed out. Players take on the role of either Leon S. Kennedy, a rookie cop who just showed up for his first day on the job, or Claire Redfield; college student and sister of original Resident Evil character Chris Redfield, who is searching for her brother. Leon and Claire meet up in the beginning and proceed to have overlapping story arcs throughout the game, but they both find out that their ultimate goal is to stop the spread of the G-Virus; a creation of the evil pharmaceutical company Umbrella, and the cause of the zombie outbreak. Although one should never play or avoid a game based merely on its graphics, we should all take a moment to appreciate just how jaw-droppingly gorgeous Resident Evil 2 looks. Leon, Claire, and the rest of the cast look life-like and are visibly younger in appearance; which gives a great additional layer of depth to the franchise. The original release had little to no atmosphere, and was relatively bright; especially in comparison to this gritty and visually dark recreation. Very few areas are not slathered with blood and gore, and many windows burst which causes the flood of rain outside to make its way in. The lighting is just absolutely phenomenal, and players will never be able to guess what's around the next tight, darkened corridor. All of this graphical prowess and the game runs at a smooth-as-butter 60+ FPS with no crashing and no bugs; a much appreciated and highly applauded feat. Truly Capcom has managed to put the "survival" back in survival horror; a genre that has long since neglected its difficult roots in lieu of the more conventional "fun-for-all" modern day appeal. Though the atmospheric effects and environments in Resident Evil 2 are downright frightening in every aspect, the real scares happen any time an enemy shows up. Mere zombies can take anywhere from 6-8 headshots before they finally go down, and many times they stand back up an additional time or two. With such limited resources, this overwhelming, bullet sponge mechanic forces players to make executive decisions on which foes are worth taking down, and which ones can otherwise be skirted around time and time again through the many back-and-forth treks that will be made within the tight corridors of the Raccoon City Police Department (RPD). The aforementioned is also one of the downsides to Resident Evil 2. There are just so many zombies at any given time that it makes getting around the RPD a tiring chore. This goes even more for the Second Runs, which are arguably more difficult B-Side scenarios for both Leon and Claire. Capcom has introduced a new feature in this reimagining, and that is the use of wooden planks to board up windows. Of course, the supply of these boards is limited and not every window can be taken care of. Windows left unattended will keep letting floods of zombies in, and in some cases will cause areas of the game to become nearly impassable over time. It also doesn't help that all of the high-octane weapons are kept hidden away until the last hour or two of gameplay, with no means to unlock them as beginning weapons via subsequent playthroughs. This brings us to another point; the lack of unlockables, which is a staple in the Resident Evil series. Sure, there are tons of character models, concept art, and challenges to unlock. However, Resident Evil 2 is stingy when it comes to anything else. Without providing any spoilers, players will be disappointed in the lack of weapons that the game houses overall, and even more let down with the absence of available unlocks for those that are present. There are two scenarios each for both Leon and Claire, plus an additional game mode that will become unlocked once players finish at least one of the Second Runs. Each of these runs takes 5-8 hours upon their first playthrough, meaning that players will get a maximum of 35-ish hours out of the game with the other unlockable mode. This is of course not counting the die-hard fans who will go back to achievement hunt such difficult gems as getting an S-Rank with both characters and beating the game in under 14,000 steps. When it comes down to it, the Resident Evil 2 remake is everything that fans dreamed of when it comes down to its campaign. The true ending isn't even unveiled until players make the dedicated leap to finish the game for the third time via a Second Run; a necessity to obtaining some form of closure, as the main ending is underwhelming and jarringly abrupt. However, Capcom has seemed to forget a major component to what makes a Resident Evil game part of their franchise; unlockables. It's what keeps players interested in countless runs through the same slog that can be easily reduced to a mere couple of hours with optimal routes. As far as replayability goes, it's not here, but the game is worth playing a few times over... just don't expect more than 20 hours out of the most casual player. [h1]Rating: [b]4.5/5.0[/b] - Excellent, highly worth playing.[/h1] The Horror Network [url=http://steamproxy.net/steamstore/curator/28221963/]Curator[/url] | [url=http://steamproxy.net/groups/thehorrornetwork]Group[/url] Click for Gore