Resident Evil 2

Undoubtedly, the visual reimagining of Resident Evil 2 is more than meritorious , at almost all levels. The scenarios are full of details, the models of characters and enemies enjoy a very high quality and have all kinds of animations - without skimping on dismemberment and gore on the road - the graphic effects are stellar - especially in terms of lights and shadows - and, to further improve the equation, the rate of images per second does not suffer in the least, even if there are several enemies on the screen, with a high graphic load. In short, it is a title more than worthy for this generation of consoles, which is also reinvented at many levels to continue to live up to the times.

The most obvious 'reinvention' is the camera , which happens to be behind the shoulder at all times, allowing us to see what we have almost always ahead of us. It is a modern, but successful, approach that makes life easier for us in moments of action. It is true that on some occasion it may be uncomfortable, especially in the narrowest scenarios, but we can say that it works, even when what the game wants is to get nervous and give us a substitute (that of those there are quite, both pre writings, as emerged organically). The pace of the game changes somewhat, moving more towards the action than before, but this does not make this Resident Evil 2 a festival of shooting without limit.

Because the next good news is that we are still facing a great survival horror , of those in which ammunition is scarce when it touches, and in which each shot counts. The zombies are hard, and we will find ourselves quite often trying to survive without ammunition / first aid kits, while we go through the police station or the stage that it touches, until we reach our goal ... That in many occasions it will be a puzzle. That is another of the touches of Resident Evil 2 that denote the maximum respect for the original work, the appropriate mix between the shots, the tense exploration and the resolution of puzzles , often mixing these three parts of the gameplay to create a cocktail Even more explosive and intense.

Of course, for this to happen, the plot and the scenarios must also be at a high level. And it seems that Capcom has achieved it, in some cases better than in others. The first big stage, that of the mythical police station , is a kind of maze with a lot of backtracking and lots of hidden secrets. Renew the scheme of the traditional game, when the charges between rooms disappear (although some sporadic small pull we will find when loading new parts of the map 'on the fly'), making everything much more continuous, to the point that zombies are now able to open doors and chase us even if we change our stay.

The other scenarios are somewhat more linear, with regard to maps, we find a situation similar to that of Resident Evil VII, in which the initial house worked like a charm, but then the level dropped somewhat. Here at least the adventurous spirit is maintained for the entire duration of the adventures of the two characters, Claire and Leon, without abusing the action at any time. As we see, small hits, with a rather minor importance, given the good work of Capcom at almost all levels with this remake of Resident Evil 2.

The next good news is that, as was vox populi already, the stories of Leon and Claire remain independent from the initial menu, being able to start any of the two when we want, and with the level of difficulty we want (at the normal level things They are complicated, but there are concessions, such as saving games as many times as we want, without typewriter tapes.) In this way, we have two parallel and accessory campaigns, in which the history of one complements that of the other in a masterful way. However, we must bear in mind that various details of the story have been changed, perhaps to adapt it to the most modern canons. Perhaps this is the most controversial point, but the result does not catch up. Even in spite of this, Resident Evil 2 remake still lives up to the original, and also adds an extra dose of drama. The fact that it has two campaigns makes the duration of this remake more than acceptable, leaving it above 12 hours, with a handful of subsequent extras (here it is worth remembering that the original game could be completely finished in less than 10 hours)

On the next page we talk more in depth about the changes in the gameplay of Resident Evil 2 Remake.

With the Resident Evil 2 remake, the Japanese label tries to satisfy an easy, almost obvious request: the one supported, heart in hand, by a slice of players who has always seen in the first two or three chapters the "real" Resident Evil , gradually distorted (according to that "church") by more purely action game influences starting from the fourth release. A case of fan service done and finished therefore and for a quiet life we also silence the now ancient quarrels about Resident Evil 1.5. Dating back more than twenty years ago, just when Resident Evil 2 first hit stores.

By forcing the hand a little you can easily cut (with the hatchet) the speech by forming two groups: those who remained faithful to the Resident Evil of the PlayStation era, the first, and those who instead have safely experimented and enjoyed also subsequent publications without make it a worry. Until the umpteenth turn, the first-person one of Resident Evil 7. Who can and wants to get on the first team, does not need much to read more about this return of the second episode. It is precisely the Resident Evil 2 that you remember, although it is only roughly similar to the original. But memory plays hallucinating and hallucinating jokes and all in all Capcom has succeeded in a game of prestige not bad: keeping up with fantasies and nostalgia.

Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield are still grappling with the dramatic consequences of Umbrella's wrongdoings, mentioned in the first release. Raccoon City is on its knees. A substantial chunk of the game comes to life (or not-death) in an unlikely police station that more closely resembles a museum (and indeed ...) and the double adventure structure seen in 1998 is replicated. It means that it is tackled the game, at one's preference, with the blonde recruit on her first day or with the sister of the hero of Resident Evil 1, then continuing with a second turn in the shoes of the other, to insert the missing puzzle pieces (and reposition other theoretically already managed, but oh well).

What changes, compared to the original, is much of what is in the middle, between the beginning and the end. Not in the settings, except in the case of the only unpublished introduction in the form of an orphanage (a very short parenthesis), as much as in the game map. Or in puzzles. Or in the path that leads to the exploration of the station and other structures, one door unlocked after another. Capcom has shown intelligence and craft in re-proposing the same soup, elaborated through both ancient and modern ingredients and flavors. It all looks like it did then, but it isn't. Twenty years of experience in the genre bring an awareness in the care of movements that is from this era and not from the end of the 90s. The same applies to a series of subtle systems that help keep all useful information in check thanks to intelligent mapping.

The rhythm of the game is simply perfect, with phases of worrying quiet and roars of terror, which become almost unbearable when the heavy moving steps that announce the approach of the terrible T-00 are reverberating for the station. The Tyrant that you can try to imagine as a Inspector Gadget, because of that raincoat, if you really want to release the tension a little.

Just the T-00, conceptually later taken up in Resident Evil 3 Nemesis, is the gear that makes the whole system move at its best. You know it's there, you don't know where it is. You know it will come, you don't know where. You think it is a marble cerberus, untouchable and unbeatable, then you begin to glimpse cracks in its mutant armor. Hope and resignation alternate rhythmically as one door opens and then another and another. Without ever being able to do without engaging in the classic duels with a certain amount of standard zombies. For the occasion, ready to be torn and slaughtered like never before.

I like remakes. Video games are constantly evolving and setting new standards - all to make them better. The victim of these changes, however, is the shadow of many successful mechanics who once gave us a lot of joy. Fortunately, thanks to proper dusting and plastic surgery, the old works have the opportunity to shine again.

And then there is the sentimental issue - it's just so nice to play a game again, which we admired in childhood , without risking brutal disappointment, when it turns out that the photorealistic setting we remember is actually a hideous cluster of dozens of polygons.

Having said all this, however, it is appropriate to reveal the cards. Resident Evil 2 is not a remake. At least not traditional, like Shadow of the Colossus or Spyro Reignited Trilogy , for which we got the same games that we knew and liked, but with new graphics and a handful of small improvements. No, Capcom employees funded the 20-year-old classic not so much as a beautifying operation, but a full reconstruction , based on the very skeleton of the game, creating a de facto new product with barely familiar motifs.

You probably suspected the mark in the corner of the review before you even read it, so don't bother - replacing rotting meat with a fresh set of muscles, organs and skin worked wonders. Resident Evil 2 rules!

So where are these raccoons?

The game is set in Raccoon City, somewhere in the USA. Its inhabitants were infected with a mysterious virus that changed all creatures - both living and dead - into bloodthirsty, driven solely by instinct, decaying beasts. Leon Kennedy, a young police officer who was about to start working at the local police station, and Claire Redfield, a student looking for her missing brother, find themselves in chaos. Trying to survive and get out of hell on earth, the characters learn the backstage of the events that led to the destruction of the city.

Like the original from two decades ago, the new Resident Evil 2 offers two main story campaigns - one for Leon and Claire . To fully understand the whole story and see the correct ending, you must complete both scenarios. The story in general assumptions is similar to that of the original, but the details can be very different, making even the greatest veterans expect many smaller and a few bigger surprises. The changes can be seen at the very beginning of the game - meeting a pair of main characters does not look like we remembered.

Importantly, modifications to the script are not art for the sake of art, thanks to which the narrative becomes more cinematic and addictive. The effect turns out to be really satisfactory - although the story at its base is still quite cheap actress with one-dimensional heroes, but the dialogues do not sound extremely kitschy, the action scenes are in suspense, and dramatic or touching moments play on the right strings. Resident Evil 2 is not a game whose story is mentioned for years, but it has been invented well enough to motivate you to delve into the depths of a nightmare , and even interest the entire universe and encourage you to reach for other items from the series.

However, I must mention one thing that did not play in the story. While initially the scenarios of Claire and Leon efficiently intertwine with each other, creating a logical whole, so from some point the events in both begin to diverge quite strongly , being somehow alternative versions of the same situations. This only happens in a few moments, so that a moment later both stories start to merge again. The effect is quite strange and spoils the narrative, and since the writers already rewrote the whole story and were not afraid to make changes to it, it could easily be avoided by modifying a few sequences.

As if someone were constantly lurking behind us

The game in the original Resident Evil 2 consisted of exploring subsequent rooms, collecting limited supplies, solving puzzles and fighting, or running away from the creatures that clashed with us. The gameplay in the new game consists of the same elements, but their implementation looks quite different.

The most important change is the location of the camera. In the past it did not follow the player, but jumped between points defined by the creators. Because of this, we were not always able to determine what was ahead of us. Sometimes we had to take a step into the unknown in which the enemy could lurk. It was not the most convenient solution, but it effectively deepened the atmosphere of terror.

However, times have changed and today such an approach would irritate too many recipients, so Capcom prepared a modern camera suspended behind the hero / heroine, which can be freely rotated with an analog stick. And in fact, as you might expect, the effect of this change is to capture the game with a bit of horror. Fortunately, this is not a big loss - the developers still have enough resources to give us a faster heartbeat, and willingly use them. And the new way of operating the camera turns out to be much more convenient and allows you to find out more easily about the surroundings or find objects of interest to us, so in the end this modification turned out to be a plus.

Human to human zombie, and zombie to human zombie

The basic zombies are found in many visually different variants, but they are merely an appetizer to prepare us for clashes with much more dangerous monsters. In order not to spoil the hair-raising surprises on your head, which are most often collisions with other nasties, I will only mention that Capcom has done a great deal of work, redesigning classic opponents .

Not only have their looks been tweaked, which makes them look repugnant and frightening in the 21st century, but they've also been taught new tricks, so using old tactics can prove ineffective. A certain disgrace with the nickname Mr. X - already in the original version he could steal the whole show, but as you see what Capcom has done with him now, I guarantee that you will fall in awe. Or in horror. In any case, the sounds of powerful steps heralding his closeness will make even more sensitive individuals dream at night.

From time to time , bosses also get in the way. This element of the game was implemented decently , according to the old rules of the genre consisting in finding the weaknesses of our enemies. The main attraction of these fights is that they allow you to use all your ammunition reserves without remorse, but as such they do not stand out particularly against what we know from many other titles - neither on plus nor on the minus. They just are.

The brain used as more than food

The fight for survival is one thing, but Resident Evil 2 also faces exploration and thinking . While playing, we visit a small section of Raccoon City, which includes, among others, the streets witnessing recent chaos and the iconic police station. The latter, as it once housed a museum, can boast of a very unique style and gloomy appearance. The place makes a great impression from the first moment when we find ourselves in the main hall and see a well-known monumental statue.

Gee, how it looks, how it sounds!

Resident Evil 2 looks phenomenal. The already mentioned great designs of the post in Raccoon City and other locations please the eyes with an impressive attachment to details and a fantastic play of lights, from which the designers squeezed a lot, making walks in places hidden in the darkness saturated with climate.

Character models are no less impressive, especially decomposing zombies. The developers have put a lot of effort into making the shooting look macabre. It's nice to see how zombies react extremely differently to bullets depending on what they are hit with - a shot in the hand can immobilize it or even completely tear it off, hitting the leg slows down an unpleasant person, etc.

Added to this are the grotesque designs of other creatures that we have to face, in the prototype they are impressive mainly on artwork, now they are finally shown in all their glory in the game itself. However strange it would sound, until you want to admire these abominations (and - which is nice - you can do it in the built-in model browser, which, as we progress, is supplemented with more characters and opponents).

The new Resident Evil 2 is one of the best-looking productions on PlayStation 4, and even if it is largely due to hiding a large part of the surroundings in the shade (which frees up hardware resources), and not the technological virtuosity known from the works of Naughty Dog, it doesn't mean anything to him downgrades.

I can't fail to mention the incredibly realized ambient sounds . The sound of wind on the upper floors of the police station, raindrops hitting the windows and roof, dripping from broken pipes underground, the moans of enemies or the sound of powerful steps Mr. X create a gloomy symphony that creates a fantastic atmosphere. Suffice it to say that this is the first game since Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice , which I had to go through with earphones from beginning to end. Unless I usually attach so much importance to the quality of the sound, being satisfied with the speakers, in this case this element was just too well done to make compromises.