Resident Evil 2 moves the series forward as it steps back into old shoes.
A Modern-Day Classic Revisited
Resident Evil 2 was released on Jan. 25, 2019, for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
Taking place in the fictional Midwest town of Raccoon City, players choose either the role of Leon S. Kennedy or Claire Redfield. Upon entering the now decrepit city, players are welcomed with open arms by the recently infected population.
The opening scene has the main characters fleeing a gas station and making their way to the Raccoon Police Department (R.P.D.) in search of answers and survivors. This begins the jumping-off point as you scour your way through the labyrinthine R.P.D., local sewer system, and finally, into the secret underground laboratory where the city-wide outbreak originated from.
The game uses an over-the-shoulder camera style and involves exploring the sharply detailed environments searching for items, weapons, and ammo to keep you moving from one area to the next.
At its core, Resident Evil 2 is a survival horror game that takes the genre back to its roots. This title involves more puzzles than blasting apart the zombie competition. This iteration in the horror franchise emphasizes avoiding conflict, where possible, and completing puzzles in a way that raises the stakes in each new room.
Praised for its presentation, lovingly recreated environments, and tight controls, Resident Evil 2 moves the goalpost in an age of ever-increasing remakes.
As a long-time fan of the series, I couldn’t be happier to return to the haunting Raccoon City, let alone in such amazing detail. The developers took time to make sure each encounter holds as much anxiety as that first. Each bullet, healing item, and resource is an option that players can experiment with.
So, risk using up precious ammo to clear a path to the next room, or chance an attempt at dodging through and getting bitten? These encounters lurk around every corner in Resident Evil 2, and it’s that level of refined choice that sets this game apart from recent releases.
If you’ve never played another entry in the series, Resident Evil 2 sets itself up enough on its own merits that no newcomer will be lost, fans of the series need to go and play this immediately.
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