I've always been a Resident Evil and general survival horror fan, so I was super excited to play this one. I will be basing much of this review off of both the original Resident Evil 2 and cutting it into four categories: Graphics, Audio, Gameplay, and Story. I will also be ignoring The 4th Survivor, The Tofu Survivor, and The Ghost Survivors, as they simply act as extra modes to have fun with and don't have any notable effect on the story or gameplay.

WARNING: I will give my thoughts on every aspect of this game, and therefore will talk about story spoilers. Important mid-to-late game information will be censored if you don't want to see them.


The graphics in this game are absolutely unrivaled, to put it simply. The lighting perfectly compliments the claustrophobic and dark atmosphere of the game, as well as really bumping up the horror. Every single character was based on a real person, and they all look different and unique, to the point of looking real at times. Enemies are also incredibly detailed, especially the zombies. There are gender and race differences among zombies, which definitely add to realism the game was trying to emulate. Lickers look weird and horrifying, which is a perfect fit. Mr. X is wildly improved, both in behavior and visuals. He now sports a fresh hat, and somehow seems like an even bigger threat than his original introduction. I won't discuss bosses in this category, but note that I love how they look in this game.


Audio in this game is similarly great, especially in gunshots. Capcom clearly put detail into every sound, with subtle echoes in more spacious rooms and tighter pops in smaller rooms. The pained moans of zombies, banshee screeches of Lickers, echoed barks of the Cerberus, the resonant stomps of the Tyrant, and the satisfying pops when shooting at Birkin's giant eyes fit them all perfectly.


Rather than the tanky, fixed-camera controls of the original, RE2 went for a sleeker, over-the-shoulder camera angle, with new-gen 3D movement controls. Considering the state of current-gen gameplay, the 3rd person view was very well done, and I was quickly able to get used to it.
Gunplay is unique and well-handled, as well as effective at not making me feel too weak at any points. I could confidently walk into a room with 3-4 zombies, knowing I can keep my distance, stagger them with a few handgun rounds, and finish them off one-by-one. During boss fights, you are given resource restocks that can single-handedly take the boss down, which not only worries you less, but also gives you a hint of "hey, this is going to be a really difficult fight, so we gave you some extra ammo!"


The story wasn't much to write home about, but also not that bad. It was heavily based on the original story, with some extra focus on William and Annette Birkin, the game's main antagonists. The story drives itself forward, and ties events together somewhat well. One specific instance, however, has been bugging me since my playthrough. Why are the first and second playthroughs not connected? The 2nd campaign should be what the other protagonist is doing, and fighting the same boss fights and doing the same things in the RPD seemed really cheap on Capcom's part. Overall, I didn't find anything overly offensive, so it gets a pass from me.


Overall, this game is absolutely phenomenal. It over time became my 2nd favorite Resident Evil game (behind Resident Evil: Village, which I personally thought was an absolute masterpiece looking past the minor flaws), and if you have the opportunity to, buy it. You won't be disappointed. For my final verdict, I rate this game:

I've always been a Resident Evil and general survival horror fan, so I was super excited to play this one. I will be basing much of this review off of both the original Resident Evil 2 and cutting it into four categories: Graphics, Audio, Gameplay, and Story. I will also be ignoring The 4th Survivor, The Tofu Survivor, and The Ghost Survivors, as they simply act as extra modes to have fun with and don't have any notable effect on the story or gameplay. [b] WARNING: I will give my thoughts on every aspect of this game, and therefore will talk about story spoilers. Important mid-to-late game information will be censored if you don't want to see them. [/b] [h1] Graphics [/h1] The graphics in this game are absolutely unrivaled, to put it simply. The lighting perfectly compliments the claustrophobic and dark atmosphere of the game, as well as really bumping up the horror. Every single character was based on a real person, and they all look different and unique, to the point of looking real at times. Enemies are also incredibly detailed, especially the zombies. There are gender and race differences among zombies, which definitely add to realism the game was trying to emulate. Lickers look weird and horrifying, which is a perfect fit. [spoiler] Mr. X is wildly improved, both in behavior and visuals. He now sports a fresh hat, and somehow seems like an even bigger threat than his original introduction. [/spoiler] I won't discuss bosses in this category, but note that I love how they look in this game. [h1] Audio [/h1] Audio in this game is similarly great, especially in gunshots. Capcom clearly put detail into every sound, with subtle echoes in more spacious rooms and tighter pops in smaller rooms. The pained moans of zombies, banshee screeches of Lickers, echoed barks of the Cerberus, the [spoiler] resonant stomps of the Tyrant, [/spoiler] and the [spoiler] satisfying pops when shooting at Birkin's giant eyes [/spoiler] fit them all perfectly. [h1] Gameplay [/h1] Rather than the tanky, fixed-camera controls of the original, RE2 went for a sleeker, over-the-shoulder camera angle, with new-gen 3D movement controls. Considering the state of current-gen gameplay, the 3rd person view was very well done, and I was quickly able to get used to it. Gunplay is unique and well-handled, as well as effective at not making me feel too weak at any points. I could confidently walk into a room with 3-4 zombies, knowing I can keep my distance, stagger them with a few handgun rounds, and finish them off one-by-one. During boss fights, you are given resource restocks that can single-handedly take the boss down, which not only worries you less, but also gives you a hint of "hey, this is going to be a really difficult fight, so we gave you some extra ammo!" [h1] Story [/h1] The story wasn't much to write home about, but also not that bad. It was heavily based on the original story, with some extra focus on [spoiler] William and Annette Birkin, the game's main antagonists. [/spoiler] The story drives itself forward, and ties events together somewhat well. One specific instance, however, has been bugging me since my playthrough. Why are the [spoiler] first and second playthroughs not connected? The 2nd campaign should be what the other protagonist is doing, and fighting the same boss fights and doing the same things in the RPD seemed really cheap on Capcom's part. [/spoiler] Overall, I didn't find anything overly offensive, so it gets a pass from me. [h1] Conclusion [/h1] Overall, this game is absolutely phenomenal. It over time became my 2nd favorite Resident Evil game (behind Resident Evil: Village, which I personally thought was an absolute masterpiece looking past the minor flaws), and if you have the opportunity to, buy it. You won't be disappointed. For my final verdict, I rate this game: [h2] 9/10 [/h2]