Resident Evil 2
A review of the second instalment in the zombie-killing franchise.
A journey of Leon and Claire as they enter Raccoon City, only to be attacked by a dangerous horde of the undead. This game had a decent blend of action and horror, creating an exhilarating experience.
Story
The game allows the player to choose between Leon and Claire as the focus characters. I chose the former. Leon had recently graduated from the police academy and was due to start his work in an official capacity once he reached the Raccoon Police Station.
However, his journey was interrupted as he investigates a gas station. After investigating what appears to be vandalism and sabotage, he comes across his first encounter with the flesh-eating undead. After surviving the encounter with the assistance of Claire, who suddenly shows up, they both head to the city.
There, they separate their ways to get to safety and investigate the goings-on of the city and to uncover the truth of the virus, which they soon discover has infected almost every single inhabitant of the city.
However, there is indeed more than meets the eye…
Characters
There are two principle characters:
- Leon (Nick Apostolides) — A recent police graduate and hopeful, he tries to investigate the epidemic and put a stop to the sinister plans of a certain corporation.
- Claire (Stephanie Panisello) — She arrives to the city to find her missing brother. As I did not play as her, I do not know much more of her backstory.
- Mr X — There is also the Tyrant, collectively referred to as “Mr X” by the internet. This is the enigmatic figure which hunts you down throughout the entirety of the game.
Gameplay
It had a simple-to-understand mechanics. It was a third-person shooter with the ability to unlock different types of weapons throughout the game, though the choices are limited. You start off with a pistol and can gradually use a shotgun alongside other armaments. It is easy to get into. You could choose to directly confront the zombies, or try to be avoidant to avoid depletion of resources.
I chose to play the game on the hardcore difficulty. This means there was limited ammo available on my playthrough, forcing me to conserve my rounds. At the same time, I could only save the game with the use of “Ink Ribbons”, similar to the original game. For this reason, I tried to be avoidant and stealthy wherever I could. However, this also meant there were certain periods in the game where I had to repeat an entire sequence whenever I died, which was frustrating.
However, overtime, you become more and more adaptable to your surroundings, allowing you to anticipate what is to come. This also means that whenever a difficult part of the story is successful undertaken, it feels satisfactory and euphoric.
Summary
In short:
- It is considered as an action-horror zombie-survival game.
- There is a conspiracy which needs investigating.
- Main characters are Leon and Claire. You can play as either.
- Mr X chases you throughout the entire of the game.
- Gameplay mechanism is simple to understand.
- It is a third-person shooter.
- Hardcore difficulty involves conversation of the ammo and contains limited number of saves.
Afterwords
I would definitely recommend this game to those with an interest in the zombie genre. I had an enjoyable experience and I would play for it a second time as Claire, as playing as a different character in the subsequent playthrough will lead to alternative cutscenes, puzzles and story.
Miscellaneous
Prior to the start of this game, I had recently completed the original Resident Game. The Remastered Edition, of course. That was an interesting experience, judging by the camera style. That game uses top-down camera where it focuses from a corner of the room and would change its angle depending on the area within the confinements. It takes place at the Spencer Mansion, where you and your colleagues remain trapped in after being chased down by infected dogs through the surrounding forest. It did feel like an old game and I was surprised by its length — I did not expect that game to be as long as it was. I simply did not expect it for an old game. Overall, a decent experience.
I also finished “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep” by Philip K. Dicks. It was this 1968 book which inspired 1982s ‘Blade Runner’. It was an intriguing read and I noticed certain key differences between the book and film, such as:
- Deckard has a wife in the book.
- Revelation of Rachel as a Replicant was a lot more forthcoming in the film.
- Deckard is forced to kill Replicants in the show. In the book, he volunteers to retire them in an effort to earn enough bounty to buy an electric sheep.
- Ending of the film involves Rachel in the varying cuts of the movie. In the book, Deckard goes back to his wife.
I am not sure if I will do a separate review for the book, given my time constraints. I would like to, but I am not sure if I will be able to in good time.
Disclaimer
This following statement discloses the presence of affiliated links in accordance with the Medium guidelines
