Resident Evil 2

"Your fear can't kill you but......."

Graphics 4/10

Ouch, not a great start. Resident Evil 2's graphics are very disappointing. I played Resident Evil 1 and 0 before this one expecting the graphics to be like that but its not even close. These graphics look like PS 1 material there is next to no facial details and the arms look like 2 blocks strapped together. The environments look a little better but they dont pay attention to much detail and the lighting is horrible.

Sound 9/10

Sound is very, very important in a Resident Evil game and this one does it just fine. The moaning of the zombies is just a frightful as the others and the gunshots and blood spilling is also heard very well. You can hear the zombies walking from around a corner and the soundtrack is excellent. The music is tedious and suspenseful and will keep you on the edge. It often stops to make the moan and walking even more frightful. Things are heard cleary and smoothly in this game and the sound is impressive.

Story 8/10

Story is also important in the Resident Evil series. The series in my opinion has the best story of any survival horror game. The one in Resident Evil 2 is very well done even though it is the shortest of all the games. I haven't played 3 but I'm assuming its shorter because I beat this one in 4 hours my first time through. But, at the beginning of the game you can choose wether you want to play as Leon or as Claire. They both have different stories and scenarios. At the beginning you find yourself in a town infested with zombies known as Racoon City. Leon tells Claire he's heading to the police station. When you arrive there you soon find everyone was killed. You also learn it was Leon's first day on the job. As you progress you learn more about the T Virus, How it made its way into town, and who furthered their research on it. You also meet new characters and they become a vital part in the story. A lot of the story is reading notes and diaries rather than actual cut scenes. It also has its share of twists which will make your hair stand on end.

Gameplay and Controles 9/10

Like in all Resident Evils bullets are very scarce and you have to use them wisely. No different in this Resident Evil. The controles are basically the same as the other ones except one very disappointing thing, no quick turn. These controles will take a while to get used to and getting used to them is vital to your survival. This is actually a pretty tough game, on normal at least. They have a nice variety of weapons to choose from and each player can get different weapons wether your playing as Jill or Leon. Some of these guns include: handgun, shotgun, grenade launcher, machine gun, magnum, and a tazer rifle. At least I think it is a tazer rifle I'm not quite sure what it is. All the enemies in the game can't be killed due to lack of bullets. Also like in most Resident Evil's you can only hold a certain number of items and you have to place the rest in an item box. You also need ink ribbons to save your game but they give you plenty in this installment. Overall the game is the same old material I love and the only thing bad about the controles is no quick turn.

Fear factor 7/10

This definitely isn't the scariest game in the series but it definitely has its moments. The graphics do kind of take you out of it because the zombies aren't very detailed. This game will startle you from time to time and the boss fights are suspenseful enough its just that overall it isn't that scary. I personally thought RE 1 was the scariest in the series with the whole trapped in a mansion thing. This game is suspensful and will make you jump from time to time but you won't be really freaked very often.

Buy/Rent/Pass

If your a fan of the series this is definitely a must own. If your new to the series I recommend starting with 1 but if you really want to play this one just rent it because you might not like the control scheme and less action more puzzle type game play.

Overall Score 8/10
-ABUSIVExGAMER

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/17/06