Resident Evil 2

"Good for a history lesson, but not for mind-blowing entertainment"

ha, Resident Evil 2. It's been hailed as the best Resident Evil ever, and sold a whole lot on the PSX, when it was released in 1998. That's right, boys and girls, if you're wondering why the graphics in this game look like they're 5 years old, now you know why. After the PSX, capcom ported it to the PC, Dreamcast, game.com (shudder), and the N64. But now, since REmake and Resident Evil Ø have been released, capcom decided to port RE2, RE3, and RE: Code Veronica (this fall) to the Gamecube. But somehow, Capcom saw it fit to release the games with virtually NO extra features, save for somewhat updated graphics, (instead of being low-res blocky character models, there's now HI-RES blocky character models.) Capcom is charging $40 for RE2 and RE3! Not together, but EACH! (Word has it that Code Veronica will be $50!) Now, let's get on to the review.

Graphics:
Then: 9/10
Now: 4/10
I was never a HUGE fan of the PSX, because when It was out, I had a N64, and was an arrogant little fanboy. RE2's graphics, (then) were very good. The models were pretty good for a PSX game, the pre-rendered graphics were excellent, and the cutscenes were BEAUTIFUL! But, as I say again, that was in 1998. This is 2003. We have beautiful games such as Splinter Cell, REmake, LOZ: The Wind Waker, and (drool) DOA: Extreme Beach Volleyball. Now, If you look at the pretty games today, (especially DOAX) then go play RE2 for the PSX, you'll want to vomit. (or something like that.) So imagine the feeling of playing a 5-year-old game with 5-year-old graphics. All Capcom did was clean up the resolution on this game. So, I have no choice but to give the graphics a 4/10. The models are blocky, the effects aren't too pretty to look at, the pre-rendered backgrounds look very fake, but the cutscenes are still pretty good.

Sound
Then: 10/10
Now: 7/10

Ah, the RE sound. When somebody says: ''Resident Evil'', the first thing that pops into your head is the laughably bad voice-acting. (don't say it doesn't, because it does.) The sound then was revolutionary. The music, sounds, and ''voice-acting'' were previously unheard of. (unless, you played RE1.) Now, it still holds up. Somewhat. The sound is laughable, and kind of takes away the seriousness of the game. The zombie groans are funny, and the voice-acting, well, it's STILL laughably bad. But the music, is STILL very good. it isn't there all the time, which amplifies the scariness of the game. But when a zombie comes crashing through the window, and you can hear the click-clicking of lickers, the hair will still rise on the back of your neck. It's no REmake, or Metal Gear Solid, but the sound still holds up after 5 years.

Story
Then: 10/10
Now: 10/10

A 10/10. Yep, the story's THAT good. it has everything a sequel's story should have. It's bigger, badder, and (almost) better than RE1's story. It's been 3 months since the infamous mansion incident, and now the T-virus has infected the citizens of Raccoon City, which has put the city in chaos, and in ruin. It's also police officer Leon S. Kennedy's first day on the job, (ouch) and he is trying to find out what's going on in that crazy city, AND looking for survivors. The other part concerns Chris Redfield's sister, Claire, looking for him, ad joining up with Leon to look for survivors. The excellent part of the story is that not only can you play the two character's games, when you're done, you can play the 'B' game of the other character! For instance, When I'm done with Leon's 'A' game, I can find out what Claire was doing during Leon's game, in her 'B' game, and in vice-versa. The story has suprises, twists, and gobs of violence. If you play this game, it's for the story. (wow, the first positive thing I've said about the game.)

Gameplay:
Then: 8/10
Now: 4/10

All right, with the exception of hardcore RE fans, (like myself.) people have a BIG problem with RE's gameplay. you control the movement of the characters somewhat like a tank. With the D-pad, (or control stick) you use the right and left direction to turn your character, the forward direction to, well, move forward, and the back, to move...back. Now, to a seasoned RE veteran, or a fast-learner, this isn't so bad. But most gamers out there used to 3d games such as Mario and Zelda, where you control your character by having it go in the direction-you point-in, are gonna have a hard time with the controls. Now, why do I give the gameplay a 4/10? Well, Let's take a look into recent RE games. From RE3 on, the most important move was the quick turn. It got you out of really tough situations. Also from RE3 was the dodge-feature, which is pretty self-explanitory.(And has yet to appear in another RE game.) From REmake, there were the defense weapons, and from REØ, there was the revolutionary feature that you could drop your weapons. Now, I understand that RE2 is FIVE YEARS OLD, but without these essential gameplay mechanics, RE2 seems like old hat. The combat is still cool, but the least Capcom could have done was input a quick turn.

Replay Value
Then: 7/10
Now: 5/10

Unless you love minigames, or you're a complete RE FREAK, you probably wont wanna play this game again, unless ou want to unlock the Hunk and Tofu mini-games. RE2's replay was never THAT good, and it still isn't today. But blasting zombies bever gets old, especially with the 'B' games, rocket launchers, and unlockable costumes.

Port quality: 2/10
This is essentially the SAME game you played on the Dreamcast, which was the same game you played on the PC, which was the same game you played on the N64, which was the same game you played 3 times on the PSX. and the biggest insult is that:
A. IT'S $40!!! THE DREAMCAST VERSION, WHICH IS OLDER THAN THIS VERSION WAS ONLY $20!!!
B. There's little, to no extra changes.

Overall, I'd say this is one of the biggest gaming insults to come in a long time. This is a Class A rip-off. the only reason to buy this game is:
A. you have $40 to throw around
B. You wanna increase your gaming library
C. You want to play through the whole RE series, in order to fresh your mind for RE4
D. You've never played this on the PSX, N64, DC, or PC.

Graphics: 4/10
Sound: 7/10
Story: 10/10
Gameplay: 4/10
Replay: 5/10
Port quality: 2/10

Average: 5.34
Rounded in order to fit GameFAQS scoring sytem: 5/10

Now, since I am the reviewer formally known as Mr. Bond, I will cater to my fans, (all none of you) and do the good, the bad, and the ugly!!!

The Good: Well, the story, and there's still some scares left in this game

The Bad: It's a rip-off, the gameplay is dated, there's no extra stuff, and did I mention the $40 price tag?

The Ugly: Birkin's final form. Can you say pile of crap?

Well, this game is good for a rental, and you shouldn't buy it unless you REALLY need to play all the RE games before RE4. You have two options:

Wait for a price drop

Simple. Steal it.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 07/09/03, Updated 07/09/03