Resident Evil 2

"Have fun with the zombies."

The Playstation versions of the Resident Evil games were a smash success.
Hailed as one of the best Playstation game series, many people wondered if any Resident
Evil game would make their way to the Nintendo 64. Do to the Nintendo 64’s limited
storage resources of the cartridge format, many people said that a port of a Resident Evil
game couldn’t be done. After a few years of waiting, Angel Studios (developer) and
Capcom (publisher) have brought the gory, glory, of Resident Evil 2 to the Nintendo 64,
with many improvements. No normal port, this game features improvements and
advancements like the all new high resolution mode, the “Ex” files, and full stereo
surround sound. To think, critics said it couldn’t be done.

Resident Evil 2 is a gory, suspenseful ride into a town filled with zombies.
Taking place soon after the first game ended (which deserves a review all on its own),
you can choose to play as either Leon Kennedy, a cop who just joined the Raccoon City
Police Department, or Claire Redfield, sister of Christ Redfield from the first game. Both
are in Raccoon City for some reason (Leon, since he just joined the PD, and Claire,
because she is looking for her brother), and you can choose which one you want to play
as.

Gameplay is a blast. For newbies to the Resident Evil series, heres how it works:
The player is thrown right in the middle of Raccoon City (comprised of pre-rendered
backgrounds), which is infested by zombies. The player has to explore areas in the game,
find objects and weapons to help them advance through all of the puzzles to new areas of
the game, and most importantly, stay alive. If a player decides that they want to blast
every zombie and creature they see, then they are free to do it-but they wont be alive very
long. There are tons of zombies and unique creatures in this game, and if a player decides
that he or she wants to shoot them all, they will soon find out that they don’t have enough
ammo to help with that task. Players will need to learn which zombies and creatures to
shoot, and which ones to run away from. This is fun, as it mixes well with all of the
puzzle solving that goes with each new area in the game.

The Graphics in the game are great. The game’s pre-rendered
backgrounds fit the game well, and this game has a lot of detail thrown in it, like little
bugs flyin around lights, or zombies twitching after you “kill them,” among other little
touches. The graphics are way better in this game than the Playstation version, due to the
expansion pack. Players of Resident Evil 2 that have a Nintendo 64 expansion pack can
now play this game the way it was meant to be played-in high resolution mode. With this
pack, the graphics are much better than the Playstation version, showing crisp, smooth
graphics. Also, this game includes ALL of the FMV cut-scenes from the Playstation
version, although the scenes are a bit blurry. Quite a feat, considering many said it
couldn’t of been done. Also included in this game is the feature to turn on the blood in
the game, and if you want to see a lot of blood, how much you see in the game. Myself, I
turn up the blood level to the highest, and change the color to red. Nothing like seeing
blood fly everywhere as you blow away zombies.

The controls in the game mix well with the gameplay. Players can control their
characters with either the direction pad, or the joystick. Control and movement is very
tight and responsive, and that is definitely a plus in a game like this. The players have to
be ready for anything to jump out at them, and Angel Studios has the player ready to
handle this. If the player chooses to play with the joystick, they will find that their
character walks in the direction that you point the stick into, regardless of which way that
he/she is facing. This can be quite confusing since the constant camera angles are always
changing, but once the player gets used to it, they can be ready for anything to jump out at
them. Also, the weapon and menu system is easy to navigate. Just go to the menu, pick
which weapon or item you want to choose, hit the A button and you now have it selected
and its ready to use. Simple as that. To shoot a weapon, just hold the R button, and hit
that A or Z trigger to fire that weapon until that baddie is dead.

Sound falls “dead” in with the gameplay. The moaning of the zombies and
baddies, among with the nice music, fit well. As you play the game, the music fits each
area perfectly. As you walk into a new area, the music will change to go with this area.
All of a sudden, the music will stop all together. Although many games do this do to lack
of music in the game, the Resident Evil series does it to scare the crap out of you. As the
music slows then comes to a stop, your walking around in complete silence, other than
your own footsteps (or the moans of the zombies and creatures in the game). Unaware
that anything is going to happen, you proceed in the game, only to be scared as a monster
jumps out at you from a near by window. You then have to make sure you didn’t make a
“mess” on yourself, while fighting this new “nemesis.” (Well, you could always pause
the game..). The only problem I have with this game is that during the FMV cut-scenes,
the sound is tiny, and some seems to have an echo to it. I can understand why this is,
though, since this was a huge feat to include all of the FMV cut-scenes in this game, so I
wont bother complaining about it. One of the big pluses to the Resident Evil series is the
sound, and the sound in this game fits it perfectly.

The Nintendo 64 version of Resident Evil 2 is the exact same as the Playstation
version (minus the Extreme Battle Modes), but includes some nice improvements and
advancements. First off, is the high resolution mode (mentioned above). Playstation
owners of Resident Evil didn’t get to see this game in high resolution mode, but now
Nintendo 64 owners can. Other improvements include the hidden “Ex” files, which are
files in the game that link the original Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, Nemesis, and Code
Veronica together, and faster gameplay. This game also has the feature to randomize
where item locations are. Once you go through the game once, then decide to take on this
game with the other character, the items will be in different locations, to add some replay
value to this game. Quite a plus for hard-core Resident Evil fans.

As I have said, gameplay is a blast, yet it is very suspenseful and bloody. Little
children shouldn’t be around when this game is played, as it is can get graphic in some
parts. There is blood all over the place, dead people walking around, and many other
grotesque scenes in this game that younger audiences may not want to see. Also, as
stated above, the game is quite suspenseful. At times, you will just be walking down a
hall, and all of a sudden zombies will jump out of the windows, or a creature will pop out
from around the corner, and so on. The blood, combined with the suspense, make this
game frighteningly good, yet not for faint at heart, or for the young.

In conclusion, if your in the mood for a frightening, suspenseful survivor horror
game, then check out Resident Evil 2 for the Nintendo 64. Its a fast, gory, and
suspenseful ride into a city filled with zombies and other creatures. You wont be
disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/10/00, Updated 12/10/00