Resident Evil 2

"A big hit."

Resident Evil 2 is a big improvement from Resident Evil. It features all of the previous gameplay and a lot more. This game is a bit hit because it features all the action and horror that leaves for some chills.

Story: Leon and Claire are stuck in a city when strange things happen. Before they know it they are stuck in Raccoon City and surrounded by zombies and other sorts of creatures due to a virus that has plagued the land from the Umbrella Corporation. The struggle for survival in now in the player's hands.

Gameplay: The game has 2 discs. 1 for Leon and 1 for Claire. Any disc can be played first depending on the character of choice to be played. After the introduction the player is able to control the character and go on their struggle for survival. The player will start out with a simple pistol, and then find other things later on to add variety into the game and also help a lot in surviving what this game has to offer. The game also features some puzzles which are pretty easy to solve and be able to pick up things in the environment from ammunition to documents that give an idea of what is going on in the area and don't necessarily have to be read unless the player is interested in the story a lot.

The game also features a tiny bit of realism that will be either loved or hated. Should a player take too much damage from being bitten or cut too much, the player will act less functional. If the player is severely wounded he will limp and not be able to run as fast. A tiny bit frustrating for hectic moments but realistic in some ways as well. It was very well incorporated into the game.

Another thing that will be either loved or hated is the inventory system and way saving game progress was implemented. The characters in this game cannot hold too much which causes problems. All players have storage bins for excess good that the player does not want to carry at the moment. However, this causes issues where the player must go back and forth between areas to pick things up and it happens a lot. So a player can't always hold as much healing as they like or possibly ammunition. This also goes with saving. Saving game progress requires a player to find a typewriter, and in order to use the typewriter an ink ribbon is required. One ink ribbon per save. So if a player has no ink ribbons, they cannot save their progress. Ink ribbons are fairly common in the game though so it isn't oo much of a problem. This can be a bit annoying for some but players who are very good at organizing themselves they can deal with these things but for those who don't want to deal with this and just run into the action will not find this game enjoyable. These features have their ups and downs to them.

Control: These controls are very awkward for those who have not played a Resident Evil or Tomb Raider game. Forward is the direction to go no matter what angle in viewing the character. It is almost like a remote control racecar. Firing the weapon cannot be done while running either. To fire the player must hold R then hit X when ready to pull the trigger. The other bad thing about learning the controls is that the player starts the game in a bad spot for learning these controls.

Graphics: They are well done. The introduction alone looks great and the gameplay graphics are fine for a Playstation title. The only thing that can be harsh are very few camera angles. The game plays area by area with no camera control. After reaching certain points here and there it'll be hard to see certain things around the player and areas are done by changing the screen to another point as the player progresses through an area. So if a player is being chased by something and reaches a certain point and the screen changes it may possibly change to a point that the player cannot see what was chasing him or her, but is still actually being chased.

Sound: Fine sound. Monsters have some well done sounds incorporated into the game. The game also did a good job of adding shocking sound effects to shocking moments of the game. It blended in well this title.

Final Recommendation: This game is good for certain audiences and provides a lot of enjoyment to those who like the features Resident Evil 2 has to offer. This game is a definitely good improvement over the original.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/06/05