"So You Think You Know True Terror?"

I shall keep this review succinct. This "horrorific" game was produced by Capcom in which they successfully compacted a two-disc feature game into one cartridge. The macabre of the game revolves around two main characters, Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, avoiding the hand of death from heinous zombies and solving puzzles.

Graphics: 7
The graphics were somewhat good. The details on the festering zombies, the steel pipes from inconspicuous corners, and the oozing blood from the deceased were well-done. However, the one factor that was deleterious to the graphical score was the flaunting pixels that were not subtle. The graphics would sometimes blur and the pixels would become amplified, causing large squares to divulge; and, this is with an Expansion Pak, too. I think Capcom could have done a better job making the graphics smoother.
Moreover, I somewhat disliked the occasional requirement of making a meticulous scrutiny here and there for diminutive objects, such are keys.

Sound: 9
Sound is a very prominent aspect of this game. It is what makes this game so scary. Because there are random pop-ups of zombies and other enemies, Capcom has attempted to make these surprises a consternation to the gamer: glass shattering, ceilings falling, and zombies emerging abruptly all sound very genuine. The superb sound incorporated within "Resident Evil 2," will send your heart and mind into extreme fright.
The voice acting was rather acceptable, but could have been better. Every so often, I was able to discern a slight fault in the dubbing upon the cut scene conversations.

Controls: 9
To control the main characters in this game does not require brain surgery knowledge. The controls are relatively easy to grasp after several minutes of saturating yourself into the game. Should you not be satiated with the default controls that Capcom had provided, there are control variances that come in four discrepant forms. They follow as Type A, B, C, D. The desired controller type differs from player-to-player.
Fortunately, this game is of a first-person shooter as to where the first “Resident Evil” game is of a third-person shooter. Because this game is first-person shooter, the gamer is allowed to view his or her environment more laboriously and is able to see his or her avatar.

Plot: 9
Yet another strong point of “Resident Evil 2,” is its storyline. The great thing about this attribute is the plot does not demand a prerequisite of playing “Resident Evil,” to understand the story in the sequel.

Through playing this game, I understood the plot to be that another type of virus that causes genetic zombie mutations stems from the G-virus, an upgrade of the T-virus, which was the virus that turned people in “Resident Evil,” into zombies. Without the knowledge of the G-virus, Claire Redfield, who is the main character of the game, stumbles into Raccoon City at the wrong time. She has sought for her missing brother, Chris Redfield, and enters a bar to find it infested with cannibalistic zombies. She meets Leon Scott Kennedy, who has just started his job as a rookie cop; however, their rendezvous ends up to be a struggle for survival, for both Leon and Claire must make their way to the R.P.D. Police Station for safety due to a growing number of vicious zombies. With a different perspective story for both Leon and Claire, what does fate have in store for them and will they be able to survive?

Replay Value: 8
This game takes long to consummate. This category deserves an eight because there are many secrets and clandestine items to discern that will most likely not be caught on the first play-through, which gives rise to a second play-through; but, I personally felt deterred from playing due to time consumption. The decision on how much time the player wants to waste repeating the game again rests on his shoulders. Stated another way, you have played the game once, you know the sweet spots of the game and the plot twists; why would you want to replay tedium and repetition? I think there are better things to do.

Rent or Buy:
It does not matter. I personally like to buy my games, though. If you are worried about cost, this game should only be about $10 now, more or less.

In All: 8
This game is fun the first time through. You most likely will be terrified. The game's attributes are somewhat good. No plot confusion should occur because this game's story stands by itself.

Immerse yourself in this game with herds of zombies coming after your avatar's flesh, leaving you in an atmosphere of hopelessness. You are alone in this game, the buildings' power and lights are out, and the zombies are after you!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/15/05, Updated 08/18/05