Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Genre: Survival-horror/Action

[Preface: This game took me over 10hrs to complete, you get 20 depending on how much of the areas you've explored]

2019 is already off to a phenomenal start, with Capcom getting ahead of themselves with the release of the remake for Resident Evil 2. A game so gripping, terrifying ,and claustrophobic, that it has peaked the standards for other horror games out there (Indie-horror notwithstanding) even for a re-imagining of a classic 1998 title.

While it has rooted itself to its past, the game feels fresh on the take thanks to enhanced visual presentation, new gameplay mechanics, stellar set pieces and the creepy ghoulies everybody loves to hate before shooting their faces off.

Now all Capcom has left is a Nemesis remake and they could re-release a bundle later on with all three of the games. But before that happens, let's get on with my two-cents on this.

Story

It's 1998, September 22nd. Few months after the Mansion incident from the first game, a viral infection has spread out in Raccoon City turning all the inhabitants into flesh-munchers. Leon and Claire find themselves at a nearby gas station before arriving at the police station to only separate later on for their own reasons.

If you've played the original, there isn't anything new. But that shouldn't discourage you because the earlier campy drama aspect is replaced by more grounded and grueling narrative. Each of the characters are likable including the deuteragonists from both of the campaigns. You either play as Leon S Kennedy or Claire Redfield, former is looking to seek justice for what was wrought to the city while the latter is looking for her brother as well as protecting others in harms way.

The story on its own is great, it's a good thing they didn't put any retcons around...at least from what I've seen. Leon finds a way to get towards the seedy bottom of Umbrella's evil deeds while Claire dwells herself into protecting people from particular individuals as well as providing in hindsight what caused the incident in Raccoon city.

Also once you've finished one of the campaigns, replaying it will change scenarios to give a more alternative feel to it.

Gameplay

A farcry from the antiquated tank controls and fixed camera, RE2 remake moves to third person based shooter. You don't have the dodge button, instead you move or strafe left and right. Though that becomes fidgety in closed off areas and small corridors, once you get the hang of it, it only gets easier. Same can't be said for how you play the game because it is difficult to get around without being chased by zombies or any other category of monsters.

Resident Evil 2 doesn't forgive the player if he/she are casually strolling. There's always something bad lurking around the corner. Ammo is limited and there are so many stuff you could only pick, maintaining inventory space and being frugal about items are important. At times, you're so caught up in the moment you forget to save the game which is important that you should, as the old typewriter comes back to save your session(pun intended). Then again, there's the autosave that helps unless you play at hardcore difficulty. Much like the previous games, you can inspect and combine items including ones used for opening doors and getting towards objectives.

Most of the weapons have various traits, playing Claire you get equipped with a grenade launcher that can let you switch between ammo types. Helping to improvise in lot of hairy situations.

Some of the puzzles are tricky, few even require you to remember stuff without using notes in order to move to the next area. Also anybody remember that little mini-game where you look for crystal glass to find and shoot for unlocking bonus content? well that makes a return here in seamless fashion.

There are various enemies you have to deal with, the occasional zombies that are difficult to kill even if you unload 5 on one's head, they don't die easily unless you manage to blow the head off which is easier to do so with shotguns in short distances. Then there are other types like Lickers, Cerberus dogs and some metastasized swamp creatures among others. As you progress, you obtain more weapons but some require you to find certain objects and walk the paved paths before obtaining them, trickier than it sounds. Don't like wasting ammo, you could use flashbang grenades to distract enemies while you run for it or just knife enemies when they're down. Much akin to Zombieland's double tap theory, you have to make sure that they're dead even if they go down. Sometimes being a precautionary tale is good for cause.

This guy don't look so good

Most of the game you explore the map finding nooks & crannies to find stash locked away as well as progressing through the story, but there's just one big hiccup: You have to backtrack a lot; unless you're good at remembering what you were suppose to do, it's easy to get lost which can lead to frustrations especially with inventory managing on the box near the typewriter.

Some minor inconsistencies include A.I behavior and movement issues with one of the main characters like Leon. With all that said, there's still so much to be engrossed about, around this tantalizing remake. The boss battles are another treat, even though you just shoot at weak points same as the other games, how it's done here makes up to be a refresher.

Graphics/Technical

With beautiful aesthetics and technical prowess (yes, that includes the gooey and eeky parts), RE engine not only shows a lot in presentation but damn does it do well to run it without the lack of optimization as well as being surrounded by weird bugs. This also has to be the best PC port there is. Which also explains a lot of purchases in Steam. Though I do eventually spot texture fizzling over walls or floors, which can kind of break the immersion if you look at it for too long.

Everything surrounding this game looks hugely different: From the corridors, furniture, weather effects, water and floor reflections to enemy designs. All were faithfully recreated.

Even though I've played this in my GTX 960, I've had no problems with performance so far. Playing at high settings, I've had dips to 40 FPS and the game still ran butter smooth. Game even loads faster than you could press your hand on the desk after multiple loading.

Sound/Music

This is a horror game that also emphasizes on different ranges of ambiance to set up an unsettling atmosphere. Every time you're in a room even if it's your safe spot, there's always something to hear about. At times trekking through the police station, I could hear ruckus above and below even though I've cleared that early area. It just sells the feeling that not all is as it should seem and that nailbiting aspect is truly what makes RE 2 endearing.

The best experience mostly comes if you have the right surround sound audio equipment to immerse yourself completely. Heck, even some of the old sound samples from the original game reprises here in higher fidelity.

The soundtrack has blockbuster feel to it yet it has semblance of the old game, more of a nostalgic touch to it. But there's one or two tracks that really captures the dread, maybe even borrowed some notes from shows like The Strain but I don't seem to mind that at all.

Verdict

Resident Evil 2 is a return to form survival horror that also revitalizes what made the early RE series so great. Ever since Resident Evil 7, Capcom has been a roll with the redemption path and I hope they don't get stifled later on.

It's all I ever wanted it to be and more. A sensational game that's worth looking out for. If you're a casual player and you have no good experience with survival horrors, playing this at easy will leave you at ease. Though if you want to put yourself at a challenge, avoid the hardcore difficulty first. Once you've finished the game, then replay it in hardcore or maybe not if you're a glutton for punishment.

8.5