Product Description
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Fight Bloodthirsty zombies and other hideous mutations.
Review
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Resident Evil 2 is the first really big, ultrahyped blockbuster
of '98, and what Capcom has pulled off is more an interactive,
cinematic experience than a video game. Seriously. Picking up a
few months after the events of the first game, RE2 sees the
entire town of Raccoon City hit with the devastating virus that
zombified only a few dozen folks in the original Resident Evil.
It's up to rookie cop Leon Kennedy, and Claire Redfield, sister
of one of the main RE characters, to save not only themselves but
any and all survivors, to boot. The gameplay remains basically
the same as before: As one of two characters, you solve puzzles
and shoot monsters. The original Resident Evil featured two
playable personas as well, although the differences between the
two weren't incredibly significant. One could carry more items
than the other could, while the other was easier to play, and
they both had their own distinct storylines. In Resident Evil 2
the differences between the two are a bit more interesting. For
example, Claire starts off with a lock pick, while Leon begins
with a lighter, which alone changes the order in which the game's
puzzles must be solved. Each character also finds different
weapons along his or her quest. For instance, Claire will find a
grenade launcher, however when playing as Leon, a will be
in its place. In addition, Leon and Claire encounter a string of
different characters throughout the game, so naturally their
stories don't unfold in nearly the same way. The subtle changes
between Claire and Leon don't make each character's story feel
completely different, but they're enough to make you want to know
what happens further into the game. On top of that, once you play
through the game as one character, a second scenario is opened up
for the other - for instance, win the game with Claire and you'll
unlock Leon's alternative scenario. (It's kind of like Quentin
Tarantino's Jackie Brown, where you see how one situation or
scenario looked from another character's perspective.) And since
both characters are supposedly running through the many locations
of Raccoon City at the same time, the things you do in the first
scenario will affect the other character in his or her second
scenario. For instance, if you pick up the submachine with
Leon the first time out and you later go to the same place with
Claire, the submachine won't be there. Admittedly, it's
mostly cool in concept, since it really doesn't come into play
that much. What really makes Resident Evil 2 so amazing is
simple: It has more of what people liked about the first Resident
Evil - weapons, ammo, creatures, and most importantly, many, many
instances when you'll be genuinely ed. If you played the
first game, you're sure to remember that your first encounter
with a zombie took your breath away, and that you ran ed from
the game's boss. These types of terrifying moments are
commonplace in Resident Evil 2, and the effect is awesome. How
does it e you? Well, as in the great classic horror movies,
it's a combination of eerie low-key mood music and sound effects
such as a lone dog howling at the moon in the distance (that
could just be right in the next room), followed by loud,
shrieking music played perfectly on cue and sudden jolts of
terror, like the arms of a zombie bursting through a boarded up
window, right as you happen to be walking by. Things like that.
Of course Resident Evil 2 comes with all of the trimmings:
3D-rendered backgrounds with 3D polygonal characters running
through them. Visually, it looks a lot like the first Resident
Evil game, except with incredibly improved graphics and character
animations. For example, the heroes, zombies, and other creatures
now all move with true realism, with head-tracking effects that
make them look at what is near them (like a rabid dog or a zombie
eating a dead man). Also improved over the original is that
you can tell the extent of your character's injuries simply by
looking at his or her body language instead of having to
repeatedly check the status screen to see how hurt your character
is. There are one of three states: perfectly functioning, holding
the side in pain but still functioning properly, and unable to
run and in horrible pain. This damage system is both effective
and cool. This isn't to say Resident Evil 2 is flawless though,
as there are some points that could have been improved. Some of
the puzzles just seem a little out of place and might make more
sense in a different setting... a station that has a room
with three large statues, one with a ruby in its hand, and some
sort of pressure-sensitive floor that triggers the ruby to fall
out of the statue's hand? C'mon! It's not as much a problem as
the inventory management system, which hasn't been changed at
all. As in the first RE, you are only allowed to carry eight
items at any time (except for an item that allows you to carry a
few more items). You must mindlessly keep bringing items to and
retrieving them from these "magical" storage bins that somehow
share contents with aother bins, and always seem to be really,
really far from where you are. If realism is what the developers
were shooting for, as it seems to be in RE2, then you should have
the ability to set items down wherever and pick them back up
again at your leisure, and you should be able to carry more
things, too. Really, a key and a rocket launcher don't take up
the same space or weigh nearly the same. But in the end, Resident
Evil 2 is one of the most entertaining games I've ever played.
With its unique camera angles, storyline, graphics, sound
effects, and music, Resident Evil 2 seems more like a product out
of Hollywood than the video game industry. Resident Evil 2
surpasses its predecessor in nearly every aspect of gameplay, and
in short, Capcom has outdone itself.--Ryan Mac Donald--Copyright
© 1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole
or in part in any form or medium without express written
permission of GameSpot is prohibited. -- GameSpot Review
