Resident Evil 2 Remake

🎮 Steam ⏳ 15 hours ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

Modern Classic Reborn #

The remake for the second Resident Evil entry in the PlayStation 1 platform is a masterful reimagining of the original 1998 classic. Rebuilding the game from the ground up with modern visuals and mechanics. The RE Engine delivers a stunningly atmospheric Raccoon City Police Station, where dynamic lighting and sound design heighten the tension around every corner. This engine is definitely a standout since it has incredible visuals, without sacrificing a lot in the performance regard, even being used on other titles that are not particularly similar to this one, displaying how flexible it can be.

Tense Over-The-Shoulder #

Gameplay shifts to an over-the-shoulder perspective, replacing the fixed cameras of the original while preserving the sense of dread through scarce resources and deliberate combat. Every encounter with zombies feels dangerous, forcing players to carefully decide when to fight and when to flee. Capcom learned a lot when it comes to doing remakes, not to mention mixing different elements from other titles such as the classic RE4 from PlayStation 2, at least when it comes to the minute details of implementations and QOL features.

Faithful Yet Innovative #

The remake strikes a perfect balance between honoring its roots and feeling new. While faithful to the original story and structure, it introduces fresh mechanics, redesigned environments, and a cinematic presentation that makes the experience gripping for both veterans and newcomers. I played and replayed RE2 in the PlayStation 1 a lot and this remake is really on a whole different level, similar to the GameCube’s RE1 Remake, which is familiar enough while not sacrificing innovation. One of the standouts to me is the counter-knife mechanic, which is a limited resource that can save you from being heavily hurt while grabbed by a zombie.

Survival Horror Benchmark #

And believe me, it’ll happen a lot, and they take an insane amount of damage out of you, so not a walk in the park when compared to the original title. Some minor drawbacks include uneven pacing in character interludes and slight inconsistencies in how Leon and Claire’s campaigns overlap. However, these issues don’t overshadow the overall quality. Resident Evil 2 Remake is both a respectful tribute and a modern survival-horror benchmark, often regarded as one of the best remakes in gaming. There is zero to no excuse to skip this one, and it doesn’t matter if you played the original or not, this is a must-play for the ones that like Survival Horror even if by a very little margin.