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A.P.I Review:	RESIDENT EVIL 2
Developer:	Capcom	OPTIONS:	SCREENSHOTS: No.1   No.2   No.3
Distributor:	Capcom	1 Player
Game Type:	Horror/Adventure	Memory Card
Review Date:	Novemeber 1998	Dula Shock/Analog Control

Setting the Scene

No... it's not a brand new version of the excellent Resident Evil 2.
It's a re-release of Capcoms brilliant survival horror title, only 
now gamers have the ability to experience RE2 with analog control 
and all of the dual shock effects one could hope for in this game.
We have incorporated our thoughts of this new feature in our 
playability section of the review.  Shocking?  You bet!

To sleep, per chance to dream. Those words echo hauntingly through 
my mind...through my very being. But alas, sleep or even rest is 
no longer an option for me. You see I am on a quest...a quest to 
rid the once peaceful town of Raccoon City from the evil that 
currently infests it. 

Perhaps I am getting a bid ahead of myself here...My name is Leon 
and I am, er um, I was almost a police officer for the once proud 
Raccoon City PD. I was all set to start my new job here when all 
of a sudden my world got rocked. My interest in law enforcement 
was fuelled shortly after Jill and Chris had ridded the mansion 
on the hill of its freakish creatures. Creatures that were created 
because of some covert genetic experiment gone terribly wrong and 
spawning an airborn virus that mutated all it came into contact 
with. We were so sure in the knowledge that the horrors up there 
had been totally destroyed months ago...but we were wrong. It swept 
over the town like a tidal wave, infecting all it touched. Before 
we knew it, the town was over run with horrors that I could never 
have imagined in my worst nightmares. All around me I am faced 
with the horror of mutilated bodies and atrocities that I cannot 
even begin to describe. People that I once knew and loved are now 
monstrosities that I am forced to destroy...to serve and protect....
whomever may be left…. alive..... 

Welcome back once again to the world of survival horror...welcome 
my friends and prepare to help me do battle in the twisted, 
gruesome world of Resident Evil 2!!! 

Genre

Resident Evil 2 is a 3rd person shooter, action, horror adventure game 
at it's finest. Others have tried, but none have matched to pure 
adrenaline rush and brown trouser accidents that go hand in hand 
with playing this game. 

Graphics

Never has a game of this genre been captured so exquisitely before. 
Heck, no other game with the exception of Final Fantasy VII can 
touch Resident Evil 2's sheer beauty. 

The graphics of RE2 are truly exceptional. From the gorgeous pre-
rendered backgrounds to the intricately modelled polygon characters, 
everything is brilliantly displayed for you're viewing pleasure. 

First we'll examine the characters. The level of detailed presented 
is way up from the previous Resident Evil title. The polygon count 
per character has quite obviously been drastically increased. Additional 
texture mapping has been added so that now you can easily make out 
the facial peculiarities (right down to the eye pupils) and appreciate 
the detail in the outfits. Increased animation has also been added. 
The lead characters can now climb (kind of) and show pain by clutching 
themselves or limping. They will even turn their heads automatically 
to track or follow the monster's moves or to view a recent kill. This 
whole thing adds up to a level of realism that was unheard of in the 
past Resident Evil game and with the exception of a few, it's damn near 
impossible to find in almost any other console game. Heck, there are 
even a wide variety of Zombie types, dressed in different clothing 
and unique appearances. 

The backgrounds are highly animated and intricately designed. 
Playing the game really gives one the feeling of actually being 
trapped in one of those great old "B" horror movies (only much, 
much scarier!). Some of the graphical effects that are produced 
are extraordinary and frightening. The feeling of dread and panic 
are captured to perfection in this game. More than once I was caught 
up in the splendour of the game only to be surprised (and 
occasionally scared out of my wits) by some creature blind-siding 
me unexpectedly. In this game you must learn to always expect the 
unexpected. 

Overall it appears that the same base graphics engine was used in 
RE2, but it has been fine tuned and tweaked to its limits. There is 
at least double the number of onscreen characters now to face in 
battle. Just imagine trying to fend off five or six hungry zombies...
sheese, as if two of three weren't enough. The graphics also have 
a much more solid appearance. Even the larger monsters don't break 
apart into seams when in motion. Sheer beauty. 

Oh yeah, there is also an incredible opening CG intro that will 
have your optics locked and your jaw slack with amazement. Liberal 
use of CG graphics has also been included throughout the game…and 
it's very well done. 

About the only drawback that I found with the graphics in the game 
was this...as in the last RE game, when your character is walking 
they look a bit too stiff. Kinda like they have a stick up their 
butt or something. It's a bit unnatural looking, but a small price 
to pay in an otherwise perfect graphical display. 

Sounds and Effects

Once again, as in the last Resident Evil game the music is eerie and 
atmospheric...lending much to the overall creepiness and substance 
of the game. The overall tension that is generated by the music must 
be experienced to be fully appreciated. At times, suspense is built 
up to a fevered pitch. Making it truly frightening to take that next 
step around a corner... 

The sound effects are truly brilliant. When connected through a 
Surround Sound receiver, they swirl and travel all around you. If 
ever you needed an excuse to connect your Playstation to a decent 
sound system - this is it! 

As with any good horror movie, the sounds and music play a key role 
in creating suspense and trepidation. As you are walking, you can hear 
scratching sounds or a dripping noise or the shuffle of footsteps. 
Without ever seeing a damn thing, your whole body begins to tense 
up in preparation for what is going to happen next. Resident Evil 2 
plays this kind of sound game with you to perfection throughout. 

Oh and guess what…remember the great dialogue (hehehe) from the 
last Resident Evil game…well, it's back! Most people either loved 
or hated the campy voice acting from the last game. Personally I 
found it to be a blast and would have been disappointed if anything 
less appeared in this game. 

Playability

For me, the original Resident Evil game was like a revelation. 
It was the first time that I had ever seen a game of its genre 
executed so convincingly and presented with such flair and style. 
Well the good news is that Resident Evil II significantly improves 
in virtually every area of its predecessor. Better graphics, more 
intense sounds and music and most importantly, better gameplay! 

The game comes on two CD's. One CD has the Leon game and on the 
other is the Claire game. Unlike the first RE game, depending on 
which character you use the game plays out very differently. 
Character interaction changes and locations and items are revealed 
that are unique to the character that you play. 

Another nice touch is the new "ZAP" system that Capcom has created 
(this is basically a nifty little word that is used to identify a 
brilliant batch of coding that has been placed into this game). 
What the ZAP system does is track your characters movements and 
gameplay. Depending on how you react to the environment, monsters 
and puzzles plays a major role in determining the overall outcome 
of the game. After you finish the game with one character, you load 
up the saved game and begin with the next character. The things that 
you did as the first character will effect how the second character 
interacts with the environment. For instance, if you moved something 
during the first game, the object will stay moved during the second. 
This opens a whole new world of possibilities. Just think about it…
you can leave a weapon or some other useful goodie for the second 
character to pick up! Capcom has not come right out and said how 
many variations there are, but I would suspect that there are several 
different game endings for each character and multiple experiences 
to be found during the actual gameplay each time you jump in! 

Starting up the game you are presented with an incredibly rendered 
CG intro. Already the mood is getting set even before you begin the 
actual gameplay. Character backgrounds are explained in much more 
detail than the first RE game. You actually feel like you have a 
bit more purpose when venturing through this game and can better 
understand your characters motives and reasons for being where they 
are. Anyway, the tone is now set…let's do some zombie smashing! 

Controlling you characters is just like the previous RE game…same 
buttons, same basic character movements and weapon controls. If 
you played the last RE, you'll feel right at home. If not (anyone???), 
mastering the controls takes very little time and effort. Aiming 
your shots with the pistol is still a bit of a chore and the turning 
of your character to line up a good shot is a bit stiff, but this 
all adds to the tension of the game. Still, a little better aiming 
system could have been implemented. 

There are nice little touches referencing the previous RE game, 
like awards hanging in the precinct for Chris and Jill, old newspaper 
clippings, heck you can even find Chris and Jill's desks and search 
them. Finally the fact that Claire, one of the characters that you 
play, is actually Chris' sister lends even more connectivity to the 
game. All in all a fine job is done tying the past and present RE 
games together and it serves to make the whole experience that much 
more effective and realistic. 

The menu system is very useful and set up in much the same way as 
the first game. Objects appear in little boxed windows that you 
point and click to access. There is a little status window indicating 
your current health and then you have the object window, which is 
used to identify an object in more detail. 

As you walk through the environment you gain a real appreciation 
for the level of detail that has been incorporated into this game. 
It is really very close to watching a movie unfold before your eyes. 
A great deal of time and effort has obviously been put in to make 
the backgrounds as realistic as possible. The outcome is a very 
atmospheric feel and equates to almost total absorption of gameplay. 
You really get to live the part of whichever character you are 
playing. 

Camera tracking is also improved over the first Resident Evil. 
With the exception of a few places, I found the camera angles to 
be flawless…always in the right place at the right time. The scenes 
shift and flow at a perfect pace. 

I guess it's a good thing that the camera angles are done so well, 
because you now have a LOT more monsters on the screen at one time 
to deal with than ever before. I have counted up to eight zombies 
all converging on me at the same time. Amazing! You really need to 
be quick your reaction time or you will find yourself a meat pie on 
more than one occasion. Some of the creatures that you will come 
into contact with are truly horrifying and instill enough instant 
fear that you tend to lose that split second of reaction time that 
you so desperately need to succeed. It's that old "deer in the 
headlight" syndrome, only this time you are the deer! A nice touch 
that has been added is the fact that when you are more seriously 
injured, your character will now limp or hold one of their arms 
across their chest. This gives you a nice visual reference to your 
characters well-being, instead of having to constantly switch to 
the menu system to see your stats. 

The overall shock value of the game is incredible. Things happen 
so unexpectedly, that you are constantly on the edge of your seat 
anticipating something (anything) to happen at any given moment. 
This game is gonna scare the heck out of more than a few people. 
Definitely not recommended for the weak of heart!! Violence and 
gore is off the scales. Blood is used in mass quantities and 
displayed very realistically. Those of you that like bloodshed and 
needless violence will be thrilled here…hehehe. 

The final piece that I will mention here (I don't want to give too 
much away and spoil all your fun!) is the areas that you are now 
ree to roam through. Instead of being limited to a mansion and it's 
surrounding property, Resident Evil 2 presents you with a town to 
go through. There are many places to investigate both above and 
below the doomed town of Raccoon City. Some of the locations you 
need to go through are so claustrophobic that it will make your 
skin crawl. Again, this game deals out the emotion of fear and 
foreboding to perfection. 

Okay, so in closing Resident Evil 2 is really a game that you should 
experience. It's a perfect example of how to combine all of the 
elements that make a great game so pleasurable and compelling to 
play. It took awhile for this title to get released, but in my 
honest opinion it was well worth the wait. 


Dual Shock Version

With the re-release of Capcoms brilliant survival horror title, gamers now
have the ability to experience RE2 with analog control and all of the dual
shock effects one could hope for in this game.

A satisfying repeated jolt ensues each time players discharge their weapons
or are getting chomped on by zombies.  You also feel a slightly lighter
vibration during the times you are pushing objects around.  Overall the dual
shock feature is nicely implemented in to the game and a welcome addition.

The analog control, at least for me, was another story.  I am just so used
to moving the characters around the screen with digital control that I could
not quite get used to or enjoy the analog feature as much as some might.  I
chose to stick forego the analog control and stuck with the digital pad for
the duration of the game again.

Also new is the arrange mode.  Now players can start off the game as Leon or
Claire with a machine gun as your default weapon.  Walk on over to one of
your item boxes, open it up and Walla...tucked nicely away you will find a
rocket launcher and a gattling gun just waiting to be equipped and
discharged on some mindless zombie.  Oh, these weapons also come with
unlimited ammo...enjoy!

Once you complete the game in rookie mode, you can play it again and items
will be "re-arranged" in different locations, thus adding even more replay
value to an already excellent game.

This also unlocks the games hidden "Extreme Battle Mode".  This mode offer 
gamers three selectable levels with random enemy and item placement, in 
addition to four playable characters...one of them making a first time 
appearance in RE2!

This is a great deal for those of you in the minority that does not already
this title, and is definitely worth at least a rental for those that have
already experienced the RE2 without these new additions.

Value for Money

With it's multiple story lines, dual character roles and incredibly 
rich and complex environment, Resident Evil 2 really offers up the goods. 
I thought the initial retail price was a bit steep considering most other 
PSX titles are at least 10 bucks cheaper.

Either way, you really can't go wrong… it's a wonderful game and worth 
every penny. The only thing keeping it from being THE ultimate value 
for you dollar is the lack of a two-player or cooperative mode. Just 
imagine how cool that would have been!