Video Games : Resident Evil 2 (PS)

Rating: - Truly Classic
Resident Evil 2 is so good that I recently played through it three times in one sitting (one of the few benefits of unemployment is the abundance of free time). From the opening FMVs and that first awesome section dashing through Raccoon City ("the next thing I knew, the entire city was infested with zombies") through to the Police Headquarters, cavernous sewers and the then-traditional laboratory-set ending, this game exudes quality through and through.

While some were put off by it, the Resident Evil control system was in my mind perfect, and only improved upon in Resident Evil 4 (which much of contemporary gaming owes A LOT to). The soundtrack is incredible, with each and every scene scored with the perfect blend of atmosphere and action, or whichever was necessary. The sound effects are excellent, a huge step up from the somewhat comical zombies or the first game, now moaning discomfortingly rather than hilariously. The graphics are of course hugely dated, but you can't fault the design of the game. Enemy characters shuffle and shamble realistically, speeding up when their prey is within range, clawing along the floor when they've parted way with their legs and taking bullets with more than a mere step back, another leap from the arms-outstretched grey (!) zombies of before. While the backgrounds are pre-rendered in 2D, each is totally eerie, cold and at times genuinely upsetting when it comes to life-like quality. The undead-dominated world of Resident Evil 2 makes for a very oppressive feel indeed.

Also of note is the voice acting, which is for the most part still rubbish, but again a vast improvement over the first. Sadly, the live action scenes are gone too, but it all adds up to make RE2 a much more serious game than its progenitor. Its not often enough games improve this much on their predecessor, and a major complaint of the sequel (Resident Evil 3: Nemesis) was that it ran on the RE2 engine, which to me is no bad thing as it allowed the game to be released mere months after 2.

Finally, and most importantly, the game is scary as hell, from Mr. X smashing through walls to falling through the floor in the library (who didn't jump the first time around?) to the final confrontation with the flaming tyrant, this game mixes the perfect amount of mood with jump scares to keep things fresh. The replay value is high also, with the game being split into two distinct chapters which play out differently depending on which character you choose to begin with, as well as two bonus games which aren't easily unlocked and command you come back for more. Long story short, its one of those rare games that surprises you with much, much more when you thought you'd finished it.

As my opening comment suggests, the game is quite short, easily completed by a veteran like myself in a little over an hour and a half, but for newbies it ought to keep you entertained for long enough to make your purchase worthwhile. Might I recommend you buy the Nintendo Gamecube version, as it plays much smoother than previous versions, allows cutscene-skipping (for those all important second playthroughs) and offers a few other neat bonuses, as well as suiting the GC controller perfectly.

It may not have redefined gaming necessarily, and it's not even the best in the series, but this is a classic well worth investing in, either for first timers or fans nostalgic for the golden years of PSOne. For its combination of story, atmosphere and action, few other games of that era come close.

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Rating: - amazing game
this game is by far the best game i have ever played, the puzzles are never-ending, the gameplay is awesome, i love the way if you pick claire or leon, you go on different journeys, tokk me ages to complete it, but i dont regret a minute of playing it... as i said
best game i have ever played!

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Rating: - Survival Horror is here
Resident Evil 2 is among the elite of the best video games ever made. When this game came out it was a revolution and looked amazing. A zombie game set in a whole city (or at least part of it). This was a bigger, better, badder version of the original. This was survival horror at it's very best.

The game starts out fast past and you are instantly thrown into the mix with a handful of zombies and next to no weapons - from there, you knew it was going to be good! That was the good thing about RE2, it was fast paced and it was exciting. It also had the perfect blend between puzzles and action.

Another good aspect was the fact that it was almost too games, at the start you pick one of two characters and then play through their `A' mission, once completed, you move over to the other character and play through their `B' mission that links up to the game. Then once you've completed the game - you can play it the other way round for a different experience. This gives you countless things to do and will keep you entertained for ages.

The game was also big with plenty of things to keep you entertained and it contained a great story and brilliant cinematics. The story is also a plus point and this is one of the only games that I have played that makes you really care about what will happen to the characters and when some of them don't make it - it's sad.

This is one of the games that you should play before you die as it hasn't really been beaten (not even by one of the later Resident Evil games), a true masterpiece of gaming!

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Rating: - one of the best games created ever
This is one of the games along with the likes of Final Fantasy VII, Tenchu, Full Metal Gear Solid, Grand Turismo,etc, that you must play. If you never played this game when it came out, then you had to be in a coma.

My only complaint is that it isn't long enough. I completed it pretty fast with Leon, and was expecting it to be much much longer.

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Rating: - scary,engrossing and exiting, one of the best ever
to start with dont play this game if your too young. I did so and paid the price. i couldnt sleep for weeks. now that i can appreciate this game and complete both scenarios for both carachters i can really see what a gem this game is. definately recomended even if your not a fan of the genre. this is in my top ten games ever.