It's worth bearing in mind how much the Resident Evil 2 remake was aiming to achieve. It was a remake of a widely beloved 1998 survival horror game that many saw as the genre's defining title, it was the long-awaited sequel to the best videogame remake ever made, it was a back-to-basics step backwards for a huge franchise that had spiralled out of control, it was a new attempt at recapturing the critical success of Resident Evil 4, and it was a massive tentpole release for one of the giants of Japanese videogame development. Capcom had struggled since the glory days of the PS2, with the rapid departure of major talent, and a dwindling market for console games in Japan. Taking on a project like a new Resi 2 would be a major show of renewed confidence, and they pretty much stuck the landing.
The "remake" branding is a little misleading, here. This is more of an adaptation. A shift in format, much like Steamforged's "Resident Evil 2: The Board Game". Capturing much of the iconography and ideas of Hideki Kamiya's original PlayStation title, and reappropriating them for a modern big budget action game. It's a game for those who like the idea of Resident Evil 2 more than they actively enjoy playing it. The folk who constantly pester developers on Twitter for remakes of everything because they can't be arsed working with memory cards.
What's admirable is how much they manage to cater to each strain of the playerbase. There's old Resi 2 ideas in here that only work because of how much Resi 2 surrounds it. Barricading windows, optional puzzles for more equipment, weapon upgrades you might miss, and rooms with multiple entrances. It's easy to see how any of these elements might have been completely fucked in a more linear design, or rendered irrelevant if the player was given too much freedom in any moment, but the balance has been maintained. Resi 2 still feels punchy, tense and suffocating.
The newfound freedom in the controls does lighten the atmosphere considerably, though. You're not locked into aiming spots, as you have access to a full range of movement with your gun drawn, but it's an aspect of the game that the developers saw value in. Standing still while aiming will steady your shot and make attacks more effective. For the player, it's a nervous balance of how much you want to hurt the monsters and how scared you are that they'll come lunging for you. Controls are far more intricate here too, allowing for a whole range of considerations when targeting an enemy. It builds on the old risk/reward Resi dynamic of the safe body shot or tricky headshot, allowing for players to strategically target limbs to stumble or effectively nullify approaching zombies. The greater range in movement would make it easier to avoid enemies altogether, if only it didn't apply to them as well. There's a lot of variables that Capcom had to manage to make this new approach work, and I'd argue they achieved it.
There's also the perspective of how well this works as a follow-up to the 2002 GameCube Resident Evil. That game's biggest success is in how it played with player expectations to turn a familiar, and increasingly comforting environment into a devious and terrifying one. From the moment the dogs didn't smash through the window, old fans knew the game was fucking with them, and they could never be too comfortable with what lay ahead. It's a moment the 2019 Resi 2 attempts to repeat with the first Licker, though its biggest achievement is in how it handles "Mr X" - a constant roaming presence in moments where the player would otherwise have a little too much to find safety in. Watching how much noise you're making, and actively listening for recognisable footsteps in nearby rooms really works well, adding light stealth elements to the tension. It's a brilliant use of the playing pieces laid out by the original game, keeping it fresh while never feeling out of step with the design.
What's crucial to my affection is the game's tone. If Claire or Leon seemed too smart, too confident or too frightened, it would have completely fucked it for me. They aren't. They're nice kids. Wholesome, and very assured of their own coolness. The pair meeting outside the east wing of the RCPD, and sharing a breezy conversation as zombies emerged from the apocalyptic chaos of the city, reassured me that Capcom had totally nailed the characterisation. They're very lovable, and I was grateful to play as them.
Then there's the stuff that doesn't work quite so well for me. The voice in my head that screams "THE ALLIGATOR" whenever I see the keyart. They totally fucked the alligator. The gameplay of the original sequence was always more of a setpiece than an intricate bossfight, but it was memorable, exciting and fun. A whimsical progression of Resi 1's use of giant evil animal bosses, and my own fondness for snapping crocodilians made the moment one of the major highlights of the game. In the remake, it's a fleeting Crash Bandicoot run towards the camera as a monster, obscured by piles of sewer refuse, takes three bites at you and dies. Fuck off. I'd have welcomed a QTE sequence that really played up the dynamics of the escape, but Capcom cowered away from wrongheaded criticism of Resi 4 and replaced it with something so insubstantial they might as well have skipped it entirely. It takes a lot for me not to write off the game entirely for that alone. It's indicative of much of the approach the remake takes towards big action sequences and setpieces, too. There's very little in here that captures the weight, foundational excitement and charm of those original moments. The freedom of camera movement, expansive environments and dynamic character models often places these moments somewhere on the scale between TV ad and Advent Children.
I forgive that, though. It's because the love for Resi 2, and the respect for those who love it, is so clear here. They saw how broad an audience they wanted to appeal to, and made sure what they delivered was still Resi 2. I'm of the opinion that it's even more critical to determine whether you're talking about this game or the original when you declare that you like Resident Evil 2, but I don't think it's a subject that the oldguard fans have the right to get snobby about. I can keep coming back to my Dreamcast copy, but there's a lot to draw me back to the remake too.
The "remake" branding is a little misleading, here. This is more of an adaptation. A shift in format, much like Steamforged's "Resident Evil 2: The Board Game". Capturing much of the iconography and ideas of Hideki Kamiya's original PlayStation title, and reappropriating them for a modern big budget action game. It's a game for those who like the idea of Resident Evil 2 more than they actively enjoy playing it. The folk who constantly pester developers on Twitter for remakes of everything because they can't be arsed working with memory cards.
What's admirable is how much they manage to cater to each strain of the playerbase. There's old Resi 2 ideas in here that only work because of how much Resi 2 surrounds it. Barricading windows, optional puzzles for more equipment, weapon upgrades you might miss, and rooms with multiple entrances. It's easy to see how any of these elements might have been completely fucked in a more linear design, or rendered irrelevant if the player was given too much freedom in any moment, but the balance has been maintained. Resi 2 still feels punchy, tense and suffocating.
The newfound freedom in the controls does lighten the atmosphere considerably, though. You're not locked into aiming spots, as you have access to a full range of movement with your gun drawn, but it's an aspect of the game that the developers saw value in. Standing still while aiming will steady your shot and make attacks more effective. For the player, it's a nervous balance of how much you want to hurt the monsters and how scared you are that they'll come lunging for you. Controls are far more intricate here too, allowing for a whole range of considerations when targeting an enemy. It builds on the old risk/reward Resi dynamic of the safe body shot or tricky headshot, allowing for players to strategically target limbs to stumble or effectively nullify approaching zombies. The greater range in movement would make it easier to avoid enemies altogether, if only it didn't apply to them as well. There's a lot of variables that Capcom had to manage to make this new approach work, and I'd argue they achieved it.
There's also the perspective of how well this works as a follow-up to the 2002 GameCube Resident Evil. That game's biggest success is in how it played with player expectations to turn a familiar, and increasingly comforting environment into a devious and terrifying one. From the moment the dogs didn't smash through the window, old fans knew the game was fucking with them, and they could never be too comfortable with what lay ahead. It's a moment the 2019 Resi 2 attempts to repeat with the first Licker, though its biggest achievement is in how it handles "Mr X" - a constant roaming presence in moments where the player would otherwise have a little too much to find safety in. Watching how much noise you're making, and actively listening for recognisable footsteps in nearby rooms really works well, adding light stealth elements to the tension. It's a brilliant use of the playing pieces laid out by the original game, keeping it fresh while never feeling out of step with the design.
What's crucial to my affection is the game's tone. If Claire or Leon seemed too smart, too confident or too frightened, it would have completely fucked it for me. They aren't. They're nice kids. Wholesome, and very assured of their own coolness. The pair meeting outside the east wing of the RCPD, and sharing a breezy conversation as zombies emerged from the apocalyptic chaos of the city, reassured me that Capcom had totally nailed the characterisation. They're very lovable, and I was grateful to play as them.
Then there's the stuff that doesn't work quite so well for me. The voice in my head that screams "THE ALLIGATOR" whenever I see the keyart. They totally fucked the alligator. The gameplay of the original sequence was always more of a setpiece than an intricate bossfight, but it was memorable, exciting and fun. A whimsical progression of Resi 1's use of giant evil animal bosses, and my own fondness for snapping crocodilians made the moment one of the major highlights of the game. In the remake, it's a fleeting Crash Bandicoot run towards the camera as a monster, obscured by piles of sewer refuse, takes three bites at you and dies. Fuck off. I'd have welcomed a QTE sequence that really played up the dynamics of the escape, but Capcom cowered away from wrongheaded criticism of Resi 4 and replaced it with something so insubstantial they might as well have skipped it entirely. It takes a lot for me not to write off the game entirely for that alone. It's indicative of much of the approach the remake takes towards big action sequences and setpieces, too. There's very little in here that captures the weight, foundational excitement and charm of those original moments. The freedom of camera movement, expansive environments and dynamic character models often places these moments somewhere on the scale between TV ad and Advent Children.
I forgive that, though. It's because the love for Resi 2, and the respect for those who love it, is so clear here. They saw how broad an audience they wanted to appeal to, and made sure what they delivered was still Resi 2. I'm of the opinion that it's even more critical to determine whether you're talking about this game or the original when you declare that you like Resident Evil 2, but I don't think it's a subject that the oldguard fans have the right to get snobby about. I can keep coming back to my Dreamcast copy, but there's a lot to draw me back to the remake too.
87th
1 year ago