The original Resident Evil was a game that, aside from some odd design choices and lovably bad voice acting, aged quite well when I played through it back in May, and it made me interested in checking out its two direct follow-ups. Despite the amount of praise I've heard about the remake from 2019 (along with it featuring a much more conventional control scheme), I wanted to stick with the original game so that I could see how the series evolved with each entry, and it would only make sense to play the PS1 version of Resident Evil 2 after playing the PS1 version of Resident Evil. Maybe it's because I didn't need as much time to adjust to the controls and the gameplay loop this time around, but it only took me three play sessions (roughly 235 minutes) to beat this game as opposed to the seven hours spaced out across ten-ish days that it took me to beat the original game, but even in that short amount of time, I could tell just how much better Resident Evil 2 was than its predecessor, as it improved on that game's general formula while also retaining what made it unique and engaging in the first place.

Before I had even gotten past the intro section in Raccoon City, I was impressed by just how much better Resident Evil 2 looked than the first game, especially when I considered how there was just a two year difference between them (although it's technically closer to less than a year if you don't count the time they spent working on the Resident Evil 1.5 build that eventually got scrapped). Instead of cheesy live action filled with Party City costumes, Resident Evil 2 features a solid amount of prerendered FMV cutscenes that were all filled with action and energy, and that cinematic approach made both the plot and the events surrounding it feel more compelling. The in-game textures and models were also much more detailed, which made the different rooms and areas within the run-down city streets, decrepit central police station, and sleek underground labs feel unique in both their looks and the eerie and often tense atmospheres that they evoked, with the returning fixed camera angles especially adding to this during combat encounters with the grotesque and fleshy enemies. Although the core gameplay loop of exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat hasn't changed, I felt that its execution was much smoother here thanks to the Raccoon Police Station being significantly smaller than the Spencer Mansion from the previous game, as that made backtracking and swapping items at the nearest item box far less tedious due to how much closer everything was while also making the individual areas stand out more. The tighter, more claustrophobic rooms and hallways also strengthened the game's emphasis on action, as it not only made the increased combat encounters intense by not always giving you the option to run past your enemy, but it also made coming across ammo and healing items more gratifying due to how much more often they're needed and how scarce they felt to come across.

On top of having a more interesting plot and more well-written flavor text, I also thought that Resident Evil 2 featured much better characters, and more of them at that. While he isn't quite the lovable, one-liner-spouting himbo that he becomes in Resident Evil 4, I still liked playing as Leon Kennedy, and the relationship that he develops with the mysterious Ada Wong over the course of the game was especially compelling. While the voice acting and dialogue weren't as hilariously awful as what was in the original Resident Evil, they both still retained at least some level of campiness, even if none of it made me laugh like it did in the first game. The idea of having certain actions from your first playthrough affect the ones in your second playthrough was also very interesting, and it gave a lot more replay value to the game rather than having the choice between two characters simply be a difficulty select screen like in the previous game. Resident Evil 2 was a great survival horror game that massively improved on the ideas present in its predecessor, and despite how I was already excited to eventually play Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, my enjoyment with this game has made me look forward to the next one even more.

CASTLEVANIA MARATHON- 10/22

The Ocarina of Time of Castlevania.

There's not a lot to say about Symphony of the Night that hasn't already been said. The only Metroidvania I've ever played that can claim to be as good as Hollow Knight. It radically changed the course of the series' gameplay from tough-as-nails 2D sidescroller to a more forgiving exploration-focused platformer, changed the series' art direction from shlocky monster movie throwback to gothic beauty and the main character's designs from "BUFF FUCKING MEN WITH BIG FUCKING MUSCLES WITH BIG FUCKING WHIPS" to "pretty boys :3", is the second game in the series to have voice acting and is one of the most quotable games of all time because of it and I would argue- very uncontroversially- that it's the best game on the PS1.

RPG levelling is something I'm usually not a fan of but the only thing smoother than Symphony's progression system is Alucard's silky voice. Exploring every square inch of Dracula's castle, bit-by-bit getting stronger and finding better equpiment until your fight with Richter Belmont is so satisfying- effortlessly butchering enemies that used to take you serious effort to put down.

And then the twist comes. You're only halfway done.

The inverted castle is a great addition for a few reasons- it's a great twist that keeps the story intriguing, it can only be accessed by finding well-hidden items which rewards the player for thorough investigation and most importantly it provides a large endgame. Metroidvanias as a whole have this slight issue where you get your last few upgrades and then it's time to wrap it up, but Symphony gives you ample time to play around with all of the tools in Alucard's kit before closing the curtains.

There's just so much in Symphony of the Night. It feels like such a complete game that it puts most other Metroidvanias to shame, and I think it stands as the peak of the genre for 20 long years before Hollow Knight comes in.

Also, Alucard is just ridiculously hot.

Next- Castlevania (1999)
Previous- Castlevania: Dracula X