after being let down to some extent by both RE remake and RE4, i went into resident evil 2 with few expectations, especially because this entry was obviously built on the foundation that was laid out by its predecessor. but, as it turns out, i actually enjoyed this game a lot!!
RE2 is engaging in its simplicity. it's very streamlined and tightly paced, with every objective flowing easily into the next. exploring the police station is a joy thanks to the great level design and art direction.
the RPD headquarters revolves around the Main Hall, the heart of the station. all the paths branch out of it. your key items hint at where you're supposed to go and give the game a firm sense of linearity without necessarily holding your hand. there's also a lot of backtracking, so when all of these ideas are combined, you basically get zelda dungeon gameplay but with zombies and resource management.
within the station are these awfully narrow, claustrophobic corridors littered with monsters that exploit the massive jankiness of the basic movement mechanics. running past zombies in this game can be really tricky (i actually didn't struggle with this in REmake) and shooting is rarely the best option, which is what creates a dilemma for the player, adding entertainment and tension to the exploration aspect that is actually the core of the gameplay.
and if zombies make the exploration mechanically engaging, what makes it actually rewarding to me is just how good this game looks. the environments bustle with pixelated detail and are gorgeously composed to suit the fixed camera angles. RE2 is often so colorful, charming and vibrant that it reminds me of a comic book.
although the enemy encounters are well thought out and fun, what really kept me playing was this drive to see what would come next: a drive that wasn't fueled by the story beats at all, but more so by the pretty environments, the satisfying level design and good gameplay pacing.
in 2023, i don't think that RE2 is a scary game at all. it does have its spooky moments here and there, but it doesn't double down on its horror element enough to conjure a convincing, frightening atmosphere, like its rival silent hill would go on to do a year later. the mythos surrounding this game would have you think that it is all about monsters and terrifying stuff, but, to me, resident evil 2 is now more about catching a glimpse of what raccoon city used to be and navigating part of its remains against all odds.
played on retroarch with the crt royale shader
RE2 is engaging in its simplicity. it's very streamlined and tightly paced, with every objective flowing easily into the next. exploring the police station is a joy thanks to the great level design and art direction.
the RPD headquarters revolves around the Main Hall, the heart of the station. all the paths branch out of it. your key items hint at where you're supposed to go and give the game a firm sense of linearity without necessarily holding your hand. there's also a lot of backtracking, so when all of these ideas are combined, you basically get zelda dungeon gameplay but with zombies and resource management.
within the station are these awfully narrow, claustrophobic corridors littered with monsters that exploit the massive jankiness of the basic movement mechanics. running past zombies in this game can be really tricky (i actually didn't struggle with this in REmake) and shooting is rarely the best option, which is what creates a dilemma for the player, adding entertainment and tension to the exploration aspect that is actually the core of the gameplay.
and if zombies make the exploration mechanically engaging, what makes it actually rewarding to me is just how good this game looks. the environments bustle with pixelated detail and are gorgeously composed to suit the fixed camera angles. RE2 is often so colorful, charming and vibrant that it reminds me of a comic book.
although the enemy encounters are well thought out and fun, what really kept me playing was this drive to see what would come next: a drive that wasn't fueled by the story beats at all, but more so by the pretty environments, the satisfying level design and good gameplay pacing.
in 2023, i don't think that RE2 is a scary game at all. it does have its spooky moments here and there, but it doesn't double down on its horror element enough to conjure a convincing, frightening atmosphere, like its rival silent hill would go on to do a year later. the mythos surrounding this game would have you think that it is all about monsters and terrifying stuff, but, to me, resident evil 2 is now more about catching a glimpse of what raccoon city used to be and navigating part of its remains against all odds.
played on retroarch with the crt royale shader
Snappington1
1 year ago