HALLOWEEN zombie mash! (Resident Evil 2 (PC))

Member Name: clownfoot

Product:	Resident Evil 2 (PC)
Date:	31/10/07 (253 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Zombies, shotguns, carnage, hoo-gah!

Disadvantages: Straight port of the Playstation game, takes no advantage of a PC's power.

RESIDENT EVIL 2

Muugh! Raaaauuuugh! Graagh! Bacon sandwich... are the normal zombie-like sounds that emanate from most bedrooms after a Friday night out with the beer monkeys. Along with the feeble, unbalanced shuffling to the kitchen and pathetic attempts to out-stare the fridge into opening because you've forgotten what a handle is, you begin to recognise how spot on George A. Romero's assessment of a crumbling society within Dawn of the Dead really was - we're all essentially zombies! Arrrggghhh!! Without Romero's effortless vision on humanities slavery to consumerism the whole zombie mythology might never have existed. Considering that zombies are second only to pirates and ninjas in the coolness stakes, it's likely the world would have been a much duller place without such an invention. But more importantly, without the introduction of shuffling, 'Brahn' eating hordes of undead the gaming world would not only be denied the genre of survival horror, but also one of the finest games ever crafted - Resident Evil 2! Thank the monkey Gods for Romero then, eh?

Leon Kennedy is the latest recruit to the Racoon City Police Force and his first day is also likely to be his last. You see, Racoon City has become infested with zombies thanks to some plonker at the mega-bio-weapons corporation of Umbrella somehow allowing the fatal T-Virus to be released slap bang in the middle of town. After the 'incident' at the mansion outside of the city a few months previously (that's the first Resident Evil game for all you newcomers), you would think Umbrella might start employing competent scientists. With the walking dead attempting to munch on Leon's tasty ankles he luckily runs into Claire Redfield, who's in town trying to locate her missing brother, and with two guns better than one they join forces in an attempt to reach the Racoon City police station. Once there, the aim is to find any survivors, barricade themselves against the zombie hordes, make time for a cheese and pickle sandwich, wait for a rescue team and, most importantly... survive!

Played from a third person perspective (think CCTV camera angles) with Leon or Claire (depending on which player is chosen) running about a 3-D environment, the main aspects early in the game are simply to either shoot or dodge nearby zombie threats whilst making a bee-line towards the Racoon City police station. Once there the game develops elements of puzzle solving, item collection and exploration of the station whilst maintaining frequent zombie encounters and plot enhancements to keep the story progressing - with some eventfulness! Zombies aren't the only creatures out there looking to siphon your gizzard dry, survivors are few and far between, bigger weapons such as a grenade launcher and shotgun are available for making a greater mess of undead innards and there's more than the odd jump to keep ones finger on the fire-button.

Whilst this all sounds rather generic and unrevolutionary in gameplay terms, trust me when I say Resident Evil 2 is, quite simply, the Aliens of the gaming world - the perfect sequel. From the original game that improved on Alone in the Dark's basic haunted house mechanics, but didn't divert enough from being an otherwise simple and effective exploration-cum-shooter, Resident Evil 2 allows for a unique interactive and cinematic experience that improves on the standard search and shoot components. More than just a game, it raised the bar by which all future survival horrors are now measured. Borrowing scenarios from the aforementioned Dawn of the Dead, but with the shopping mall replaced by a John Carpenter styled Assault on Precinct 13 police station, Resident Evil 2 plays like a horror film but, importantly, with you in the lead driving the plot. By keeping to the rules of what makes a horror film successful - a combination of low-key eerie music, slow build-up and a fitting pay-off - Capcom created a game smothered with genuine atmosphere.

Indeed, the graphics and sound are central to unlocking a visceral edge that ensures the player is totally immersed in Leon and Claire's fateful situation. Without it, Resident Evil 2 would feel completely flat. A good thing then that the graphics depict a down-trodden, nightmare vision of a city in the throws of devastation. Incidental music jingles in the background suggesting something nasty will leap out at any moment. The low wailing and slow shuffling of brain hungry zombies sends a shiver down the player's spine on entering each new location. And then, when you least expect it, a choreographed set-piece has your heart leaping into your mouth - witness zombie arms reaching for your character through boarded up windows or a licker bursting through the two-way mirror in the police interrogation room. Played in the dark and on your lonesome, the effect is not only particularly unnerving but also makes for some fantastic gameplay...

Especially when you consider that shooting lots of zombies is, essentially, notoriously great fun. As the game prolongs with the relentless tension and atmosphere never letting up, it's delightful that you can simply point a shotgun at a zombies head and watch the cranium explode in a fistful of gore. Equally marvellous is stamping on there gelatinous heads if they get too close. Squish - messy! A zombie game without gore would be like a squirrel without nuts. It's a much necessary requirement and Resident Evil 2 delivers by the bucket load. Additionally, the character graphics are a vast improvement on the original. There is greater realism in movement, to add to the more elaborate and detailed backdrops and some neat touches (other than the explosive gore) such as head-tracking effects that make Leon and Claire look towards a feature near them - like a bunch of zombies feasting on a corpse. Also improved over the original is the player can tell the extent of a character's injuries simply by looking at their body language. Leon dragging his feet, doubled over whilst holding onto a shoulder wound pretty much suggests he won't last long in any future confrontations.

So, with some finely crafted gameplay and an intriguing, well developed plot that fits superbly into a horror movie scenario, all that's missing is a keen sense of longevity. Luckily, Capcom do not miss a beat here either. For a start, like the original Resident Evil, there are two playable personas. Whilst both Leon and Claire's plot-lines are similar there is enough that is different (such as survivor encounters and item location) to play through the game twice, which at first takes some effort. Resident Evil 2 is not an easy game to win through and requires a delicate balance of ammo conservation; appropriate use of health items (such as first-aid sprays and different coloured plant leaves); and puzzle solving to escape from Racoon City. The bonus comes when you do win through successfully. Complete the game with Claire and you'll unlock Leon's alternative scenario, and vice-versa. These new scenarios place you at the same starting point of the main game and portray "what really happened" from when Leon and Claire are originally split up. More importantly, these equally lengthy scenarios are much tougher, open up new plot-lines only hinted at in the main game and feature one further ridiculously hard mutherhumper that requires defeating to successfully escape the city. That should keep ones itchy trigger finger happy for a fair while!

In all, what really makes Resident Evil 2 an example of classic gaming that you look forward to replaying on Halloween evenings is simple - it has more of what people liked about the first Resident Evil, but with the addition of brand new spangley bits that fire it into the stratosphere. More zombies, more gore, more weapons and more genuinely scary events, combined with a doom-laden oppressive atmosphere, horror movie quality, better presentation and a true sense of accomplishment if you survive, ensures one goes to bed with a huge grin on their face even whilst checking that nothing is hiding behind the bedroom curtains that might be waiting to slit you in the night. Sure, some will point to its continuing flaws - the rather naff door opening segment between loading screens, the poor inventory system - but these are minor quibbles that only picky buggers will eternally moan about (see what I mean about real-life emulating zombies). Merging the quality of the movies into a player focused gaming experience ensures that Resident Evil 2 surpasses its predecessor in every single aspect of gameplay; this is an absolute diamond of a game from the fields of yester-year. Find it, drool on it, nibble the corner and then eat it - the perfect zombie monster mash for Halloween!


Overall - More of the same, yet entirely different - the equation for the perfect sequel - Resident Evil 2 is the king of the survival horror and an awesome game to boot!


PC Version - It's worth noting that the PC version of Resident Evil 2 is simply a straight port of the original Playstation game, annoying loading screens et al. included.

Price - Getting on for its tenth anniversary, you'd be hard pushed to find a retailer stocking the game anymore. Some Amazon sellers have it priced at a tenner which seems reasonable enough for me, considering it's a classic.

Game certificate: 15 (scenes of horror and gore)

System requirements:

166 MHz Pentium or 133 MHz Pentium with 3-D accelerated card
Microsoft Windows 95 or 98
24 MB RAM (32 MB recommended)
2x CD-ROM drive
16-bit high color with at least 640 x 480 resolution
DirectX 6.0 compatible drivers for CD-ROM drive.


© clownfoot, October 2007.

Summary: The finest survival horror game ever!