12.9.2012

Resident evil 2 is what many resident evil fans consider to be the best game in the series. Not only does it continue the story of the first game rather well but unlike it's predecessor and subsequent games; resident evil 2 offers four different scenarios.So to set the scene depending on who you play as we are greeted by an Fmv scene of either Leon or Claire travelling to Raccoon City. Both characters arrive and discover the town overrun by zombies, they manage to escape in a police cruiser and start driving and it is here we learn; that Leon is a rookie cop arriving for his first day, and Claire is searching for her brother Chris Redfield; our protaganist from resident evil 1.Their moonlight drive is cut short however and both Claire and Leon are seperated by an explosion that seperates them. Leon shouts to claire on the opposite side to head to the police station. Now the game is over to you.Resident Evil 2 plays exactly like the previous game and takes place for the most part inside the Police station. Because of it being a former museum the RPD station is very similar in design to the mansion, and most of the time inside it will consist of you having to hunt down keys to progress. As you progress you will continue onwards to the sewer system and finally just like the first game, the lab. However resident evil 2 does have some differences; to begin with it is only Leon that will recieve the shotgun and Magnum, Resident evil 2 is also the first game to pioneer injured walking and when the chosen character is in caution or danger, they will limp. As I also mentioned above this game features four different scenarios of the main game, an A and a B. When you complete one of the character's A scenario you can then play their B scenario. The difference between A and B is: Different bosses, different dialog and scenes, new areas of the game to explore, a new ultimate ending, and finally as the B game takes place after the other character's A scenario, some of the things you do in that scenario A will affect the outcome in B. This feature and the two scenarios were believe it or not part inspired by the film Back to the Future part 2. It is also possible in this game to pick up a side pack in either scenario to increase the amount you can carry in your inventory, and like Chris and Jill; Leon and Claire have their respective lockpicks and lighters. Continuing the tradition of playing as another character in this game you will at somepoint play as a little girl named Sherry, and a woman named Ada Wong. After completion of the game you can unlock up to 2 new scenarios, or if you are playing the dreamcast, playstion dual shock, N64, pc or gamecube version, you can also unlock the Extreme Battle mode; which is similar to the resident evil 3 Mercenaries scenario; except that you aren't timed and can save. Finally in any of the A scenario's if you manage to reach the police station without picking up an item, you can pick up a special key which will allow either character to change to another costume; one of which comes with a new weapon.Except for the typical zombie, spider, crow, and the cerberus, all the enemies in the game are brand new. The new enemies in resident evil 2 range from a Licker; a mutated zombie that now has claws and a body piercing tongue, a giant moth but encountering it is avoidable, a Giant alligator which can be killed in two different ways, A G virus mutation, a mutated Ivy, a new Tyrant programmed to pursue you constantly; although it is only seen in the B scenario, and of course the games main boss William Birkin. This mutated monster unlike any previous resident evil bosses will continue to mutate and get stronger each time you fight him, so ensure to stock up on ammo.The weaponry in resident evil 2 features the standard handgun, magnum, shotgun, grenade launcher, rocket launcher, and of course the knife. As I said above the shotgun and magnum are not obtainable by Claire, and even though she doesn't get a shotgun she does get a bowgun and a sparkshot. In addition to the standard weaponry you can also unlock a gattling gun, machine gun, and rocket launcher each with unlimited ammo. It is also possible during the main game to find hand gun parts, magnum parts, and shotgun parts to modify the magnum, shotgun and handgun in to more powerful weapons.Grahically this game has improved drastically. For a start the live action acting has gone completely in favour of a new CG FMV style of cutscene. The pre rendered backgrounds are looking a lot more detailed and photographic and the main hall of the police station looks absolutely stunning! The 3d in game models of the characters and enemies are a lot more detailed, and the inventory items are now no longer 3d viewable objects; They are instead photographs. Even though this game is pre rendered this game has more of an interactive environment for example; you can hurt yourself by walking towards fire, objects can break, and you can even shoot the screen with a gun and it will crack.The story line continues where resident evil 1 left off. The Mansion has been destroyed and Barry, Jill, Rebecca and Chris surived. They return to the city where they start to discover that the city is in as much danger as the former Mansion. Meanwhile Dr William Birkin a brilliant Umbrella scientist has created a new virus the G virus. Superior in every way to his T virus and capable of creating the ultimate bio weapon. Then due to an unfortunate incident Raccoon City is transformed in to a living nightmare. Unlike resident evil 1 the second game has more than a few different characters that each have their own story to tell.The music is done again by Masami Ueda and his team from the first game, although this time the music has more of a dramatic sound to it because the producer Shinji Mikami wanted the game to be more of a hollywood style. Consequently instead of the darker gothic sound in the first game, here we have more of a theme of desperation, escape and action.The replay value of resident evil 2 is excellent and outweighs the first and third games due largely to the A and B scenarios, as well as the unlockable scenarios; hunk, tofu, and ex battle. However even with all the extra modes I feel that Resident Evil 2 is probably the most linear of the 3 games, is this a bad thing? Well yes and no. It would've been nice to be able to choose your ending like the first game; it would of indeed been nice to be able to actually have more than one ending alone. There is virtually nothing you can do in this game that affects your ending and whilst Resident Evil 2 is in many ways superior to the first game, I can't help but feel after playing it a dozen times that it falls a bit short of Resident Evil 1 and even 3.You see originally Resident Evil 2 was going to be a much different game much! The story line for the most part remained unchanged, but it was a lot harder, and the game allowed you to save and cooperate with other survivors. Unfortunately due to Capcom the game was scrapped, rebuilt, and consequently rushed to completion. This is evident in the fact that the RPD map design is the same as the Arklay Mansion, and there are many inconsistencies with the station design as well as other areas. The only room left unchanged is the experiment room in the lab that can be unlocked by finger print access, have a look for yourself and note the red light. This was clearly going to be a puzzle.Finally I give Resident Evil 2 full marks because even though the main game in my opinion falls a bit short, the music, atmosphere, graphics, and of course the tons of extra scenarios available outweigh it; this is why a lot of people consider this game to be the best in the series. I recommend this game to any survival horror and resident evil fans.

5.8.2008

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.

10.2.2004

You'd have thought that, after such a successful re-release of the Original game Resident Evil, Capcom would do the same for its sequels. Sorry - no such luck. This release is almost a direct port of the original one, and doesn't really use the power of the cube to its full capability. It's a shame, but that said this is no great loss because its gameplay and replay value still outclass most newly released titles.This game isn't like the original, with its dark corridors and scarce ammo supply. RE2 takes you into the streets of Raccoon City before leading you through the devastated Police Station, the dank spider-infested sewers and Umbrella's secret research facility. Instead of a ominous,

30.7.2009

In 1996, Capcom gave us the first instalment of a video game series that captured the imaginations of a generation, 'Resident Evil.'Just two years later, fans were treated to a sequel 'Resident Evil 2.' Widely considered as the superior 90's title, Capcom managing to raise the bar, giving us a fresh take on the Biohazard in Raccoon City. This time, we played with new main characters; Leon S. Kennedy (Resident Evil 4), a Rookie on his first day as a R.P.D. Officer and Claire Redfield (Resident Evil: Code Veronica) (sister of S.T.A.R.S. member Chris Redfield from Resident Evil)Not only were the graphics improved, but so was the manoeuvrability of the characters, with a wider selection of weapons,

15.5.2003

I'm a pretty big Resident Evil fan, so when I heard about the Resident Evil remake for the GameCube, I was pretty excited. Bought that, loved it and sat patiently waiting for RE2.That's when things took a (slight) turn for the worst. RE2 is a direct port from the PlayStation original, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The game itself is excellent as games go, but trouble arises because you may already have this game on another console. If you do, then there's nothing new for you; only die hard fans and those wishing to complete their collection need buy it.On the other hand, if you're new to the Resident Evil series (Hi, welcome back from Mars) or have just recently discovered it,

22.7.2015

The game that beat the revenue sales of the US box office in 1997 (with the exception being James Cameron's Titanic). The Nintendo Gamecube has a very good port of the Playstation DualShock version, contains the same Easter eggs and the infinite ammo cheat, uncompressed resolution in FMV and in game graphics. The Playstation had low resolution 240p graphics and lacked a Z-buffer, so polygons would warp and pop. The Gamecube remedies this and looks great on SCART and component cable displayed in 480i/p.Having said that the graphics have aged and look best on a small CRT then straight to a modern flat screen. Sadly the early model Playstations has the better sound due to Sony's DAC chip too.

7.5.2007

Yes the original resident evil started the horror genre but 2 took it to a whole new level the first was more puzzly, desperately searching for ammo adventure while this introduced the pulse pounding action & cool weapons.Picking up a few months after where resi 1 left off disgraced S.T.A.R.S members have left the city in search of proof against the corporation umbrella the point mans sister Claire Redfield comes in search of him while rookie cop Leon s Kennedy arrives late for his first day upon discovering the city overrun with zombies they band together an attempt to escape the city whilst begin pursued by umbrellas hellish freaks.Yes this is a port of the ps1 games with slightly improved

13.3.2004

I do feel that everyone is being a bit unfair with the GC verison of RE2. Ok its not as good as the RE1 remake or 0 but its better than RE3: Nemesis (which is still great and 4 stars from me).All the bad that the other reviews are ture. Its not scary compared to RE1 remake (which made me very very scared, which is why I love it so) but this is the reason I love RE now. I was at my mates house everyday playing it his PSone and I did get the N64 version becuase of it. And now I get to enjoy it on my GameCube so I dont see any real bad points.One last thing; the game doesn't play as well as RE1 remake of RE0 BUT it plays a hell of a lot better on the GameCube than on the N64 or PSone,

19.2.2006

After playing the remake of the original resident evil and the brillant and underrated resident evil zero it is quite sad that how bored i am getting of resident evil. It isn't just how it looks either it is the simple fact that this game is so similiar to the others, the story is weak, and reminds me somewhat of a bmovie film horror. But the gameplay lacks it is exactly the same as the other resi's games i have played, i am becoming bored of this genre and running around find a key go back pick up some bullets shoot some zombies, it becomes repeative and when you complete the game there is no replay value shame,

18.8.2007

ok, i have seen some comments people are leaving for this game about the graphics, saying its ps1 graphics... this game was originally released on the ps1 before gamecube, so the company just changed the game from ps1 to gamecube without changing the graphics, if you got a ps1, buy this game, dont buy a gamecube to buy it... my bro said: gamecubes were made for resident evil games, that means they have better graphics, they dont, same graphics. so, dont buy gamecube just to get these games if your a fan, they cost more money because of the 2 discs and the bigger case.. buy all of them on the ps1, go to [...] and u can download the gamecube cases, so, it will be like u bought them on gamecube but only 1 disk,

6.6.2003

First let me say that you really shouldn’t listen to all these people who say that the games graphics are poor compared to the resident evil 1 remake and resident evil 0. Of course the graphics aren’t as good because resident evil 2 is basically the original playstation game which has had its graphic’s and frame rate done up a bit for the cube release. And for all those people who have said in there reviews that they felt cheated all I can say is that the games where brought out on gamecube so that people who never got a chance to play them on the playstation could. And in closing just remember that this game is one of resident evil's roots and is well worth the money if you didn’t have the

6.6.2003

Ask any hardcore resi fan what their favourite game is and they'll say RE2. The graphics still stand up to other games, even today. It has the most intensive storyline ever. The game is HUGE. There are 4 main scenarios, 3 large side games (one of which is part of the storyline), but unfortunately all the galleries are missing in the GC version. For RE nooBs you'll need to play this if you want to understand any of the storylines of the other RE games. The FMVs are still fantastic, especially the famous one showing the outbreak. Very realistic characters. Very nice weapons. My favourite game yet!

9.5.2003

Althought i have'nt played this game yet it's actually a port of the original version, which mean's there's no change to the grafix's or sounds which is a little disapointing. But hopefully they've ported it from either the N64 or PC version and not from the slow and old phoney greystation.I it your the first resi game you've bought be sure to keep the light on and take the role of clair redfield who's searching for her brother chris and leon kennedy who's dad get's zombiefied and try's to eat him.For the price amazon are asking for it you'd be a fool to miss out.

19.2.2005

Out of the resident evil games on gamecube and on any console, I got to say that this is the best one there is! I had this on PS1, it was utter rubbish, I had it on N64, it was amazing, and now on gamecube, it just simply stunning, graphics are brilliant, puzzles are great and clever, the gameplay is good and the enemies are top notch! Very good game!! Get it! Then get RESIDENT EVIL 4!!!

3.10.2007

The plot of the game is just like the one of the second RE movie: the zombies and monsters have conquered Racoon City.The atmosphere at the game is so tight that you are scared when you play it at night when it is dark outside and your're alone in the dark.The gameplay is not so difficult but beginners should practise a bit before starting the missions.Enjoy the creepy haunting!

Resident Evil 2 (GameCube) - Reviews

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