Resident Evil 2 Remake (PS4) Review

Survival horror reimagined.

 Resident Evil 2 was among the best survival-horror games back in the day, completely improving upon the foundation of its predecessor. It gave us a new setting in Raccoon City, terrifyingly eerie zombies, and series mainstays Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield. For fans, it was the perfect sequel. That showed when looking the amount of cash it raked in for Capcom. I've played the PS1 classic years ago and while not my favorite game in the long-running series, it was a damn good one. However, like most early 3D games, Resident Evil 2 didn't age all that well. After many requests from fans over the years, RE2 finally gets a long-deserved remake in the form of Resident Evil 2 Remake. This time it features newly built assets, gameplay overhauls, and slight story retellings. We're just two months into the year and Resident Evil 2 Remake is already one of my favorite games of 2019, here's why!

 Shortly after the Spencer Mansion incident of Resident Evil, the deadly G-virus finds itself spread into the nearby Raccoon City, plunging it into complete chaos. With flames consuming the once peaceful city and the dead walking over the streets, the story follows Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield. Leon is a rookie police officer searching for answers and Claire is a college student looking for the her brother Chris. Together, they must survive the zombie-infested chaos while also getting tangled in a deadly corporate secret. RE2 Remake keeps much of the original story intact, but fleshes-out the characters this time around, including some of the minor ones as well. I really loved the sister dynamic between Claire and Sherry, which made me care about them making it till the end. Leon and the enigmatic Ada Wong's relationship also gets more development in certain scenes. I also liked the  various journals and notes that add backstory to the outbreak and reading them was insightful as you get to learn about the chaos from different perspectives. All in all, the story is an engaging one for sure.

Survive another disaster. 

 Addressing the elephant in the room, Resident Evil 2 Remake forgoes the fixed camera system and tank controls of the PS1 era and instead, plays in third-person view with a Revelations-styled control scheme. Sadly, a first-person view akin to Resident Evil 7 is not available. Finding maps in certain rooms will showcase the entire area and will highlight items you might have missed, easing some of the backtracking. While purists might be disappointed with these changes, I found them to be well executed and streamlined the flow of the game; especially the third-person view, which is more involving than the fixed camera system. Most notably is that saving this time is free, so save to your heart's content. Fortunately for purists, Ink Ribbons make a return in all their glory in hard mode and their supplies are pretty scarce.

 Leon and Claire start off in a police department but soon quickly come to realize that it's infested with zombies. You'll have to solve some puzzles and even have a few run-ins with zombies to get keys that unlock much some of the game's locked areas. There's firepower such as handguns and shotguns to keep them at bay, though keep in mind that ammo is limited and some zombies will reanimate after a while. This calls for some strategy when exploring since you're not always forced to kill enemies, yet it's best to clear out a few since many of them can gang up on you if cornered. Some might even take you by surprise considering much of the game is filled to the brim with darkness. Fortunately, the game offers some defensive items such as combat knifes and grenades to break loose from grabs but the former will break after some uses.

RE2 Remake introduces some bold changes

to modernize the gameplay.

 The biggest attraction of RE2 Remake is that you'll be often hunted by the indestructible Mr. X, who will stop at nothing to kill Leon and Claire. If he sets eyes on you, then it's a game of cat and mouse. You wont have the necessary fire power to beat him initially, so you'll have to resort to fleeing at first sight and hiding in a couple of rooms to get him off your tail. This guy hits hard as one swing will knock either Leon or Claire off the ground. Mr. X completely changes up the flow of the game by making you feel even more vulnerable as you'll tense up every time you hear his heavy footsteps pounding the ground. He definitely makes things more exciting though his frequent presence in the B scenarios can get on the annoying side.

 Thankfully, there's a handful of supplies to patch you up in tough times. Mixing different colored herbs will treat wounds and poisoning while the rarer first aid sprays will completely restore your health. Resident Evil 3's returning gun powder mechanic has you combining various types of ammo powder to create ammunition for your handguns and machine guns. Take note that supplies are scarce and you can put yourself in a tough spot if you use up your herbs before a boss fight. You can store any excess items in the good old inventory boxes found in save rooms since you can only carry a few things at a time. Sometimes, you'll have to decide what to take or stow away depending on the situation.

He's big, scary, and not messing around.

 In an attempt to diversify the gameplay, you can also play as the enigmatic Ada Wong, who's after the after the G-virus for reasons unknown. She uses her own special gadgets to hack into terminals and unlock new pathways. Also, you get to play as Sherry in her stealth-based segments as well. Interestingly, there are two secret characters to play as. You can play as Umbrella operative, Hunk, as he must survive against a horde of enemies in Raccoon City. Completing his mode will unlock the hilarious "Tofu Survivor", a joke mode where you play as a block of tofu... as it attempts to survive the chaos. Don't let the silly aesthetic fool you, it's probably the hardest mode to beat in the game!

 RE2 Remake retains the "scenario" system of the original , where if you play as either Leon or Claire for the first time and beat their "A" scenario, you will unlock their "B" scenario. For example, if you play as Leon and beat his story, you will unlock the other part where you play as Claire with new tweaks to the puzzles and item layout. Overall, there's a total of 4 scenarios each to blast through for the full experience. It packs high replay-value, especially since each scenario is over 5 hours long. An odd thing I found was some jarring story inconsistencies as the exact same events occur in both characters' scenarios, which took me out from the experience a bit. That and I was pretty burn-out after finishing the first scenarios. Despite packing some sweet weapons, the excitement I had dwindled after seeing the same enemies, puzzles, areas, and even Mr. X got on my nerves later on. It's decent system, albeit a flawed one for sure.

Replay-value is high with lots

of modes to keep you hooked.

 RE2 Remake is a cut above the original in term of production values. Utilizing the stunning RE game engine, everything is built from the ground up with new models, environments, and textures that makes Raccoon City feel ironically alive. Leon and Claire look so realistic this time arounds since they're based off real-life models and the visual effects are on whole different league with gorgeously animated lighting and flame effects. Voicework is fantastic, with Leon and Claire being standouts. I felt that the actors did a terrific job with the motion capture effects in order to deliver some convincing performances. The sound design is worth mentioning as the chilling sound effects of the lickers and Ivy zombies created an everlasting sense of uneasiness throughout the adventure. The soundtrack also captures that feeling with many tense tracks, though it's a shame we can't hear much of it since the game is pretty quiet on occasions. Probably my favorite track has to be Mr. X's theme, since you know you're in for a bad time once you hear his footsteps. Oh, and did I mention that that game runs super smooth at 60 FPS?

Capcom went all-out with the production-

values as the game looks stunning.

 I'm happy to report that Resident Evil 2 Remake is a faithful rework of the 1998 original and another remake done right by Capcom. I never was a huge fan of Resident Evil 2 but I have to say that playing the remake made me appreciate how exceptional the original truly was. Despite some flaws, the new changes and revamps revitalizes the 20-year-old game for a new generation, while also pleasing veterans. The story is great, the gameplay's engaging, and the presentation is plain fantastic. Throw in some insane replay-value with some challenging modes and you're bound to have a fun time in Raccoon City, assuming you're not scared of course.