resident evil 2 remake review
Test: Resident Evil 2: survival at the heart of an amazing episode
In 1998, two years after the first episode, Resident Evil was offered a sequel. While the development goes through various complicated stages, the result is of high quality and allows the series to truly enter the very closed circle of expected and "bankable" licenses. Although in 2008 it is rumored that a Wii remake may be in development, it will never see the light of day. We will then have to be content with the resumption of various passages in the successful Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles in 2012. It is therefore with interest that the announcement of the remake is welcomed in 2015. After a radar silence of three years, this last talked about again and is preparing to infect our machines in early 2019. In the end, did the title deserve the waiting generated? Do not go there by four paths, yes especially since through the (re) discovery of the work, we realize that some biases legitimize more than ever the status of survival-horror of Resident Evil 2 .
Note:
The test was performed on PS4 Pro, Xbox One X and PC. Note that the textures are detailed, the modeling of the characters successful and that everything turns in a 60 frames per second which never weakens on each of the machines concerned.
The first question we can ask relates to the nature of the work. Whether it's a remake, a reboot or a reinterpretation, is the title more for fans of the original work or newcomers? For Capcom, we will surely be quick to evoke a cross-generational game taking the best of 1998 and the technique of 2019, but impossible to be categorical. Nevertheless, it is a safe bet that the fan will be won over from the first minutes, if only through the promise inherent in the concept: to plunge into a known and appreciated universe while discovering it from a new angle. On this point, Resident Evil 2 arouses curiosity from our first steps in Raccoon City and continues to play with our memories and expectations throughout the adventure. Having to constantly adjust the slide to not offend said fan while making sure to surprise him, the game often finds itself in balance between this desire for nostalgia and the need for renewal. It's also difficult to know if the result will appeal to newcomers, all oscillating continuously between somewhat outdated mechanics and more current progression supported by an achievement taking advantage of the RE Engine already at work on Resident Evil VII.
RESIDENT EVIL 2.5?
Resident Evil 2: survival at the heart of an amazing episode
If the question mentioned a few lines above may seem anecdotal, it is nonetheless interesting. Is Resident Evil 2 a remake or a reboot of the 1998 version? Well a bit of both to say it all, like the Resident Evil released in 2002 and representing in many ways everything that should be a good remake. Rethink, re-imagine, reconsider certain achievements to surprise the player when he least expects it. This was the maxim of "Rebirth". The result, brilliant in its conception and its realization, gave very logically what remains still today one of the most beautiful jewels of the saga. Resident Evil 2 is based on the same principle. We thus find there the main plot which sees Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield struggling with hordes of zombies and nightmarish creatures having invaded Raccoon City.
Although this suite is more generous, its structure remains the same as that of its model. While the first Resident Evil made us visit a gigantic mansion then the underground laboratories of Umbrella, Resident Evil 2, despite its two CDs and its two crossed adventures, the progression was clearly modeled on that of his ancestor, the police station replacing the mansion whereas the visit of the sewers allowed us to join ... a huge laboratory of Umbrella. The idea was not so much to innovate as to offer something "bigger, better, louder". Resident Evil 2 cuvée 2019 undertakes to reinvent the title through several changes. First of all, exit the pre-calculated sets and the fixed camera angles, despite the disappointment of some fans who have already had fun tweaking the demo code to offer a version closer to that of 1998.
This time, we find the TPS view, in order to fully immerse the player, via the shoulder camera initiated in Resident Evil 4. The idea makes sense as far as the result is very convincing, helped by the RE Engine, very comfortable when it comes to setting atmospheres or putting us in full view with his mutilated flesh. We still blame the engine for this "oily" effect, which is a little too pronounced in the management of water drops or facial expressions that are not always convincing. We also mention on some surfaces, some black artifacts quite unpleasant to the eye which, we hope, will disappear via a patch. Beyond these pitfalls, Resident Evil 2 is most of the time superb in its atmospheres or its bestiary, limited but having benefited from a great work of updating. Offering an astonishing re-reading at times (the small town of Raccoon becoming here a megalopolis closer to that of the vision of Paul W. S Anderson's film), Resident Evil 2 has fun with our memories by modifying our perception of the original game, through its redesigned level-design or some additions to the gameplay. However, the game retaining its initial structure, it naturally keeps this quaint aspect synonymous with many back and forth in environments and old-fashioned mechanics with its items and other keys to find in order to progress. However, we also feel here that Capcom wanted to change the initial plan without really succeeding. It is therefore not so much in its progress that Resident Evil 2 surprises but rather in its propensity to register this episode in the continuity of Resident Evil VII by making it darker, oozing and disturbing.
Anyway, there is always the possibility of playing Leon and Claire (via two separate adventures joining at times) then, through short sequences, with Ada and Sherry. The developers have also taken care of these passages by proposing new elements serving the purpose. While Sherry will offer a game of deadly hide and seek, Ada will have to scan her environment to find electrical boxes to activate while avoiding being bitten. Although the developers also paid tribute to Resident Evil 1.5 through the costume of Elsa Walker, we regret that they did not integrate more elements of this aborted episode. Not enough to cry scandal however since we are indeed entitled to new sets and portions of the game redesigned. Consequently, the discovery of the title turns out to be fascinating, if only through his absolute desire to stick to the name of survival-horror.
What surprises most in Resident Evil 2 is the constant bias to offer an adventure of permanent tension. Although this goes, as we said, through the TPS view, and therefore an increased immersion, this state of affairs comes from a higher difficulty (from Normal mode) coupled with some excellent ideas. So, whether you know the basic game or not, take nothing for granted, this new iteration of RE2 constantly playing with our nerves by offering us a minimum of ammunition and creatures much more resistant than before. On this point, we could almost compare Capcom's game to Dead Space, both in its suffocating atmosphere and in the need to rethink its way of playing. If aiming at the head is not completely to be banished, you will quickly become disillusioned when you realize that most of the undead will rise again, even after having taken ten bullets from the noggin. The zombie therefore becomes the central figure of the title, "in its propensity to feign death" and therefore to surprise us, unlike the Lickers or William Birkin betting more on brute force.
Like what the game of Visceral Games asked us, we will now have to rethink its strategy, in particular targeting the members to prevent the zombies from grabbing us or following us. Once immobilized, by skillfully using our knife (deteriorating as and when it is used), we will quickly beat them up so that they pass definitively from life to death. Of course, by searching thoroughly, we may come across boxes of ammunition or new weapons (shotgun, flame thrower, grenade launcher) but the fact is that rarely Resident Evil will have been as stressful, the tension being permanent, even more from the appearance of Mr X, foreshadowing the Nemesis of Resident Evil 3 and becoming, in this case, one more element drastically increasing fear in the player.
It is also difficult to describe the state in which we are when we see it for the first time, when we have just spent several agonizing hours, to avoid zombies, Cerberus and other monstrosities to save our balls by prediction of what might happen next. As well without his determined approach, his retro look or the echo of his heavy steps in the police station informing us of his near future, the monster remains an incredible vector of fear. Even more true when you realize that it evolves as it pleases in the police station and that it can attack us in certain places where we could blow before. From this meeting, the survival twist, to which the series had finally accustomed us no more than that, becomes even more true. Leaking will therefore no longer be an option at certain times, we will have to be careful about what we keep on us and in the communicating trunks and we will think twice before tackling the Hardcore mode synonymous with limited backups, as in the time.
This survival orientation is all the more present since it crystallizes the strongest emotions (not to mention the bursts thanks to some skillfully distilled jump scares) and that it allows to appreciate at its fair value this constant mixture resulting from the original scenarios. . We will then hold our breath by opening a wardrobe while praying for healing sprays or shotgun balls. We will spend time to find out how to open the padlocks in the hope of finding an improvement for our weapon and we will carefully scan the documents hoping to find a clue to solve such a riddle. Never title of the series will have made us so feverish and this in spite of our secondary weapons allowing us to escape from the embrace of a zombie. A kind of second chance or how to give us an ounce of hope before diving back, headlong, into an ocean of darkness.
AND THE HISTORY CONTINUES ...
Resident Evil 2: survival at the heart of an amazing episode
It is therefore at the end of ten hours that we will see the end of the adventure but not the time to breathe since the second campaign will already be on the horizon. We offer new portions, although crossing at regular intervals, the stories of Claire and Leon are complementary both in the environments visited and the NPCs encountered. A way to learn more about the inhabitants of Raccoon and Umbrella's grip on the city, but also to record a few more hours, rich in emotions. Note on this subject that we can enjoy this second campaign in two ways: By choosing to start a new game or after completing a first campaign and by choosing the Bis campaign of the second character. In this case, we will embody the latter through a somewhat modified adventure synonymous, among other things, with shorter cutscenes, slightly modified puzzles, etc. Note, for those who wonder, that the scenarios A & B of the original game were compiled in the basic scenarios of the remake to offer two new adventures.
With a lifespan of between 15 and 18 hours, Resident Evil 2 also encourages to be visited from top to bottom, all being particularly pleasant thanks to the map displaying the remaining objects to collect, points of interest, keys necessary to open such and such a door ... Let us also mention the Achievements, each one being linked to a small bonus to unlock like artworks or 3D models. Most commendable attention. Although the longevity of the title is ensured by its two campaigns, we will also appreciate to find the two Bonus modes allowing us to play Hunk and Tofu having to escape from Raccoon with a minimum of ammunition for one and a simple knife for the other.
So yes, certain passages, like the one where Leon who cannot make a jump of 1m50 above a cracked floor while he is an overtrained policeman, will be ready to smile. And if we can rail against the incessant back and forth inseparable from PSone opus or relatively mirror campaigns, we must admit that Resident Evil 2 subjugates most of the time thanks to its inspired realization, its biases assumed until the end and especially what it foreshadows for the future if success is there. We can already imagine what the following episodes could give, Code Veronica in mind, given that Capcom seems to have found a very good balance for its saga nourishing both our fears and our need for action. Reinterpretation, remake, the term ultimately has little interest as Resident Evil 2 manages to tell us a story yet known to all while still managing to surprise us today. Promise kept for this classic, brilliantly brought up to date.
The notes
+ Positive points
The balance between recovery, reinterpretation and innovation
Can surprise fans as well as newcomers
Artistically superb
60 fps constant
The tension is permanent
Mr X, truly scary
Very good lifespan (around twenty hours)
Negative points
Some graphic effects not always very convincing
A progression very anchored in the late 90s
Some slightly ridiculous passages that are more obvious
Despite the more controlled realization, the scenario is still as cliché
As part of the continuity of a dark and stressful Resident Evil VII, Resident Evil 2 manages to plunge us back into Raccoon City through its vision more than ever oriented survival. Playing with our nerves from start to finish, re-imagining certain cult sequences to make them more current and impressive, the Capcom title has 20 hours of fun playing with our memories and our fears to better return us through an adventure more trying than in the past. Despite its progression accusing the weight of the years and its scenario strongly cliché, Resident Evil 2 remains an exciting game in its way of thinking, its inventiveness and its execution.
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