Following the release of RESIDENT EVIL, Capcom immediately greenlit a sequel after its success, with concept art being shown off an exhibition in March of 1996. Shinji Mikami steps down into a producer role, with directing duties handed over newcomer Hideki Kamiya (OKAMI, BAYONETTA, DEVIL MAY CRY). Development swiftly followed with a targeted late 1997 release date, but due to doubts and disagreements hearaled by the development staff, Mikami suggested the unthinkable: restart the development from scratch at roughly 80% through development. Seeing the concerns, Capcom allowed development to begin again, thus delaying the game to an early 1998 release, with two(!) different cuts of RESIDENT EVIL being released as an apology for the delay time.
Released to critical acclaim in January 1998, RESIDENT EVIL 2 follows rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy on his first day at the Raccoon City Police Department (tell me about it), and college student Claire Redfield, in search of her brother, Chris. The two cross paths and find themselves in a race against time to escape the now horrificly infested Raccoon City, thrown into chaos from the same agents that caused the outbreak in the Arklay Mountains due to a failed clandestine operation to secure the newly-developed G-Virus from scientist William Birkin.
RE2 refines the gameplay established in RE1, featuring large-scale environments, more monsters that take up the screen, and plenty of ammo to go around to grant a sense of catharsis. There's a greater emphasis on action, which is evident from the game's opening cutscene, a testment to Kamiya's own action movie inspiration. There's more bangs, more explosions, more thrills and tension that perfectly compliments the survival horror atmosphere, now in a city infested with hundreds if not thousands of the undead, along with Umbrella's more nefarious creatures lurking in the depths.
The game features two split scenario cases, where you can play in the A scenario of a character, and later upon completion, you unlock the B scenarion of the other. This is where the game features almost like a rouge-like, where decisions you decide and items you pick up on your first run will end up affecting the other. It allows for a fresh experience each time you start a new playthrough. For controls, it plays just as well as the first RE title, so if you're comfortable with tank controls, you'll do just fine.
The enemies have also taken a big step up, with more variable zombies, along with the introduction of some of the most iconic enemies from the franchise: the Licker, the mutated William Birkin, and the titular T-103 Tyrant that stalks the B scenario, otherwise known as Mr. X, the first stalker enemy of the series.
Most of all, the music takes a big notch up forwards from the first game, featuring more orchestral-like compositions and synthesizer tracks. There's a reason why the save room theme from this title remains the best of the series.
With all the action, horror and thrills, this game remains the best of the classic series for many. If you've only played the remake or are looking to get into the franchise, I cannot reccommend this title enough. It'll leave you hungry for more.
10/10
